Road Races harder than Club Criteriums?

[Rider123]

I've been racing for about half a year with the CCCC down in south-east melbourne.
In that time, I have only raced criteriums and have managed to place a few times in D grade.

Now with winter approaching, criteriums have been replaced by road races. I am interested in competing in some of these races.
I would like to know how much harder the road races compared to the criteriums as I would rather not ride the last 50km of a race after blowing up by myself.

I am a skinny rider who prefers climbing so I'm not sure if that would make either one easier or harder.

[toolonglegs]

What is the difference in the length and terrain they are run over?.
Should be roughly the same bunch of guys you are riding with (with the obligatory bulgar or two)... If you are not finding the crits too hard the road races should be fine especially as you won't get dropped on the climbs.

[JV911]

i've only done a few RR but i reckon crits are harder esp on a hotdog curcuit. accelerating out of a hairpin lap after lap can be torture

[ireland57]

If you've done ok in D grade Crits you'll probably have enough fitness to stick with it in a road race too.

I did both last year; I only hung on in a few Crits (inc. a couple of placings I think) but finished ok in the road events........
and I find them brutal. lol
Neutral for a few kms then start racing. Up comes the heart rate.........and stays up until the end.
No rest anywhere. Downhill flat out; uphill gasp away; on the flat push your arse off.

They suck........but I love it anyway.

Give it a go. If you get dropped the training (mental) you get from soloing back is second to none.

[skull]

i've only done a few RR but i reckon crits are harder esp on a hotdog curcuit. accelerating out of a hairpin lap after lap can be torture

I feel the same, RR are easy compared to the constant turn then attack out of the corner (or respond to attack out of corner) for 25+ laps.

[jacks1071]

I've been racing for about half a year with the CCCC down in south-east melbourne.
In that time, I have only raced criteriums and have managed to place a few times in D grade.

Now with winter approaching, criteriums have been replaced by road races. I am interested in competing in some of these races.
I would like to know how much harder the road races compared to the criteriums as I would rather not ride the last 50km of a race after blowing up by myself.

I am a skinny rider who prefers climbing so I'm not sure if that would make either one easier or harder.

Horses for courses, I know some powerful guys who can smash a crit but would be flat out finishing a 120km road race.

For me, I prefer road racing, the longer and lumpier the better. I find crit's very difficult.

[twizzle]

There's a guy in our club, former Euro pro before blowing his Achilles, races open A in Crits... but Vets C grade road.

[Le Velo]

with the obligatory bulgar or two .

ROFL .... We must be riding with the same people

[PawPaw]

The reason RRs are easier is because you don't know how far in front others are (they get out of sight pretty quickly), so you think you are doing better than you are.

[foo on patrol]

Road races sort the boys from the men!

Crits are to short and designed for sprinters, so are good for getting your speed work outs and handling skills.

Foo

[Rider123]

I'll raced in a few criteriums and like 90% of it finishes in a bunch sprint.
How much more different is that in a road race?
Is it still sprints with smaller bunches or do people normally finish in 1's and 2's?
Are breakaways more likely to succeed in road races?

[foo on patrol]

Road races are longer and you can get more decent hills in them and it gives you more time to hurt the sprinters.

Foo

[toolonglegs]

Our crits are 50-70 km's long .
IMO it is just the terrain that makes the difference ( oh and no lap out )...
If you can hold a wheel for 20-30kms on a crit then the likely hood is you can hold a wheel for 50 or 70 as well... As long as the terrain ( weather, corners, climbing ) doesn't break you.

[cerb]

I'm in a similar position - 6 crits with SKCC before the end of the season. Usually finished 4th-6th place in D-grade crits, but now coming into my first road season...

I'm a big bloke, so more keen on the flats and downhill than going up hills! Should be interesting.. especially with HotW this Saturday!

I'm thinking tactics will play more of a role in RR than in the low grade crits and I'm expecting to see some breaks on the hills (or at least me falling off the back!).

See you out there

[aeroslave]

If you are a big bloke...then it boils down to the race course outline....RRs can sometimes incorporate big hills that pure sprinters in criteriums cannot survive from. This could be an issue.

The length is also a factor as RRs are mostly longer and in major amateur races can go as long as 100kms. That puts the club racer "champions" outside of their "comfort zone" and give it to enduro specialists.

[toolonglegs]

Coming from a big guy ... there are tricks to punching above your weight (probably should say "below your weight" ). Obviously look for flatter races... most club road races in Oz aren't over crazy climbs. If you can roll to the front of the bunch at the start of the climb and hit it at your own pace usually the bunch will sit behind you for a while. Then as you drift back through the bunch hopefully you will still be in contact at the top of the climb. Personally I do this a lot... sometimes I get caught out when a really strong attack goes on the climb but usually I can get back on.
The courses I avoid locally are the ones were the climbs kick up straight after a sharp corner... I just burn too many matches and eventually pop. Steep climbs I find ok as long as I can keep the momentum into them... up to a point, usually that point for me is when I have to drop into smaller chain ring... usually means I will be dropped!.
And on the races with really big climbs I just enter to see how long I can survive... plus they are usually stage races so I can always do well in the prologues .

[mikesbytes]

Just enter some and learn from those experiences