Road or circuit racing (criteriums or ‘crits’) is massed-start cycle racing on closed or partially closed roads or circuits. The first rider over the finish line wins, with fields ranging from 15 up to 100+, depending on the event.
In the UK, events range from short Youth and Juvenile (under 16) races of 20km or less, through club level events for adults of between 40km and 100km, to Elite-level one day races of 200km or more.
The majority of adult racing takes place on public roads, which are temporarily partially closed for the race. There are an increasing number of circuit events, using either circuits shared with other sports like motor racing and kart racing, or purpose built for cycling. All under-16 racing takes place on traffic-free closed circuits.
Club riders participate in events run by the Eastern Road Race League (of which the club is a member) and British Masters Cycle Racing as well as many others.
