Red Hook Criterium organizers cancel events for 2019
The fixie race series that had a high of four stops from 2015 to 2017 is scaling back considerably with no plans to hold any events in 2019
For the first time since the Red Hook Criterium was launched in Brooklyn in 2008, there will be no races on the 2019 calendar. It’s the first time in the events decade long history that it’s being forced to take a year off.
The unfortunate announcement came on Thursday as fans and racers awaited news on the races for the coming season. In 2018, races took place at the original stop in Brooklyn and in Milan which had hosted Red Hook Crits since 2010. Barcelona and London have also hosted Red Hook Crits in past years.
“After careful consideration of our options we will be taking 2019 off. Instead our efforts will be focused on raising support and developing plans for the continuation of the Red Hook Criterium Championship Series in the years to come,” Red Hook Crit announced in a post on social media.
The money the series received from sponsors in 2018 was not enough to cover all the events overhead costs though plans remain to revive the series in 2020.
“We appreciate every athlete, sponsor, volunteer, photographer, videographer, staff member, and fan who helped us build the Crit into what it is today and look forward to the next time we can bring everyone back together at the RHC,” it continued.
The Red Hook Crit was established in Brooklyn, New York by David Trimble. The fixed gear bicycle race held on a tight circuit attracted racers from around the world from different disciplines and walks of life. It popularized fixed gear racing and grew into a world-renowned series of events with an overall classification.
The most successful Canadian in the race’s history is Raphaële Lemieux who won in Brooklyn in 2018 and London in 2017. Lemieux won the series overall in 2018 and was runner-up in 2017. Italian Filippo Fortin won the two rounds in Brooklyn and Milan last year.
