It's a sunny day on March 29, 2012 and I find myself admiring the vistas overlooking the Monterey Bay. As pelicans ride the winds and the wave sets roll in, I reminisce on my most recent bicycle adventure. Last week I was surrounded by acres of towering buildings in the densely populated metro of New York City. I was there to race the Red Hook Crit. I shared this adventure in the big city with Mallory, as NYC is one of her favorite cities to visit. Upon our arrival, we gathered the bags and made our way to the first available taxi for the 25 minute drive to Brooklyn, our home for the next few days. Our driver was a lengthy fellow with a strong Lithuanian accent. With a polite yet inquisitive manner, he asked what brings us to New York. After some time he was curious as to what was in my large cardboard box. We explained we traveled from Santa Cruz CA to the city to compete in a fixed gear criterium, a race which occurs at night with 80 other competitors. "You have no brakes and you can't coast" he asks. Racing on a fixed gear adds an element of distinctiveness to the event, giving the race an "Ally Cat" vive. After some tense moments while exceeding the speed limit, passing on the right and screeching the tires, we pulled into the hotel entrance in one piece. As we emptied the car of our belongings, the taxi driver wished us an enjoyable stay in the city and at last the motivating words "good luck on your suicidal mission..." We both chuckled for a moment then went our ways. What did I get myself into?
I first heard about the Red Hook Crit only months before when fellow Lees Mc-Rae College alum and collegiate cycling teammate Hannah Trimble invited me to try something new. Hannah is the promoter of the event while her brother David created and puts on the RHC as it goes into its 6th year. Since the first year, the popularity of the Trimble Racing event has led to both a sold-out 5K running race along with the bike race. This year they estimated 4K people watched and cheered on the sidelines of the three-quarter mile course. With the rich urban riding scene surrounding NYC, the eager spectators were rewarded with some quality racing.
Weeks before the event, Paul set me up with his fancy sea foam green Rock Lobster track bike to use in the race. Built using Reynolds S3 steel, the bike is a blast in the turns. Good thing too with a tight chicane, a hammerhead shaped 180 and tight 180 turn. Negotiating the L-shaped course at race pace would require a great deal of concentration to keep it upright. After some time I had the turns figured out and dialed in the braking point for the tight 180.
The race started out with the first two rows called up. I lined up on the far right with my eyes set on the whole shot and to be safely at the front. After a fast start, I found myself at the front coming across the line for a first lap prime. The first couple laps were tense with racers having trouble holding their lines with the rapid pace. Slowing down from 30 mph to 15 going into the tight 180 (remember no brakes) proved challenging with some people either striking a pedal or simply loosing traction and laying it down. By lap 4, Dan Chabanov attacked and quickly gathered a 15 second lead. Staying at the front was essential for holding speed in the turns as we all wanted to bridge the gap to the front of the race. MASH contributed greatly in the effort of bringing the race back together but in the end, Dan took it to the line with a 10 second lead. Bay area local
Rainier Schaefer scored the win in an exciting field sprint, one that left some with bumps and bruises. Zac Felpel landed on the podium with a 4th place finish while Kacey Manderfield, another
Lees-McRae College Alum finished in the top ten. I was pretty stoked on finishing 6th and surrounded by good company. Bonus! I was rewarded with a gift basket (which included a bottle Buffalo Trace bourbon) for taking the first lap prime. After a toast with both old and new friends we were off to the after party.
It's no wonder the RHC is one of the most prestigious fixed gear races in the country. The animated crowd paired with the depth of talent in the field lead to some quality racing. The next Red Hook Crit is in Milan Italy, a race I hope to compete in later this year. Aside from how awesome it would be race in Milan, I would be thrilled to visit such a beautiful part of the world and experience the great food, wine and coffee. With the Brooklyn Red Hook Crit in the record books, thanks go out to
RockLobster,
Easton,
Giro, and
Timbuk2 for all the proper gear to make the trip back east a success. Lastly, thanks to the
Trimble family for putting on such a unique event. Cheers!
2012 Brooklyn Red Hook Crit Results
1 Dan Chabanov - Brooklyn USA - M 43:53.56
79 Rainier Schaefer - San Francisco USA M 44:02.85
28 Evan Murphy - Ridgewood USA - M 44:03.02
45 Zac Felpel - Banner Elk USA - M 44:03.17
18 Colin Strickland - Austin USA -M 44:03.35
12 Aaron Bradford -Santa Cruz USA - M 44:03.53
69 Scott Piercefield - Tempe USA - M 44:03.57
58 Raffaelei Maccari - Novellara Italy - M 44:03.60
2 Kacey Manderfield - Kutztown USA - F 44:03.76
85 Craig Streit- Tempe USA -M 44:04.70
61 Tadeusz Marszalek - Queens USA - M 44:04.92
13 Nathan Larson -Banner Elk USA -M 44:06.24
31 Bud Abille - Long Beach USA - M 44:06.88
11 Gabe Lloyd - Kutztown USA -M 44:10.03
10 Francesco Martucci -Carpi Italy - M 44:10.39
5 Gerald Adasavage -Philadelphia USA - M 44:13.09
15 Jonathan Retseck -Brooklyn USA - M 44:13.89
78 Scott Savory - Queens USA - M 44:15.88
29 Walton Brush -San Francisco USA - M 44:25.70
17 Alexander Bremer- Brooklyn -USA M 45:25.98
26 Ariel Mendez-Pe-Ate -New York USA - M 45:29.27
8 Chas Christiansen -San Francisco USA - M 45:30.78
64 Joseph Mueller -Brooklyn USA - M 45:32.98
4 Nathan Trimble -Banner Elk USA - M 45:33.08
57 Francisco Liuzzi -New York USA - M 45:33.21
All photos:
Brian Vernor
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