1st crit advice

It's going to be crazy fast right off the line. Be ready for it. Don't worry, it'll settle down after a couple laps. But what's going to get you is the speed changes. 30 minutes is pretty short, so the pace will likely stay pretty high the whole time.

Relax your arms and flare your elbows a little. THat lets your arms work like "cat's whiskers", and incidental contact won't turn into a reaction in the front wheel.

Stay up near the front if you can. Not only will it be at least a little safer, you won't have quite the yo-yo effect of having to slow down so much going into the turn and sprinting out of it to stay in contact.

And have fun!

X2.

Stay inside though while up front. Don't get caught out front, you'll wear yourself out. Let the stronger riders do the work. DO NOT OVERLAP WHEELS. When the pack speeds up just hang on for dear life, they will slow down again, all you need to do is stay in there for the attacks and remember that they will always slow down again.

Remember to accelerate out of the turns, that's where you'll get passed, a lot!

Good luck and have fun...

Eric J

It's been awhile since I've done a crit, but snausa said it best. Riders new to crit racing often freak out because there will be alot of bumping, expecially at the start, and in the first few turns. Just don't over-correct. Keep straight and be aware of who is around you. Most of all, have fun.

All great advice and probably plenty already for you to digest, so I won't add more.

Well, maybe one more thing.  It can help to pick a good wheel to follow.  Find someone smooth who seems to move through the group easily and knows what he's doing. Following somebody experienced is a great way to learn and will make your job easier since you can follow his lines as he moved up through the pack.

I love criteriums.  I was grinning from ear to ear all day after I did my first one.

Best of luck!

The Coach makes great points. As to slowing down I don't like to coast so much as soft pedal without any power applied so I can apply minute pressure to speed up in small increments. Even sitting up in the wind will slow you down.

As to getting spit out the back... Almost inevitable for a newb. Be mindful of the officials as they may likely pull you if your out of contention and in danger of being lapped. As Bill STrickland said, "First you fail then they humiliate you..."

Eric J

 Lots of good advice above. 

 +1 to a good warm up.  You will be at the red line from the start.  It should slow down (just a little) after a few minutes.

Congratulations on a great first crit. I'm sure you'll be addicted to them now. It's such an adrenalin rush riding as fast as you can shoulder-to-shoulder with other riders.

There are not any crit races where I live and I miss them. I usually got dropped with about 2 or 3 laps left, so great job hanging in there in what sounds like less than optimal conditions.