My first criterium....
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catwood posted 1 year ago.
Sometimes fun, sometimes scary, always hard...
I've done a couple in collegiate cycling. I haven't done one for a while but I'll be focussing on my biking over the off season, so I'll probably some more in the spring...
Its a totally different animal from tri's. You really have to have your cornering skills rock solid and train for those repetitive intense bursts and then there's the whole sprinting thing...
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kylie posted 1 year ago.
Wow way to try something new! I'd like to try one someday... but they really do scare me since I don't tend to trust the bike handling skills of myself or others.
Kylie Donia's Miles of Life --- Powered by MarkyV
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o2Ripper posted 1 year ago.
It was a bit nerve racking...of course if I were in the front of the pack it would have been a completely different feel. But it sure was a rush. And I did have one pedal skip. haha. Yikes. Thats what I get for being a newbie! Haha.
-Branden
"Its an addiction"
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hollywood1 posted 1 year ago.
Crit's are great off season training, i have been racing them through the winter down under and you learn really quickly how to take the right line through a corner and the shortest route over the course. Cornering is also a great skill to improve upon especially since TT bikes don't always go where you want them to. Also those accelerations are great training for passing people in tri's and also to rip the legs of those evil drafters!
My tip is sit at the back for the first 15 to 20 Min's then work your way to the front and ATTACK!!
dont get bitter, get better
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Anton posted 1 year ago.
It was at my first crit in 1982, a white knuckle horror fest that included a 90 degree turn at the bottom of a 40+ mph hill...
that i heard,,"Bike handling skills or hospital bills." ...nuff said!
"What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?" - Vincent Van Gogh
My Blog: http://agingsuperhero.blogspot.com
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blavelle posted 1 year ago.
scary! especially racing in cat5 races.
"now I only have good days and great days."
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UFTriGator posted 1 year ago.
Hope you liked it enough to try another! Those will make strong in a hurry. If you do another one, it's a lot easier if you sit up closer to the front....less bunching around the corners=fewer accelerations. Besides, you'll get just as much draft sitting 8th wheel as you will 60th and are less likely to be caught in a crash.
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-Matt
Not fast enough.
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UFTriGator posted 1 year ago.
catwood;75840 wrote:
then there's the whole sprinting thing...
What are you talking about? If you solo off the front you don't need to sprint! ;)
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-Matt
Not fast enough.
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cjhoffmn posted 1 year ago.
Oh man. I had no idea there was such a thing... I was a pretty serious BMX rider when I was a 8-12 years old. Criterium looks like it would spark all those old feelings I used to love... Oh man. I see new road rash in my future.
Very cool.
To tri or not to tri - that's not a question at all!
Man, I didn't know what to expect, nor how they worked. It was one tough race, racing at 80%-100% HR for 30min on a .8 mile circuit. WAY different from racing Tri's, I guess I'll have to train for the next one. ;p I got pulled out after 8 laps or so. Blah. But it sure was an interesting experience. I didnt even know they pull people who are laggin behind.
It was all about the learning process. What does everyone else think about criteriums?
-Branden
"Its an addiction"