Cal Cycling - Geo's Criterium Tips
Equipment:
The equipment selection isn't as complicated as TTing. All you really need is a set of light race wheels. You can use a set of swanky-er aero wheels if you wish. Try to find a rear wheel that has a tight cluster, you want to be in the most efficient gear to conserve your energy. Most importantly try to find a cluster with a 16 in it (for those with 9spd, that is a 12x23). THe 53x16 turns out to be the perfect cruising gear for crits--the 17 and 15 are close for small speed adjustments. I used to ride a 9spd 11x23, the 11t cog was useful, but once I tried one with a 16, the world turned into a much nicer place. With the 11x23, the 17 was too easy, but the 15 was too hard... Since crits are over in an hour, you might get a chance to drink so pack a small bottle of sugary stuff when you roll out.
Preparation:
Training for a crit requires all round skills you accumulate as you ride. All round fitness (plus explosive power generation) and bike handling skills are necessary to survive a crit. Crits can get nutty, you need to have a good solid aerobic base so you can keep up and a good jump so you can bridge the little gaps that inevitably open up during a race. Also, hopefully those that attended those skills clinics in the fall can appreciate the close quaters riding we practiced and have by now learned what they can and can't do on their bikes. Remember to stay cool when you get into a jam. As soon as you hit the panic button everything really starts to fall apart.
Race day:
You should reg as soon as you can, thereby allowing yourself the maximum amount of time to get pinned and warmed up. Crits are fast from the gun, so you want to be nice and warm at the line. If you need to eat anything, don't eat too much...again, something light and quickly absorbed. The warmup on the trainer I'll leave up to your own personal preferences. Just make sure you have a variety of efforts (almost up to race pace) so that your body "knows" what's in store for it. Make sure your team has a set of wheels in the pit, in case there are any, uh, technical difficulties encountered in the race.
The start is fairly critical, try to line up as close to the line as you can...it's just less people to snake through later. Put your bike into the big ring and some gear you can start on (usually a 19).
Before the race starts, the official comes out and gives a little talk as to free laps, reads you your final rites, etc, etc. Do as they say. As soon as they scurry off the road, get ready to go. When the whistle blows, KEEP your head UP, don't look down to engage your cleat into the pedals. Infallibly there is going to be some guy that has to look down to do it, and they are just going to veer off into somebody else when they do it. Keep your eyes peeled and at try to get off the line safely. Once the race has started, you'll initially settle into a position. From there you have to decide your own game plan. Every crit is different, race dynamics are never the same, so it's hard to write down a specific game plan--so here are some general pointers...
The first crit I did up in Davis, I got dropped like a ROCK. It was pa-thet-ic. I had absolutely no skills whatsoever.
A crit can get crazy, people all over the place, speeding up, slowing down. Key concept to follow is to try and conserve energy. Try to stay up front, the pace up there is much more stable so you don't have to waste energy bridging little gaps. (Hopefully you have your crazy light wheels on so you can accelerate faster...) You hit the corners first so you can have the pick of what line you want (somewhat). Plus you have less yahoos in front of you to foul things up. Don't aim for bots-dots, pot-holes, oil spots, man hole covers and other irregularities in the pavement... (Hopefully you have your stickest set of rubber on so you can rail it through anything). If you can sit in on a wheel, sit in on it. Well, if the wheel happens to be erratic, steer clear you don't wnat another thing to watch out for. If there is a gap you can take advantage of, take it. Try to keep on moving up. In corners, stay relaxed there might be a little bit of bumping, but nothing the skills clinic didn't teach. Protect your front wheel as much as possible--you lose that, you're a goner. Stay smooth, don't let your nerves get to you and get all sketchy. It makes racing with you that much harder. During corners, keep pedaling as much as you can into it, take and hold a smooth line. Resume pedaling as soon as you can when you exit the corner.
During bell laps things get even crazier. Again, keep your cool and try to maintain position. If you are top 5 on bell lap for a prime, you are in a good position to earn points. Capitalize on it.
By the final bell lap, things will be off the hook. This will be the craziest racing you will see. By now, you want to be at least top 10 going into it. Ideally top 5 by the last corner, and put the smack down in the last straightaway.
Sounds a lot easier than it really is, but its a lot of fun. Keep at it. Once you the hang of it, there is another world of team tactics to learn. It really is a lot of fun.
When the race is finally over, be sure to cool down and drink some sugary stuff/Cyto-sludge to help you recover.
It's hard to put down *everything* that goes on in a crit onto (virtual) paper. Hopefully all you newbies have read something that will help your racing endeavors. Remember: Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement. If you have a chance to do those Early Bird races, give them a shot, nothing beats actual hands on race experience.
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