Race Help For Spectators

The Venues

There are several types of bicycle races. A road race is a race from point A to point B and is usually between 60 and 120 miles in total length. The Gateway Cup events are called Criteriums. Criteriums are the bicycling equivalent of the Indy 500. Fast. Exciting to watch and somewhat dangerous to race contestants.

These races are run on a closed course with multiple laps. Often but not always a 4-cornered course; often includes primes (short for premiums) which are points or prizes for intermediate laps. Course length varies. The Gateway courses are between 1 to 2 miles.

A Criterium, known among racers as a "crit", is the most popular form of bike racing in the US, for several reasons. The race course is a closed circuit track around downtown streets. That makes it convenient for spectators. Racers complete a lap about every two minutes, traveling at speeds exceeding 30 m.p.h. Because of the speed, the tight corners and four dozen racers packed closely, Criteriums are spectacular. It’s also the same reason they are dangerous because of the possibility of crashes. Thankfully, the injuries are usually nothing more than "road rash", the cyclist's term for bruised and skinned arms and legs.

The length of the Criterium race is determined by total time plus a number of laps. Generally the event duration is shorter than that of a traditional road race though the average speed and intensity are appreciably higher. The winner is the first rider to cross the finish line, but events often have prizes (called primes, usually cash) for winning specific intermediate laps (for instance, every 10th lap). Success in Criteriums requires a mix of good technical skills to turn quickly and ride with a large group on a short circuit and exceptional fitness to attack other riders and repeatedly accelerate hard from corners.

Race organizers advise that for the best viewing, you should take the time to walk around the course in the opposite direction than the racers. That way, you'll get to see all the exciting turns, with the action oncoming.

Racers in Criterium are grouped in categories, according to their national amateur standings in the US Cycling Federation (USCF). Pros are the fastest. Category One is the highest amateur; Five is the lowest. There is also a separate category for Women. Racers move up in standings by accumulating points and experience.

Racing bicycles used for Criteriums usually have a shorter wheelbase (for fast, quick turn-ins), and may have slightly shorter cranks (less than 175 mm) to enable pedaling through hairpin bends. Aero bars are not permitted in Criteriums because the cyclist has less control of the bicycle in the aerodynamic position.

For the first time rider, race craft may dominate the outcome if they are not strong enough to ride out alone off the front of the group. In this case the rider will have to stay in the pack and choose a placement to balance the available energy and strength. The placement would also have to guard against being dropped off the back behind someone or half of the wrong bunch in a bunch split.

Now we’ll discuss some bike racing terms that will help you understand the event. At first you may think the riders are just racing in a circle but these terms will identify the dynamics within each event. It is these dynamics that help the more experienced faster racers perform better.

Drafting, or slipstreaming, is a technique in sports racing where competitors align in a close group in order to reduce the overall effect of drag or fluid resistance of the group. Especially when high speeds are involved, drafting can significantly reduce the average energy expenditure required to maintain a certain speed. In Criteriums it’s very important to stay in good position but with enough energy to sprint at the precise moment to win primes or sprint for a win in the last lap for a win.

In cycling, the main (largest) group of tightly packed cyclists in a race is called a peloton, while cyclists riding in straight-line formation, each (but the first) drafting behind the one in front of him, is called a paceline. Drafting can be cooperative, in which several competitors take turns in the lead position (which requires the most effort and energy consumption). Or, it can be competitive or tactical, where one competitor will try to stay closely behind another leaving him or her more energy for a break-away push to the finish line.

In conventional road races, sprinters may bid their time waiting until the last few hundred yards before putting on a burst of speed to win the race. Many races will finish with a large group sprinting for the win; some sprinters may have team-mates 'leading them out' (ie: keeping pace high and sheltering the sprinter) so that they have a greater chance of finishing in the leading positions.

Sprinters can also compete for intermediate sprints (sometimes called 'primes') during a race. In a circuit race, for example, there may be prizes for the first across the line at half distance or after 10 laps.

In all racing, drafting is a very important concept whereby one rider can save a lot of effort by closely following the rider in front in order to stay in his slipstream. This can be used as a strength or a weakness by competitors; riders can cooperate and draft each other to ride at high speed (a paceline), or one rider can sit on a competitors wheel, forcing him to do a greater share of the work to maintain the pace and potentially tiring earlier

Riding in the Peloton
While only the riders exposed to the wind at the front (and the windward side when there is a significant crosswind) of the peloton are the ones doing most of the work, it is usually advantageous to be positioned closer to the front of the peloton. One reason is to avoid being affected by the elastic band effect in which a change in speed becomes amplified as it propagates to the back of the peloton. The rider riding behind a rider who is changing his/her speed must make the adjustment at a slightly faster rate (due to reaction time) to avoid collisions.

Moreover, being closer to the front means that the rider can react to attacks and changes in position with less effort. Gaps sometimes form in the peloton, and being closer to the front also reduces the risk of getting caught in the rear group when the peloton breaks form. Also, the chance of ending up in a crash declines when nearer to the front, because the frontmost riders have the fewest fallen riders to evade. Finally, being at the front of the peloton means dictating the tempo to some degree, and some teams or groups of riders may prefer different speeds as part of their tactics. Being at the front of the peloton is also necessary to initiate a breakaway.

The shape or formation of the peloton changes according to many factors. A strong headwind or a hard effort tends to spread-out or string-out the riders, while a slow tempo or tailwind tends to bunch up the peloton into a wider formation. Side wind forces the peloton to form into echelons in the direction of the wind. Often, the width of the road forces the peloton to form into several echelons. When more than one group of riders want to dispute control of the peloton, several lines may form racing one another.

Attack
To quickly accelerate while riding in a pack, or in smaller numbers, with a view to create a gap between blocking Riders of one team who set a relatively slow tempo at the front of a group to control the speed, often to the advantage of one of their teammates who may be in a break.

Breakaway
Breakaway or break in short, is when a small group of riders or an individual have successfully gapped the peloton.

Bridge
When a lone rider or smaller group of riders closes up the space between them and the rider or group in front of them. Most notably when riders catch up with the main pack (or peloton) of riders or those who are leading the race.

Chase
A group of one or more riders ahead of the peloton, trying to gap up to the race or stage leader. There may be none, one, or many chases at any given point in a race.

Gap
A distance between two or more riders large enough for drafting to no longer be effective. It's much easer for a stronger rider to pull ahead of others once a gap has been achieved; without a gap, the others can draft along using significantly less power to sustain the same speed as the rider in front. While gaps are usually achieved through attacks, on mountain climbs, where slower speeds means the advantage of drafting is much less significant, riders are often gapped who simply cannot maintain the tempo of the faster riders.

Paceline
Group of riders riding at high speed by drafting one another. Riders will take turns at the front to break the wind, then rotate to the back of the line to rest in the draft. Larger group rides will often form double pacelines with two columns of riders.

Peloton
The main or largest group of riders in a race.

Pull
To take the lead on a paceline. Teammates will take turns pulling in order to conserve energy.

Sit On
To ride behind another rider without taking a turn on the front (thus tiring the lead rider), often in preparation for an attack or sprint finish.

Tempo
Steady pace at the front of a group of riders. A relatively fast tempo can be used by a group or team to control the peloton, often to make up time to a break. The group will ride at the head of the bunch and set a fast enough pace to stretch the peloton out (also known as stringing out) and discourage other riders from attacking. Setting a slower tempo can be done for the purpose of blocking.

Wheelsucker
A rider who sits on the rear wheel of others in a group, enjoying the draft but not working. This is often a sprinter who is being "protected" for the finish

Photo By Lisa Johnson

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