Getting ready for a crit.

If your training has been mainly solo, then you'll most likely find yourself unprepared for the demands of crit racing at first. Don't let that stop you, though, make it a goal to hang on in the pack a little longer each week and use them for continued training. Your growing experience will make a bigger difference than your growing fitness. The weekly training crit here allows people to sit out if they get tired, and then rejoin the pack on a later lap. Take advantage of that if you can to make the race into 'intervals' where you ride 'til you blow up, then rest and do it again. Start with the beginner/slow race, if there is one, until you get the feel for the race.

What you need to know is to stay relaxed on the bike and keep your line through the corners so you don't cause a crash. Probably a good idea to ride at the back of the pack at first until you get a feel for the cornering and rhythm of the course. Try to stay as smooth as you can with your momentum, because the braking and big jumps waste a lot of energy. The best tip is to get on the wheel of one of the nice smooth guys in the pack (preferably someone you know) and watch what he does. That'll help conserve a lot of energy. Downshift 1-2 gears before the corner, so you can spin out comfortably with momentum instead of standing and cranking in a big gear (another big waste of energy). Whew! Too many things to tell. Just get in there and try to survive a couple times and let us know how it goes. Good luck. 🙂