The Radavist

Track bike criteriums are really gaining momentum. Today was the 2012 Fixed Fest Criterium and it was unlike any race I’ve ever been to. The traffic in Jakarta is unpredictable, so could you imagine racing a crit through live traffic. Even at 7am on a Saturday, the streets were mobbed with scooters, taxis and busses.

But that didn’t stop people from all over the world to show up with their track bikes and race. I was amazed at the amount of pristine bikes ridden by teenagers in the U18 race. Once the main event started, the crowd was thick, so I hopped on the back of a scooter and shot photos. The main event was 8 laps around the downtown area, outside Rocket Company.

After the neutral lap, Walton, Marc and Chas broke out in front of the chase group, sending them to the podium. Walton finished 1st (even after wrecking), then Chas and Marc. It was a fast-paced race, filled with close calls with scooters and cars but everyone had a blast!

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The last time I was at the Red Hook Crit, it was a small, intimate race through the dark, cobbled streets of Red Hook, Brooklyn. And even though I’ve paid close attention to the past two year’s event, I was not prepared to be greeted with a large, well-lit, legitimate closed course criterium. 20 laps of fast-paced track bike racing greeted me, complete with the standard spills and thrills. I feel like this year, more than before, the community as a whole embraced the event, sparking riders to travel from SF, LA and even as far as Italy and Spain. With Dan Chabanov defending his title, his competition came mostly from the legs of Mash‘s Rainier. With one lap to go, Dan’s solo gap was enough to seal his victory and Rainier took a solid second place. See the full results here.

It was the first time I’ve ever shot an event like this at night, so I wanted to try a few ideas out in field and for the most part, I’m pleased with the outcome.

Cinelli USA helped fund my trip out to the 2012 Red Hook Crit and below are select photos I shot for them.

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I just got in from the 2012 Red Hook Crit Dinner Celebration and I’m a little drunk, very tired and anxious for what tomorrow night will bring. The general vibe at this year’s dinner was quite intimate, drawing in a small crowd of racers, media, supporters and NYC locals. A dinner was served, drinks were poured and I got to see some familiar faces. Cinelli unveiled the 2012 Red Hook Crit Vigorelli, Giro displayed their prizes and other brands showed off their contributions. It was a great night.

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In the waining hours of daylight today, I met up with long-time friend Dan Chabanov. In the past few years, I’ve watched and admired Dan’s progress as he’s grown to what I’ll call a professional cyclist (read: PRO). While he competes actively in the road circuits, Dan’s most known for being an ATMO racer. His past season for Richard Sachs earned him much-deserved respect in the cross circuits and I felt like, the whole time, I was living through reading his race reports on Bonedeth.

A few months back, Adam of Stanridge Speed offered to send Dan a Highstreet Low Pro to race at the 2012 Red Hook Crit. Knowing that Dan is of “racer pedigree”, Adam knew if he got his bike under his, well, uhh, taint?, he’d receive some great PR&D, as well as exposure. Let’s face it, the Red Hook Crit is the premiere track bike crit and Dan is indeed #fixiefamous. I shot this bike in very little light and complete darkness, all handheld, at apertures I’ve learned to avoid, so please excuse the shallow depth of field.

Check out the Gallery by clicking the photo above, or click here to open a new tab.