 I'm so happy to be back, like I've been looking forward to this day since March when the last group was like. Wow. It's so good to be back. I know I'm serious. I saw that in your body language. Oh, the level here is harder. Harder here? Yeah. This is Melbourne, huh? Yeah. So it's Sunday morning and Sunday crits are back and it's very exciting. But before we get into this video, it's a couple of things. First, I just wanted to thank all those people that have jumped on board and supported this channel. We're about four months old here. And I think we've almost got 3,000 people that had hit that subscribe button. It's bloody exciting. I just wanted to thank you all for that. Additionally, if you just land on this channel, this is where I do cycling videos, both inspirational and entertaining. And I do love a deep dive road bike review. So if that sounds up your alley, consider subscribing below. Now, in this video, what I wanted to do, many of my subscribers will know that I've got a goal. I want to try and win an A-grade criteria in before the end of the year. So I'm going to try and do that today. But the scene here in Melbourne, the criteria I'm seeing, it's pretty massive. And there's a fair bit of vibe in the air. Not only is the sun out, it's 24 degrees today, beautiful day for criteria in racing. But there's been a lot of murmuring on social media about crits are back. And in yesterday's hell ride, which is the biggest bunch ride here in Melbourne, and I'm going to have to say Australia, and maybe even the world, there's a lot of talk about Glenvale, which is hosted by Corfield Carnegie and also South Melbourne, which is where I'm headed today, hosted by St Kilda. So basically what I wanted to do was share with you what the local riders feel. What's the emotion here in Melbourne about criteria in racing being back? Well, you tell me, what's the emotion first crit back? How are you feeling? Oh, it's un-shining. It'll be a good tester with the legs, I guess. Yeah. What do you love about crit racing? It's over quick, like pulling a bandaid off, right? Prits are back. Are you racing today? Yeah. What's the emotion? How do you feel about the crit racing? I'm pretty excited. Yeah, pretty happy that the crad's actually a bit low since the round the base on. So it'll be a good warm-up for the day. So yeah, a little bit of a pull to it. And what do you love about crit racing down here? Oh, just the, you know, the club, the atmosphere and everyone putting in and contributing. So yeah, it's good. What's the emotion? The crits are back. How do you guys feel about that? Excited. Excited? Why are you excited? Because I love it. That's good fun. It's good fun. Good fun? Yeah. How about yourself? What's your emotion? Yeah, pretty pumped. Pretty pumped. Big, big Sunday racing's back. We're all excited. Special techniques here? It's very hard on the skinny. As you're going through. Don't put the pin through my backside. So what's your emotion towards the crits going back? Pretty excited. Need to go to toilet? Yeah, I need to go to, yeah, that excited, yeah. Yeah, what do you love about crit racing down here at the Kilda? It's pretty fast, pretty exciting and it's a good competition. Yeah. Yeah, compared against the best. Host hibernation, I'm glad to be back. That's as good as good. It's Sunday, mates are here, coffee's nearby. Sunny most of the time. Why are we racing? Yeah, nice. What's your emotion? Crits are back. Well, my wife spent so long scrubbing the mud off the CX racing that it's just good to be back and I think she's proud that she's not going to have to be rushing mud out of my suit. All right. So Gabriel, down at the crits, you racing today? No, I'm not racing today. So what's your mate race? Yeah, OK. And what's what do you like about coming down to some Kilda crits? Oh, mate, it's, look at this day, it's a cracker day. At this is great. Come on, what's off the line, OK? What did you race today? I raced a grade today. You raced a grade today. How'd you go? Well, it's fun. Very fun. I need to learn. It was my first day of racing. All right, what did you learn? I learned that I have to be patient. OK, all right. Are you going off the strut, or are you? I do, yeah, the whole way. Yeah, all right. How do you feel about the crits you're in, staying back? Oh, it's amazing. Great atmosphere, amazing weather. It's that's what you have to do on Sunday morning. You know what, yeah, we're just cheering today, just part of the public screaming and supporting this one, trying to tell her not to push on the front. She just wouldn't give a damn. What's the emotion that comes tomorrow? I'm way back to know. Are we excited? Yeah, we're absolutely pumped. Oh, we're so pumped. Yeah, racing today, so starting in a few minutes. Pretty pumped. What are you racing? You know, you're great. I'm not sure emotions towards the crits being back. How do you feel about it? I love the crits being back, so you know, spring's out, summer's here, look around, how many riders there are, more people out on bikes enjoying their racing. What do you like about being down at St Pillar Crits? It's just the environment, the ambiance, it's just great. So many people, so many happy, smiley faces around. So, Alison, what do you do at St Pillar? I'm vice president of the club. You're the vice president of the club, okay. How do you feel when they race you back? Isn't it fantastic? There's the weather's been turned on for us. Excited, exhausted, a lot of work to get here. Remember to do, thank you very much for your hard work. What do you think it's on? No, it's great. Yeah, it's great. There's a vibe down here that you don't get in many other places, isn't it? What do I love about it? The excitement, the mass. Who's going to attack next? Yeah, yeah. What happened that race in the A Great Crits? Well, I think there's a lot of legs and actually put out that much power again after the winter hibernation. And I think it was a group of five, went up the road and that was it. So I decided I'll just try to get a workout, get the whole bunch. I thought to myself, well, the race is gone. I might as well yell at people and do some turns. Yeah, yeah, I think, well, maybe a lot of people didn't realize, but hey, when the race is gone, your minds will have a workout. I paid 20 bucks. So what grade you race? C. C? Good grade. That's a fine. My first race. Oh, your first race? I mean, you're not sure that, yeah. Oh, so where have you raced previously? New York. New York. So how did racing here compare to racing in New York? The level here is harder. It's harder here. Yeah. This is Melbourne, huh? It's amazing that there's no other place like Melbourne in terms of cycling scenes. Race C grade with Jose, because racing in New York, went pretty well. I think that 4th or 5th, yeah, stated at the top, stated at the front a little bit too long. They got boxed in at the end, but pretty happy with 4th or 5th. Yeah, nice. What's the life of racing this in Kilda? Sunday, Sunday racing. First time of racing in Kilda. Oh, wow. Yeah, usually just Hawthorne and Sanddown. What's the motion that comes along? 4th. Well, it was pretty scary. See, the ambulance was there when we first rocked up. But yeah, it was good. C grade's out about right. Hope to get to B grade. What did you learn today? Don't stay on the front for more than three laps. Very good lesson, very good. Is that your first time? Oh, what's going on, mate? What's going on? I'm not going to hunch. How are you going to go today? Oh, yeah, it was all right. Good hit out. Did be rusty after the whole dog yesterday, but it was good. That was good fun. First race of the year. You're changing team next year. So been along? Yeah, going to Inform next year. This one here. Yeah, so pretty exciting. I've always known the McKimms and Harts, obviously, are my best mates. So just like a natural fit, I guess. Did you win the break in A grade? Yeah, I was. Yeah, when did the break actually, I was in the daydream in the back. When did you actually snap off? Pretty early. Actually, I reckon probably the first lap, let's say. First lap? Yeah, so I was out there by myself about half a lap, and then one person got across, two, three. Yeah, right, look at that soul from the side of your face. I can see it there. And what happened in the end? So we were kind of foxy on the last lap down the back straight. Everyone was kind of just looking at each other, waiting to see who's going to take it up. And I kind of took it upon myself to do that. I did get a gap, came into the last corner. I don't know, maybe a couple of bike lengths. And then the whole bunch was waiting down your neck as well. Yeah, well, exactly. And I almost had it, but I don't have much of a kick, so I just couldn't hold it for the while. Good effort, mate, well done. Thanks, cheers. Fifth. Fifth, you're on the break, were you? Yes, I don't know how. How did that go? First lap back in the break, that must have hurt. It was, for me, it did hurt, but we were riding smoothly. And I think that was the key for us to be able to stay away. But it felt like riding in the north road ride on Tuesday. And last lap was focusing around. And they jumped round the back. And I'm not a sprinter, so basically trying to do the best. It's only legs hard, right? Yeah, fifth, so I'm happy. For an old dog. Yeah, watch the emotion being back in Sunday racing. That's good to be back. I have a winner of Agrade here. Mate, tell me what happened. Were you in the break the whole time? I bridged to it with Paddy. Yeah, OK. We ended up coming second with 20 minutes to go. You're exhausted. As to be expected. We bridged over 20 minutes in. And then we would have basically pulled in half lap turns the whole way, came down to the sprint, and managed to roll part. Yeah, right, by how much? Half a rim. Yeah, right. Yeah, it was pretty close. How do you feel about winning? Pretty happy. Humbs? Yeah. We're tired for the season now. I'll be back next week. Yeah, nice. What's it like to be back at Sunday racing? Oh, it's great. It's best time of the year by far. Love the crit season. All right, so I've just popped down to Omara's for a post-race coffee. And I've just bumped into somebody who's been racing Glenvale, in fact, one C-grade. One C-grade today. Can you tell me who held Glenvale today? Good to be back racing. Yeah, good to be back racing. Love racing the crits. Yeah, I love about it. Oh, just getting out there and smashing myself. Yeah. Good fun. And how'd you go today? I got the win. Yeah, I went solo for about 20 minutes, and then got caught. And then went with the counter and the stuff. And two up sprint for the win. Yeah, all right. See how much you win by? Oh, bike length, not much, but yeah. So you first win, C-grade? Oh, yeah, first win in a while. Yeah, all right. So you're going to be up in B now? Yeah, up in B-grade. Up in B? Yeah. How does that feel? Oh, it's good, always at A. Oh, that's awesome. Making it to B, that's awesome. All right, so I've just finished my post-race coffee at Omara's. And now a legend of the Caulfield Carnegie Cycling Club has just walked through the door. Mick, he's an Australian Olympian cyclist as well, by the way. And he was down at Glenvale today. So Mick, tell me, what was? Well, it was pretty good. It was an excellent day. Was it good racing? Lots of brakes are here. Oh, lots of brakes here. There's a brake that looks like it was going to actually let the feel, let the rest of the A-graders, but the bunch actually got their act together and really started to get into it. So they actually never caught them. But it was a great race. Yeah, right. Everyone had a good workout. The back bunch, the bunch of chasers really got stuck into it, show. There was gaps forming in the back bunch. If you didn't know there was a breakaway, just swear this was the race. Yeah, right, yeah. Well, there's the church. It's Sunday morning at Glenvale. I've been down there for the last 40 years or something like me, so. Yeah, right. And I know it is, it's a brilliant ring of stuff. This is your first crit race you've seen, you watched. Nick actually wrote me down to get down to the Glenvale crit, so I've seen it on YouTube all the time. I've seen Carnegie's Caulfield promoting it. So Nick's promoting it to me, first crit. So how do you know Nick? I live just two kilometers away from Glenvale. Oh, right, OK. What were your thoughts on your first crit? So much enthusiasm in the air. Everyone was so excited because it's crit season again. Yeah. Yeah, everyone's like. Has it inspired you to get down there? Yeah, it has. I might race next week. Yeah? Seeing me going so fast around the corner. So I'm like, oh, I've got to be down there. Oh, no, that's bad. All right, so the first Sunday crits are done and dusted. And I wanted to share with you my personal emotion. I've asked a lot of people that today what their emotion is towards the crits being back. And because I've had a bit more time to think about this one than everyone else, I just shoved a camera in their face today. I'm sure they all share this similar emotion, and that is I'm super grateful. I'm super grateful for the clubs and all the volunteers that enable us to go Sunday racing. Because for me, Sunday racing makes me feel like a kid again, which is just super good for my mental and my physical health. So a massive thank you to all the volunteers and clubs out there. Two things I learned today. Number one, never assume something's going to happen in a crit race. I didn't think a break was going to go, particularly in the first 20 minutes, just because Sinkilda is a bit of a, it's like a track. Certainly there's a break go. It's very hard for a break to go. And it was a beautiful day today, it was a big bunch. And it did, went in the first part of the race. So that was the first thing I learned. The second thing I learned was that I just f***ing love Sunday crit racing. I'll catch you in the next video.