Criterium racing

For cyclists, criterium racing is a frenetic test of bike handling skills and fitness. While there is no such thing as a truly “typical” criterium course, there are some general standards that apply to how criteriums work.

What is a “crit”

A criterium is a race around a prescribed course generally ranging anywhere from a half a mile to a little over a mile in length. The race often consists of a set number of minutes plus two or three additional laps once that time period is fulfilled. A criterium might therefore consist of a race of 40 minutes plus 2 laps.

The strategy in a criterium is, therefore, to maintain contact with the front group during the critical stages of the race. That’s in part why the word “criterium” is often shortened to simply “crit”, because it’s also critical to stay in touch with any “breaks” or groups of riders moving off the front.

With the thrill comes a little danger

Criterium racing is both thrilling and somewhat dangerous. The confined construction of most criterium courses forces riders into close spaces, with anywhere from 5 to 20 riders trying to squeeze around corners at the same time. It is important that cyclists learn to corner well, holding the line they choose in collaboration with the group and not wobbling or breaking off that line erratically, lest they cause other riders to swerve and crash.

How rookies learn

The very first crit in which I competed was on a highly “technical” course (notice the euphemism for ‘dangerous’) that involved a sudden turn down a steep hill followed by another turn and ascent up a similarly steep hill. On our first time down the hill, a group of riders went careening to the side with some skittering across the road on the lips of their tires while others simply flew wide and smacked into a pile of hay bales protecting them from a dip in a creek. The next few laps saw more crashes and separations on those hills and then suddenly, a huge gap opened in the middle of the field. Riders were falling back precipitously. Not having any prior experience in a crit, and trusting my “runner” instincts over what you should do in a bike race, I assumed it would be possible to slowly make up the gap. Mistake. You must power your way over the length of any gap and get back into the group draft or get dropped. First lesson of criteriums. Cover all moves. Next time through the finish area I called out to the announcer, “Can I be Category 6?”

“No such thing,” he chortled. I rode the rest of the race alone, but did not get lapped.

Watch the corners

Yes, crashes are part of crit racing, unfortunately. Corning especially produces crashes, because the ideal way for riders to push through a corner is at full speed, using the centrifugal force of the bike to corner rather than slowing or hitting the brakes. That’s bad under any circumstances in a criterium. The goal is to proceed at full speed at all times, handling your bike through accelerations and the inevitable slowing or decelerations that occur during racing.

Irrational truthes

The mind of the peloton in a criterium is neither logical or predictable. In fact you should throw all group logic out the door and use your own head at all times. A rider that can think through inevitable fatigue or confusion is one who will succeed in a criterium.

Criterium riders often test the front of the pack by making little breaks to see how many riders respond. The ideal situation is to form a break with anywhere from 4 to 8 riders who then trade “pulls” or riding in the lead. Using the draft of other riders is always critical to success in criteriums. Very few riders can go solo from the start and ride away from the field. If they do, they probably need to move up in racing category, because the purpose of criterium racing is to place yourself among similarly skilled riders and test your overall racing skills and fitness.

Strategy

When the race is evenly balanced, strategy comes into play. Riders surge and pull off the front, and if a break forms, those riders work together to try to pull away from the field. Getting “off the front” is an exciting feeling because you are both dependent on the other riders in the break and responsible as well for your own success. Cycling is unique that way, with riders from opposing teams often working together to lead breakaways even in races as short as criteriums. That is when your fitness is truly tested, and your confidence too.

The bunch sprint

If no break forms and the pack or peloton stays together the entire race, a criterium often comes down to the final two additional laps. That’s when riders find out how well they have harbored their resources during the initial phase of racing. Often riders who’ve hung around the front of the pack the entire 40 minutes will find themselves left in the dust because other, cagier riders have “sat in” the entire way and saved all their energy for the bunch sprint. It hardly seems fair that the fastest or strongest riders who’ve done all the work should lose for their efforts, but that’s the way of cycling. It is not always the fastest or strongest rider who wins, but the smartest.

It’s not as easy as it looks

Well, hell, you think. All you’ve got to do is be smart and sit in, right? Not exactly. Criteriums are full of very conscious moments of decision-making. If you sit in and miss a break, you’ll be left behind with 40-50 others while 5 or 6 riders go for glory off the front.

But there are many false breaks in the typical criterium. So if you go with a couple of them and expend precious energy bridging the gap and holding on, you won’t have any juice left for the final sprint.

That’s why it’s important for riders who want to be successful in criteriums to practice racing as often as possible. Our club Athletes By Design in Winfield and Batavia, IL. hosts very popular weekly criterium practices at a spot called the Pelladrome, a quadrant of commercial drives that was scheduled for major industrial construction that never happened. But the Pella Windows plant has nice parking lots and lets the club use them for racing after business hours. The Pelladrome is about .8 miles with relatively gentle corners and flat, smooth roads. It is an ideal place for racing and practicing criterium skills.

Anywhere from 30 to 50 riders show up most weeks, with practice races held in broad groups of category 4 and 5 races followed by category 1-3 riders. Both women and men race together.

Of cours there are many more categories of criterium races, including Masters 30+ on up through Master’s 70+. These races are often filled with avid cyclists who enjoy the thrill of getting out to ride harder than they would in practice, and against riders their own age or ability.

Set up your own crit course, and practice riding fast

It can be beneficial to prepare for criteriums by setting up your own, personal criterium course where traffic and safety conditions allow. In my neighborhood there is a “large block” circling a group of athletic fields that allows all right turns. On quiet nights or mornings it is possible to ride quite hard on this loop in training for crits.

My goal each season is to reach the point where I’m riding 30-40 minutes at an average of 20+ mph on my personal crit course. That kind of solo riding usually enables me to race at an average pace from 24-27 mph in actual crit racing. My personal best in a Master’s 50+ race is 26.8 mph for a 40 minute + 2-lap race. I’m proud of that time, and also proud of the fact that my fellow 50+ riders left me in the dust the last 5 laps.

Don’t let age or other perceived limitations slow you down

Age is not an absolute restriction in bike racing. Many riders continue their competitive careers long past what most people consider “middle age,” whatever that means.

One of the premiere riders in the Athletes By Design club is Joe Berenyi, who just won several medals including Gold at the London Paralympics. Joe has his right arm but no left, and competes well at CAT 3 races throughout the Midwest.

America’s cyclists along with America’s runners are re-writing everything about modern fitness, and what it means to age and stay healthy. In that perspective, we all need our own criteriums. That is, testing ourselves is the best way to improve with age and experience.