Fixed gears, no brakes:
GCN at Red Hook Crit Milan

It seems GCN Presenter James ‘Hank’ Lowsley-Williams didn’t quite realise what he was getting into when he was sent to cover the Red Hook Crit in Milan this month.

Fixed gears, no brakes; Red Hook is definitely a crit race for the daredevil cyclist. Originally born as an alternative birthday celebration to an alleycat race in Brooklyn New York, Red Hook has been running for over a decade and has expanded to Milan, Barcelona and London. It now draws in high profile cyclists including Justin Williams and Miguel Indurain Jr, son of five-time winner of the Tour de France.

GCN’s Hank is a retired pro cyclist who most recently rode for British UCI Continental team Canyon Eisberg. In May this year, Hank announced his retirement from professional cycling, following his team’s win at the OVO Tour Series. As an experienced crit rider and track racer, Hank was roped into the Red Hook by fellow presenters Dan Lloyd and Simon ‘Si’ Richardson.

The Milan circuit features nine turns – three right, six left – through a 1,270m track. Given the nature of this crit race, crashes are always inevitable; moreso given the rainy weather in Milan and greasy track.

Armed with a bright new bike and his Fly6 and Fly12 bike cameras, check out how Hank fared on this dangerous circuit – including onboard footage from his Fly12 CE bike camera.

Hank’s Verdict? “That’s one of the most incredible atmospheres I’ve ever ridden in… that was just insane,” he says, happily sipping his celebratory beer.

Have you ridden a Red Hook Crit? We’d love to see your footage. Share it with us at our video page.