CrossFit Athlete Shows How to Win Your First Crit
Kristin Holte is seriously strong. No, really: The 32-year-old can deadlift 315 pounds and do 42 pull-ups in a row. She's competed in the CrossFit games five times, finishing seventh overall this year, and winning the first event-a criterium. We talked with her about how she prepared for the race, her strategy to win, and if there's any more bike racing in her future.
Bicycling: You were expecting a bike event at the CrossFit Games, but when did you find out it would be a crit?
Kristin: Just one or two days before we actually had to do it. I had thought it was going to be a longer race, but I was happy that it was shorter and involved turns and a little more technical and tactical work. There was more into it than just being really good at biking for long distance. I had never heard of a crit before; I thought it was cool and it looked really fun, so I was excited.
You hadn't raced a crit before, but have you ever raced a bike in general before?
Yes. Last year we did cyclocross [in the CrossFit Games]. That was a little different, but still on a bike. I've done a triathlon and I've done quite a lot of biking this year, like once a week outside, especially in March and April. So I feel confident: I know how to steer, I know how to handle the bike.
A post shared by Kristin Holte (@holtekristin) on Aug 2, 2018 at 7:47am PDT
So you didn't have any problems with the gear then.
No, we practiced it first a little bit so you know kind of how the gears work. After that, I remembered which one was lighter and which one was harder, and how to shift them because I've never done it on the road bike before. You didn't have to switch gears that much during the race, so it was more about positioning and the tactics.
What was your strategy going into the race?
I wanted to try to stay in the top three the whole time and try to not be in the lead at all because its so much harder to be in front of the pack instead of being able to draft behind other people. I managed to stay top three into the last lap and I was able to sprint. I knew it was going to go down to the sprint anyway so, I just knew if I was in a good position I would have a shot at being able to sprint and hopefully win the race.
What was in your head as you were going into that sprint?
It was just, go. In the end, you just get flying as fast as possible. Sprint as hard as you can, no regrets, finish strong. That's all I can do. Just go as hard as you can, all the way to the end.
What have you done in the past that has prepared you for this? Are there any specific workouts that you thought were really helpful for it?
Just knowing how the bike works and when you should use the lighter gears and when to use the heavier gears-I think that's the most important thing. But mostly every week since May, I've also done uphill intervals on the bike-seven, eight minute intervals. I think that's been working really good for me.
Racing a crit for the first time can be really scary. Were you nervous about it? I know there were some crashes.
I was aware of [the crashes], yes, but I thought it was going to be way worse than it actually was. Luckily we got some training in what to do-professional cyclists gave us lessons about how to run the corners and which lines to take. That helped everybody a lot. You should be aware but not scared of it. You can't be scared going into something like that. You have to be aggressive, like combat aggressive.
Did you get to ride in a pack before you actually got on the course?
We had a couple rounds the day before, but that was not in a pack. We just rode by ourselves. We didn't have a lot of training being in a big group like we were. It went pretty well. I think we were kind of lucky that more people didn't crash, that's really good though.
Was there anything that you didn't expect that happened during the race?
I was a little surprised that the girl that won the time trial, she was in the front the first five laps and did all the work. [Ed. note: Riders did a time trial the day before the race to determine their start order; the winner's name is Laura Horvath, and she ended up in second place.] I was happy I didn't spend that much energy being in second or third position. I thought we were going to have to to go really hard from the get-go, but when you're in the group and you're drafting, it's not that hard. It's more about strategy and being aware of what's happening in front of you and behind you, and just being smart and in the right position at all times.
Do you have any tips for someone who's about to try their first crit?
Draft. Don't be in the front if you don't have to. But stay near the front of the pack, be aware of the people around, and make sure you sprint as hard as you possibly can.
Do you think any more bike racing is in your future?
I don't know, we'll see. It would be fun to do an additional triathlon, but I don't know if I'm going to do just the bike race. But it was super fun, so maybe, we'll see.
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