cloy wrote:
As a preface: I've been doing triathlon for six years. It's been a blast and I still enjoy it (most days). But I just got a new job that has the possibility of taking a lot of time away from my "hobby" of triathlon. Fitting in two workouts a day might be difficult (I haven't started yet). I have a history of head injuries (i.e., at least 8 concussions and one collision induced seizure). So with that said How dangerous is crit racing?
My girlfriend and I went to the Littleton Twilight Criterium this past weekend and we were both in awe. The atmosphere is way more exciting than the vast majority of triathlons we've done. It's far more like real racing than a triathlon is. But, we witnessed 3 crashes in the P-1-2 race. These guys were traveling over 27mph the entire race.
I think I would be pretty solid in the lower categories; I have a good engine (320 FTP; 4.2 w/kg), but my handling skills are that of a normal triathlete. I'm hesitant at the thought of going down and knocking my head. I couldn't care less about road rash and even broken bones, but my fear is solely due to the possibility of another concussion and it really messing me up long term.
Suggestions? Advice? I'd love to hear from the ex-triathletes that realized being mediocre at three sports isn't as satisfying.
then this isn't for you
My worst crash came in my third crit race. Concussion + broken teeth. None of my crashes since was anything nearly as bad
Of course, most crit crashes don't result in anything comparable, but then again, it's not where i'd look if one would want to avoid brain injuries.
Wash outs in corners are probably the most prevalent forms of crashes in crits, and results of those are generally tame. The more unpredictable ones are the ones where someone goes down in the middle of the pack, and you are too far behind to notice it immediately, but still can't escape the carnage radiating outward from the initial crash. No telling how you'd fall in such a situation