RED HOOK 2014 SEASON ANNOUNCED

Hoping to make it out for the Red Hook Crit season.

THANK YOU

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Wanted to take a moment to say thank you to these guys. 2013 was a blast here in SF with all our friends and visitors, traveling for races and events, all the way through the cyclocross season. Here’s to 2014, and all the fun shit we will see and do!

RHC MILANO OFFICIAL VIDEO

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RHC MILANO VIDEO

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RED HOOK CRITERIUM MILANO 2013

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As the 2013 Red Hook Criterium series draws to a close, we are back on the ground in California, back to work and school. Before offering a recap of Milano, I would like to share the journey that led up to the last stage of the series. In 2013 the RHC doubled in size, adding a second race in New York, and for the first time the series traveled to Barcelona. Early in the season, I committed to the team that I would find a way to get them to all four events if they could afford to take time away from work and school to see the series through. As many of our readers already know, we are a very small brand, so planning an international racing campaign is not something we have produced in this depth before. With one foot in front of the other, we embarked on this journey. In the Red Hook opener, Walton placed himself on the podium in 3rd place. Then it was Kyle taking 2nd in Brooklyn, and Rainier with a 3rd place finish in Barcelona. They illustrated that the entire team is strong enough to be a force in this series, with Chas working for the group, making these podiums possible.

Going into these races you have a team strategy and hope to adhere to it. However, there are other variables that can change the direction while in the field. Crashes, mechanicals, illness, and training conflicts due to job and school obligations have all shown face this season. Throughout, team members step up, and collectively get the team on the podium. This alone is remarkable. If we sought out athletes outside of our group of friends, outside of San Francisco, and bought a dream team, that path would be “easy”. The fact that our friends rose to the challenge of being some of the top racers in this new arena is astonishing in its own right.

Going into Milano, Kyle was in second position for the series, having finished all three races strong with podiums in both Brooklyn and Barcelona. Only a few points separated his brother Evan who sat in 3rd. Going into the first race, you have a decent grasp of who the top five can be. The geography reflects who registers for these events. Americans have over 50% of the slots within the races in the states. Barcelona was well represented with racers from all over Europe. While Milano hosted the majority on their home turf. By traveling to all of the races, you see many of the same top field, as well as a few wild cards in each city. This is an incredibly small world in the big picture and throughout each event you stoke old friendships and make new ones at every stop.

Kyle and Evan went into the last race in the series as brothers and number 2 and 3 for the series.

Street bikes

Walton was well represented in the pits. Evan might have his Halloween costume locked down.

This course was less technical then past races, so many riders had the chance to gear up.

It was a cold, wet week and racers prepared for the chance of rain on this night.

The storm from the night before knocked out power to large sections of street lights that would have allowed for a well-lit lap. It would quickly become a problem, with a solution born from the first Red Hook events ever raced.

With four groups of qualifiers, three were raced in daylight. As night fell, the apparent problems became more present. The entire back section was pitch black, and with the outage, the timer would not kick the lights on until after the race was finished. The last group qualifier was delayed first by the power outage, then again with a crash.

By lining the back section with car headlights, the race would go on as planned.

Our team had a difficult time setting a fast lap time, resulting in row four and five grid positions for the main event.

David led out a neutral lap, looping riders through the now car-lit sections. Then it was time to line up.

One generation rings in the next.

Hard left in the dark

Just like in the original Red Hook events, spectators were called up to light the course with car lights. This made for back-lit corners, long shadows, and dark straightaways.

Rainier coming through the chicane. He landed in Milano with a ruff cold/cough and was not able to shake it by race day.

With his second place finish at the 2012 RHC Milano, Eduard Groso wanted this victory in Italy. His wish came true. He is the U23 national champion for Romania, and was able to out-sprint Evan and Neil, who rounded out the podium on this night. Our hats are off to these guys who showed an incredible effort in this series. We are honored to race along side you.

Walton walking in to congratulate the race winners after he snapped his chain while sitting 7th wheel at lap 11.

Antonio from Cinelli and Columbus is a catalyst for these types of events to grow, and to believe in unique projects like ours. We are grateful this community has many incubators who have listened to riders, and racers, and helped shape what we all share today.

In the end, the guys brought the team championship award home to San Francisco. This moment meant a great deal to the racers, and those behind the scenes who made this travel series possible.

Same plan, different country. Where’s the party?

It was really important see these guys wind down after a fruitful series. It was somewhat bittersweet celebrating without Chas, who was not able to make it to the final event. He was dearly missed.

None of this would have been possible without the friends who support this team around the world. When you align your passion in cycling with what we strive for as a team and a brand, it makes these opportunities possible. We thank our friends for the years of supporting the shop, wearing a jersey, supporting the bikes we make with Cinelli, and ultimately hyping our small team to want to make you proud. You continue to breathe fresh air into us. To want to create within the sport, to organize events, to create photo and video stories, and to share these global streets together.

We are also grateful to brands that we admire, that understand our passion, and help keep the riders fast, and safe with the most cutting-edge materials needed to perform at this level. We thank Cinelli, Giro, Continental, Oakley, San Marco, and Clif for sharing this vision.

Now back to the 2013/2014 cyclocross season with this energy. See you at the races!

MM

RHC MILANO ESSAY FROM Marco Cremascoli

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As the Red Hook Criterium season has come to a close, we will have several updates once we are back on the ground in San Francisco. This photo set comes from Marco Cremascoli who shot this crunchy sequence on the near-blackout course.

CINELLI AND COLUMBUS DETAILS 2013

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While in Milano for the 2013 Red Hook Criterium, we were able to spend an early morning exploring the facilities of Columbus and Cinelli. This is the third time visiting the factory, each time sharing some details of what I enjoy finding while set loose in their domain. When you are onsite, you instantly understand how the past, and the future, of the brands share the space. The people, and their passion for cycling, is what gives these brands heart and craft. The moments enclosed reflect what inspiration surrounds them daily.

RHC MILANO 2012

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Our friend Brandon was visiting Milano during last year’s Red Hook Crit, and just sent me a stack of unpublished images from the event. Nice to see some fresh stoke content before getting on a plane to do it all again!

RED HOOK BCN VIDEO

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https://vimeo.com/73856498

RED HOOK CRITERIUM: BARCELONA 2013

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We are home from a exciting trip to Barcelona Spain for the third installment of the Red Hook Criterium, for the 2013 season. We traveled with the same team of four racers that had attended the first two races of the series, bringing Chas, Kyle, Rainier, and Walton.  Landing five days early, gave the racers time to shake the plane legs, enjoy the warm weather, warm water, and to see the sites, with friends who had all re-grouped in this inspirational city.

MASH was born out of my love for sharing photographs and video of cyclists I looked up to. In the beginning Gabe Morford and I documented an era of street cycling that was happening around us. This effort lead to many other opportunities, ultimately allowing me to better support a street racing team, and a cyclocross team.  Wearing many hats in this small project means I have learned to set priorities within all of these moving parts. My first priority is to care for the athletes. Making sure they have the tools they need to reach their personal goals. I am always ready to put down my bag of lenses, and care for any one of these guys before, during, and after the race. At this point, I think I am the only photographer with a race team in these events. With that said, I love shooting short duration events, working to tell a story of the event, and our friend’s experiences on and off the bike. Crit and Cyclocross races are such a blast to document because the athletes keep lapping back to you, giving multiple opportunities to show a well rounded photographic account of the event. Enclosed are moments I recorded on August 24th 2013, at the Red Hook Criterium, Barcelona.

No problem

This was a white on white sample tape that was not produced. As it wore in, the contrast was amplified.

With a crash the previous weekend at Floyd, Kyle had his share of road rash to mange on this trip. I hope the salty sea water helped dry him out a bit.

It is always fun to see the range bikes brought to race in these events. Inspiration comes from many places.

Kyle blew off steam before the qualifier with some classic tricks.

We loved getting to race with Larz at this event. We have so many friends around the world, you quickly miss them once you get back on the plane.

With close to 200 racers registered to qualify in three heats, the pack would quickly be broken down to 85 for the main event.

This was the first time the guys really had a team esthetic on the bike. It injected a strong sense of Team, to have new product support from the sponsors. No more spray painted frames, and heavy dented clinchers. It was the first time they raced tubulars at these events, and the difference in performance was unmatched.

Pit / Podium

David  runs these events like clockwork. You can always count on a near pro level system to be in place.

Walton is really strong right now. With a win in LA, he really wants to put together a flawless Red Hook race.

From the start of our qualifying group, the whole team was marked. It was impossible to put in a good qualifying time, with massive packs of wheel suckers trying to jump on our train and benefit from our effort. In the end, the guys had to break up, and put in individual times, which was not as effective as working in a group.

Evan put in his all, and clocked the fastest qualifying time with road teammate Neil Bezdek.

Ferran was an incredible support for the entire week. Linking riders up with the opportunity to ride the D’Horta Velodrome, and enriching the main event with boundless efforts. We are all grateful for your help Ferran!

Kyle getting aclimated to the idea he would be chased by a large section of the qualifying group.Larz put in a fast lap time, and moved on to the main race.

After the qualifier, these come out. Some of the racers stare at a stack of cogs and rings, knowing your damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.

With several crashes, at Brooklyn, including a devastating one involving Joshua Hartman, dave was in overtime making sure all the details were sorted out.

Last minute preparations

After the qualifier, legs go up, and minds go elsewhere to keep nerves calm.

These drones have been falling on people around the globe, so we are wondering if the window to use these additional camera techniques will change in the future. It is always fun to see these videos of the events, and this pilot was a champ, even with major wind challenges that all the racers battled throughout the night.

All bikes were out to watch the race. This gentleman entertained the crowd with his natural abilities.

It was an honor to have SHEONE hanging out with us on race day. During the event he made a pencil sketch for my son, which was by far the best souvenir brought home from this trip.

JT had quite a fruit still-life arranged within his Sidi’s.

Chas is a true ambassador for the sport. The nicest guy on and off the bike, and for this, he has some fans. He was unfazed to have 50 spectators watch him warm up.

These types of details are reminders of why we love these events. Non-pro cyclists from mixed disciplines, all with the opportunity to compete in these organized events. By the end of the night, you know where you stand with this group.

Clean slate for the main event

The medic tent stayed busy through qualifiers, and ramped up during the main event.

It is still an honor for these non-pro athletes to be recognized in their field. There is always time for a photo, and introduction.

Walton and Evan share some pre-race hype.

Minutes before the main race, it began to drizzle. This was the first rain Barcelona had seen in months, creating a very slippery corse in spots. Metal grates, and food truck grease would begin to become more evident throughout the night.

Chas really wanted the first lap prime, then to be a team player, chasing down attacks for his team, and helping set the pace.

The location for this race was a solar field, which created a dramatic background for the racers, and spectators.

Our group worked the front of the race early on, helping drive the pace with a select few.

This corner quickly became popular for spectators. You would hear the entire crowd collectively gasp as a racer would go down, and shortly after blast with cheers as the racer, or racers would re-mount, jumping back into the race.

Collar Bone

Neil was victim to the greasy corner under the solar covering. There must have been twenty racers go down in this corner within the forty minute race.

Kyle and Evan Murphy

Stefan at the line

Victory Lap

Rainier finished third, behind Stefan and Evan. He worked hard to organize the team, and we are proud of his finish. This is his second top three finish out of four Red Hook events he has attended.

The nights winner was Stefan Vis. I hope his life story is well documented. He is a fighter, who has seen success, and hardship. A legandary messenger, and track racer. Many of the racers in the field did not like his agressive race tactics, but on this night, it put him in the number one spot.

Team Dosnoventa are a good group of guys. We enjoyed hanging out all week, and racing beside them on this night. Thanks for taking great care of the guys while we were in town.

Kyle broke from the lead group, and looked good. He was reeled back with a few to go, finishing 5th on this night.

Walton got caught behind Neil’s crash in the lead group, separating his from the group. He fought to bridge up, but crashed on the last lap. All the planning does not always lead to the result these guys want. It is hard to see these guys frustrated, but it does stoke the fire for the next one.

This means a great deal to me.

Rainier and Kyle sharing the podium for this one. We feel lucky to have a small team of four, all capable to get on the podium. Their ability to work well together has put them in the number one team position for the series at this time, with Kyle in second for the individual athletes.

This is the first time the Murphy brothers have shared the podium. Kyle has been living in New York, working with Evan and Tom Sachs, racing on the same road team, and his efforts are shaping him as an artist, and athlete.

These moments are always special, no matter how many times it happens. My goal is to help our friends meet or exceed their personal goals,  so to see them on the podium at every one of these races, as the races get more and more difficult, is a testament to what MASH has always been. Friends riding bikes.

Congratulations Stefan!

Cooper focused on routing the after-party.

Good night Barcelona. Thank you for an incredible trip. It felt like vacation, with warm beaches, and warm people. Thanks to the all the volunteers, and organizers for making these special events happen. We are happy to be part of the excitement. Thank you to Chas Christiansen, Kyle Murphy, Rainier Schaefer, and Walton Brush for selflessly putting it all on the line every time, and racing a great race. We are lucky to have you as friends, and teammates. Thank you Garrett Chow, for continuing to see the inspiration in MASH, and help shape our path. Thanks to our sponsors for keeping the guys fresh. CINELLI, CLIF, BOREAS, ENDO CUSTOMS, GIRO, OALKEY, CONTINENTAL TIRES, HED CYCLING,  and SAN MARCO.

We want to try to get a few racers to Milano for the last race, but as a small bike shop, this international travel does not come easy. We hope to see you there!