Originally Posted by
ypsetihw
My goal is to race a couple local cat 5 crits this summer, and it is a fast flat 4 corner square course on pretty good clean city streets. The cat 5 is 35 mins + laps I think. I'm thinking my bike handling skills, ability to handle the repeated accelerations, and overall finishing sprint will be more important than my climbing skills or one hour threshold.
That is correct. Over/under intervals are an excellent way to simulate the conditions you'll meet in crits, with periods of maximum intensity followed by the need to recover at speed. And you need to know how to ride at close quarters and make use of the draft. Some group rides, with a group that know what they're doing, would be a good idea.