B-DAY BIKES // Red Hook Crit Photo Exhibition at Our Birthday BBQ!

Photo of the Red Hook Crit by Ed Glazar.

In addition to the great food, screen printing, live music, a VJ battle and various workshops happening at our Birthday BBQ this Saturday, you'll also get to check out an exhibition of photographs from the Red Hook Criterium; an intense cycling race that takes place in the cold, dark night of Red Hook each year. We spoke with Red Hook Crit founder David Trimble to get the inside scoop on the race and the exhibition.

It all began when Trimble decided to throw a birthday party in 2008. "Being a bike racer and having many bike racing friends I knew they wouldn't come out unless there was a shot at personal glory," he says. "Living in Red Hook at the time, I designed the format to be short, intense and above all else: spectator friendly."

From there things took off. "The first year Kacey Manderfield surprised all the boys to win," Trimble says. This March Dan Chabanov became the first two-time champion. Each year the crowd has tripled, and competitors have gone on to excel in the cycling world—every winner has turned pro.

That's no surprise considering the challenges of the Red Hook Crit. "The race takes an equal combination of skill, fitness, and bravery," Trimble says. "The riders that succeed in this race are experienced in multiple forms of cycling. This year's winner Dan Chabanov is a bike messenger, a pro cyclocross racer, and an elite level road cyclist."

And while elite cycling is at the center of the event, it's also attracted many talented photographers. "It's dark and the streets are really rough...this makes it visually exciting," Trimble says. "The amount of photographers who come out to document the race is substantial. I'm always blown away by the technical skill and different styles of the photography. This year I wanted to celebrate that."

The exhibition features work by renowned professional photographers including Ed Glazar, Marco Quezada, Kate Lacey, Jeremy Harris and Fred Askew. Check out the Red Hook Crit website for more info and a few photos, and see them all at 3rd Ward this Saturday!

-- John Ruscher