first criterium

manvell said:

I'm new to the racing scene. I've only done 2 races.I guess I am happy with my results, considering the limited amount of training I do. Anyway, August 27th I am going to be in my first Crit. Anyone have any advice or tips that will help me? It is a .9mile loop and only a total of 15 miles long. thanks

Only 15 miles? It's going to be a very fast 15 miles. Plus, crits usually involve a set time, then go down to a certain number of laps towards the end, so that 15 miles, I would assume, would fluctuate.

You need to go out and ride and ride. Do a few intense rides on the course if possible for the set duration of the race. If you don't live near the course, just go out on the road and really crank it.

If you just ride, you will get better. As long as you do something, you will get better, just may not be as quickly as you would like.

Just try to stay with the main pack, and if this is your 3rd race, you should have some idea of what to expect!

Good luck!

thanks for reply. I'm sure it will be a very fast pace. I just did a 26 mile road race not to far from where the crit is being held and the winning time was 1:02:32 (avg. over 24 mph). I got dropped on a hill and finished with 5 other riders. We were 5 min.off lead(22.5 mph). With out hills in this crit I might have a better chance to stay near front. I don't know if I should try to stay on the inside or outside of the corners. There are five left hand turns.

First, crits and road races are apples and oranges. With 5 turns, you are going to be slowing and accelerating probably every 20-30 sec for the entire race (if you do a crit with a power meter, the power curve is a constant saw tooth up and down). If you can handle a bike, inside is better on turns, because anyone who falls is going to slide out (catching riders on the outside).