Difference between a Crit and a Points Race

Despite the current ‘cost of living challenges’ facing all community events, Bike Manawatu is 100% committed to ensuring the 51st year of the Novice Tour – once again provides a safe, fun, competitive cycle racing event.

We will adopt a high-quality assured approach in implementing the Local Roading Authority’s/Cycling New Zealand’s ‘Safe Traffic Management System’ (STMS) standards which ensure best practices and rider and spectator safety.

If the level of community funding secured is not sufficient to contract in external road management service providers with the ability to stop/go traffic, the Novice Tour will proceed on a ‘local club racing’ model, whereby our team of trained/experienced road marshals will, where necessary, pause racing in order to give way to traffic and ensure rider safety.

Although funding external road management services with the ability to stop/go traffic is ideal, if this is not feasible – we are confident that the event’s ‘Safe Traffic Management System’ (STMS) will provide a competitive, fair, enjoyable and importantly safe racing environment.

Irrespective of which model of traffic management/racing is finalised, as with all CNZ/Bike Manawatu events, normal road rules will apply and a full rider briefing confirming the event rules will be provided to all riders prior to the start of each race.

A criterium, or crit, is a bike race held on a short course (usually less than 1 mile), often run on closed-off city centre streets.

Collegiate cyclists take a tight downhill corner in the Boston Beanpot Criterium at Tufts University

Race length can be determined by a number of laps or total time, in which case the number of remaining laps is calculated as the race progresses. The winner is the first rider to cross the finish line without having been “lapped.”

Events often have prizes (called primes, pronounced “preems”, and are usually cash ( or Easter eggs this week at Linton) for winning specific intermediate laps (for instance, every 10th lap). A bell ( in our case a whistle”) is usually rung to announce to the riders that whoever wins the next lap, wins the prime.

Success in road criteriums requires a mix of good technical skills — in particular, the ability to corner smoothly while “holding your line” on the road, as well as rapidly and sharply — and riding safely with a large group on a short circuit and exceptional “sprint” ability to attack other riders and repeatedly accelerate hard from corners.

And for anyone who has been out to Linton over the past 2 weeks when we have run Points races you will after reading the above realise what the difference is.

In a points race you race for points on “the Whistle” . The person with the most points at the end of the race is the winner. Points are accumulated during the race on whistle laps. Duration of the race is a set time plus 1 or 2 laps.