I bet a lot of you have already seen this crash from last night. This is from the Red Hook Criterium in Brooklyn. Red Hook races are on fixed gear bikes with no brakes. Essentially track bikes. I’m not sure why the motorcycle didn’t move, but the result was disastrous.
Racing fixies? Wha wha wha why? Dicey enough – if done well – on the track but I have no idea this was ever a thing.
I heard the moto stalled, what terrible timing for such a thing! Not sure if he had time to get off and push it out of the way or not.
As a long time cyclist, shop owner I have never understood the need for moto bikes in racing. I understand what their jobs are, but have always felt that each cyclist should be responsible for themselves… change their own flats, carry their own clothing etc… I know that isn’t how it works, but still feel that the cyclists would be safer AND the sport more interesting. Arguments go back and forth all the time, but I’ll admit that I much prefer watching the TransAm and races like that.. where athletes take care of themselves and truthfully find it much more motivating. Then again… I’m sure I’m also in the minority..
Boy, it’s a good thing they weren’t using disc brakes……
PS. How do they pedal through the turns?
The most helpful aspect of a moto in a criterium is for that official to let the judges know where the end of the field is and for the moto official to notify riders when they are pulled.
As most you know from racing, trying to hear an official screaming at you over the public address announcer, music and crowd noise at the start/finish line just doesn’t work well.
It is important to point out that the driver of the moto was not actually a licensed official, nor was he trained, nor did the race follow “best practices” by making sure a lead vehicle was in light of sight of the starter – and not around the first turn.
Just like this! :
https://www.instagram.com/p/BE3sVkSM9Vr/
It seems like a lot of people commenting on various sites have no idea what they are talking about regarding this incident. I one of the guys crashing so I will break it down for you.
The lead moto is on course to lead the field. 15 seconds in front of him is a sweeper moto. If the sweeper catches you then you are pulled from the race. This keeps slower riders out of the racing line and allows for a safer race.
What happend last night was right at the start of the race about 100 meters past the start finish line. There is always a first lap prime so the start is always incredibly fast. The race had just started and the moto stalled on the 1 lane wide section of the course. This is within sight of the officials tent. There was less than 10 seconds from the start to this crash. Absolutely no way to warm the field, stop the race, or stop the bikes, or move the moto out of the way. I was at the back of the field and all I saw was bodies and bikes flying through the air. I didn’t know a moto was involved until I saw the replays while we waited for the ambulance to return. The whole thing happens in an instant.
To answer the question of why race track crits. It takes a ton of skill and helps to even the playing field. I’m not a pro, but I qualified faster than several pros and ended up beating a few of them in the final. Plus a top finish here can catapult you to the next level.
Bill- Saw a Few pedal strikes and I scraped the edge of my speedplays during the fast sweeper. It’s part of the skill involved to not strike your pedal on the ground.
Two words. Ab. Surd.
“a top finish can catapult you” and so can the stalled motorcycle.
HA! I see what you did there. Well played
bestest roadie crash ever
What is “the next level” you speak of? That’s a serious question.
You could tell it wasn’t a USA Cycling event because there were more than 10 people watching.
LOL at the second part!
Cause of moto’s stop is irrelevant, the driver should have had the crap beaten out of him.