CRITERIUMS ARE IN SEASON!

Criteriums were my thing back in the day when I was at the top of my game, I just love them. I love the speed, I love the game, I love the distance, I love cornering, the skill, the technique, the tactics .... A criterium, by definition, is a circuit race on a course that is less than 1 km. It is usually a square, or something that looks similar to a square, but it can also have more than 4 corners and my favourite race had 8 corners and was shaped like an infinity sign with sharp edges, so we would make right and left hand turns. I think the reason I love them so much is that I have some sprint ability and there are so many things to think about during the race that I forget how hard I'm working; need to make it to the front, ok, just do it. Need to catch a wheel, ok, just do it. Feeling good, ok, attack.

Most cities have a weekly crit series for training and I recommend them for everyone. For starters, you will ride much faster than you think you can, secondly it will quickly improve your bike handling skills, thirdly, you will meet new friends and riding partners. Mississauga Midweek Club has a learn to ride series on Monday nights, a kids series on Thursday nights, and on Tuesdays they have two races, the early race for the "slower" riders who average around 36 km/hr, and the "faster" race which goes over 40.

Last night was my first time out to these races in over a year, maybe even two, and my memories of them were that the speeds weren't all that fast, but as I lost fitness I would not be able to adjust to the changes in acceleration - well, last night was a real eye opener for me, and testament to not having stuck to a racing plan - funny how work and travel get in the way. I suffered, got dropped, and felt like a bag of nails had exploded in my lungs. On the plus side, I can only get faster, I have the experience to know what to do, I just need to start working hard, sticking to the plan, and have the confidence and patience to know that my sprint legs will come back. Easier said than done?

Since it is too hard to take pictures while riding at my maximum speed I don't have any, so attached is a picture from Canada Games taken by Murray McComb