RED. HOOK. NIGHT. CRIT.

I feel like I should have mentioned this earlier. Its another thing to be stoked about. To be downright scared about. I'm going to Red Hook on Saturday night, to race in the 2nd annual Red Hook Night Crit. This event is basically David Trimble's birthday party. ..and its fixed gear street racing at its finest. I heard that it was intense last year, and this year the ante has been upped. Roadies, trackies, couriers and hoons will be battling together on a semi-closed industrial road coarse.

Last year's flyer:



Interview with David August Trimble up HERE on BikeblogNYC.

INFOS YOU SHOULD KNOWS

The Red Hook Criterium returns in 2009. Saturday March 28th

This race can best be described as a hybrid street criterium and caters to the strange half-breed racer type that is a combination of glory chasing scenester and ultra competitive road racing athlete.

The .75 mile 10 turn course in Red Hook is tight, twisty and dangerous. The course is haphazardly closed (with volunteer street marshals) and lighting is dim at best. A fast cobblestone hairpin requires teeth chattering grit to transverse smoothly and a wide open and brightly lit finishing straight offers a perfect runway for a chaotic sprint finish. In order to do well in this race you’ll need street tuned handling mechanics and an engine to match. Brakeless fixed gear bikes are required (as are helmets). Gearing is recommended to be somewhere between 85 and 90 gear inches. Lapped riders will be allowed to stay in the race but will be shown a blue flag when the leaders are approaching and must get out of the way. The finish will be video tapped for accuracy and scoring provided for at least 25 places. I will also be posting a chart with a run down of each lap time. The entry fee is $10.

Last year the race had 25 entries and 5 made it to the end to contest the sprint. Kacey Manderfield made good on her trash talking and dusted the field in the final sprint. A former national collegiate champion and a current National track champion she played her cards perfectly. She is rumored to be returning to defend her title. I (the race organizer) finished 2nd last year barely squeezing out Shusaku in the final sprint. Young prodigy Cooper Ray was 4th and ever imposing Prentiss 5th.

This year the competition is expected to upgrade. Many top local road and track racers will see if they can control their brakeless track bikes and compete with the best street racers. I will be compiling and updating a list of confirmed race entrees in the run up the event. The prize for first place is $300 cash ($150 for 2nd and $50 for 3rd).

The race will be 30 minutes plus 3 laps. The final race course design will posted in the next week. I am expecting a tighter and more technical layout which will include the same cobblestone stretch on Columbia St but avoiding the highly residential street of Dikeman. There will be (3) primes. One at the end of the first lap, one at the end of the halfway mark and one with 3 laps to go. The prizes for the primes will include homemade granola and booze. There will be a bell indicating primes as well as a board counting down the laps with 5 to go (based of a time calculation to determine how many laps the race will be).

Race registration starts at 9 pm. The race itself starts at 11:00 pm. Awards will immediately follow the race at 65 Dikeman in conjunction with my annual birthday party.
This race will be excellent for spectators and photographers as most of the course is visible from the start/finish line and fast lap times will be around 2 and a half minutes.

Date: March 28th, 2009
Registration: 9:00 pm at 65 Dikeman
Race Start: 11:00 pm (pre race meeting at 65 Dikeman at 10:45pm)
Entry Fee: $10
Prizes: $300 1st
$150 2nd
$50 3rd

Primes: (3) Prizes to be announced.

Rules:
Brakeless Fixed Gear Bikes only
Helmets required
No free lap allowed

Here's this year's course map:



Latest Press Release:

On Saturday, March 28 the 2009 Red Hook Criterium will take place and will be be filmed as a competitive sporting event. The film will be produced by Kalim Armstrong (Orange Bikes Take Manhattan, Messenger) and John Hoppin, with assistance from Daniel Leeb (Cinecycle). The race organizer is David August Trimble, and the race director is Al Barouh.

Multiple HD cameras will be set up to film the race. At least one helmet cam will follow race action firsthand. Additionally, a surprise helmet cam shooter may be in town to cover the race. We will have a camera at the podium presentation immediately following the race.

Live race commentary and analysis will be provided by John Hoppin and Michael Green (bikeblog NYC).

The 2009 Red Hook Criterium is an unsanctioned race through a desolate post-industrial part of Brooklyn. Brake-less track bikes are mandatory for riders. The field will be a mix of semi-professional cyclists, bike messengers, and urban cyclists. The race consists of 16 three quarter-mile laps of a course which features several hairpin turns, a fast sprint through the parking lot of a chain retailer, a cobblestone stretch, and a sprint finish. Start time for the race is 11pm on Saturday night. Bus and automobile traffic on the course, even if kept to a minimum, is a near-certainty.

The first person to cross the finish line at the completion of 16 laps will take home $300. The second place finisher will receive a $150 prize, and the third place finisher will pocket $50. Additionally, the first rider to complete the first and eighth laps will receive a prime, or prize, to be announced on race day.

Immediately following the race will be a house party where the podium presentation and distribution of prizes will take place.

This project is made possible by the Bicycle Film Festival family, a festival showcaseing films featuring the bicycle in 39 cities annually. The Proud Sponsors of the Red Hook Criterium are the Coffee Den, Katherine's Homemade Granola, Zafeiropoulou, Trimble Racing, Sam Trimble Design, Taki's Express, and Roo Design.

... uhh.. High Def footage anyone? Could THIS be our special guest cam?

Here's the vid of last year:



..and the winnar! (OMG A GIRL):


..and some more photos to get ya stoked.

Okay. This is seriously. RLY SRSLY. Glad I went and climbed hills yesterday. Anyone want to lend me a light weight front wheel and some race tires?