Kermesse (bicycle race)

Kermesse is general name for a bicycle race held on a short circuit of public roads, usually closed to other traffic. There is no precise definition; the same race can be called a criterium, but the origins of the name come from its frequent association with village fair - kermesse in French or kermis in Dutch - when a bike race would be another attraction of a village fête.

Round-the-houses races of this sort are still popular in the Netherlands, where dense population and busy roads make the organization of more classic cycle races more difficult than elsewhere. They were also popular in neighbouring Belgium but their number and the consequences on traffic, whether the roads were closed or not and even if the circuit were longer than the kilometre or two of the classic kermesse, led the government to restrict their number in 1967. Since then, the number has declined, although they remain popular in Holland.

Races of this sort have proved difficult to organize in Britain, a country with population and road problems similar to Belgium's but without the public support for cycle-racing. The neighbouring island - and separate nation - of the Isle of Man recognised this need and introduced closed-roads racing generally and kermesse racing in particular to the Isle of Man Cycling Week which was run for many years after the motorcycle TT week.

Kermesse or criterium racing is a staple of competitive road cycling in the United States.

As time goes on, language changes. Sometimes this is subtle as is the case with the usage of Kermesse (or Kermisse) and Criterium. In the cycling community in various countries, a Kermesse is a different race to a Criterium.A Criterium is a short circuit road race conducted on either public roads, closed or controlled for the purpose of conducting the race, or purpose-built, off-street circuits of anything from 600 metres to 2 kilometres in length per lap and is run on time rather than distance. So, a Criterium race might last for 60 minutes at which time the competitors are given a designated number of laps to the finish which is usually three laps with the bell being rung on the commencement of the final lap. A Kermesse, on the other hand, is also a short circuit road race held mostly on public roads, closed or controlled for the purpose of conducting the race, with circuit lengths greater than Criteriums and can be anything from three kilometres up to five, six or seven kilometres in length. The Kermesse is generally run on distance like a traditional road race with a designated number of laps to be completed.During a Criterium, a competitor who suffers from a "recognised mishap" (a puncture or a fall being the most common - in any event being an occurrence beyond their control and excludes incidents resulting from poor bike maintenance) may, within one lap of the incident and after reporting to the officials and rectifying the problem, rejoin the race without penalty at any point in the race apart from the last five kilometres of the race.As it is run on distance, no such option is available during the conducting of a Kermesse.