Vic's Espresso Prospect Criterium

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Vic's Espresso Masters State Championship Criterium
Presented by Vic's Espresso Cycling Team

Course Description: Very fast, technical, 1 Kilometer, L shaped course located in downtown Prospect.

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13 Comments

35/4s

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on

I know in the 35/4s there were probably around 40-50 starters but only 18 finishers. The course is so short and with 6 corners its tough.

I raced the 35 Open and our

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on

I raced the 35 Open and our #'s were low. I saw the 3's before and the p/1/2 afterwards. They had low #'s as well. Really a shame as that is a creat crit course. Could be too hard for some guys, so they just stay away? The heat could have been an issues. And maybe some racers liked the Grand Fondo more the next day.

Course - Matter of Opinion

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on

"great crit course" - I guess opinions differ on that. I wouldn't say it is too hard, I would say it is too short of a course for big start groups.
6 turns in under a Kilo - Race just comes down to who wants to dive into turns and take chances more then anything. Not much room for riding. If you are at the back at the start, you are going to be in trouble quick.
If they have enough entries to keep it in the black, then it is good for those that like tight, short, 6 turn courses...

Agreed

Submitted by David on

I do like the course and you are right if you are in the back at the start you better hang on. I wish they would extend the course to make a lap a little longer because I think its a great venue and a nice change to office park criteriums.

Been a while...

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on

We don't have to many "Office Park" crits in Colorado. Last one was Wheels of Thunder in mid-May?
But I do like the "Office Park" crit coming up next weekend better then the Vic's course. Longer course, and generally better racing.
Just my opinion, but I bet numbers will be higher then this weekend...

shorty

Submitted by greater than (not verified) on

field limits should be about 27 for these short courses. I am happy to save $ to not race anything < 1k. This weekend's race, Bannock, Longmont should be the benchmark for crits who want highter numbers. At the very least, should be the benchmark for State Champion (or even bar) status. I'm picturing races like Fort Collins, Fort Morgan, Mead, Hill, Lafayette, Sara Kay, Colorado Springs, Meridian that have all disappeared for different reasons. Unfortunately, many "replacements" often are short and only sustain a small field of finishers. I do not think these courses are appealing or motivating to new racers (at least not for more than 27 of them).

Starters vs Finishers

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on

I dont think the ACA data for starters and finishers is correct. I was out watching in the morning and the fields were much bigger than what is on the ACA website. I watched part of the 35/4s and 45/4s and the fileds were far bigger than 18 and 22. I would say they were close to double that.

Safety

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on

Some of us stayed home (or on the sidelines) because of safety concerns. I know the organizers are trying to make it better, but even a full neutral first lap doesn't help. Too many crashes, and bad ones at that (severe concussions, not just broken bones). Even if they lengthened it by a block, it would still be dead flat with lots of turns. They need a hill to separate out the field (like Bannock). Yes, it's fun if you're at and can stay at the front but otherwise it's too risky IMO. It's a shame, as we should see much higher turnout for a state championship race. Maybe for next year, club council will choose a different venue.

With all due respect you are

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on

With all due respect you are dead wrong. There are 2 issues, the field size and the course saftey. I am not going to comment on the field size, as others have.

However Prospect is a safe course. I have raced it all 3 years and never seen a single issue (notice I did not say crash). It is tight and technical, but safe. I ran the 35 Open, and only saw 1 crash, that had nothing to do with the course. In my years of racing I have always felt that technical courses are much safer, as guys are single file, and it gets the field strung out in order of who can ride and who cannot.

You want a dangerous crit? Jesus, Wheels Of Thunder is the most un-technical crit of the year and that race has been a total sketch fest the last 2 years (AST or what ever they call it now is the same way, wide open and lots of crashes). Give me Prospect or Niwot any day of the week. Also you are kidding yourself if you think the "hill" at Bannock strings it out. Courses like Niwot and Prospect seperate the fields much more then Bannock, or WOT, or Coal Miners (I do love that course too, but it is more like a circuit race). You want both try NBP, techncial and a small hill. That race is awsome too.

The part about Prospect that

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on

The part about Prospect that reduces safety (once again, IMO) is the finish. There is little room after sprinting to the line before the pack must slow down and take the right turn. That's where I have observed the bad crashes (severe concussions). I understand your contention that a technical course improves safety and I believe that to a certain extent. However, I think the lack of runout at Prospect is an accident waiting to happen. At Bannock, the hill does in fact slow things down (assuming folks are really racing), the streets are wide, and there is a good distance after the finish before the first turn so anyone sprinting can slow. I'm simply expressing why I won't do Prospect again and perhaps others have similar opinions. It will be interesting to see the turnout at the remaining races this year and maybe then we can tell whether it is the "economy" or other reasons that are limiting attendance.