CoachingAnswer

HOW DO I RACE A CRITERIUM?

By Anthony WalshRoadman CyclingUpdated 26 May 2026

WHO THIS IS FOR

IS THIS YOU?

The road cyclist doing their first criterium

You have the fitness but don't know the tactics — and criteriums punish tactical ignorance.

The club racer who keeps getting dropped from the back

You're fitter than your results suggest and want to understand why position matters so much.

THE ROADMAN VIEW

Criterium racing is a completely different sport from road racing, and almost nobody tells you that before your first one. Cory Williams laid it out clearly on the podcast: the ability to corner at speed without braking, to read the bunch and anticipate accelerations, and to manage your position in the peloton are worth more than 20 extra watts of FTP. The riders at the back aren't less fit — they're making harder work of it.

The physics are simple. Every corner in a criterium causes an accordion effect — the back of the bunch has to brake harder and accelerate more aggressively than the front. Over 40 corners in an hour-long race, that's 40 sprint efforts the riders in positions 20–30 are doing that the riders in positions 1–10 are not. Position is saved energy. Saved energy is a faster race.

The good news is that criterium skills are learnable. Cornering technique, reading the bunch, timing your moves to the front before the final laps — these aren't innate talents. Cory's advice was simple: find a local training crit, go to it, and do it ten times. The learning curve is steep but short.

EXPERT EVIDENCE

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY

Cory WilliamsProfessional cyclist; founder of Legion Cycling Team
Criterium racing rewards positional awareness above almost everything else. The energy cost of sitting at position 25 versus position 5 across a 60-minute race with 40 corners is enormous. Getting to the front is the most important skill, and it comes before fitness on the list of priorities for any crit newcomer.
Hear it: Criterium Secrets: Get Ahead of 99% of Your Competition | Cory Williams
Michael MatthewsProfessional cyclist; 15 years WorldTour experience
Reading a race — knowing when a move is about to go, when the bunch is going to react, when to be at the front — is something you learn by racing, not by training. Your first criterium is a lesson. Your tenth is when you start racing well.
Hear it: Michael Matthews on Pro Cycling Training | Roadman Cycling Podcast

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

DO THIS WEEK

Practise criterium-specific efforts for 2 weeks before
Do 2 sessions per week of repeated 30–60-second efforts at 130–150% FTP, with 1-minute recoveries, for 10–15 reps. This trains the ability to repeatedly surge out of corners — the specific physiological demand of criterium racing.
Learn to corner without braking
On an empty road or quiet car park, practise entering a corner wide, hitting the apex and exiting wide with a sprint. The goal is to carry momentum through, not brake into the corner. Smooth corners save energy and gap the riders behind you.
Be at the front before the final 3 laps
In the last 3 laps of a criterium, bunches compress and accelerations intensify. Move to the top 10 positions by lap 5-to-go. If you're fighting your way forward with 2 laps left, you've left it too late.

COMMON MISTAKES

WHAT CYCLISTS GET WRONG

MISTAKESitting in the middle or back of the bunch to conserve energy.
FIXSitting at the back costs more energy over a crit than staying near the front. Move up and stay there.
MISTAKEBraking into corners and sprinting out of every one.
FIXPractise carrying speed through corners. Each braking event is a sprint you then have to do — 40 unnecessary sprints is the energy cost of a bad corner technique.
MISTAKEWaiting for a sprint or move and not being positioned for it.
FIXBe at the front before you need to be. Positioning yourself is active work you have to do continuously throughout the race.

FAQ

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How fit do I need to be for my first criterium?

A solid FTP and the ability to do hard 30-second efforts repeatedly is more important than raw power. If you can complete 10×30-second efforts at 130% FTP without stopping, you have the fitness to survive and learn in a beginner or Cat 4 criterium.

What gearing should I use in a criterium?

A compact gearing setup with a 50/34 chainring works for most crits. You need to be able to sprint hard out of corners and quickly spin up to speed. Avoid overgearing — being stuck in a big gear out of a corner costs positions.

How do I avoid crashes in criteriums?

Stay near the front (fewer crashes happen there), hold your line consistently, don't brake suddenly, and don't overlap wheels in corners. Anticipate rather than react. The front of a bunch is far safer than the middle.

Should I try to break away in a criterium?

In your first few criteriums, focus on staying with the bunch and learning positioning. Breakaways in shorter crits rarely succeed. When you're comfortable with the racing, a well-timed solo move or small group can work — but learn the basics first.

What's the difference between a criterium and a road race?

A criterium is a short circuit race — typically 1–2km laps — raced repeatedly for 45–90 minutes. A road race is point-to-point or a longer loop. Crits are more intense, more technical, and place far greater emphasis on cornering, positioning and repeated short efforts.

RELATED EPISODES

HEAR THE CONVERSATIONS

Criterium Secrets: Get Ahead of 99% of Your Competition | Cory Williams

Michael Matthews on Pro Cycling Training | Roadman Cycling Podcast

Race Winning Interval Training | Roadman Cycling