# Which 1st criterium near santa monica



## samh (May 5, 2004)

Assuming I am ready for it I was wondering what is a good 1st criterium- course not too dangerous preferrably north or south of Santa Monica.

I watched the brentwood grand prix (didn't like) and the dana point criterium (couldn't see full course). There is one near Manhattan beach and culver city (city college)?


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## tom_h (May 6, 2008)

Nearly all the So Calif races are listed at
SCNCA - 2012 Calendar

The "USAC SoCal Cup Crit Series" is very popular. Races are held every month and the courses are wide. Races are held in new industrial parks in the city of Carson (maybe it's Compton?), on good pavement. 

The races were formerly under the "Calif Bike Racing" banner, so many still call them "CBR" crits. 

The same race promoter also has Tuesday evening crits at El Dorado Park in Long Beach , but these can be a hassle to get to in the late afternoon traffic.

If you're just starting racing, I suspect you're still cat5. The Manhattan Beach Grand Prix is cat4 and above, even for Masters age categories. It's a National Crit Calendar event, all categories tend to be very fast, the course is narrower and technically more demanding, than the usual wide flat industrial park crit.
Even if you don't qualify for MBGP, it's an outstanding, exciting event for spectators.


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## Kristatos (Jan 10, 2008)

Last time I did Manhattan Beach there was a Cat 5 race - that was probably 2003 though, so it may be different now. It's a pretty safe course for a first crit - shaped like a hot dog with 180 degrees of turns at both ends, not much elevation. 

Another one that I think is good is the race at CS San Marcos. It's 7/29 this year but I haven't seen the link to the flyer go up on the SCNCA site yet. I like that course because it has some elevation which shreds the pack and strings things out. If you are strong enough to hang it makes for a safe race. If you're not strong enough you'll get your training motivation there.


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## cropduster (May 10, 2011)

For your first race, you should do one of chris lotts' race, they are located either in carson or compton depending on the day. Safe 4 turn course. I would not do a technical course as a first race. 

I would disagree with doing san marcos as a first race, the corner at the bottom of turn 2, bottom of the hill is super sketchy, especially in a 5 or 4 field.


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## quatre24 (Mar 18, 2008)

Brentwood GP the first weekend in August. They have cats 5 to 1 and many age groups. Course is like MBGP but flater. It is San Vicente in downtown Brentwood using the bend by the VA Hospital. So Cal road racing is listed at the SCNCA website with a calendar that has link to event flyer, results, season standings, and more.


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## FatGut1 (Dec 16, 2008)

For Sure the Chris Lotts So Cal Cup races. They are wide, flat, and safe. Brentwood is soooo hard and especially for a first race. The other thing with the CBR races is they are every month.


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