Master’s Criterium Racing

Well it has bee quite sometime since I’ve posted here.  I’d like to say I’ve been busy, but honestly I think it’s more that I’ve been a little lazy.  So I’m going to try and make an effort to post a little more often.  It’s apparently good for the soul to write a journal (in this case a blog), so that’s what I’ll do.

This weekend I raced my first Criterium in over 15 years. I must admit I was a little worried so I made sure I was racing in ‘B’ grade; everyone was telling me that I should be in ‘A’ grade. I’m glad I stuck to my guns and stayed in ‘B’…boy was it tough! Not only was the pace fairly high, but the conditions we’re great for such intensive racing. High temps and a strong easterly wind made for a hard race. Not only that, but every lap the lads decided to push hard heading up the slight rise past the start/finish line. Now this rise couldn’t be considered a hill, but by the 10th time up this rise it was starting to hurt…LOTS!

So what’s the difference between a standard road race and a Criterium?  Primarily the distance of both the race and the course.  Most Criterium course’s are short, less than 2km, in length.  Some are even shorter.  So the riders have to ride many laps of the same circuit.  This is great for spectators and challenging for the riders as there is no such thing as a home course advantage (by the 10th lap everyone knows the course well).  The other aspect of Criteriums is cornering; if you can’t take corners at high-speed, then you’ll never do well in Criteriums.

Basically, Criteriums are suited for sprinters.  I like to think that sprinting is one of my strengths.  So I was feeling confident.

Read more