The Sketchiest Crit in America? (Blue Dome Pro Men)

[@williamrhardin]

It is important to me to emphasize that criteriums are a type of racing in which risk can be rewarded greatly, but they do not have to be dangerous like this. Attitudes of the racers, course design, and officiating are among the few things that are improving but still need work. We hope to show these tough scenes not as a glorification of the danger of the sport, but as a source of context for riders, fans, and officials on how racing can be made safer on all fronts. Bike racing has risks, but it is a sport that needs racers, fans, organizers, and officials to work together, care for one another, and improve so that it can grow and bring to the surface all the other amazing parts of the sport that aren't crashing. Wishing the men here a speedy recovery and hopeful we can make the sport better and reduce these incidents by increasing awareness of the situations that lead to these unfortunate circumstances.

[@markwalker9147]

The barriers are awful, with the foot sticking out into the road. In Europe they switched to the ones that lean back so there’s no foot and more space at the top …..

[@fugbisch6983]

Thanks for getting me into racing! I rode my first criterium last sunday and enjoyed every meter of it. Unfortunately i am still way above my desired weight, the course was way too technical and hilly for me (30m height over 1,6km with 15 corners, multiple choke points with only space for one). Only ended up in P9 in the university class and 4 laps down, but nonetheless an unforgettable experience. Also i learned a lot from your videos, otherwise i wouldn't have done so well for my first time

[@KiteWaldi]

To say that US crit racing is strongest in the world is pretty crazy statement 😂 you have 1 world tour guy without teammates and he wins by far. You should visit local euro crit race to see the level of riders.

[@EricMichaelManuel]

you do know luke lamperti is an american, right? :P

[@shaunb93291]

You mean like the German team that finished 7th? Dumb comment.

[@corydaddydoras]

@@EricMichaelManuel His point is that a single UCI boi (regardless of nationality) joins a top US crit and easily wins it... Although Euro crit racing is variable too, it has much more talent/future UCI/pro talent, so often is higher skill (despite crit racing being v popular in US. the Euro-Crit racing scene is often a STEP to the next level, not a final one in Europe...)

[@_Tp___]

And Luke is a great talent, but he's quite young and not massively experienced either and still won by himself. Imagine Mvdp or something at this

[@tvemikel9477]

There was nothing easy about the win. It took everything, don't forget that.

[@ianbent0n]

If you pause at 7:40 it almost looks like the barrier starts angling inward and that's what caused the guy in front of Justin to get squeezed into it.

[@jrh1704]

Justin caused Justin to get squeezed in.

[@PatrickLino]

0:21 mark - "oh sh*t I didn't know that." Not sure why that cracked me up LoL. Great stuff you guys!

[@GaryBleck]

The flat spot on the tire agrees with your breaking assessment 😂

[@stevenwsong]

crazy how one world tour pro with no team can effortlessly win. theres levels to it

[@mikpiotto]

He should have said top crit riders in the US.

[@adadinthelifeofacyclist]

I must say, nice camerawork by the Winspace! Even whilst crashing it managed to keep the action in frame 😀🙌

[@SeraStaplz]

7:31 This is where my spidey sense went off. Guy in the white doesn't have good control of his bike at this point in the race anymore. By a stroke of luck he actually dodges the crash, but can't tell from the camera what caused it.

[@ZacharyCor]

Great point

[@niklasbirksted8175]

Very Paul Greengrass/Jason Bourne camerawork. Flashback to another time ;)

[@alexandermason3845]

I've done 1, 8 corner crit in my life. Never again, as a serious but not professional rider the risk just isn't worth it. There are plenty of decent 2, 3, and 4 corner crits that are more enjoyable.

[@alexandermason3845]

Just take pedal strikes, every added corner makes the chance of strike that much more likely, that many times more, every lap.

[@kennethward9530]

Depends upon the course. Used to be an 8 corner in Battle Creek years ago ran for several seasons that was a pretty nice course without harsh curbs and was wide enough. Also, depends upon if riders are trying to make a hole where there isn't one.

[@tt-tk9076]

we should race on nascar tracks then 😂

[@alexandermason3845]

@@tt-tk9076 🤣

[@musclelessfitness2045]

Thx for the great footage. I hope the injured riders get well pretty soon. Can you guys comment on that beautiful and fastest bike in the world, Simplon Pride 2?

[@JohnDough-yr2zt]

You’re right. It’s 10% fitness 90% ability. My friend Luke won that. And he was breathing through his nose the whole time.

[@theelmhurstcyclist]

US Crit racing is the strongest in the world! Also US Crit racing with 3000m to go: 💀

[@minecraft_twin5469]

It’s so gnarly racing at those speeds, glad to no longer be in that mix

[@ohhi5237]

@@minecraft_twin5469 i didnt see any cobbles

[@FT__Bicycling_____-sc7yv]

That Lamperdi guy is a F*ing beast. At the front the whole time. By himself. Still strong at the end. Jeez.

[@mikew466]

He just came off racing the fastest Giro ever where most of their 4 and 5 hour stages were raced at 28 to 30mph.

[@prep1989]

great, but the most important part is, "how is the new bike after that?"

[@williamrhardin]

Only a small "wrinkle" on the top tube 😅

[@lbgstzockt8493]

only slightly folded in half

[@ohhi5237]

on ebay as 'show room model, slighty used'

[@JohnEmbryTattoos]

Definitely gonna go back an analyze this race a bit more. Have a significantly less consequential 8 corner crit coming up and all of these videos have been a huge help in building my confidence in racing/racecraft. Side note: that crash was brutal. Hope everyone is ok

[@markmildorf2873]

At about 10:15 in, is that DCC/Alpecin rider Andreas Mayr?

[@yogatriathlete]

I think the best crit racers in the world are Australian, although I really do enjoy watching American crit racing thanks to your channel

[@TheJuice4you]

Im from Australia and new to cycling. Really? I thought it was America given the amount of races, organisers and general culture around it. But happy to be educated :-)

[@BBDD26]

May I ask what software you used to make the video!! This data presentation is very intuitive and beautiful. I like it very much. Can I know how you did it? Thank you.

[@mrgriinch2390]

Love the vids bro

[@therondc]

Interesting that Lotto Soudal lets Lamperti race crits.

[@AustinIsTheGreatest]

damn lot of videos lately. It's really nice

[@tds397]

When dive-bombing corners gets you rekt badly 💀

[@_PhinneyWood_]

miss the old camera angle being able to see the entire cockpit first this low one.. hoping old angle will maek a comeback haha

[@jediavatar]

Wow. Your Zone 2 is very different from MY Zone 2. Good lord.

[@Bozza36]

It isn't what anyone would have wanted to see, but it looks like a hard case of karma for Justin, after his consistently reckless riding.

[@DDai-qd8uk]

Did you end up running the 32mm tyres for your critd by any chance?

[@theleg4]

Wow! 43 km/h from Americans - that must be a record! Yall ain't got shit on the Continental/World riders 😅😂😢

[@bikesbeersbeats]

The nascar of crit racing would be more accurate 😂

[@zishkii7249]

How can they ride 50 51 kph as average?

[@ohhi5237]

short course, pedal hard

[@peterliljebladh]

To say that an American criterium is technical compared to a European one is to compare oval racing with Formula 1. 🤨

[@ohhi5237]

judging by the amount of cars going into buildings in a daily basis id say ovals are high tech course

[@joshuaelundberg3333]

One the one hand, a euro crit might be a more technical course than this. But when you have a wide corner that 5 guys can come through together, it creates a different challenge where you're fighting for position against 30 guys in the front bubble instead of 5 guys that you see on a super narrow course. It goes from fighting the race course to fighting the riders.

[@FT__Bicycling_____-sc7yv]

I'm never doing another night-time crit. Racing in the dark is horrible

[@joshuaelundberg3333]

Justin Williams just blamed his crash here on inexperienced riders instead of the spectator sticking his arm out. Just shows you what he thinks of his fellow racers. I'm so sick of him blaming his peers. If he had served his ban from the sport for the full length, he wouldn't have been in that crash.

[@Tomcoma2832]

How was the bike after the crash?

[@jaybobd]

do they make those barriers with the internal angles to maximize the ways cyclists could get caught in them?

[@ohhi5237]

yes.

[@tmoritz]

Pls stop with the clickbait algorithm titles.

[@colem7173]

@10:51 the rider didnt strike a pedal, it looks like he wipes out on the painted white road line.

[@anthonyhuber-permanentlyre7808]

*What team does Will ride for?* 🧐

[@williamrhardin]

A team called Velocious Sport! Will likely be "team Winston Salem" next year

[@anthonyhuber-permanentlyre7808]

@@williamrhardin Thx 👍🚴‍♂

[@yungkarp]

barriers with prominent feet and composed of a lattice of metal without any smooth covering? that's an absolute recipe for disaster

[@OurCognitiveSurplus]

Can you do one of those back to back test videos on shorter cranks? Including, does a much shorter crank let you keep on the power through a corner?

[@sean7456]

2:35 I guess a softer bike with less "kick" isn't important huh

[@williamrhardin]

Really matters where the compliance is, I would say this bike has the same "kick" as the t1550, but when you're sitting down, you don't feel like you're on a jackhammer

[@GratzRides]

@@williamrhardinIs this the correct frame for you, Will? Saddle rails are screaming “Help!”

[@williamrhardin]

@@GratzRides right!? It's a large, I'm usually on a medium and tend to sit somewhere between a 56-58cm...need the low front end of a 56 but the saddle and reach of a 58...seems to work okay, at the max of the saddle rails though!

[@brittle1]

Lol protour is just something different. Soudal quickstep wins this one 😂

[@vietle8157]

Why is Luke Lamperti at an amateur race?

[@cyc00000]

Ha yeah a proper pro makes them look like amateurs.

[@josephlazatin8199]

Waiting for the WB to complain again… same old same old

[@anthonyhuber-permanentlyre7808]

I wonder if JW hit the rider in front of him and that caused the crash, because he dived into that small space with a lot of speed. But I don't think it makes a difference either, Lamperti was in a class by himself that weekend.

[@williamrhardin]

@@anthonyhuber-permanentlyre7808 one of the guys on the green jersey team shouldered Sean, the rider in red and white, into the barrier

[@HydeMyJekyll]

first

[@HydeMyJekyll]

first

[@123oner2]

Are you like 9yrs old or something