Tailwind’s Pit Tips for Criterium Racing
What is the Half Acre Cycling Skyway Crit?
Who and What: The Half Acre Cycling Team puts on an annual two-day road bike racing event called the Skyway Criterium. It’s a lap race open to anybody at any skill level. Prizes come in the form of medals and pride.
When: Saturday & Sunday, April 19 & 20, 2025
Where: The road and area around the Calumet Park gymnastics building, on Chicago’s southern edge. The course goes in a bean-shape on S. Ave G, Crilly, and 100th Dr.
Tailwind Neutral Support at the Race
We are extremely happy to be given the opportunity to help out with the Half Acre Cycling Skyway beginner Criterium series this upcoming April 19th and 20th. The importance of Half Acre Cycling’s commitment to inclusivity and effort to bring new bike racers into the Chicago racing scene is huge!
@boxwrenchben has been a race mechanic for twelve years now, having gone to the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs to obtain a professional mechanic’s license in the fall of 2012, and worked Neutral Support professionally for the first time for NRS and Events in the Spring of 2013. He has worked as a neutral support race mechanic or pro team mechanic at races every year since 2013.
The Skyway Crit Series is great for new racers because the course is beginner friendly and the focus is on the lower categories, rather than some of the bigger race series in the area that cater to Category 1 and 2. A big part of crit racing that is often overlooked by new racers is how the race pit, technical assistance, and free laps during the race all work. The foundation of providing neutral support at a race is being able to provide technical assistance to the racers while at the same time adhering to the rules of the race, and also helping racers re-enter the race safely after taking a free lap. One of the requirements of obtaining a USA Cycling mechanics license is to take and pass the USA Cycling Officials license test. This ensures that the mechanic can work with the race officials to make sure everyone can race safely and fairly.
A lot of bike racers (new and experienced) don’t actually have a great understanding of how neutral support, the race pit, and free laps work at a race. We’ll go over some of the fundamentals here, and don’t be afraid to ask the mechanic(s) in the pit (whenever they aren’t busy) or any race official (same) if you have any questions. You can also go to the USA Cycling website and download a pdf of the official 2025 rulebook. Criterium racing rules are covered in chapter 3:
Any and all technical support must take place in the pit, no matter what point it is in the race. No rider is allowed to take a new wheel or have their bike worked on anywhere on the course other than the pit.
Don’t, under any circumstances, run into the pit and just grab a wheel for yourself or any other rider! (thankfully nobody has done this at Skyway any of the years I have worked it) You have to be given a spare wheel by the mechanic in the pit. If there was a big crash and there are multiple riders in the pit, this is especially important. It can be hard to be calm when your heart rate is up and your adrenaline is pumping. I can assure you though, if you just grab a wheel without permission and re-insert yourself into a race, you’ll be disqualified and that’s the end of your race.
You are expected to have your equipment in reasonable racing shape before the race. Neutral support is not a replacement for regular maintenance. If you come to the pit with a non-race incident mechanical, you will not be given a free lap. You can still re-enter the race, but you will either be chasing the field or you will be a lap down. Incidents where I have seen a racer not allowed a free lap include, but are not limited to: Bike stops shifting because derailleur cables are corroded. Bike stops shifting because it has electronic shifting and the rider forgot to charge their battery. Chain is skipping badly because it is so worn out it won’t engage cogs properly. Bike got a flat tire, but tires are worn way past the point they should have been replaced. Tubular tire comes off due to glue being old, or tubeless tire goes flat due to sealant being old and dried up. Bars, stem, or seatpost slip due to having damaged bolts or not having been tightened properly. Don’t be that person. Bike shops like Tailwind are here to inspect your bike before the race. If you have a race incident during the race and it is still in the part of the race where free laps are available, you are instructed to make your way to the pit as quickly and safely as possible.
A race incident is defined as a mechanical failure not caused by lack of maintenance, or a crash the rider was involved in. Being involved in a crash is defined as actually ending up on the ground. Stopping or slowing down to avoid a crash unfortunately doesn’t make the rider eligible for a free lap.
In most criterium races (including Skyway) you are allowed to cut the course or travel against the race direction (not on the course) to get to the pit.
At the line before the start whistle, the race officials will announce which race lap free-laps will end. Please pay attention to that announcement. You will also be told when you arrive at the pit whether you are getting a free lap or not.
If you come into the pit alone, you will be pushed back into the race by the mechanic. The intention is to get you back into the race pack in the same position as you left the group for the incident. Please wait for instruction on when to start pedaling and take the push. Either all of the riders re-entering the race get a push, or no riders get a push. At Skyway, there is only a single mechanic in the pit, so if there is more than a single rider re-entering the race, those riders will need to stand and wait to be told by either the mechanic or officials when to start pedaling to re-enter the race.
Come on down and check out the races! The cost of entry is low and day-licenses are available at registration, but we recommend you pre-register to make sure you get a spot.
Here’s a shot of Ben pushing a rider back into the field during the Tour of America’s Dairyland.
