What's a criterium?

[Katiebikes]

I'm still relatively new to cycling and completely new to racing. However, a local cycling club is going to be holding weekly criteriums about three miles from my house and I thought they might be a good way for me to start racing and increase my speed. But I'm really scared! I don't really know exactly what a criterium is let alone if I'm ready for one...what kinds of skills do they require? What should I know going in? What are the strategies? Should I practice the course ahead of time? What's the maximum speed one can go around turns? Agh! I'm so overwhelmed!

[Zen]

criterium

[malaholic]

Zen linked to the description so I won't repeat that here. But, as to your other questions...

Required skills would involve riding in a tight pack, and cornering at high speeds while staying in that tight pack. I'm not sure what your experience/comfort level is in those areas, but I think a good approach might be to go attend the first of the weekly races as a spectator rather than an entrant. Station yourself by a corner and watch one, and you'll get a good sense of whether you're ready to dive in now or whether you'd want to get more skills practice in first.

There's no one answer to how fast someone can take a turn. Depends on the angle of the turn, the camber and condition of the road, the arc radius/path you are able to take thru the turn (sometiems you can pick, but in a criterium you'll have people around you so you might not be able to take the optimal path), road conditions, how good your tires are, etc. It's definitely a good idea to pre-ride the course so that you would be familiar with the turns and know when you can speed through them and when you might need to lay off a bit.

[OakLeaf]

Road races or circuit races are probably a better entree into the sport. Crit racing takes some pretty advanced handling skills.

Going as a spectator the first time is a good idea - then talk to some of the riders after the race and see if you can start training with them.

[chicagogal]

My first bike race was a local crit. I was scared to, but once I did it, I decided it wasn't as scary as I feared. I am still scared every time I come to the line to start a race, but it is a different kind of scared.

However, cornering in a pack is really what's scary about a crit as it is where handling skills really come into play and where crashes are most likely.

[oz rider]

+1 to the advice already given. Also call someone at your local club and tell them you're interested but not sure where to start. Most clubs are delighted to take a new person under their wing, which can help enormously. They can explain how they like people to start and might even have skills clinics. At my club, senior riders act as ride marshalls and in the novice grade will help out a newbie with all kinds of tips while riding. And a vets club here is known for having a senior rider help out new women too. Makes a huge difference. Good luck!