# criterium= mostly big guys?



## samh (May 5, 2004)

Flat criteriums seem to favor bigger, heavier guys. Does this mean lightweight riders are more rare?


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## Vee (Jun 17, 2010)

I find that the mix of racers are nearly equal in all types of races. However, what you say is true. Criteriums generally favor muscular sprinter types rather than lightweights.


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## Poncharelli (May 7, 2006)

I'd say in the lower categories, bigger guys can dominate crits. 

In higher categories, it starts leveling out a bit since you need to be a well rounded racer, in order to get the points to move up to those categories. 

In MTB racing, there is definitely more of an emphasis on super skinniness.


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

I dunno if criteriums favor bigger guys, maybe more like flat crits don't penalize them like a hilly race will. 

I know plenty of small / skinny guys who can also haul ass on the flats. Speed is speed.


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## carlosflanders (Nov 23, 2008)

Creakyknees said:


> I dunno if criteriums favor bigger guys, maybe more like flat crits don't penalize them like a hilly race will.
> 
> I know plenty of small / skinny guys who can also haul ass on the flats. Speed is speed.


You need to try racing in the midwest sometime.


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

carlosflanders said:


> You need to try racing in the midwest sometime.


in 80mph crosswind all the way throughout the circuit. 
(btw, creaky is from texas).


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## cyclesport45 (Dec 10, 2007)

Pass the chocolate sauce. . . and enjoy my draft!


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## RacerOne (Aug 17, 2009)

I'm 5'11 155#'s, won the first CAT5 crit I entered against some other pretty big guys.


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## Gatorback (Jul 11, 2009)

Lower categories don't count--it is too easy to win those on genetics alone by being a superior athlete.

This is really a matter of physics. Going uphill, power to weight is the name of the game. On the flats, power to weight becomes less important and raw power output and aerodynamics play a much bigger role. The bottom line is if two riders are equal in skill and tactics and support, and both have the same power to weight ratio--but one is 5'5" and 130 lbs. and the other is 5'10" and 175lbs--the bigger guy is going to be faster on the flats.

If you don't believe me, go ask all those hill climbers in the pro peleton why they can't keep up with the Cancellara's and Boonen's of the world in the Ronde Van Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubiaux.


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## heathb (Nov 1, 2008)

Here in Kansas the guys with the big thighs usually run everyone else into the ground and that's true up to Cat 2. However I've noticed the Cat 1 guys are pretty much all skinny endurance builds, I consider them the genetic freaks.

And we're not necessarily all flat here on the eastern side of Kansas/Kansas City/Missouri.


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## JohnStonebarger (Jan 22, 2004)

I would have agreed with the generalization a year ago, but then I moved home to Iowa.

Flatter races tend to favor larger riders, true, but I've been surprised that every criterium I've found so far in "flat" Iowa seems to be quite hilly. This was rarely the case in New England. So I guess it depends on the crit?

Looking forward to Snake Alley...


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## Wookiebiker (Sep 5, 2005)

Generally speaking Crits are about "Power" which benefits the larger riders more than smaller riders...which is why you see bigger riders generally dominate Crits. 

When you get down to it, the larger riders in the pro peloton also dominate the crits generally...since they put out the most power and it comes down to sprinting ability 99% of the time. It just happens the larger sprinters in the pro peloton are smaller than the average person...so they look smaller (but are larger than the average pro rider).

Even in hilly crits...unless there is a major hill...larger riders tend to dominate because they can power up the climbs compared to other riders and the climbs are short enough they make up the distance on the downhills (if they lose ground to a climber).

Crits are high speed and like TT's it's more about power to wind resistance than power to weight...so big guys have the advantage.

With that said, great team work and smart racing go a long way to winning crits.

Now if you really want to see big guys dominate...head to the velodrome...those guys are power lifters on a bike (well at least the true sprinters).


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## malanb (Oct 26, 2009)

cat 5 everyone is fat and big.


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## rudedog55 (Aug 10, 2009)

malanb said:


> cat 5 everyone is fat and big.


is that supposed to be in sarcasm font??

sounds like you race in the wrong area's


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## overgeared (Mar 22, 2011)

big guys have to punch more of a hole in the air than little guys but their ratio of power to drag is still generally better which is why they excel at flat crits. the little guy with a penchant for riding crits should look for the factors that work in his favor: hills, esp. uphill finishes, tight courses with lots of acelleration out of corners (not a good place to be dragging weight), again better if there is one near the finish, and any tricks that small riders can use to minimise drag will get them closer to the big guys pace on the flat.


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## malanb (Oct 26, 2009)

sarcasm. But kinda true also.


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## Ghost234 (Jun 1, 2010)

I find that crits tend to be favor the bigger guys, but that doesnt mean the lighter riders cannot compete. Heck, a good friend of mine was only 140lbs yet absolutely dominated the cat 3 then cat 2 (when he was forced to upgrade mid season). He was able to do it simply because he worked on his ability to boost his raw power output and sprinting ability. The larger riders absolutely hated him because he was such a small rider and was hard to draft. 


Big guys tend to have an easier time, but it doesnt mean they will always win.


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## tom_h (May 6, 2008)

3x National crit champion Rahsan Bahati lives in So Calif, occasionally even rides in some of the local amateur hammerfest/training rides ... maybe it's his 'recovery' day ;-)

Bahati is not a big guy ... I'd guess maybe 5'9" and in the 150 lb range. But he also has negligible body fat, and blazing fast cadence during a sprint.

So while being "big" _may_ help in some crits, it isn't a key factor IMO.


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## malanb (Oct 26, 2009)

it is not but it helps. I weight 134-137 lbs. and 1.71 cm tall. Yes it is easier for a 150 lbs to produce more watts. I can outsprint bigger musclier guys than me if I stay in their wheel and jump at the right time I have a fast accel but short sprint. But Im very good at hills. ave on flats.


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## Gatorback (Jul 11, 2009)

tom_h said:


> 3x National crit champion Rahsan Bahati lives in So Calif, occasionally even rides in some of the local amateur hammerfest/training rides ... maybe it's his 'recovery' day ;-)
> 
> Bahati is not a big guy ... I'd guess maybe 5'9" and in the 150 lb range. But he also has negligible body fat, and blazing fast cadence during a sprint.
> 
> So while being "big" _may_ help in some crits, it isn't a key factor IMO.


You can't look at one person and make an accurate assessment of why bigger guys seem to excel on the flats. The guy you mention may have a VO2 Max, and power to weight ratio, in the 99.9th percentile. If so he's going to beat most people people he is genetically extremely gifted. If a 200 pound rider has the same VO2 max and power to weight ratio, however, they are probably going to win the day most of the time against him on the flats. 

On the other hand if you take a 200 pound rider who has a lower power to weight, although much higher actual power output, the smaller rider you mention is going to beat them going uphill every day of the week. 

It is a matter of strengths and weaknesses. Some builds favor the flats, and powering through wind, and rough roads. Other builds favor going uphill because, while raw power is lower, power to weight is typically higher. There will always be some guys who do most everything well because they are genetically extremely gifted. (And of course work their ass off, as all great riders so. And there will always be the dopers, who excel due to their extra help.)


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