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Glite Dictionary
🚴 A bike race 📏 A standard
criterium

criterium

1 9.6
A short bicycle race that takes place on a closed city course
  • noun
  • /ˈkraɪtəriəm/
  • Jargon
translation icon : criterium
  • During the annual cycling festival, the criterium attracted competitors from all over the city.
  • criterium race
  • Criterium Championships
  • National Criterium

Examples

  • The mainland has its post-Tour criteriums, celebrations of riders' accomplishments, and a chance for the fans to get close to their heroes for up to two hours of racing.

    Blog text (21)

  • Most riders think that they have a higher chance of getting hurt in a rainy criterium.

    Blog text (20)

  • This is from the Minneapolis Criterium stage of Nature Valley I won in 2006.

    Blog text (20)

  • Instead, we have a national championship for the criterium to celebrate this distinctly American form of racing.

    Blog text (21)

  • I haven't raced a criterium since I did this one two years ago.

    Blog text (23)

  • I present unto you Boston's TD Bank Mayor's Cup Criterium.

    Blog text (23)

  • The riders sped around the criterium course, taking sharp turns and vying for the lead.

  • She trained hard for the local criterium, eager to improve her cycling skills.

Synonyms

bike race
vscriterium
5 1.7

A competition where people ride bicycles to see who is fastest

is restricted to short closed circuits under five kilometres
crit
vscriterium
  • Jargon
1 9.9

A short bike race held on a small loop

is the formal term for that same short-course event
bicycle race
vscriterium
1 1.4

A competition where people ride bikes to finish first

is limited to very short circuits under five kilometres

How Long

grand tour
11 4.8
bicycle race
1 1.4
criterium
  • Jargon
1 9.6
sprint
55 2.1

Surface Forms

criterium singular
criteriums plural
criterions plural

Etymology

Criterium for a bicycle race comes from the Greek root kritērion, which means 'a way to judge' and is the same root as criterion and critic. In French the word became critérium for a short contest where winners are decided quickly on a small loop, so a criterium is a short, fast bike race.