First crit, how does the 45min + 3 laps work?

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Entering my first bike race, its a crit and i was just wondering what the 45min + 3 laps mean. Do i relax and try to stay in front for 45minutes? Also what can i expect for speeds, ill be a cat 5. Its the greenville classic. thanks

Unless you are super strong don't expect you're going to be able to stay on the front the whole time. If its your first race, you'll probably be lucky to stay in and not get lapped.... (and even if you are super strong if you are at all uncomfortable cornering in a pack you will probably fall behind)

Anyway it works just how it sounds - you start the race with 45 min on the timer, when the 45 is done you do 3 more laps. You'll see a lap board at the start finish and a bell will be rung for the last lap (and possibly for primes too) One of the tricks with crits is to hang on for the first 10 or 15 minutes - it will go super hard and then it will often settle in and slow down a bit. At this stage in the season you may find that you are racing against people who are getting to the end of their season and are feeling quite strong so this may be a very hard crit - on the other hand, not as many people may show up since its so late in the season.