It was all going to plan until it wasn't - Intelligentsia Cup Mundelein Criterium 

Thanks for having me on. Great shots!!

Crit racing: The act of taking a completely enjoyable and healthy sport like cycling and turning it into a gladiator-style fight to the death between featherweight jockeys.

I think you're right about indoor fitness v. outdoor skills, but I think there's more to the problem with crashes. It strikes me that people have internalized, accepted, and even at some level glorified the (unnecessary) danger of crit racing. Between videos highlighting nasty crashes/broken bones justified with a "well, that's bike racing", to videos promoting (intentionally or not) overly aggressive riding, to social media accounts that supposedly want to show crashes to figure out how to fix them, but it really seems like the point is to laugh at them, crit racing has been put in a place where crashes are considered normal and stupid moves are seen as the way you win. Add to that the problem of indoor riding/outdoor skills, and I think crit racing today is way more dangerous than it needs to be. I really think things can be better if people learn to be smarter and care more about other people. Maybe one way to help this is to have more training opportunities. Where I live, there aren't a lot of opportunities to learn crit skills other than in races. Maybe if there were more low stakes learning sessions, led by people with experience who can teach you that you don't have to take stupid risks to win, maybe things would get better. And maybe if people didn't just accept broken collar bones as the entry fee to bike racing, then maybe they would be less common. Anyway, I think there are a lot of issues with crit racing right now, but they are fixable. We just need to work to fix them.

Watching Ryan skim those curbs at 33+ was terrifying.

your thoughts about the negative effects of indoor training/racing on mass start events has been very, very, very noticeable at the Cat 3 and lower races. The average Cat 4 race these days always has a few guys who have bonkers power and 0 bike handling skills. Too many guys with too many zwift miles.

Currently on a Norcal binge watch and I really gotta applaud you for taking all these insights about training/tactics and pure joy for racing to the masses. Cycling is a scary sport for a beginner because of the steep difficulty curve and it can be quite overwhelming. You really help a lot of people who are just riding casually to say: F*** it let's just go for it

Crit racing has gotten so much faster over the years due to more people power meter training and aero innovations: frames, wheels, helmets. The speeds today I think are attributing to what you are seeing in the fields - things happen so much quicker and fighting for a spot is so much more critical - fields are typically strung out from the gun so one has to fight for every inch as trying to move up at these speeds is more difficult and yet it typically comes down to something as simple as the small contact patch of a tire in a corner.

Really cool that you were able to interview the winner of the race. More of that, please!

I'm one of those indoor riders you mentioned. Formerly a good runner, now with good bike fitness. I have never done a crit and i dont think i ever will. Its just not worth it. On the weekends i spend part of my ride taking corners around the local high school and have gotten good enough to do a crit I think. But it doesnt matter how good of a bike handler I become when im totally dependent on others for my safety. I have been observing from the outside for a while, and from what i have seen the higher category fields are no safer. You just trade poor skills for dangerous aggression, where risks and near misses are applauded as good racing necessary to win (probably because its true to an extent). You even applauded the guy in the video for coming within less than an inch of clipping the wheel in front.

Here is one vote for more Ethan. Great stuff as usual.

To me, it's so cool to just have seen Butcherbox and Miami Blazers Clever Martinez 2 days ago at the Concord Crit all the way over here in New Hampshire, and now I'm watching them race at the Intelligentsia Cup 2 days later.

You guys are so cool... the future of bike racing coverage in my book. All of your commentary is so valuable to us developing riders... thanks!

Cool to see so many Standert bikes from berlin!

Great race evaluation and footage! I'm not a crit racer, but it's really cool to get a true feeling of what it's like being a participant.

This course RIIIIIPS. I know we talked about this at the races, but this year was definitely muuuuch sketchier than in the past.

Man, I can't get enough of your vids. Keep 'em coming!

2:55 "In fields like this, you're better off either being at the back or at the front." THANK YOU for giving a nod to skillful tailgunning. No, seriously. When you don't quite have the Watts, it lets you play in big races (like as a 50-year-old in a Sr. 3's race). 🤘😎

So Rad seeing a fellow kiwi up the head of the race! Excellent footage and analysis as usual.

Overtaking on the outside through a hairpin is my personal secret trick. Everyone is on the brakes coming into it, while you're on the outside off the brakes and peddling around the corner (or at least getting back on power sooner). You make up a bunch of spots and haven't had to use energy getting back up to speed while everyone else is putting down power to get back up to speed.

Awesome mahi Ethan so good to see a kiwi winning races 🇳🇿. Also awesome to have a kiwi accent on the channel Jeff. Kia Ora

Crazy to see EJ in the past knowing he would be a beast soon after

Excited I got to see this race in person( I can even see myself in some of the camera shots). Watching the riders coming into the "carousel/round-a-bout/hairpin" was insane, especially the break-a-way riders pushing hard on the entry to the 2nd and 3rd corners.

Wow that looks terrifying😳 everyone was so close

Crit racing is so damn hard sprinting out of every corner gotta love those long road races lol

Damn, 56km on the straight? That's some speedy pack going on hahah.

Beautiful and Awesome as always. And so many close calls and awesome saves so good on you

impressive dodging in that big crash

The cut around 2:31 shows us some statistical data on helmet color preference.

Big fan of Ethan. Seems like a stud. More videos!!

It’s so good to see our ‘mates’ from across the ditch smashing it….🤣🇦🇺🇳🇿👊👊👊👍

Excellent video brings me right back to when I was allowed to do crit racing

Sickly fast and terrifying at some points hahaha. Awesome video again 👍

To your point on the crashing, I think you are 100% correct with indoor fitness vs. bike handling. That said, the national level element cannot be ignored either. The smaller races and local races in Chicago, even when they draw folks from Wisconsin and Indiana are nowhere near as crash heavy as Intelli or ToAD. Part of taht is knowing your competition and the wheel next to you. You don't always have that same level of familiarity with the national level races. Combine that with indoor power, pressure to take a victory in a big race and it's just a recipe for disaster. It was bad last year and I'm so glad I didn't race this year.

Happy to see you back racing!

Those storm water grates are terrifying.

Definitely get a cam on his bike as well! Awesome recap/interview.

Stephen Wolfson make a good point about organizers' course choices. Here you have two corners with >120 degree turns..it guarantees traffic jams. Bike handling skills are also a problem at all amateur levels in crit racing and the only safe way of learning is to take it easy in small, local races and get experience. But even so, there are guys in the TdF peleton that dont know how to handle a bike. Jan Ulrich was probably the most famous one. The only really safe place to ride is up front, or top 6-8..

It looks like the guy at 1:45 got taken wide by the guy in front of him. What a tough break

Have to agree with you on the trainer fitness being a significant contributing factor to the crashfest some of the bigger races have become lately. I've watched crazy strong guys jump in the 5's, 4's, and even the 3's and blow the doors off everyone from the gun, and they're able to ride away from peloton because they're so much stronger. That allows them to take corners at their own speed and in a single file line, so they never really learn how to handle a bike with zero room to move in a big group at lower speeds.

Crazy close racing 😳🙈 Great footage as always 👍

Would be really cool if you could mark out 15 sec power, 1 min power etc in the powergraph so u can get an even bigger understanding of how hard a an effort is for you! ALWASYS enjoy watching these crit videos! Keep them comming!!!

Great race commentary again!

13:51 cat 5 salute

As a Resident of Mundelein, the pronunciation is "Mun-da-line" Not "Mun-del-ein"

if the US wins the lottery van they spend it on street paving? For a developed country your roads are utter shite. Healthcare and roadcare, two things the rest of the world does better. Well done Ethan, great effort and glad you caught up with the Norcal guys.

1,300 @ a buck 43...and Jeff is like....well....lol. Dang Boi!

Fantastic video

What’s the silver bike at 4:41?

Great video. Great racing! Looked like the road surface sucked!

Liam White with the massive save at 6:18

Sitting in a peloton is a scary thing in road races , criterium racing even worst when men on their brakes in corners bunching up a group etc 🤦🏻‍♂️! I use to swear all day long

i rly miss the days of outdoor training only. back then there was barely any crashes. 2 a year?

8:22 looks like that dude dropped his chain

Fantastic

2:25 and 2:29 maybe a weird thing to ask - but are those killing floor ones sound effects you used there as slow motion fade in and fade out sounds? keep up the good work, lots of respect 👍

Very good vid. Crazy good footage! Re: Comments about the bike handling. You nailed it. In my local CAT 3/4 scene there has been much discussion this year about the "Zwift fit" people, who are not Crit fit people. It seems some people are literally "unaware" of the damage they can cause to themselves and someone else. Zwift racing is not bike racing. Plus one for more rider safety...

From observation this year, locally, my P1/2/3 races seem to be normal vs. other years in terms of sketchiness and poor bike handling skills. Watching the 4 and Cat 5 races, it's genuinely scary the number of crashes and bad skills I've observed. To be fair, there are no longer many educational opportunities for lower category rides other than jumping in a fast field. It's a tough barrier to entry for the sport.

Thoroughly disappointed not to have the "Cat 5 salute" comment about the blazers rider posting up not realizing his teammate was gonna lose. Come on Jeff!

chillin

gahdamn its the standerts bois, the hottest bike in the peloton!!!!

Are your using VIRB for the gauges in your video ?

Looks like the German guy had his chain slip off the big ring causing him to unclip

Incredible racing. I’m finding it hard to accept the footage isn’t speeded up. 🥴

Great video! How do you develop the skill to handle those turns at 35mph ?

"Disc brakes cause all these crashes. In my day-...." *plays tennis with wood racket and golf with balata balls. 😂

The awful road surface probably doesn't help avoiding crashs...

Line not lane for the city name 😏

Ouch 🤕

Sunglasses too dark for conditions?

Hey Jeff! Did you use Dashware for the overlays in this video?

This is terrifying.

Yup. Ethan-cam should be a thing.

Hi Jeff how is it going! I heard Mike´s Bikes have partnered with Cervelo will that mean next race bike will be Cervelo?

Did Jeff crash out or have mechanical problem? The video does not show a crash. Did Jeff simply get caught up in the aftermath of the crash?

Jeff, It's pronounced Mundel-"ine" not "ane," Sincerely, Someone from Mundelein.

yeah def lets hear from Ethan. you get some sane people on given the insanity of the sport.

Jeff, looks like you got a spammer trying to scam your viewers. Reported, but you might wanna look into it.

New Zealand 🇳🇿

From a casual observer, whilst you might find that indoor fitness might contribute to poor handling skills, the biggest problem is the American crit culture of "rubbing is racing", and then getting testosterone angsty racers taking that too far by undercutting etc etc

2:16 reminds me of ebikers I see out there.. Speed without the ability to handle it..

You can 100% tell the people who got into biking during lockdown. Tell tell signs when they get into a grouo

Because I have completely over trained myself, I am unfortunately condemned to watch. It's been 9 months since I last ridden my bike and I'm still plagued by sore muscles and pain.

People usually don't really care about their health and/or rig. If you would ride safe and handle every situation with ease, you would be a much better rider. (Because others have to spend months for recovery due to broken bones or even worse).

It's cuz the German had the long sock doping gives him too much power to control 😆, just kidding I see now it's a bandage of some sort

My 2 cents worth re looking at the crashes and the lock-ups - a lot of riders went into the pandemic quite likely still running rim brakes. They are now, as you say, super fit from all that trainer time but have come back out on the road on newer disc set ups they have zero on-road race experience with, they haven't mastered the disc brakes under heavy braking and this is contributing to accident frequency.

Jeff - actually the town is pronounced Mund-e-LINE

I'm not sure I totally buy the indoor training correlation at the P/1/2 level. Sure, USA cycling has changed upgrade requirements, but to be in those races don't you have to cat up from 4 -> 3 -> 2 based on results / points? Its not like you can just hop into those races, it takes time to get the results to get there. At P/1/2 I would think that lack of mentoring / in-race feedback, less racing due to the pandemic, fewer group rides, and possibly the way USA cycling has changed the upgrade process (no mandatory 10 races as a cat 5, lesser points-based upgrade requirements, etc.) are contributing more than indoor training.

The track is just way too thin for a 100+ riders

What was the prize for winning this? Cant imagine it would be worth it.

4 views wow and that's that i clicked so fast

100% on trainer fitness comment.

Disc brakes..... criteriums.. lol All out for only an hour. Dont ask why there is so many crashes

Crit racing is gods gift to bike manufacturers, nobody needs 10k bikes unless some type of activity would justify it and make it achievable for common man. And then let them crash and get new stuff and pay 100 bux prizes lol

Great video! Scares the $%&# outta me though😬

It's pronounced "MUN-DE-LINE" fyi

2:06 it's August of 2022, not sure that hypothesis holds up

For me it's just an overall decline of fine motor skills and awareness in the population. The time that is normally spent with developing fine motor skills and how to not get injured in a city/nature is now spent in front of a screen playing some games. Now there is so much money out there that everyone can afford a 10k bike and they start from 0 to 100 and this is exactly what happens. Generally people are missing the sense of danger, everyone lives in his whole little world that resolves around their screen. It's one thing people being careless for themselves, it's a whole other thing when parents are blocking a bike path with their kids on bikes, checking something on their phone leaving kids to block the whole path on a descent without any sense that they are doing something dangerous and wrong. I see this at least twice a ride. It's like they have given up to raise their children to someone else. I left the road because it's too dangerous driving around people who constantly check their phones while they drive only to know meet these people on bike paths where they i assume feel less danger than on a sidewalk close to cars.

Line. It’s pronounced line.

applying lube on an upside down bike..... lolwut

25mm high pressure tires with disc brakes are a recipe for disaster. The modulation on disc brakes lock up those tires quick.