LAST CRIT OF THE YEAR (7/12)

We're going to do one more crit TONIGHT and then call it for the year. It's late in the season, but there's at least one more crit that should be on everyone's calendar. Come on out and race Research Park one more time (and stick around to corner guard, of course).

Crit tomorrow (7/12)?

Can you fill out this poll to let us know if you're interested in racing tomorrow (assuming the weather is okay)?

7/5 cancelled

There's been a little too much extra rain and a little too much cloud cover, so it looks like the course will still be wet at 6:30. That plus another incoming rainstorm means we're going to cancel once again.

Practice Crits happening tomorrow (7/5)

Hey everyone,

We're planning to do a few more practice crits this summer. Come out if you want to keep racing or you want to get tuned up for the state crit this weekend!

Practice Crits cancelled for 6/28

The weather is looking iffy and it seems like people are a little worn out from ToAD, so no practice crit this week. We'll try again next week.

Practice crits up in the air for 6/28 (take the poll)

Do you want a practice crit this week, or would you rather take a week to recover from ToAD? Take this poll and give us an idea of how many people to expect. We'll make the final decision on Wednesday.

Practice crits happening on 6/21

ToAD is happening over in Milwaukee, but the practice crits are going to keep on chugging. We'll be having the B race 6:30 and the A race at 7:10 like always. Come out and enjoy the super long summer days! If you're racing the A's please be there by 6:20 to corner guard the B's.

Many thanks to Budget Bikes and Erik's for providing some sweet prizes for this week.

Practice crit status 6/14: Regretfully Cancelled

Hey everyone,

The gigantic thunderstorm went through extremely quickly, so we probably could have had the crit, but it's too late to un-cancel. We will be having one next week during ToAD, so see you then!

Crits happening on 6/7

Just a reminder that the crits are happening tonight. Also, check out these awesome photos of last week's B race from Shannon Flannery:

Crits are happening on 5/31

Just a heads up that the crits are on for tonight. If you're racing the A race, please be there by 6:20 to corner guard, and if you're racing the B race, please plan to stick around to corner guard for the As.

Crits cancelled due to threat of rain (5/17)

Sad news once again: we're cancelling the crits because of the impending weather. Hoping for better weather next week!

Crits Cancelled for Tonight due to Threat of Rain

Forecast looks like definite rain, so no crits tonight.

See everyone next week.

Two Weeks until the Fun Begins!

First practice crit of 2017 is Wednesday, May 3.
The Practice criteriums are a Madison cycling community tradition, and have been taking place for 20+ years! They will again will take place on Wednesday evenings in May and June, and may be extended into July and August if there is interest and participation.

The crits are a great opportunity for new racers to learn crit racing skills and for experienced racers to work on their skills, and they are an excellent mid-week work out. Plus, what is more fun than hanging out with your cycling friends!

The B race (typically Cat 4/5, women, juniors, beginners) starts about 6:30 pm for about 30 minutes, and the A race (typically Cat 1/2/3) starts about 7:10 pm for about 50 minutes.

Note: During the B race, experienced racers will be available to “shadow” B race riders (for those who are interested) and provide in-race “instruction.”

Course:

The course is located at the UW Research Park on Madison’s west side, and is approximately a 0.9 mile loop consisting of S Rosa Rd - Charmany Dr - Research Park Blvd.

Registration:

Registration is located near the intersection of S Rosa Rd and Research Park Blvd, and opens at 6 pm and closes at 7 pm.

A few reminders:
- In contrast to past years, the entry fee is $5 for everyone (whether you are doing the A race or B race, and whether you volunteer to corner guard or not) as we have to cover the increasing expenses associated with putting on the crits (e.g. street permit fee, USA Cycling fee, port-potty rental).

- you must bring your USA Cycling license the first time you register; if you do not have a license, purchase an annual or 1-day license in advance (you can also do it on-site)

- remember to save your race number and bring it with you each time

- help streamline the registration process:

• complete and print the USAC release form at home and bring it to the practice crit (http://www.usacycling.org/forms/waiver.php?url=Competitive-and-Noncompetitive-Event-Release.pdf); you only need to complete the USA Cycling Ride Release form the first time you race

• if you do not have a USAC license, apply for an annual license or 1-day license on-line rather than at the practice crit (https://www.usacycling.org/myusac/index.php?pagename=login)

• bring exact change to register ($5 entry fee); checks and credit cards will not be accepted

- everyone is expected to volunteer to corner guard; we are experimenting with an on-line system this year, so sign up in advance if possible (you can still sign up on-site too)

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16NHAMQZmWjGXdE3BuFP29lupsCU3H-TGFBVfQ6imUtw/edit?usp=sharing

The RULES:
1.  All riders must wear a USA Cycling legal/approved bicycle helmet.

2.  Course is open to traffic, so be aware while riding.

3.  No clip-on or other triathlon/time trial bars. USA Cycling legal road bikes only.

4.  You may drop out and re-enter the race at any time except during the final two laps. Re-enter the race safely and on the straight sections of the course only.

5.  Use the port-potties located behind the building near the corner of Charmany Dr and Research Park Blvd.

6.  Dangerous riders will be pulled at the official’s discretion.

7.  Check the Madison Practice Crits web site (you are on it now!) for cancellations due to inclement weather. Will try to update the page by 4:30 pm on race days.

8.  All USA Cycling rules are in effect (with the exception of the free lap rule, see #4).

9.  Be on your best behavior - we are guests and want to be able to continue to use the area for the practice crits in the future.

Practice Crit Survey

As we look to make improvements and increase participation in the practice crits, please help out and take a few minutes to respond to the Practice Crit survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HBJPV9G

The 2017 Practice Season is Almost Here!

It will not be long before the first practice crit of 2017 is here (although it may not look like it with all that white stuff out there!).

The Practice Crit flyer will be ready soon, so look for it posted here and around town!

Some relatively significant changes are in store for this coming season:

- The Brazen Dropouts will be taking over the reigns from the Trek Midwest Team (be sure to thank Trek Midwest Team members for their hard work the past three years).

- We will keep a leaderboard for both the A and B races, updating and posting it each week, with the podium finishers at the end of the season winning some awesome prizes!

- We are also hoping to link up with Strava so that we can keep track of fastest laps, fastest average lap time, etc. and post weekly and season-long results.

- We will hopefully include some clinics for those looking to further their crit racing skills.

- We plan to make available an on-line sign-up for corner guard volunteering.


A few reminders:

- The crits will again be held on Wednesday evenings, with the B race starting about 6:30 pm, and the A race starting about 7:10 pm.

- The first crit of the season will be held on May 2.

- The practice crits can be used to upgrade from Cat 5 to Cat 4.

- Review past posts for more detail about the location, races, etc.

- The blog will be updated more regularly once the season gets a bit closer (and that white stuff is a distant memory).


Finally, the Practice Crit Committee is considering raising the entry fee from $5 to $10 (it has been $5 for almost 20 years!). The are several reasons for the potential increase:

- the cost of the porta-potties (which we have to have) is about $1500

- City of Madison street permit is about $300

- USA Cycling race permit (that includes the insurance we need to hold the race at the UW Research Park) is about $175

- USA Cycling surcharges ($2.50 per rider per race day)

- there are also miscellaneous supplies that need to be purchased each year (e.g., radio batteries, safety pins for the numbers)

The local areas teams - Trek Midwest, Brazen Dropouts, GDVC, MadCity Velo, Neff Cycling, and 801 W Madison - are all doing their share to provide some financial assistance, however, as you can see from the list, there are quite a few expenses that we need to cover, and the $5 entry fee, along with the lower number of racers we have had the past few years, makes it difficult to cover everything. Nothing is definite yet, this is just a "heads up" for now.