Day 72 - The Criterium!

I've always thought this was a bicycle shop each time I drove by. This morning I looked it up on the internet and guess what? It's actually a Bike Race Track!

A criterium, or crit, is a bike race held on a short course (usually less than 5 km), often run on closed-off city centre streets.

Collegiate cyclists take a tight downhill corner in theBoston Beanpot Criterium at Tufts University

Race length can be determined by a total time or a number of laps, in which case the number of remaining laps is calculated as the race progresses. Generally the event's duration (commonly one hour) is shorter than that of a traditional road race — which can last many hours, sometimes over the course of several days or even weeks, as in a Grand Tour. However, the average speed and intensity are appreciably higher. The winner is the first rider to cross the finish line without having been "lapped."

Events often have prizes (called primes,usually cash- pronounced "preems" ) for winning specific intermediate laps (for instance, every 10th lap). A bell is usually rung to announce to the riders that whoever wins the next lap, wins the prime.

Success in road criteria requires a mix of good technical skills — in particular, the ability to corner smoothly, while "holding your line" on the road, as well as rapidly and sharply — and riding safely with a large group on a short circuit and exceptional "sprint" ability to attack other riders and repeatedly accelerate hard from corners.

Criteria are relatively easy to organize and do not require a large amount of space. They are the most common type of bicycle racing in the continental United States. They are also gaining popularity as a format for Mountain Bike events.