Red Hook Crit No. 4

The other night New York City was gifted the opportunity to see an amazing spectacle. The Red Hook Criterium sent 150 cyclists spinning around a foreboding crit course through the industrial wasteland of Red Hook on brakeless fixed gear bicycles. The beauty of Dave Trimble's event is that he manages to attract all walks of cycling life to the show. There are roadies, mountain bikers, track racers, and fixed-gear-freestyler-working-messenger-kids (or whatever the approved moniker is for this sub genre of cycling). A friend mentioned "this feels like high school, in a good way." We all laughed, but she was very right. Although, I don't remember having so much fun in high school. 

The riders battled 20 degree temps to spin hot laps around the course. Fortunately for the spectators, our friends at La Colombe were pouring coffee (gratis) from their own H-Van. How could you not love these folks? That same H-Van added to the spectacle by parading the riders around the course for the opening lap. Although a parade lap would certainly be all the little van could handle for after the sound of the gun the race became excruciatingly fast.

The lead group drove such a pace that it quickly became a 4 person breakaway. After shedding riders one by one for 45 minutes, Mr. Daniel Chabanov would go on to win his second consecutive Red Hook Crit and thousands of New Yorkers would be thankful to have such a vibrant cycling community.