Criterium racing is more than just dad's weekend fun

Take a deep breath, good, you're going to need it. From the drop of the flag criterium racing is done at full gas. Short circuits, tight corners, and swelling groups all result in the intense atmosphere of a crit race. Combining the raw speed and power of track racing with the tactics and finesse of road racing, it takes a special kind of cyclist to get involved in this unbelievable sport.

Only the most hardcore of cyclists take part in criterium racing whether it is a local alley cat or a prestigious series crit riders need specific characteristics to separate themselves from the rest of the bunch. You will need nerves of steel riding elbow to elbow jockeying for position at breakneck speed. And to that end, you might as well throw in needing the heart, (and thighs), of a horse if you want to match the rapid accelerations that are part and parcel of criterium racing. Add to this the reflexes of an (alley) cat you might just have what it takes to stand out amongst the other lunatics who chose to take part in crit racing.

Despite the grueling physical and mental demands asked of crit cyclists, there is another, perhaps more fundamental, factor that draws us to this type of racing. In simple terms, it is that crit racing is just about the most fun one can have on a bicycle. By its very nature crit racing is unpredictable, even the strongest and fastest racers cannot account for the mercurial nature of a criterium race. One moment you could be in a strong position closing in on a win, then one corner later the entire makeup of the race has changed. This is the nature of criterium racing: organic, fierce and above all else unpredictable and that chaos is what makes crit racing so appealing.

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