In moments, a cycling race in Brooklyn, New York quickly turned into chaos after a minor fall triggered a massive chain reaction pile-up, sending more than fifteen racers flying.
The women’s final of the Red Hook Crit was held Saturday night on a 1130 metre track in Brooklyn, New York. As with all criterium cycling races, the Red Hook Crit was held on a closed, confined track.
In this case, 60 riders competed in the 22-lap race in which all bikes are fixed-gear, and brakes are forbidden.
As you might imagine, this kind of race is quite dangerous for riders and can be a recipe for disaster in the wrong set of circumstances – as occurred Saturday night.
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Just a few minutes into the race, one cyclist’s fall triggered a massive chain reaction, sending some fifteen fast-moving cyclists flying and skidding onto the pavement.
According to Nine News, only one rider had to leave the competition to seek medical attention despite over a dozen being thrown forward from their bike.
The Red Hook criterium is no stranger to big crashes. The 2016 version of the race featured a similar all-out crash between multiple racers as well.
Luckily the race continued for all involved, allowing Colleen Guilick and runner-up Eleonore Saraivas to finish the race with times of 32 minutes, 21 seconds and 32 minutes, 22 seconds respectively.