Why Everyone’s Stoked on Red Hook Crits
In 2008, David Trimble invited friends to race an unsanctioned track bike crit on the streets of Brooklyn in honor of his 26th birthday. Seven years later, that same small race has evolved into the Red Hook Crit—an urban circuit racing championship that has spread to London, Barcelona, and Milan, and attracted hundreds of competitors. Registration for the series sells out in minutes, and spectators line up by the thousands, a level of turnout rare for most amateur and many pro races. What’s the secret? “It’s a simple event that’s accessible for a lot of different people,” says Trimble. “You don’t have to understand bike racing to enjoy it.”
But that simplicity isn’t exclusive to Red Hook Crits. We kept digging to see just what makes this series a worldwide phenomenon.
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The Atmosphere
“Red Hook races are more exciting than pretty much any other kind,” says Jo Celso, who won the first-ever women’s Red Hook Crit last year and finished sixth overall in the 2015 series. “It’s incredible: people screaming at you from the sidelines while you whip around tight corners under flood lights at night.” At the finish and near turns, spectators crowd the fences six deep, their cheers and cowbells growing louder with each breakneck lap.
Kacey Manderfield Lloyd, who won the first-ever Red Hook and is now the series’ social media director, compares the exhilarating experience to pro racing. “Outside of the Tour or the Giro”—which, she points out, are closed to women—“you’ll never go through a tunnel of noise like that.”
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With leaders maintaining a 35mph-plus pace, the energy is relentless. “It’s not a road race that’s four hours long with only five minutes of critical moments,” Trimble adds. “There’s a lot of action happening all the time. That builds tension for the competitors.” It does the same for the spectators, too.
The Cool Factor
An unsanctioned race is anyone’s game: Local bike messengers can best cat 2 roadies, or a kid from Mexico City can unseat a New York veteran. And while crits always include crashes, Red Hook’s complex courses are notorious for wiping out leaders unexpectedly. “Most of us like knowing we defy fear,” says Celso. “You can't race a Red Hook and not feel brave just for doing it.”
That means winners are universally recognized as badass. “You will get more exposure from winning a Red Hook Crit than almost any other race in the US or Europe,” says Lloyd. “It’s street cred and it reaches a broader audience than even the biggest sanctioned crits.” In recent years, podium finishers have earned contracts based solely on their Red Hook performances, and even those who don’t wind up sponsored get the experience of a lifetime. “At an amateur road race, there’s no one cheering for winners, and you just go to the parking lot and drive home,” says Trimble. “At Red Hook you become a star, even if it’s just for that night.”
The International Angle
Competitors travel thousands of miles to race at Red Hook, but Trimble says brakeless fixed crits didn’t exist in Europe until he brought them across the Atlantic. Now, grassroots organizers taking inspiration from his series throw hundreds of similar races throughout the year, each fostering enthusiasm for the original.
“Europeans want to prove they can beat Americans” at their own game, says Stefan ‘Fish’ Vis, a Dutch rider for Team Cinelli-Chrome who’s raced almost every Red Hook since 2011 (and won several). “But Americans make everything more fun. It’s a good balance and creates a perfect harmony.” There’s also a high level of mutual respect between racers about tackling the infamous courses, Celso adds. “What people risk to do well at Red Hook transcends specific cultures.”
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The Branding
Before a race even starts, you know which one you're watching: Red Hook Crits have a look that’s immediately recognizable. Nighttime finals produce dramatic, high-contrast photos that, as Vis says, “go around for months or years, much more that almost any traditional racing pictures,” generating excitement even among those who have never attended. Across these thousands of photos by hundreds of photographers, a unified Red Hook Crit visual language emerges.
That’s not an accident, explains Lloyd: “Strong work from the design team [has] made it a compelling event for sponsors, who like to be involved with things that have a cool look and feel because it makes them feel cool.” Every edition of the race includes customized merch from brands like San Marco, Giro, and Cinelli, that often sells out before the racers line up. Such consideration for aesthetic impresses the artsy, urban audience crucial to Red Hook’s continued success. “If people who aren’t necessarily into cycling notice you’re presenting the race in a thoughtful way, they want to see the event behind this design that’s speaking to them,” says Trimble. “It’s one of the most important things.”
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