I loved racing crits in college. I will never do them again because I'm not a reckless youth anymore.

Skills to master: people touching you and leaning into you as you ride. I had my handle bars actually get intertwined with another rider's handlebars. We simultaneously unhooked and pushed off each other and somehow didn't wreck.

You need to be comfortable on your bike, like your bike is part of you. That comes from hours and hours of riding every day.

Before the race and during, you need to be able to identify the other riders who will wreck you. Watch how people warm up. Watch where they direct their attention. You need to identify seasoned riders and learn from them and ride near them. Stay away from newbies like yourself.