The Radavist

I’m about to take a nap right now so that I have enough energy to party here tonight!

Man, this is wild!

“Stanridge Cycles is excited to announce our collaboration with en EINE for the Red Hook Crit this year. EINE is a world renowned graffiti artist who has collaborated with Banksy and has work hanging in the White House. Ben will be hand painting the two iconic Stanridge High Street frames that will be raced during this years Red Hook series.

The custom bikes will be piloted by elite cyclocross racer Katie Arnold, and previous Red Hook winner Evan Murphy. Look for more from Stanridge as the bikes are done and race day approaches.”

Yes!

Go, go, go, go!

This just in from Red Hook Crit HQ:Trimble Racing is proud to announce the 2014 Red Hook Criterium Championship Series. Rockstar Games returns as the presenting sponsor alongside a strong list of supporting series sponsors including Giro Sport Design, Cinelli, Castelli Cycling, Timbuk2, hatchMAP, San Marco, Ass Savers, Peloton Magazine, and R&A Cycles.

Series Schedule
1. March 29, 2014 – Red Hook Criterium Brooklyn No.7
2. August 30, 2014 – Red Hook Criterium Barcelona No.2
3. October 11, 2014 – Red Hook Criterium Milano No.5

Race Registration
Race registration for the Red Hook Criterium Brooklyn No. 7 opens on
Monday February 17 at 12:00pm EST
redhookcrit.com/register
redhookcrit5k.com/register

Season Features
Three Race Championship
Improved Atmosphere
Improved Timing & Scoring App
Better Athlete Experience
Improved Qualifying Format
Design & Sponsorship Collaborations
5k Running Races in Brooklyn & Barcelona
Women’s Criterium

@rockstargames @cinelli_official @girocycling @timbuk2 @hatchmap @sellesanmarco @asssavers @pelotonmagazine @racycles
#redhookcrit

When someone says the following words, in any order, I get chills: bike, China, race. Especially in Beijing! Big Dirty threw a rather intense race earlier this year: Tianjin to Beijing, 130km in 35C weather. Count. Me. Out!

Hollis Duncan‘s work has been featured on the site before and I really enjoy his photos. Here’s the latest from the photographer, a video from the Spanish ‘cross championships:

“A few weeks ago, I went on self-assignment to Spain’s ‘cross championships in Segorbe (Valencia) and the first person I stopped to ask directions on the street happened to be Belgian. I carried little more than a camera and some beer money; paid peanuts for an individual room in an NH hotel with a bed no wider than my brake pads.

One thing that makes the Spanish championships unique is that there is a race-within-the-race between the 17 autonomous communities that comprise Spain. While you see a lot of team jerseys the majority wear kits from their home region: Basque Country, Galicia, Madrid, Catalunya, Valencia, etc. It was nice to see kids racing their ass off for regional bragging rights. Of course the Spanish have an inferiority complex re: Belgium, but the Basques are doing their darnedest to close the gap. Their support would be indistinguishable from Belgium’s if they showed up in equal numbers, and one advantage Spain enjoys over Belgium is Iberian ham.

Cariño, ¿has puesto mis Lightweights en la furgoneta .. y el jamón?”

Check out some photos at Hollis’ Flickr too!

While America watches grown men wearing spandex slam into each other repetedly tonight (no, it’s not a Cat 5 road crit), I’m more stoked on hearing that the ASO announced there will be a women’s race at the 2014 Tour de France. Also, I thought it was coincidental that this documentary came across my radar last week…

Half the Road is a documentary that explores the world of women’s professional cycling and why there is a great deal of inequality in the sport. But it’s not a solely a call for action, it also features Kathryn Bertine’s quest to make the 2012 Olympics. You can read about it more here and donate here!

Well, the time’s here. It’s the fourth and final episode in the Specialized AWOL Transcontinental Race documentary. This has been one hell of a journey and I can’t wait to see what the AWOL team has planned next.

As always Ertzui delivered an exceptional web series. It’s so good that I just watched the whole thing over again. See parts one through three below!

I am in no shape for racing. Well, that’s not completely true. It’s actually my cross bike that is out of shape. Bent rings, stretched cables, broken levers. My poor Geekhouse is in major need of some TLC. So when the Texas State Cyclocross Championships popped up this weekend, I decided to take the Pugsley out for some fun.

The short of it is: yes, that bike is heavy but it ate the sand pits alive, cornered exceptionally well, tackled all of the technical sections and as this photo shows, made barriers disappear. Then the head winds on the straight aways ate all speed… and the beer handups. Then the weed handups. Anyway, I had fun and it was a perfect way to end the season.

More to come, I just had so much fun riding this bike today that I wanted to share a photo!

Man, this has gotta be my favorite web series of the year. Is anyone else actually considering doing something like this? I miss the open road and these videos truly capture the physical and psychological challenges you encounter along the way.

Go AWOL!

Previously:
Specialized AWOL: Transcontinental Race Part 02
Specialized AWOL: Transcontinental Race Part 01

Hey guys, cross season is over. Nationals are in a few weeks and chances are, you’ve already cleaned your bike for the last time this season. Chris Milliman‘s latest work took him to Belgium to interview Lars Van Der Haar for Giant.

I always end up missing CX Hairs’ #SVENNESS series when I travel. Just to make sure you’re all caught up, here’s 2.12, which is a night race and 2.11, from the World Cup race that took place in Koksijde, Belgium is below. The perfect watch for a rainy and cold Saturday.

Photo by Matt Irwin

I met Matt on one of the Friday Morning Caffeine Hustle rides in Los Angeles a few months back and bumped into him again at last weekend’s SoCal cross where he was shooting photos. At this point, there are so many photographers at cross races, that I just focus on the stuff I enjoy the most. Pretty easy to see what that is here…

Check out more of Matt’s photos on his Flickr!

More and more videos keep leaking out from the 2013 Red Hook Crit year! Here’s Iride Modena‘s…

Bandit Cross is a hell of a time. It’s a race with no rules and just the right amount of fun. Check out this video from All-City!

Here’s the second, gut-wrenching episode of the AWOL project’s coverage from the Transcontinental Race, shot by Ertzui. Watch as the road takes all Erik and Recep have to offer. The Stelvio section looks horrific!

Previously:
Specialized AWOL: Transcontinental Race Part 01

It’s great seeing some familiar faces in this trailer for the Red Hook Crit Milano by DONTDO!