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Summer Criteriums

Series Information

The Summer Criterium Series (the series) is Canberra’s oldest and most popular criterium series, featuring the biggest range of grades and the highest level of competition. The series is held every year on Wednesday nights during the warmer months of the year.

Special Notes for 23 season

  • Each grade will have a bye week before and after the holiday break to increase race duration – check the calendar for details
  • Team size 5
  • 3 women’s series rounds (details below)
  • New volunteering arrangements

Pricing

  • Single Race: $15
  • Season Passes are available to any rider who volunteers on the registration desk at one or more crit races. The effective price will be less than $10 per race. See the Season Pass EntryBoss listing and the volunteering info for details. 
  • Junior Whites and Junior HC races: Free 
  • Juniors who enter grades where prize money is awarded will be required to pay the full entry fee for that grade. 

All entry fees are managed through Entryboss and are charged when entering. All refunds will be via Entryboss.

Season Passes

Anyone can buy a full-price season pass. To access a discounted season pass you must sign on to volunteer. 

This year the benefits of season passes will be:

  • For volunteers: accessing racing at a significant discount (ie a season pass will be the equivalent of entering each race at less than $10)
  • Being automatically entered into every race – you don’t have to sign on week to week!

Full details are available on the Season Pass listing on EntryBoss. 

Women’s Series

The Summer Women’s Series series provides a platform for women to race against other women. As a club, we realise that there are complexities surrounding female participation. We want to encourage more of the women we have here in Canberra to race & develop. With varying feedback over the years, we recognise the benefits of mixing the grades and separating them. The limited series intends to maximise participation as we build momentum and enthusiasm and offer different opportunities to those whose preference is to race in the open grades. 

After the feedback we received last season we landed on a three round series. The series is a collective race that targets both A/B women, with a secondary C/D bunch starting 15 seconds behind with a reduced duration of four minutes.

New to racing women are highly encouraged to participate. Please let one of our volunteers know if you’re new to racing and we can help guide you with any questions you may have about racing.

Prize money for the women’s series will be allocated as follows.

On evenings when a women’s round is scheduled women’s prize money will only be on offer for those specific women’s races. The intention is that we want to encourage women to participate in those races. Women may still participate in open races, and women’s podiums will be awarded in the open races, but prize money will be awarded for the overall top three riders regardless of gender.

Women’s series prize money allocation is as follows:
– Women’s Race A: 1st $45, 2nd $30, 3rd $15
– Women’s Race B: 1st $30, 2nd $20, 3rd $10
– Women’s Race C: 1st $30, 2nd $20, 3rd $10
– Women’s Race D: 1st $30, 2nd $20, 3rd $10

Confused about open grades on non-women series nights? All races at CCC events are now ‘Open’ (men’s and women’s) grades. CCC will record the overall top three places in each grade (regardless of gender) and also the top three women’s places in each grade with prize money allocated accordingly. 

As a guide, a ‘Women’s A’ rider would probably register for ‘Open B’ most weeks. A ‘Women’s B’ rider from last year would register in ‘Open C’ and so on.

To participate in the Women’s series just register and select the normal open grade you would race. You will be entered into that grade like normal, and automatically entered into the Women’s Series race.

Riders can then choose to race the normal round, the women’s series race, or both! All for the same entry fee. Just register, show up at the listed start time(s) with your Season Number correctly attached, and we’ll do the rest.

Clarification on Bye Weeks

BYE weeks have been added to increase race duration of races and offer more opportunities for volunteering.

If your grade has a BYE week this does NOT mean you can enter a different grade on that night. Grading and handicapping is something that we take very seriously at CCC as it ensures safe and fair racing. Please see the ‘Grading Policy’ section for more information.

Volunteering

Your club relies on volunteers to keep you racing and all participants at CCC Summer Crits will be expected to volunteer during the season.

Our volunteer roster is available at https://signup.com/go/gPioPdk 

This season we are again linking season pass eligibility to early volunteer nominations. 

  • We will distribute a call for volunteers prior to the season. 
  • Once you have nominated and been allocated to a minimum of one event you will receive a unique code to enable you to buy a season pass. 

We must receive your nominations within the ‘volunteer window’ for you to be eligible for a season pass. Late nominations will not be eligible for season passes. 

Riders who do not complete an early nomination may still be required to volunteer.

  • These riders will receive an email from the Crit Coordinator or a committee member allocating them to a volunteer role at a race. 
  • We expect you to respond promptly (within 2-3 days) and confirm that you can fill the role. 
  • If you are not able to fill the role you will be required to nominate to volunteer at an alternative vacant date. 

If you do not respond to volunteer emails or do not meet your volunteer obligation (minimum 1 volunteer duty) you will be suspended from racing until your volunteer obligation has been met. 

Our volunteer roster is available at https://www.canberracyclingclub.org.au/volunteer-roster/ 

Online Entry Only

Entry will be only via EntryBoss. 

  • There will be strictly no late entries or ‘on the day entries’. 
  • Entries will open 9.00 pm Wednesday the week before each race and close 2pm each Wednesday (day of the race). 

If you are unsure if you will race any given week we suggest you pre register and then scratch before 2pm if you need to. 

Podiums

Immediately after you have had your place recorded in the finish chute the top 3 riders overall and top 3 women are to move to the centre of the crit track for a podium photo. A volunteer or committee member will take the photo and it will end up on our socials. 

Race Day Check In

If you have correctly fitted your timing tag our timing system will ‘see’ that you have arrived at the race and automatically check you in. You can confirm this by riding past the main gate (do not ride onto the track before your race), then visiting the results listing at my.raceresult.com and finding your name on the startlist. A blue tick indicates you’re all set and ready to go.

Please only attend the check-in desk if you need to sort something out, or if you are a visiting or new rider collecting or returning a number. 

Race Licence

An AusCycling All Discipline Race membership is required to enter any Canberra Cycling Club races, including the series. You do not need to be a member of Canberra Cycling Club to race the series or other Canberra Cycling Club races, but we encourage you to join our club.

You can purchase a Race Licence here:

If you’d like to try racing before you commit to a full membership you can purchase a range of trial options. Full details are available on the AusCycling website

Race membership is now available as yearly or monthly payments.  

Frame Plates and Numbers

CCC will be using the new timing system, plates, and numbers for this series. 

You must have both a correctly fitted frame plate and race number to participate in each race. 

If you forget or lose your timing tag you can still race but you will not be recorded in the results, and will not be eligible for prizemoney of points.

You will not be permitted to race if you do not have your correct race number attached to the back of your jersey. 

We will do a frame plate and number reorder prior to the commencement of the crit season and over the summer break. Riders who have lost their plates / number will be able to order replacements at their own cost.

If you are not a CCC member you can purchase a number pack (yours to keep for as long as you are an active racing member in the ACT) for $25. Details are on EntryBoss.

Points allocation

Points are awarded for each rider that finishes in each grade, which will reward consistency. To score points you will need to pass through the chute at the end of the race. The breakdown of points will be as follows:

First place will be allocated 2 points times the number of riders in the grade. This will be capped at a maximum of 20 points for 1st place. 

Each place will then receive two points less than the place before. 

For example:

  • 1st – Number of riders x 2 (capped at 20 points)
  • 2nd and all subsequent places – value of previous place minus 2 points.

All finishers will be allocated a minimum of 2 points. Riders that DNF will receive one point. 

Volunteers (who do not race their grade) will be awarded 10 points for that round. 

Finish Chute

This season all places in each grade will be recorded. To claim your place you must go through the Finish Chute (metal barriers) after the race finish and in the order you finished. Please remain in the finish chute until you have been released by the Commissaire / volunteer recording the results. 

If you do not pass through the finish chute and have your finish place recorded you will appear on the results sheet as a DNF.

Prize Money Policy 

The following prize money will be offered this season. Prize money will be paid to place getters at the end of each race. 

The top 3 overall and top 3 women* in each grade will receive prizemoney as follows.

Grade1st2nd3rd1st W2nd W3rd W
A$45$30$15$45$30$15
B$3020$10$30$20$10
C$3020$10$30$20$10
D$30$20$10$30$20$10

*Notes:

  • Where a women’s rider places in the overall top 3 places, and also in the top 3 women’s places they will receive the higher value prize. 
  • Prize money for women’s placings in open grades will not be awarded on nights where there is a women’s series round.
  • E / Junior white category is a development category that focus on skills and participation and is therefore not eligible for prize money

Grading Policy

Grade change requests must be received by Sunday at 4pm the week before the race. Email [email protected]

Please review the information on grading on our website here

You will be allocated a grade by the club grader at the start of the season. This is likely to be the grade you started in at the end of last season. 

You may be moved to a new grade based on your race performance. You will be notified if a grade change is going to happen for you. 

If you would like to request a grade change please email [email protected] to start the discussion. You will not be able to request a grade change on the night. This is to ensure safe and fair racing, and to ease the administrative burden on our volunteers.

Only grade changes approved by the Club Handicapper are to occur.  Riders who ride outside of their grade will be disqualified and subject to referral to the Commissaire for sanctioning.  

After each 5-week block of racing will review grading and move riders up and down grades as required. You may be moved even if you haven’t won a grade.  

Grade Mentors

Grade Mentors will often be present, and particularly in the lower grades, to ensure riders are riding safely and in good sporting spirit. Please be accepting of their feedback – they are experienced racers and are there for everyone’s safety.

Each rider is encouraged to give and take advice from each other – just keep it civil and constructive.  We may be racing for the untold glory of a win in a club crit, but that doesn’t mean we can’t all have heaps of fun and support each other to get better and keep racing.

Sanctions for Safety

In all grades you may be sanctioned with a two-race ban for:

  • Causing a crash involving others, through reckless or careless behaviour; or
  • Unsportsmanlike behaviour, including use of foul or abusive language and/or intimidation tactics.

The commissaire(s) will decide any such sanctions. All grades are subject to the appropriate technical regulations and policies of the club and AusCycling..

Junior Whites (JW)

White is the colour of the Young Rider Classification jersey at Le Tour de France and numerous other events around the world. CCC has developed the JW category since the 2017/2018 season. The category is for all U13 riders who have been promoted from the Junior HC category, and some U15/U17 riders who have been allocated to the grade by the grader. Only rarely, and in very exceptional circumstances, including both very highly developed fitness and bunch riding skill level, will U13 riders be permitted to race in the higher adult grades.

Junior HC

HC is for “hors categorie” and handicap. This Junior HC category is for ages 6 to 13, and occasionally for U13/U15 riders who are new to cycling. Any type of bike may be used in this category, but it must have (only) two wheels. No tricycles or bikes with trainer wheels are allowed. You also need to be able to ride a bike without trainer wheels. Riders in this category will be handicapped each week, meaning the slower riders are given a head start, giving everyone a chance to win.

Teams

Racing as part of a team is completely optional – it just means the points you score count towards the Team points score classifications. Winning teams will be announced at the end of the season, and will get to raise the Team Champs trophy. 

COVID-19 Arrangements

Please take personal responsibility for complying with the COVID requirements of the day. If you spot something that doesn’t look right please let us know so we can stay on top of it. 

Make sure that you have read and adhere to:

Contacts

[email protected]

Commissaires

Commissaires: Various, but usually Malcolm Paterson and/or Iain Maciver.