[Closed] Crit racing and collar bones

Clavicle plate and grade 3 AC separation here, courtesy of a crit earlier this year.

Back riding now but missed a good chunk of the summer, won’t be going back to racing anytime soon as I could really do without all that again.

Assuming you’re 3rd cat at best (considering you haven’t raced recently) so you’ll be in with the 3/4’s...they’re not all bad but can sometimes be sketchy as hell. I was just off regaining my 2nd, one lap to go and maybe a masters crit the following week if I didn’t get top 5.

Maybe vets road races in a year or two but I’ll never risk a BC crit again, bit of a shame because they’re great for training the top end.

Edit: Only crash I ever had if it helps, but not my fault

Any thoughts?  Anyone managed to not break themselves in a crit race?

I've had one crash in a crit - about 20 years ago. It bent my handlebars a bit. I've seen a few crashes, had one or two near misses and one DNF caused by being right behind a crash that happened in the final half lap of a race. Was well annoyed by that one as I was right up in the top 10, really well placed and then a muppet divebombed the corner and caused a pile up in front of me. I slammed on, avoided going down but came to a complete standstill and that was it, race over.

Crashes aren't as common as some people make out and actual injuries are even rarer. A degree of caution is required but you kind of need that balanced by a willingness to give it a go otherwise you end up super nervous, riding all tensed up and you get more nervous, you tense up more...

And then before you know it you're out the back. It's a mix of skill and art form. The best crit racers have a real fluidity about them (same as track racers) but if you're all tensed up worried about a possible crash then you're likely to be the cause of that crash!

Lost count of the number of crits I've done. Hillingdon, Palace, Eastway, Preston, Salt Ayre, Tameside. A few town centre ones like Otley, Colne, Lancaster. The one time I actually went down was at Eastway - someone switched me as we crossed the start/finish line, he pulled out of the middle of the line to attack down the right hand side but he didn't look over his shoulder.

You’ll be reet ( fingers crossed thingy )

i had same op few years ago and have had a few OTBs, one was a direct impact with plate and tree,,,, walked away just fine.

The only problem I’ve ever had with the plate was ‘PTSD’? Type worry of ever doing it again.

‘Twas Worst bike related  injury I’ve had, never regained confidence to ‘ go big ‘

Prefer Gbike now

They are a lot of fun when they’re safe, had some great rides this year but also been in one or two where I’ve thought about climbing off after some of the behaviour!

Crits or circuit races?  I’ve raced a lot, and yes you will crash. Eventually. It probably won’t be your fault, but sadly crashes are part of the sport. I’ve raced 4th cat and not crashed and E12 and been forced off OTB and knocked unconscious. Never my fault.

If you are over 40 race vets. We still have to go to work, totally different experience.

But there is no feeling like it!

This was my first season racing crits. I was very nervous about crashing and took loads of advice beforehand (I have a surgical plate in my wrist from snowboarding). Advice basically was - try to stay in front third of the pack, get used to riding with your elbows out a bit and don't panic if you are bumped and be careful in cat 4 as new riders can get nervous. I was racing the Army leagues so the points and categories are slightly different - there is Cat A, B and C; you start in C and need 12 to promote to B.

I did what I was told and in my first race tried to stay at the front as much as possible. Its incredible how fast you go for less effort than normal when you're in a peloton and also how quickly time passes! No crashing and I won my first race. Second race I arrived as the brief was being given due to traffic. I was in a pretty angry mood so decided to just try to sit on the front the whole race; it was harder work than sharing the effort over the 45 mins of racing but I manged to win and went up to B. In all the races I've done, I've had my computer up showing my power output so I can judge effort to my FTP.

The lessons I have learned - listen to those who've done it before. Power has been super useful. Its great fun and highly addictive!!

I’m keen to get myself a road bike as I’ve not owned one for a few years now and wonder if I should get one with crit in mind or just go for something more relaxed and give the crit racing a miss.

I'd back up a bit from all the racing advice above and ask what experience of group riding you have? Do you already have experience of riding at a reasonable pace in a group, taking turns, etc? If you are completely new to this, I would recommend getting out with a club over the winter and learning the core skills of following wheels and moving around safely in a bunch, before thinking about going anywhere near a crit.

There's a reason why 3rd and 4th cat crits have a reputation for causing damage; they are more likely to include enthusiastic but inexperienced riders. You can improve your odds of staying out of trouble by learning group riding skills in a non competitive environment. Don't underestimate the skills involved in riding effectively and safely in a fast bunch, and the time it takes to acquire those skills.

Thanks guys,

I’m still on the fence over this. I’ve got experience riding in a fast bunch and feel pretty comfortable with that. I have a CX bike with some road wheels at the moment and occasionally join in with some local groups. Might find where the local races are happening and go and spectate in the first instance. I think there’s one not far from me with a pretty bad reputation for crashes so..... I’ll take my camera!

It depends on what type of crits you’re racing really and what cat.

I was a full time bike rider for a few years and probably did 3 crits a week with National series and Tour series, I personally had very few crashes and zero injuries other than a little skin loss!

Elite crits tend to be a lot better with less accidents. 3/4 not so much as ambition often overtakes talent.

People say ride at the front, not so easy with 60 guys all trying to do the same, but you have to stay alert, always looking at what’s going on and where people are, don’t follow known mobile accidents!

Also no crashes for me, came close a couple of times. Trying to stay at the front isn’t always possible, there’s times you will get swamped and need to move back through the field. I also race XC, the fitness will help you, but obviously completely different tactics. 4th cat are difficult to get breaks away, tends to regularly be either a bunch sprint or a group getting away on last couple of laps. If it’s a bunch sprint and I’m not near the front I’ll peel off, no point sprinting for 20th, that’s where I’ve seen a few crashes happen. If it’s looking like a bunch sprint with 5 to go try and stay top 2 to 10 at the least. As a 4th cat pulling on the front should be minimised and solo break way to victory are pipe dreams, unless you’re a 350 watt ftp diesel, if you are then you’ll quickly get enough points to move up.

The crashes I’ve seen in crit racing over the last decade, the vast majority are road rash and bruised egos.

Depending on where you live, but near me we have a course that really helps keep the 4th cat crashes down (MK Bowl), sweeping bends as opposed to any heavy braking corners. Worth looking at the courses local to you and seeing if any are less technical.

And as mentioned above vets or masters leagues are good if you’re old enough.

But with any racing or group riding, there are always risks. I’m currently injured after a training ride crash. Like a lot of guys I’ve injured my collarbone previously and now every fall really hurts the collarbone, I can ride still just with limited movement in the shoulder.