RED HOOK CRIT 1 2013 Apr 4, 2013 Categories: News, Photo, Redhook Crit 0 Comment Last weekend a small group traveled to New York for the first installment of the 2013 Red Hook Critirum Series. Landing late the night before the race, we built bikes on the sidewalk, and some of the guys headed to the tail end of the team dinner to see friends and family. Enclosed are some images and notes from our 48 hours in New York. After a homemade waffle session at Walton’s sisters apartment, we headed over to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal for registration. These moments prove to be exciting for friends who have not caught up for six months or more. Racers who register for these types of events, find themselves in different cities around the globe, building the same bikes, jumping onto a new street or course, and digging deep to see what they are made of. Puerto Rico is passionate and creative surrounding the Cinelli brand and it showed at the event. Custom Vigorelli The first day of spring had sprung on the day we landed, and it was not lost on the locals as families, cyclists, and what felt like the entire general public all found themselves on the streets of Brooklyn and Red Hook on race day. Many of the racers, including Chas, ride a flip-flop hub so they can run a steet gear, and flip it for race days. This was Kyle’s first Red Hook event, and he was powered up. He is a full time student at CCA in SF, so he was happy the event timed out with spring break. The terminal building was converted to a multi-use space with areas dedicated to team pits, racer registration, bag check, media, and a press conference zone. The heat was set to high, which kept the racers loose pre-qualifier / pre-race. Crihs recently came off the podium at monster Track, and traded in his position as a participant for directing a new Red Hook video with Dave. We look forward to seeing their efforts at BFF later this year. When we are 2300 miles from home, it is awesome to see our hometown favorites qualifying for the same event. Marc Marino was out in full force, clocking a respectable qualifier. Rainier lined up for the qualifier. Our group of four worked as a team for the qualifier, and lead out Walton for the fastest qualifying time. The Trimble camp has their work cut out for them prepping the route. There must be a glass recycling facility on sight, because the level of broken glass was off the charts. Walton flatted in the qualifier, but was able to get a loaner wheel, and still set the fastest qualifying time of all four groups. Neil was hungry for redemption. With a crash in Milano last fall, he was poised to make his mark on this event again. Having competed as a traveling Critirum pro for 3 previous years, that training and effort stays with the racer, no matter the format. With a podium at Red Hook last year, and a win in Milano last fall, Kyle’s brother Evan had a target on his back (illustrated as magnets via Death Spray Customs) The Red Hook App was a powerful tool for the athletes. After the qualifier, the guys were instantly able to confirm their placement to the main event. Friends and family around the world were able to view live updates throughout the night. Between the qualifier and the main race, the guys were able to make adjustments to their gearing. 50X15?51X15? Evan working to recover Up or down? The week prior, Chas flew out to NY for Monster Track, where he placed 4th overall. Since last fall, he has been developing a messenger based start-up company in San Francisco. Ambitious on and off the bike. Heads down, legs up. The view from the rail on this night was flawless, with the iconic lady watching over the bay. With the lights on, and the venue packed, the racers pre-rode the corse as a group, then lined up in their quailing order. We were stoked to celebrate Dave’s birthday in this tradition. Happy Birthday! Giro gave the team Air Attack helmets for the event, and the guys lit up. Waltons qualifier put him in the number one starting position, which helped him to win the first lap prime. Rainier began to feel flu-ish between the qualifier, and the race. He was able to lead out the sprint on the back straight, bringing Neil and Walton into the last hairpin. Evan and Neil race road on Foundation together, but out here it is every man for himself. Neil took the nights win, with Even taking second at the line! The iconic Pace Vehicle is being pushed to it’s limits in some corners of this race, with riders catching it’s wheel through a few spots. Pedal Strike Walton and Evan at the line. 2nd and 3rd place. Dave has done an impeccable job growing this series to what it is today. He owns this format of fixed racing, and the depth and attention to every detail reflects his own personality, and his neighborhood. Rainier With one event under his belt, Kyle is hungry for more. We will see him out there again soon, as he races road for Champion System when not in school. The press conference after the race offered some of the insight that goes on between racers while in the saddle. Check the entire video HERE! As the Red Hook Criterium has grown from 2 events to four, we hope to be able to travel to more of the events this year.