Of all the cyclists writing blogs about racing I am probably the LEAST qualified of everyone to write about racing. last weekend was only the 4th bike race of my life! That being the case most of the information I post about racing will be from research and lessons learnt through other peoples blogs or things I pick up in group rides from people who know what they are talking about.
I am fascinated by Criterium racing at the moment, I raced with the Goldstars at the Luke Harrop circuit last weekend and LOVED the frantic pace, tight circuit and excitement of Crit racing. I will be lining up at Computer st again this weekend and I cant wait!
A criterium is a short circuit race usually between 800m – 1500m in length raced over a time period rather than a distance. Lower grades will generally be 30 – 40 minutes and the higher grades closer to 60 minutes. After the allotted time period most races will have 2 (sometimes 3) extra laps. (i.e 60 minutes + 2 laps) From the races I have watched or ridden in it is never a certainty that a race will be decided by a bunch sprint and breakaways stand a great chance of making it to the line.
On approach to my first serious crit last weekendI began asking around for some help on tactics and advice on how to stay out of trouble andpreferably not get dropped. After a heap of top class advice i picked out a few pointers I wanted to share with you all.
1) Stay in the top 1/4 of the field and preferably on the outside. Crit’s are characterised by sharp corners where the field will concertina in andout of the corner, the further down the field you are the harder you need to launch out of the apex to stay in touch with the group. Multiply this effort by 4 or 5 corners each lap andif your at the back your spending a large portion of your race fighting lactic acid to stay with the group.
2) Be patient. Early break aways in a crit will often be chased down due to the excitement and fresh legs in the chase groups. If you want to try a break pick your timing and wait until the early nerves have settled, wait for a lull in the pace or another break away to be bought back then attack.
3) Hold your line! Crit courses can be quite tight, add to this 40+ riders trying to squeeze through the same corner and mayhem can follow. Pick your line into the corner and hold it or risk bringing down half the field Cavendouche style.
4) Bunch Sprint? The bell has rang for your last lap and the group is still together, your tactics switch to sprint mode. This can be the most dangerous part of the race. Go to You tube and search cycling crashes and 95% of the search results will be in the group sprint to the line. Your best bet to come out near the front of the line is to follow tip1 and stay in the top end of the field if you 2 corners from the finish and your in the top 10 the hard work is done. If your in 30th position that’s a long run to the line around a lot of people also trying to move up in the field.
A criterium sprint will be similar to a road sprint and the same etiquette applies. Hold your line! as I saw last weekend if you deviate off your line it is far to easy to bring down riders behind you and no one wants to see these crashes in local races.
These few little tips were enough to see me safely home last weekend toward the pointy end of the field and avoid the crash in the sprint. If you have any other tips feel free to drop them in the COMMENTS section below.
REMINDER -
Murwillumbah banana festival Criterium in on the 22nd August and entries close Midnight 10th August. Entries submitted after the 8th August will attract additional fees.
Numbers are filling fast so get in now for one of the best Crits on the Coast!
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