Cycling
Get to know the ins and outs of criterium cycling racing
With professional cyclist Justin Williams releasing his Dear 39th Street documentary, now is a good time take a closer look at what road cycling criterium racing exactly is.
Tell someone that you race bicycles for a living and, most likely, the response will be, "You mean like the Tour de France?” It's a very natural response for your average sports fan. Take it a step further and tell the same person that you race crits, née criteriums, and you'll be sure to see their brows wrinkle.
Describing the different formats between road racing, stage racing and then criterium is simple. A road race is a large course on open roads that could be a full loop or a point-to-point race. A stage race takes that concept several steps further by linking multiple days of racing, taking an aggregate of each stage and quite often incorporates a time trial to the event for added excitement. Crit racing, for the casual fan, is most easily understood when compared to sports like Formula One and MotoGP™.
Criterium racing takes road cycle racing downtown and into cities
© Long Nguyen
More on Justin Williams and criterium racing
Justin Williams is probably the most famous crit racer in the world right now. He's a rider for and co-founder of Los Angeles-based L39ION road cycling team that mainly races on the US crit racing circuit.
Williams has done more than anyone to raise the profile of the discipline, with interest in him and the American scene expanding far beyond US borders. No one is better placed than Williams to tell us what the sport is about.
Williams rolls out at the start of a crit race with his L39ION team
© Kit Karzen
Crit racing, Williams says, is a "half a mile to one mile (1.6km) circuit race around a closed-off downtown city, where 100-150 riders line up and race around it as fast they can."
Races tend to be short and sweet, with around 60 miles (90-95km) covered and lasting about 90 minutes. The number of laps raced is sometimes pre-determined by time or a set number of laps are given. Circuits will differ from event to event, but expect to see a lot of corners on a crit course. Racing can be chaotic at times, but it's that energy that drives the riders along and builds the excitement of the crowds watching on the sidelines.
"During a criterium race, you’re trying to find the right position to be in," explains Williams. "Your heart rate is at 180-190 bpm, so you’re not thinking straight. And you're trying to navigate this course, while navigating in the peloton, while focusing on the goals you have, while trying to win, and fighting 10 people for a corner that only one of you can fit through."
I admire road racing and what it takes to be a top-level road racer. I just think criterium is more fun
Crit racing is fast and furious
© Christopher Taylor
There's a potency in this discipline that, when the right ingredients are present – in this case the racers and the crowds – make for an exciting 90 minutes.
"I come from basketball, where you’re battling every play – I fell in love with more of that kind of experience. That’s what it is," says Williams. "I admire road racing and what it takes to be a top-level road racer. I just think criterium is more fun. I think they're more exciting, more dynamic. I think it's better for the crowd, because they get to watch the race happening. Every lap something is happening. Someone else is at the front. Someone else is in the back. Someone's flatting. You can watch it all happen rather than watch it pass by you."
There's an art to racing criterium races
© Christopher Taylor
Crit racing isn't only popular in the United States. The UK, Australia, Germany and Netherlands all have professional criterium series' and also national championships.
Crit racing in America has seen a handful of revivals and is no stranger to going under the proverbial knife for a facelift. In this recent iteration, Williams and L39ION have not only pushed the boundaries on how the race can be won on the course, but also how activating the community has made a significant impact.
Every lap something is happening. You can watch it all happen rather than watch it pass by you
Williams's documentary, Dear 39th Street, shows the impact he's making criterium racing and cycling in general more high profile in the minds of the American public. His inaugural crit racing event, Into the Lions Den, highlights the strength and support of the cycling community.
"They mean everything to me. They're the reason we're able to live the life that we live. They’re the reason that we are able to do the sport that we love and they’re breathing life into Criteriums.”
22 min
Dear 39th Street
Justin Williams returns to 39th Street, LA to build L39ION – the world's first Black-owned cycling team.
The aforementioned iterations that have occurred over the decades of bike racing in the United States have always held a significant correlation to the community, whether it be mountain biking, BMX racing or on road bikes. Now, we’ve been directed to turn our attention towards crit racing.
"My perspective is that we can’t do anything without the people that support us," says Williams, "and that's why we work so hard to do these things that we do throughout the year that make the fans feel like they’re involved and a part of it, because they are."
Right now crit racing is reaching new levels of popularity. It has all the attributes that make it a big draw for newcomers and can deepen the passions of seasoned aficionados.
You can learn more about Justin Williams and crit racing by watching Dear 39th Street.
