Saitama Crit - is this really a race?

[tv_vt]

How much of this is actual competition vs a show? Top three are pre-ordained, don't you think? The Tour winner, the Vuelta winner, and the local hero...

Cyclingnews writes it up like it's an actual race. Come on. :rolleyes:

https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/saitama-criterium-2019/results/

[Mike V]

Read first line of third paragraph.

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/chris-froome-not-fit-enough-to-ride-saitama-criterium/

[nooneline]

How much of this is actual competition vs a show? Top three are pre-ordained, don't you think? The Tour winner, the Vuelta winner, and the local hero...

Cyclingnews writes it up like it's an actual race. Come on. :rolleyes:

https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/saitama-criterium-2019/results/

with this as the second sentence, i'm not sure they're writing it up like it's an actual race:

Arashiro has been a mainstay of the end-of-season exhibition event in Japan in recent years, but has largely found himself written out of the script at the expense of the bigger names.

[BdaGhisallo]

Saitama is a Japanese version of the old Belgian and French summer criteriums. They are exhibition races where the riders race to please the crowds. The results are negotiated and the crowd usually sees their favorite take the win.

[Veloo]

Never heard of it before but watching those climbers contest a crit sprint made me think of this gag.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t428pcMfs8I

[ultraman6970]

I do not know what to think but doesnt surprise me he won aswell, motherland...