I Entered A Brutal Australian Crit Race & This Is What Happened!

[@gcn]

Have you ever entered a local crit race? Let us know how it went! 👇

[@DarenC]

No, despite 40 years of road cycling behind me, it looks terrifying! 🤣Don't think I've the puff for it any more either!

[@grumpy-dad3701]

Bikepacking is my poison. But it's great watching GCN

[@garyoneill8868]

Yes, many times. Won some, lost many........all at lower grades. Love it, even at 65yo. They're freaking hard........all of the time. Anyone who says they're not is racing in a grade they shouldn't be in. 😁😃

[@pjayscycling]

I’m about to in mid May hopefully.

[@billkallas1762]

About 250 Crits in 30 years. On your average day, usually finishing mid pack. On a bad day, getting dropped and pulled. On a good day, finishing on the podium.

[@samgeldard5656]

this bloke really said 'cool doing a bike race in the sun'. most English thing ever

[@gcn]

Hahaha yeah it can be a rarity here 😅

[@chrisstrider]

What is this “Sun” you speak of ?

[@wyatberp3611]

Bloke? 🤣😂

[@namwens1]

In Australia we ride on trainers in summer to stay out of the sun 😄

[@G-rig6969]

25 deg is a heatwave in England :) Well done Alex!

[@ShawnIsBatman]

Huge respect for putting yourself out there and congratulations on a very respectable result! Thank you for highlighting the local cycling scene....all cycling is local!

[@gcn]

It was a great time! Sounds like Alex has caught the racing bug again 👀

[@DHRbarnett]

Loving this Aussie content - especially content about Adelaide! Very much an underrated city when it comes to content about this country, happy to see GCN covering the TDU (and a tiny Crit race on Vic Park)

[@andrewmcalister3462]

Great to see Alex jumping straight off the plane and into a race. 🚴🏻‍♂️

[@gcn]

No rest for this boy!

[@GCNalex]

Some really positive comments here, thanks, glad to hear loads of people enjoyed it as much as i did. Adelaide was a blast and if you ever get the chance to go, DO IT. Would you like to see more race videos? Im keen😎

[@jondashun]

More race videos. Every country you visit as part of your job should also be a country to enter an amateur race in. Maybe also shed light into the particularities of these kind of races in different countries. In Germany,, for example, a "Kriterium" is ridden as a points race. But I'd like to learn about all the other countries out there.

[@constantinosmallios]

Adelaide has a great cycling atmosphere. Did you have a ride on the linear Trail? It’s a beautiful section of track that leads you from the main part of the city to the beach.

[@stevek7760]

This crit course is part of the old Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix circuit. (and current Supercars). Crit racing in Adelaide had always been next level ever since the 90s. Well done man.

[@stevek8829]

For a second I thought you were me!

[@dlwebbable]

Part of the old F1 course is still used for the Adelaide 500 touring car race. You'll see the barriers and hoardings are still up. The "back straight" he mentions actually runs the opposite direction from the hairpin at the top of pit straight.

[@stevek7760]

@@stevek8829 haha nope, it was me....

[@mashy0001]

When the temporary infrastructure for motorsport is out of the way (part of it has been left in place for a classic sprint event in a few weeks) there’s a longer 1.4km version of the crit circuit using the pit straight. A number of HPV endurance races are held on that course throughout the year. It’s all been resurfaced just a couple of months ago and is currently the next best thing to riding on a velodrome!

[@paulgordon7526]

Yup was in Adelaide in 2010 watched Clipsal 500 Holden and ford V8's racing then Status Quo singing in the evening great day out!!

[@thomaswag80]

That was an awesome performance!!! Top ten is a fantastic result and you should be proud. This has inspired me to give it a go at my local bike event…

[@gcn]

Yes Thomas - let us know how it goes!

[@jackhogan1870]

Was nice to have you out there in A grade mate enjoy the rest of your time down under

[@disciplesofJesusChrist]

Cool seeing u on the show!

[@gcn]

Thanks for having us jack 🙌 Thanks for looking after Alex!

[@bowrepublik]

Best video in the last six months! Love the cycling lifestyle video. Really loved talking to the local racers and the footage of the race. Looked really fun and can't wait for summer to arrive in Canada.

[@TK-ov4hn]

❤❤❤❤

[@gcn]

Where should we send him next? Let's get those racing legs working 💪

[@Seppster58]

Nice to see Alex in the competitive mode. Well done. Thanks for sharing this experience.

[@gcn]

What should we get him doing next??

[@Danger_Mouse_00]

@@gcn triathlon 😜

[@durianriders]

Good work mate jumping into A grade. Still shows you have some solid fitness. Welcome to Radelaide. Now you know why I love it here. Sneaky shot of Tori in her denim shorts.

[@GCNalex]

Cheers man, enjoyed it, "Radelaide".....agreed, its a super cool place and my fitness is hanging on in there!!! 😅

[@RealHooksy]

Welcome to Adelaide Alex, I hope you’re enjoying the tour. Hopefully you’re able to sample some of the local attractions whilst you’re here. I’m looking forward to watching the final stage finishing on mount Lofty for the first time.

[@skipwalker1954]

Great effort Alex! Top 10 in an A race is VERY respectable! Congrats!

[@katiel7166]

Love hearing the lorikeets in the background! Enjoy your visit Alex!

[@buddhahat]

Pakapakanthi/Victoria Park is a beautiful part of the Adelaide parklands, it's great to see you jump into a local race on the track! Your new tech video in Vic Square was top notch too Alex, great job and enjoy your time in Adelaide :)

[@imprezaaudi]

Adelaide was one my favourite places I visited. Gorgeous country

[@andrewthomas1614]

Best video in months! Should do more of these, engaging with the local community, heading down from Sydney to Adelaide for the last 4 days of the TDU, hope we see you out on the roads Alex!

[@gcn]

We'd love to do more at grass roots racing! The cycling community is always welcoming, where should we head next? 👀

[@tidyhq]

Great content, love seeing you coupling the pro coverage with local crews!

[@jamesquinton2547]

Definitely should go to heffron park in Sydney.

[@jascollinscork]

A great Sunday video watching here!!! Kudos to you Alex for taking the bull by the horns and taking on this Crit challenge 😍 best guy in GCN to give it a bash🤔😜

[@gcn]

Glad you liked it! What should we get Alex doing next??

[@MichaelWilliams-iv6dj]

@@gcn how about a competition series between Alex and Ollie across a range of disciplines. TT, Crit, Hillclimb, Gravel…. Ollie has gotten quite fit but Alex should be able to use his ex-pro craftiness to make up for his fitness deficit.

[@doedoe9307]

adelaide's my home city! didn't expect to see a GCN presenter in prime Red Legs territory...

[@hicky62]

'I don't want to appear too eager', he said jumping to the front of the lineup 😂 Also is that Glenelg Pier you're on near the end? If so, I'm super jealous 😫 Glenelg is one of the most beautiful places in Oz.

[@lukewalker1051]

Big Props Alex. You have serious game on the bike. 28.6 mph average. Wow! You would be a contender for a top spot if you didn't have this as your day job and could focus on your training as no doubt you did in your past. I follow a bit of crit racing in America which is undeniably a blood sport and have to say a bit surprised you participated because you know that and you recently donated skin as most of us have and not too long ago coming out of your bandages. Me too btw. Way to go! P.S. noticed Si or Ollie weren't there to participate...joking.

[@discbrakefan]

Crit racing in Australia is very competitive but not the elbow bashing, crashing stuff we see on the KZbin videos coming out of the US!

[@gcn]

Crit racing is super exciting, you've got to be on your game 100%! Alex smashed it 🙌 Don't give him ideas, we need him on!

[@NoreenHoltzen]

Love seeing your enthusiastic! And great to see Adelaide which is such a beautiful city to live. The racing standard in Adelaide is really high (and goes back, as the AIS for track where based there when getting all their world records) so you did extremely well!

[@pjayscycling]

It’s such a great fun and pleasure to watch the GCN videos. Thanks!😊

[@gcn]

That's what we like to hear 🙌 what have been your best GCN moments? 👀

[@glennoc8585]

Probably one of the hottest days to do the Vic Park crit so great effort Alex as your not conditioned to the weather. There's a spot on the track that is a bit dodgy but overall a good circuit. My niece used to race enclosed recumbents with her school on that course.

[@gcn]

Pretty good going for a pasty Brit.💪 Have you shown the video to video to your niece? We are sure it'll bring back some great memories 🙌

[@TroyBrosnanMTB]

You a savage going into A grade and going top 10!

[@cb6866]

Thanks Alex and crew...good job !! That's a lot of pressure , the GCN kit is a double edged sword , perhaps ? Be safe .

[@arrell]

I love how the video also captures how many bloody flies there are here.

[@DaC10101]

Have you considered hanging corks off your helmet?

[@davidtaylor3]

This brought back memories of when I used to race B grade with the Southern Masters Cycling Club at Sandown Motor Raceway in Melbourne. It was heaps of fun, but did get pretty hairy at times like when passing lower grades (or being passed by A grade) while barrelling into a corner at 50km/h. And then the bell would ring on the last lap and you would think to yourself “here we go, it’s on!” with everyone jostling for position and your heart thumping through your chest as you try to get into the top 5 before coming around the final bend at warp speed and absolutely gunning it down the straight to the finish line with everything you’ve got! Fun stuff! But then Covid hit and the racing stopped and my fitness went down and I didn’t get back into it when things started up again. One day!

[@gcn]

They're pretty exciting aren't they! Are you going to get back into it?

[@davidtaylor3]

@@gcn yes hopefully I’ll be able to get back into it again this year, although probably at a lower grade to start with. The great thing about it is that it caters for all fitness and skill levels!

[@ArthurShedsJackson]

You did awesome for not competing anymore! Just incredible!!!! Note to most of us, even these guys here are on a level we can't comprehend. My bag was climbing. I'd be sucking wind and worthless bringing up the azz end racing crits. LOL.

[@davidlilja9180]

Welcome to Australia Alex,;a great video and it's why I've enjoyed my 130km annual gran fondo race in Lorne, Victoria each year. The Great Ocean Road setting doesn't hurt my enjoyment either, nor does supporting the Amy Gillet Foundation's efforts towards safer cycling through their successful "a metre matters" campaign. Try to not melt too much due to the upcoming temperatures expected during the Tour Down Under, that's part of why I abandoned Melbourne in 2017 for northern Tasmania.

[@gcn]

Great to hear from a local rider! We loved our time in Aus, now to hunker down and watch the TDU 🙌

[@davidlilja9180]

@@gcn So you've left Aus already ...were you missing snow or winter or your partner? :O ;) Yes, watching Rohan Dennis whip up the course in his home town feels like a flash-back to Jack Bobridge doing the same before his holiday or when Rohan stormed the Tour of Cali.

[@roearle]

The aussie crit scene is pretty strong. Bloody great effort Alex. When are you coming to Melbourne for a spin?? It would be crazy not to ;)

[@gcn]

We actually made a GCN+ film about the cycling scene in Melbourne if you haven't seen it! 👉 gcn.eu/melbourne

[@RudiDwiHartanto]

Aussie rise into cycling power house is motored by club races like this, its super cool. Im from Indonesia and always envious at how well organized amateur races in down under is.

[@gcn]

Strong grass routes and community is the way to build a cycling nation! These Aussies are fast!!! 💨

[@brandonbardsley7541]

I'm an Adelaide local and the Norwood crits in the city are fantastic!!! Love you show casing it

[@gcn]

Was a great race! You're very lucky to have it so close, are you enjoying the Tour Down Under? 👀

[@BreakawayB]

Top-10 coming in cold, that’s pretty incredible.

[@gcn]

Alex can turn it on when he needs it! Should we send him to some local races? 😉

[@maxjager3310]

@@gcn YES, and do a Power Testing before going there ;)...

[@JoshH44]

Welcome to Adelaide Alex! While you're here, it's a mandatory pedal through the Adelaide Hills. Rolling hills dispersed with coffee shops and wineries. 👌🏽

[@gcn]

Sounds ideal!

[@DavidWhiteOfFleet]

Top 10 finish. Well done!

[@franctomsic8513]

So well filmed, I loved it . Genius

[@BillyJoeBob-tv6co]

Great job , cookin' it at 40. I got into ONE road race in Cottonwood, Arizona way back in the day, was in the 2nd bunch, had no idea about drafting and figured I'd catch up to the first bunch like a typical running road race...HA !.... i got exhausted and as my previous pack caught up I couldn't even manage to draft the last guy....it was no fun. Hence, no racing since 40 years ago

[@paul45451]

Would be cool to see crit footage on NorCal cycling broken down by Jeff!

[@DC-lu5qs]

GCN please oh please send your footage to Jeff for analysis! That would tons of fun.

[@trevejenkyn9888]

So many happy Memories of simply well organised racing in Port Melbourne on Summer Sundays, Thank you GCN and St Kilda CC

[@gcn]

it was a great evening of racing! We could see many happy summers spent on this circuit 🙌

[@gcntech]

That's our boy! 🥲

[@johnmoore4974]

Great to see you on Victoria Park! I said hello to you on the 10th in Victoria sq. I hope to see you again somewhere on the tour!

[@willian.direction6740]

Rode the Norwood Club Tuesday night summer Crits in 1990's too old for it now though. Glad you had a good time and enjoy TD Under.

[@melaniamonicacraciun9900]

Go champs go for it, fans are always here to backup you guys, cycling is the most exciting adventure of life, you can bet on it guys

[@jondashun]

More content like this, please. Ideally from different amateur criterium events all around the world.

[@kaltonian]

good on you Alix, looks like a great place to race

[@thomasdoig6083]

‘I don’t want to line up right at the front’ *lines up right at the front*

[@WalrusRiderEntertainment]

Top 10 in the A grade criterium field is pretty decent. Regularly get world class riders there.

[@CalvinPuah]

Welcome to Adelaide! Hope you enjoy the TDU :)

[@gcn]

Thanks! It looks like it'll be a great race!

[@julianallen515]

good job, Alex. Your GCN celebrity broke the ice and had people welcoming you. Local crit races can be hard cliches to break into.

[@fee911]

At 41 years old and 2 years back into cycling the only races near by are Crits and I'm really considering it next season.

[@LilyLuna-24]

Nice work!!

[@hotsky83]

Solid numbers Alex. Hopefully I can do that one day too

[@jamesg9197]

more like this please!

[@mrcycling7007]

So cool Alex. That’s no mean feat to be competitive in A Grade here!! I hope I get to see you while I’m here. Also hope you are enjoying riding the Adelaide Hills.

[@lamontmelrose7640]

One day, I'll be there! Im 50 years old with a cheap bike, but i can move, slash, climb, and its fun! Just started 5 months ago!

[@AnonUser7887]

Welcome to the beautiful city of Adelaide, Alex. A short loop up Norton Summit Rd to Mt Lofty then back down to cruise along the coast is a rite of passage for all cyclists here.

[@gcn]

Shame we weren't there long enough to sample more of the local riding! The cycling culture is alive down under 🙌

[@luke_crip]

Nice seeing some people I know in the video. Sad I couldn’t make it to this race

[@benblake1344]

Adelaide is my home town! I hope you had a great time!

[@1ongava]

I’ve raced that A Grade crit a windy night and it’s effing brutal. Allan Iaucone on that start sheet too, absolute legend (ex Nat Champ, Linda Macarthy etc)

[@gcn]

It was hard enough when then sun was out 😂 How did you get on?

[@1942rita]

Yay Alex. You did great

[@ChrisGuarraia]

Well done finishing in the top 10, Alex!

[@saracen888]

Unreal effort Alex 💪🏼

[@joeylopezphd]

Would love to see y’all do a NorCal ride with that channel.

[@aldrinclementina4297]

You did great in the race. Sometimes just sit and enjoy the race and finish in the peloton is fun. At least for me. I'm almost 50 but still enjoys fast group rides and races.

[@seattlegrrlie]

Top ten is awesome! Looks like a real good time

[@ariffau]

More racing videos like this, please!

[@gcn]

Glad you enjoyed it - you might like our GCN+ documentary two-parter: World Tour to Cat Four gcn.eu/cat41

[@TheEpieikeia]

Glad Alex didn't get knocked off by any freaking divebombing magpie lurking in Australian skies!! Massive effort btw!

[@bubby372]

Excellent Alex!

[@suzuki06g]

Excellent job in the race!, you've got me thinking about Crit racing again. 👍 Just thinking, GCN should do a video on how to mount a camera on our bikes, my recordings are too shaky to show in a public forum.

[@gcn]

Good idea! Alex has a custom made bike computer and GoPro mount that he uses 👉 kzbin.info/www/bejne/gpCzqomNrMSpe7M

[@ben_hewitson_AU]

Nice to see you in our fair city.

[@engineeringcadsolutions]

Alex, welcome to Adelaide. Looks like you had fun, and what a brilliant spot for a bike race. BTW, excellent result in the race, Hank couldn't do it 😎

[@johnnunn8688]

Many years ago, I spectated at a crit in Victoria Park. Not this Victoria Park but the one in Perth, WA. There, it’s a road circuit as Victoria Park in Perth, doesn’t have a Victoria Park, Park, that could be raced on, just a suburb. Other than that, it was exactly the same. STI had just started being a thing and the racing was very noisy, as a consequence.

[@Phones007]

Awesome I'm a racer at heart ❤️ I loved watching

[@gcn]

Nice! What kind of racing do you do?

[@Phones007]

@@gcn hmm I normally do time trial circuit training at the hight of my fitness I always fancied joining a racing group but never got round to doing it

[@gcn]

Go for it! Its great fun getting stuck-in with likeminded people!

[@apm9507]

Top ten! 😎👍

[@DC-lu5qs]

5:11 Alex "I don't want to be right at the front. Don't want to look to keen...." 5:16 Alex I MUST BE AT THE FRONT!

[@gcn]

Alex is definitely the keenest GCN presenter!! 😂

[@OscarBarnett1]

You guys should definitely do a video on the Melbourne “Hell ride”

[@ausedits24]

Thanks for doing this I raced yesterday

[@ianstewart8301]

Great job!

[@paulgordon7526]

Fab Alex well done top 10 is great considering you haven't raced much! Adelaide's not to far from the Barossa Valley great for wine tasting if you like your wine 😄😄

[@WillPower46]

Lol, once Alex hears the dude is a doctor he makes sure to let him know that he (Alex) is in A grade and that B grade which the doctor dude is racing is a grade below him.

[@jackharpermtb4368]

Adelaide, I’m from Adelaide and it is great for road and mtb

[@mattnugy]

I really enjoyed this type of content.

[@gcn]

Great to hear Matt! Where should we be racing next?

[@iansmith6728]

Norwoon Cycle Club has a very long history, sporting several of the early Adelaide bycicle manufacturers.

[@chrisridesbicycles]

Still in pretty good shape. Respect Alex.

[@OB_Cycles]

Good to see Brendon Davids on the top step of the podium

[@veloman59]

Well done Alex - that looked PAINFUL! 😂

[@p44doyle44]

Alex: I don’t want to start up front. Look too keen. Literally starts in position number one.

[@mashy0001]

I wouldn’t mind guessing that he got called up with a joke or two at his expense 😂

[@oldmate6327]

Welcome to Adelaide 🙂

[@Adam-ox6zy]

We have a great cycling culture here in South Australia, which the car drivers hate 😂. The only thing holding back cycling here is the piecemeal approach to building bicycle friendly infrastructure. The infrastructure is getting there, slowly, and as I said -piecemeal!

[@Aussie_stu]

With those sunglasses at the end, Alex can never judge Si on his glasses again.

[@gcn]

Have you seen Si's glasses in his most recent video?? 😎

[@richardedward123]

GCN presenters should do more criterions. Fun to watch. Nice video.

[@Danger_Mouse_00]

And just think summer hasn't even really kicked in as it's been a rather mild summer so far. 😎

[@julendelrio]

46,5km/h average 😨 well done Alex 👏🏽 come to Sydney while you're here

[@bubblesezblonde]

Well done Alex!

[@shuonanzhao6395]

“I don’t want to be right at the front. I don’t want to look too keens” *goes right to the front*

[@iansmith6728]

You need to come back for the Pedal Prix in June.