How cool would it be to see a world criterium championship someday? If you’ve been to a crit before, you know how exciting and fan-friendly they can be. A short circuit of around a kilometre or so, with four tight bends, makes for thrilling racing. Some riders will try to break away and take the win, while others will mark moves and wait for the bunch sprint.
Criterium, which is French for competition, is every bit a team race. A sprinter’s team, just like in road racing, will control the race. Teams with a strong breakaway specialist may set it up so that they can make a solo move — maybe even lap the field. Or, teams will have multiple options and try different strategies.
Crit racing FTW
Crits can be popular in continental Europe just like in North America, Britain, or Australia. You’ve probably seen lots of post-Tour de France race crits in the Netherlands and Belgium, but circuit races like kermesses seem to be more favoured sometimes.
400 W for 90 minutes: Noah Ramsay rides solo for entire crit
In fact, very few countries offer a national crit championship—and mostly those of anglophone nations. Places like Great Britain, New Zealand, Ireland, Barbados, the US, and of course Canada offer medals and jerseys for the winner of the event—although it’s not technically a UCI discipline.
Countries like Germany, Austria, and Switzerland enjoy crits—as does France, but for the latter…some of the outcomes may be predetermined. But there are few countries that have national championships in the discipline.
The 2023 unofficial world criterium champs were a success
Events at the road worlds have changed over the years. Gone are the TTT championships; instead, there’s an ITT and mixed relay.
There’s no question that a world crit championship would make for a spectacular event for fans. In fact, the 2023 Glasgow Worlds were unofficially called the “world crit championships” due to the technical and fast short finishing circuit. It’s safe to say the elite men’s and women’s racing was thrilling, to say the least. Can you imagine how fun it would be to see Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert duke it out for a crit rainbow jersey? How wild would it be to see Marianne Vos try and take off, marked by Tour de France champion Kasia Niewiadoma?
The problem, of course, much like Niewiadoma’s rainbow jersey for the gravel worlds, is you may not see the stripes in action much. And would the road champion, therefore, be unable to wear their jersey in a crit? Lots of questions here, but I’m sure the gang in Switzerland (a.k.a. the UCI) could crank out a 200+ page rule book for the inaugural crit worlds without breaking a sweat.
Make it happen, David Lappartient!
The post Why isn’t there a world criterium championship? appeared first on Canadian Cycling Magazine.
