Criterium Cycling Racing
A criterium or a crit as it is sometimes known as, is a short cycling race around a closed circuit. The circuit is usually somewhere between 1km and 5km is length and generally is closed off from other street traffic. Criterium's are usually raced as either a time duration or a number of laps of the circuit. For time duration races, a time limit is set plus an additional 1-3 laps. For example a crit stating that it is 45 mins + 3 laps, means that the racers will ride the circuit for around 45 minutes and then complete 3 more laps to determine the winner. The race referee will blow a whistle at the end of a time period and ring a bell with 1 lap to go. Because of the frequent turns and high speeds, bike handling ability is vitally important during a criterium. To successfully race and win criteriums, riders need a good balance between bicycle handling skills, explosive power to close gaps and accelerate out of corners as well as a fast final sprint. The rider must also have good...