Crits differ from standard road races in that there is no fixed race distance. Instead, you race for a predetermined length of time…well, sort of. Here is how a crit works. The race starts off just like a standard road race — after the gun, the field will take off around the loop, jockeying for position, attacking, normal race stuff. Primes are often cash or merchandise prizes for whomever gets to the line first! Because they usually pop up every 5 minutes or so during the race, they tend to keep the pace fast and exciting.
The end of the race is where crits are really different. In a normal road race, you always know exactly how far you are from the finish. Not so here. Here is what happens. The winner of the race is the first person to cross the finish without having been lapped. As a rider, you have to have a certain set of skills in order to navigate a criterium.
You must have the ability to corner rapidly and sharply, with as little touching of your fellow riders as possible, holding your line on the road. In order to claim the best position, you have to possess pristine ability to decide to sprint at perfectly timed opportunities in order to make a successful attack.
Not only do you strive to be the fastest with the best bike handling, you also have to ride safely inches away from a large group of opponents, on a short circuit, and not get caught up in crashes, which are almost inevitable in crits. So, what exactly is a criterium? When the gun fires, make sure you don't miss your pedal, and try to grab a wheel and stay out of the wind. If you can get through the first ten minutes unscathed, you'll invariably be fine for the remainder of the race.
Positioning is important and stay vigilant. Once the pace begins to settle, the race really begins. The peloton in a criterium is a living, moving organism; one minute, you will be on the front, and in the blink of an eye, you will be hanging off the back. Roberts continues: "Positioning is the most important part of any race: where you choose to sit dictates the energy, you expend following moves or closing gaps.
If you're not the one instigating attacks, unless you're positioned far enough forward in the bunch, the surges will hurt twice as much, so stay in the first third of the bunch when things heat up.
Allison says to make sure you keep your head up and be aware of what's happening around you. It's really easy to fall into the trap of focusing in on the wheel in front of you, especially when the pace is high, but if you can get the flow of the course and find spots where the field slows down, just by conserving a bit of momentum you can move up a few places with little to no energy. Keeping your head up will also help you avoid crashes as it will help you see if someone grabs a handful of brake levers, prevents poor positioning, and allows you to spot an escape route if things go pear-shaped around you.
It's common at high levels for riders to bump and lean on each other, to stay upright, but crashes happen handlebars get tangled, wheels touch, or erratic braking. If they move or drift sideways, you're going down.
If there's a crash in front of you in a turn, you're way more likely to miss that crash if you thought about where or what to do beforehand. Strava stats reveal the answer. Like cars on the highway, most accidents happen from a massive speed differential or erratic movement. If you're going with the flow and keeping speed, you'll have more time to react, it's way safer, way smoother, and smooth is fast. Of all the cliches about crit racing, the one that rings true is it's not the strongest rider who wins but the smartest.
Clip-in road shoes and pedals are a must for control, power, and safety. Get started in two places: midweek training crits and weekend races. The bedrock of the racing community is the midweek training crit, typically postwork Tuesday through Thursday.
Most are free, and veteran racers happily share pointers. Just ask. Each state has its own governing cycling organization, which typically hosts a regional race calendar. On that next group ride, find the cyclist with sharp tans lines, veins on the tops of their thighs, and a full matching team kit.
Here are three top crits to add to your to do list. Grab a friend, pack your bike, hit the highway. Road tripping to races is a time-honored summer tradition in America. Like surfers chasing the best breaks, crit races zig-zag the country hunting for interesting courses and the most rowdy events. This Super Bowl of crits , which is in its 40th year, takes place in Athens, Georgia.
World champions, Tour de France winners, and every fast cyclist in the world has taken a shot at winning this thing. Race in the a. Pack Advil, and book a late flight out. Also known as the three craziest days of bike racing in America. All of Tulsa, Oklahoma, shuts down to unleash a hour block party with costumes, music, and more Michelob Ultra sprayed into the air than scientifically conceivable.
Racing apexes on day three with the infamous River Park course, featuring the percent-grade Cry Baby Hill , where fans scream for racers holding sticks adorned with babydoll heads. Cry Baby Hill has its own Facebook page to manage the party madness leading up to the race. Word of caution: One cannot un-see what happens there. The ultimate challenge, held across Wisconsin, is nearly two continuous weeks of back-to-back crit racing on a different course every day.
The last Saturday features the Downer Ave course with an outrageously-anticipated midrace prize sprint. Brace thy self. Bikes and Gear. United States.
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