race-me22

Sorry for the newb question but i figure i better know.

SteveE

Read this and this .

DieselDan

A road race starts in one place, then ends in another place.

A crit is like racing bicycles in a blender.

macca123

crits are boring road racing kicks arse.

ed073

criterium-you suffer for an hour

road race-you suffer for a number of hours

Pizza Man

Have you raced in a crit, or is this just a spectator's point of view?

I've raced 2 in the last 2 weeks, and they are anything but boring.

Given a choice though, I would rather race a very hilly road race.

macca123

I am just being a tool. From a spectators point of view I H8 crits, very fun to ride in(most races are though). However I could not think of a better ride than a hill finish from a participant and spectators point of view.

my58vw

OK since there are no "real" answers...

A road race is a race where riders race on open or closed roads for a certain distance dealing with varried terrien like hills, corners, intersections, etc. They can have lengths as little as 10 - 15 miles to as much as 100+. Many road races are defined by their terrien. For example, devils punchbowl, a local road race, is definied by its intense climbing.

A varrient of road racing is the circuit race. A circuit is defined as a loop of road that can have hills, straightaways, corners, etc. A local circuit race is the Sunset circuit race (redland's classic) that includes a 10 or so mile look up Sunset drive, a 3 or so mile climb that averages say 6 - 7 percent. A circuit race can also be a modified criterium, a longer crit style but by length vs time or even by time. La Circuit race was a 4 mile crit style race, I have seen circuits as little as 3/4 mile.

A crit is a fast race over a short (less than a mile) course for a period of time 30 minutes + 5 laps for example. Racers go at rediculsly high speeds though a 4 or more corner track (usually in the business park setting) in a tight peloton. Primes are given along the route to make the race more interesting for spectators. Due to the small area the people watching can get up close to the action and see things like crashes, etc.


Roadracing is not nearly as popular as crits in the US, mainly due to the problem of closing roads for riders, etc. Crits allow for more advertising and less man power required to run.


Hope that helps a bit
Mandy

redal

Steve E's reply gave links to very "real" answers.

my58vw

I guess I did not see the links... only the trolling remarks after it.

The USCF links don't talk about circuit races much though.

redal

Are you suggesting I am a troll?

my58vw

Did I say you SIR...

I don't think so!

troll_buster

You two... TAKE IT OUTSIDE!

EventServices

This whole topic could quickly degrade into a debate over which is best, to which there is no answer.
A Criterium is more like a Formula One race: Short and fast with a lot of quick turns. Accelerations-a-plenty.

A Road Race is a longer chess game out on the country roads.
Sometimes (in bigger events) it's from point A to point B. But usually, it's a couple laps of a large circuit (say 10 to 15 miles).
A Circuit Race is like a Road Race on a much smaller circuit (like 2 or 3 miles).

Different skills in each.
It would be futile to argue over which is better.

redal

I was just making sure. BTW, the original poster did not ask about circuit races.

DannoXYZ 

If we want to draw analogies to sports we already know, road-races are similar to running track, cross-country or marathon. Fitness is important and typically the stronger riders will get distance on the hills and their endurance will last the 75-100 mile distances.

Criteriums on the other hand, are more similar to boxing, wrestling, fencing or karate. It's hand-to-hand combat and your results is directly based upon how you interact with your opponents. Fitness is not as important as mental strategy and bike-handling skill. Being able to visualize the perfect line through a corner and actually being able to maneuver your bike to carve that line is a given. Being able to push and shove without falling down is another critical skill. Sometimes you'll have both shoulders rubbing on guys on both sides while flying around a corner at 30mph. At the finishes, you'll have football linebackers slamming into you to push you off their teammate's wheel in the leadout. You gotta deal with fending them off at the same time as hanging on to the wheel ahead of you at 35-40mph, open up too much of a gap and someone else will shove their way in. If you're good at chess or the combat-simulation games like Risk, you'll do fine at crits.

jedi_rider

You'll get dizzy from doing a crit and see the same terrain over and over again.

MacMan

Not always. Lots of road races are done on circuits ... like the Worlds.

Duke of Kent

Hey MacMan,

Did you race for Mack? If so, sorry to hear the news. Who will you be riding for this year, if you aren't on the master's team?

MacMan

No Sir ... not me. I've raced against them but not for them!