Congratulations go out to my sister-in-law Mindy, who won the Washington State Criterium Championships yesterday. For those who don’t know (and trust me, before a few years ago I didn’t either), a crit is “the most popular form of bike racing in the US, for several reasons. The race course is a closed circuit track around downtown streets. That makes it convenient for spectators. Racers complete a lap a minute. traveling at speeds exceeding 30 m.p.h.” (from What is a Criterium?)

From the Bellingham Herald: The state senior women’s championship went to Seattle’s Mindy Ziffren-Hall, a 26-year-old former Illinois high school swimming standout who moved to the Northwest four years ago to begin careers as both a cyclist and a marketing project manager for Microsoft. It was Ziffren-Hall’s first state senior title and the Subway star’s eighth victory overall this year, including the prestigious Elkhorn Cycling Classic in Baker City, Ore.

This is insanely cool.

Update: More on the Northwest Race Report.