Race organizer, David August Trimble, started the Red Hook Criterium as a sort of birthday party for himself three years ago as a way to bring cycling obsessed friends together in social context. “Most of my cyclist friends wouldn’t come out to a social event unless it involved a chance for personal glory on their bikes.”
The Red Hook Criterium is a bastardized alleycat or hybridized crit race depending on perspective that pits some of the world’s best street riders against talented local road and track racers. The course hurls racers through narrow city streets with infrequent, but inevitable, car traffic in the dark of night. With average lap speeds in the high 20’s the race demands handling skills and a powerful engine.
Two previous winners, Kacey Manderfield, former state track champ, and Neil Bezdick, former bike messenger, have both gone on to sign pro racing contracts. This year’s winner, Dan Chabonov, wears two helmets: he makes his living as an NYC bike courier and competes on the local road and cross circuit.
Crihs Thorman and Dan Chabanov lapped slower racers coming into the chicane. Check out www.tedwardglazarphotography.com