In the US, Criterium is King

As I get myself ready for racing on Saturday I can't help think about the uniqueness of criterium racing and its predominance here in the US. Personally my bent is more towards road races than the criterium. In a road race you generally have a better sense of where the members of the field are, there is more space to maneuver on the road and a breakaway actually stands a chance of surviving. A criterium on the other hand just feels like all out chaos. I said once that racing in a crit feels like being part of a school of barracudas the way we flow on the road and dart around corners almost like we are chasing down prey and I still feel that way.



However, there is a strange serenity that comes in racing a criterium as well. In between the ebb and flow of power surges and the struggle for position in the peloton there are quiet moments too when the world seems oddly in order. You can hear yourself breathe for a split second between all out efforts or the world is suddenly silent except for the buzz of freewheels. All of these moments metered out by the furious beating of your heart are squeezed into tiny gaps between riders' attempts to push themselves to the limit.



Regardless of the criterium's reputation for being a crash-fest and the intense demands that come with this kind of riding, I find these sparse gems of peace scattered throughout it all to be rewarding and kind of beautiful. Perhaps criterium isn't king after all, but rather an opiate of the masses. The fast food of bicycle racing that all of us can enjoy. One that all of us riders can partake in and feel the rush that is bicycle racing even if we can't climb over mountains or ride repeatedly for days or even weeks.



Hopefully, I'll still feel this way after I race this weekend.