By John Eustice
Thirty-six years ago, an NYPD community affairs officer named David Walker saw that children in his Harlem community were not getting enough exercise and thought that something had to be done about it. David decided that an elite bicycle race combined with kids and community races was the answer (he also went on to found the famed Double Dutch Tournament at the Apollo Theater that draws an international participation and audience).
At that time bicycle racing was very much a police sport. From Al Toefield who ruled Queens with an iron fist, to the Durdaller family which spawned top-class officials and racers, and on to the Chapman’s, Donovan’s and Greico’s (daughter Jessica is my sometime broadcast partner), police enthusiastically supported and participated in cycling – there remained a bit of a hold-over sentiment from the halcyon days of racing in the Garden and at Newark. There were also some gangsters around, but that’s a different story.
Al Toefield took David under his wing and showed him how to put on a race. Mount Morris Park (today Marcus Garvey) became Manhattan’s new velodrome, a perfect ¾ mile square. And David turned out to be good at finding sponsors, and especially good at maintaining the crucial goodwill and city contacts needed to keep the race alive.
Racing Harlem in the 70’s and 80’s was a trip. As a suburban kid going up there with Lou Reed ringing in my head, “up to Lexington, one-two-five, feeling more dead than alive”, and finding this crazy screaming crowd, fighting track racing legends like 6-Day star Danny Clark for a wheel (you never won that battle..) or with double Olympic Champion Gregor Braun, not to mention World Pro Pursuit Champ, New York’s Mike McCarthy, there was nothing like the Harlem race. And big prize money too: to win at Harlem was to win a prized trophy of North American cycling. David’s beloved kids and community races got children on bikes and inspired, among others, East Harlem native Nelson Vails to go all the way to an Olympic Silver Medal in track sprinting.
The following is not a “Please save the race” pitch. The race will happen on Sunday, June 21st, Father’s Day, as it always has.
David got older and the race along with him, and the glory of the past faded until the race became not much more than a club race in terms of production value, but still held in a jewel of a location. And the city was watching, and wondering, year after year, why they were putting such resources into a fading event.
Last year, with the support of the New York Sports Commission, I revived the event with sponsorship from Rock Racing, Saab, HSBC, Empire Hotels, Uptown Magazine, Davids’ Financial Corp, ConEd, and Toga and Affinity bike shops. The Commissioner of the NYDOT started the race, and the NY Sports Commission read a proclamation from the Mayor. We had live TV, helicopter, the works. We’ve all have seen the finish, one of the most spectacular in cycling history – a YouTube hit. It was a blast of a day.
Today we are all in a different world of course, and sports sponsorships have been particularly hard hit. Saab is gone, as a company it seems, Rock Racing’s issues have been well documented, and HSBC has retracted – we’re back to square one with the race. What’s more, David passed away last year.
Now, to clarify, Harlem is not my race, I’m acting as custodian for it through these times. The race belongs to the Harlem community, is part of the Walker family heritage and, should be, a showcase for New York bicycle racing – it’s the only real race in the city.
So here’s where we are: I’ve made certain that David Walker, Jr. has taken over from his father, and is now the official permit holder for the event. He is grandfathered into the city system and the race can now continue for years to come. (David’s sister Lauren runs the Double Dutch).
Earl Osborn and Ira Krell have come up with the means to purchase the ten bikes that are traditionally given away to the community and kids race winners. And Mike Green has been just tremendous in his support and efforts to keep things going.
And as for the rest, I am at this point planning a very simple event. One change is that we are replacing the Messenger’s Race with a demonstration by a children’s program from Philadelphia (Cadence Cycling Foundation) run by Ryan Oelkers. You will all be very impressed with what they have done, and I very much hope that this program will inspire something similar here in the city.
The following is not a “Please save the race” pitch. The race will happen on Sunday, June 21st, Father’s Day, as it always has. I’m asking why it is, with all of the sponsorships that flow through New York cycling, that no one has figured out that supporting the Harlem race is a cheap and effective means of justifying a team sponsorship? It has always been a mystery to me, watching the major corporations and charities emblazoned across the backs and butts of New York cyclists, to try and figure out how on earth are these sponsorships are ever justified. Our New York races are invisible. There is no media coverage of the teams at all. Maybe riding around and being seen by bus passengers is the answer, don’t know.
But to have a team, and to be able to hang some banners at the race, get some PA system plugs, have tickets to the VIP area to send sponsors (even if they don’t come, they see the tix and are happy) to show that you are helping support the kids programs that are the basis of the event – a few choice photos and sponsors will be happy. Teams can roll around the parks all year just on the goodwill developed through the Harlem race.
New York, with all of the, fancy bikes, SRM’s, sponsorships, and team wars, really has nothing. Yes, Kissena Park of course, but that too is fairly invisible. There’s always great talk of big projects, but they never happen. We have no real media race. No real presence as a sport, no real estate to hang our hats on. Harlem is the only true race (staging, TV, etc,) allowed in the city. Last year we showed a large audience (how about the shot on the show of the cop trying to get the Yellow Cab off the course? Priceless..) that
Harlem is New York’s race and I feel that a grand opportunity for our cycling community and teams is being overlooked. If any of you out there want to make New York bicycle racing big, if you want velodromes or big pro road races, or to simply show a sponsor that you actually exist, start in Harlem. It’s the answer.
How do you define cheap? Can it be done for $500?
oy vey…
Harlem Rocks!
Can’t wait to watch it this year! Last year was awesome spectacle, a first class event. The pro finish: UNREAL!
Thanks John for your involvement with that race. I have always been amazed that it is so hard to find sponsors for races such as the Harlem Skyscraper Criterium. All you would have to do is invite them to watch the race one year and they would be instantly hooked. Criterium racing is completely spectator friendly. Last year was exceptional yet the prior years were borderline shoestring budget. I am aware that cycling is below marginalized here in the USA yet this is one event which could potentially attract more attention to cycling and promote it as an exciting spectator sport. Why wouldn’t a large corporate sponsor be interested in that potential exposure?
where’s nike? puma? oh i forgot they all gave up trying to sell cycling shit.
Classic moment from last year: scraggly homeless-looking dude walks himself and his rusty bike across the road, right in the apex of the corner, just as the field (I forget which category) is barreling down the stretch about to hit the turn. Spectators screaming at him to get out of the way, no course marshal (or if he/she was there, they were not effective) to help, and someone yells, “Get out of the way, man, you’re gonna get killed!” Dude replies, “F&^@! you, you M*&%^@!#*&^*#!!!! I already am dead, you stupid m^%$#@*! This is $%#@*&! HARLEM! Where you think you are? (*&%^%#@!!”
It was sort of funny, but not really…
…right!!! After all this money spent on bikes and time spent “training,” my own neighbors still ask me “are you getting ready for the five borough bike tour?”
No one know anything about cycle racing in NYC. Either this changes or we lose races…worse, we maintain the status quo which is old men racing anonymously in “parking lot crits” during the the pre dawn hours.
no juniors, pipeline, no real pro races, no visible culture of cycling like.
a history of US cycling. Add your name as a sponsor! Compare to any other form of advertising.
CYCLING is very inexpensive, for the return…
Only Philadelphia itself, perhaps, has a better racing history!
“It has always been a mystery to me, watching the major corporations and charities emblazoned across the backs and butts of New York cyclists, to try and figure out how on earth are these sponsorships are ever justified.”
These sponsorships are justified because they tend to happen because someone knows someone who is excited about cycling. And that person works at a big company. No one cares or does the math regarding exposure.
Agreed that getting involved in the Harlem Crit would at least give those individuals the satisfaction that their money is helping the community
Of course there is no justification. It’s either that one of the racers on the team is a high level person who can influence the guy who writes the checks or the person who writes the checks is a big fan of cycling and has a friend on the team. No matter what any old fart hobby cyclist thinks, there is no ROI sponsoring a team of amateur racers.
What someone should try is approach all the teams and ask them if they can contact their sponsor to see if they want to help support the Harlem race. I’m sure some of them will try to get their sponsor/s to help the race. You also need to keep in mind that some of the sponsors don’t provide money, they provide product or a discount on their product. That may not be what is needed to help out the Harlem race.
rock racing sponsors some pretty good amateurs
It was interesting reading the history of this race…I will go on record that last year was the coolest ahteletic experience of my life. DOing the pro race was a total honor, the production, crowds, TV, finish, etc.
As a mid 30 year old rider…my kids, wife, parents, sister, and brother in law came …. and they were SHOCKED at that magnitude of that event.
So this year my other 2 sisters and friends have asked…when is that harlem race.
I hope that we can figure out a way to keep it a big event.
Keep in mind that in hard times often it takes some creative thinking. As much as it is about the bike race, it is often about the venue and the other things that are provided.
Hartford this weekend…I can do it because wife and three kids can play in teh green and sit in lawn chairs. That doesn’t work at Bear where they woudl see me once every 45 Minutes…not very fun.
So off the top of my head….does it make sense to go less for sponsors and money and more for something like.
1) A band?
2) a beer garden?
3) Even more community events…take out one or two USCF races and keep races open for the public?
4) Tie a cash prize for a fan to a rider….100 prime…50 goes to rider 94 and the fan who picked number 94 out of a hat.
5) free marketing….can we just sell out and have some new sports drink be given out to everyone, etc. etc.
6) Crowds bring crowds…tghe more you can keep those crew sitting on those steps the better.
IN hard times it is time to be creative…there has to be some type of big band that has a cycling affinity.
Somehow I doubt this year will measure up to last year, considering rock is pretty much broke. Have they repaved the course as NYC promised last year?
Yes, the main event was probably the biggest setup in recent nyc bike racing history, it wasn’t all that huge in the context of all bike races happening yearly. The old downtown race was on TV. Most decent profile races around the rest of the world have similar amounts of fanfare. Perhaps you should ask why aren’t more races like Harlem? It would probably be a tremendous help to cycling as a sport in the US. Perhaps instead of doing like 50 park races a year, you do like 4 or 5 really big ones, and the others are smaller and cheaper, then perhaps you won’t find every asshole sprinting for 25th place every week and instead having slightly more focus. Currently there isn’t really anything that is the big nyc race, they are just all kinda lame park races. Harlem is so hot or cold on a yearly basis you can’t really count on it.
Frankly, my friends were let down by Harlem last year. Other than the area by the start/finish, it was tough to know that a race was going on. They didn’t have a place to sit. And vendors? Beer? Band?
To the poster who claimed it was the best athletic experience of their life, I would suggest going to your average ‘cross race in the fall. Sure, there might not be a jumbotron, but your friends and family will have a better time. With a tiny budget, the promoters of that Staten Island ‘Cross race were able to secure more mainstream press than Rock Racing and their slick PR department.
10:58 is exactly right.
Is NYC a good place for a pro race? The teams would have to live like tourists. You’ve got super expensive hotels, hard to get to, hard to park vans, trailers, eating is expensive. All that for a crit?
Why not make a big pro race of Bear? You could claim 50,000 spectators like Battenkill does, and hang your hat on that.
I’m not sure your average citizen can tell that Rock Racing is pro and Adler isn’t. And does that even really mean anything to the spectators?
I call BS on the idea that NY needs a ‘media race’ and that it does anything for sponsors, big or small. Or US cycling for that matter. Why, and for whom? This plea seems aimed at the wrong crowd anyway.
What about an answer to that first question? How much in sponsorship dollars will it take to do it the way J.E. thinks it should be done?
50,000?? Are you kidding??
I passed 200 folks during the race. And most were friends and family at the feed zone.
here is a venue, a history, and a date. What more do you need? I will show up with my 1-man-marching-band, and topless dancers, OK? Feel better? the riders make the race, and for a criterium, money (cash primes and deep prize list) makes the event.
How much when I win first place anyways?
$25 and a tire?
please bring your sisters.
“I’m not sure your average citizen can tell that Rock Racing is pro and Adler isn’t.”
Blame Adler!
needs a race that finishes right down the middle of fuc**** times square…and we need to get christian vdv (garmin), hincapie (columbia), and lance/levi (astana) to come. Nike would certainly sponsor the race, they have a store close by and if lance comes…
If you cant get crowds and sponsors to a times square crit (twilight crit maybe), then its time to hang up the lycra. grass roots is not the way to go!!! to save cycling in nyc you have to go high profile. California closed the golden gate bridge, dont tell me we can do it.
Hell, I’m even sure people like Donald Trump would support it if Lance came (they love people to know about the good deeds they do “out of the kindness of their heart”); get them to donate to livestrong, and the rest falls into place.
This is a TV and news worthy race. then even local sponsors would have some measurable roi…and we wouldnt have to take shit from parks departments anymore as these venues would now want to be associated with cycling, the teams they saw at that race, and the huge event/spectacle we managed to put on.
-dp
Do you want to have Harlem be a presitgious race becuase of the history?
Was it the TV coverage that you want?
A solid more professional field?
I guess it comes down to that…if you want a pro field, then I think a 5-10K for the winner brings out a fair amount of local pros on par with Rock Racing.
If it is the TV coverage — well I am not sure how you land that.
General crowds…well the recipe is venue, and crit…has to be a crit. And preferably a field in the middle like Hartford, Berlin, Cox Charity….it needs to be more of fair type concept, beers, bands, etc. Almost like a bike race is just part of it, and the band is there becuase there are 100 bike race families wondering what to do as daddy pins his number up.
It is the second race in the USA Crit Series (for now).
http://usacrits.com/site/
I interpreted John’s article as a call to arms. Last year, the race proved its potential with the help of corporate sponsors. There are so many high profile triathlon, track and field and running races in this city. Why are there no high profile cycling races?
Nabisco
Wheat Thins
Union Square
Wall Street
Fulton Street
St George
Grants Tomb
Harlem
Orchard Beach
FBF
CP
PP
Flushing
Kissena
SICX
Trump
Dupont
White Plains Crit Natz
any other cycling venues?
of course, Madison Square Garden was built for 6 Days, no?
Much respect to Eustice and everyone for Harlem but what is it with American bike racers that everyone lusts for some quixotic dream of mainstream TV hype and sponsorship?
Let’s face it, MANY more New Yorkers choose to watch guys stuff their faces with hot dogs than ever choose to watch a bike race.
We are what we are: an awesome sport, big in Europe, marginal here. So what.
Let’s stick with the local model. Borrow the CJ or Charlie model, not the Mike Ball model.
Do it local, do it right, build loyalty, build up. THAT is how you develop the sport and cultivate the next generation.
Those who want the big bucks please watch this video of Ball from last year:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3xGtjhZ_Yg
Battenkill claimed 50,000. Seems pretty ridiculous.
you do know that eustice promotes univest? and formerly the tour of ct? that he knows a thing or two about promoting a world class race, that it was this experience that made harlem so high profile last year and it had nothing to do with michael ball’s sponsorship(although the dollars helped)…and that he doesn’t need to follow cj’s or charlie’s model. as far as tv goes if you build a world class cycling event new yorkers will come out and watch. how do i know this? look at athens twilight. another example is the philly race, if they can draw out hundreds of thousands of screaming drunk philly goombas and they can show all 5 hours of the race live on tv, that the same level of local participation can be achieved here as well. it simply takes commited organization, sponsorship and local support.
get nearly 50,000. It was promoted that 50k would turn out through the entire weekend (Fri-Sun). It delivered.
What really gets me is that we don’t have a high profile world class skiing event in NYC. With the right sponsorship it could really happen! Come on Kingpin, you guys have the money to make it happen. Then, all our dreams will be realized. The junior skiers will go on to win GOLD. Skiers will have the respect and admiration of their colleagues at work. People won’t look at them funny on the streets anymore in their boots.
Please! NYC skiers need this!
I think it’s better to think of the 2008 Harlem Rock edition as Kelly LeBrock in Weird Science. It happened, it was cool, but it’s not coming back. Don’t sit there with bras on your head.
Dude, Bear mountain is a garbage race. Every goddamn cat 4 in the area think its the fucking holy grail of bike races. Its lame. it got old a long time ago.
tour of ct lasted how many years? neither that or univest are world class races. Harlem is not a world class race either. You guys want to see a world class race? go to tour of cali, or any legit pro setup, generally not located on the american continent. Rock had two buses at the start finish, thats it. And those buses only served to narrow down the finishing straight. The race was still small scale, there just happened to be some random internet-based sports channel there. put a bus at the start/finish of any crit and a big camera and boom, harlem.
I think the 50,000 that Battenkill claimed was not the spectator count but the profit he pocketed from all you fools that went and dropped mad money to race on a dirt road.
is what’s lacking in this sport. If the promoter is not making money, then the race will go away. It’s simple economics: if you don’t like the race but the demand is high (that is, people do like it), there will always be someone else who’ll gladly take your spot.
The Philly race is a legit pro race. Big $. Pretty big names. Running what, 25 years?
barely made it thru this year, and has seen quite a few difficult moments throughout the years.
…perception is reality. harlem seemed big last year because of the production behind it. same pavement as years before, but with a bit more buzz it seemed like more important event.
what racing needs is a product. something that is marketed as prestigious; something sponsors can get behind and racer can get excited about. Tour of cali. was great from in inception…it was created to be a great event…park races are created to be “c” level, no one cares, training races. as the majority of the nyc season is built around these “c” (stands for crap) races, we racers don’t care about them and our sponsors don’t care either.
this is no crisis, just piss poor marketing. cotton is cotton, unless it’s prada…we need to turn one of these crap races into prada.
What does it take to put on a pro production? 1. large prize (gets the racers out) 2. pro/am invitational status (exclusivity is always good) 3. safe and very fan friendly course. 4. kick ass location…
add to my list…let’s not cynical as we sit anonymously behind our screens.
I agree…but the main issue is that bike racing is a fringe sport in the US. Other than a few places (Colorado, Northern Cali, NYC (?) it just isn’t part of the culture…even there, only sort of. I’m of masters age now, but when & where i grew up there was no opportunity for a kid to get into racing. None. Didn’t even know the sport existed, other than from watching “Breaking Away”, and I didn’t see anything like that around me, so I forgot about it.
to say that no one cares about park races is ridiculous. Yeah, they are c or b level races, or at least should be thought of that way, but perhaps you haven’t noticed the huge percentage of local guys that do mostly only park races, and treat them like they are ultra important. Hence the guys nearly killing each other in every field sprint.
Finding a kick-ass location isn’t all that hard, its the organizing of it, getting people that live along the route to accept that its going to happen. a lot of people in the NYC area are openly hostile towards cyclists.
There is a total lack of marketing, and the C races pay out to much, and cost too much for people to take them lightly. Even floyd went up in price this year, which is probably the most competitive “c” race around.
The easiest way to make park races just park races is make them cheaper, lower the prize list, don’t overlap them with bigger races on the east coast, and then just make two or 3 of them really big. Mengoni GP is sorta like that, but pros come and do it as a warm up for Binghamton, if they come at all. Having races at 630am and forcing people out by 830 as to not offend the rest of the world that hates us doesn’t help to make races a big deal. You have to start the main event at a reasonable hour, like noon, and shut the bitch down to only spectators and racers. They do it all the goddamn time for running races, its just they put more money into it, and therefore get what they want.
The running stuff is part of the culture, and loads of people can participate who have zero chance of placing. Hell, of even finishing before the awards are handed out. It’s the joy of participation that greatly helps the success of running events. There is little joy in getting dropped in a bike race and then told to get off the course. So, the point being, competitive cycling will never be on par with competitive running in the parks.
Charity rides and the 5 borough get all kinds of community support. But the key is that these are participatory events for most. Lots of civilians know about these events. How many people even know that there is bike racing in PP and CP, unless they are early a.m. park users. I’d argue that a lot of the pedestrians and whatnot that use the park while races are happening don’t even know that these are races.
They have no idea they are happening because we are forced to race at 630, and get the hell out of dodge by 830. Make it a big deal, do it at a humane hour, and perhaps people would then understand why theres a shit ton of assholes riding around the parks way to fast all the time (well actually most of those assholes don’t even race)
Most of the world could give a spit about the Tour of Italy going on so why would anyone but those that race give a rats ass about a low level amatuer race going on in NYC? Enjoy the sport and have fun. If you want fans cheering you on you should train for the the NYC Tri or Marathon.
people who say “this is just the way it is” are either often cynics more than realist…and they are so because they are not capable of winning, fixing, changing, etc,. anything in their pathetic lives…
this may be what is now, but its not what has to be…loser
grammar check****
people who say “this is just the way it is” are often cynics more than realist…
my bad
Geez, this argument gets very old. And it comes up year after year.
Some promoters vastly overestimate the promotional value of their races. This is part wishful thinking, and part flat out delusion. They believe that their event is god’s gift to the community and to the sport of cycling.
Problem is … the community doesn’t give a damn, and once the jumbotron is paid for, and the pros get their big pay-out, then the big sponsor realizes the race drew 200 spectators, and some old ladies selling water out of coolers (and some Hummer-driving guy peeing in a field behind a citizen’s house).
So others focus on running races that cater to amateur racers and their families / friends. These races are self sufficient, and don’t rely on hollow promises made to big name sponsors. Good food, accurate results, good spectating opportunities, maybe beer, and a fun grass-roots vibe. These promoters don’t give a rat’s ass if pros show or don’t show.
Both approaches have positives and negatives.
The best approach would be to combine elements of both, and avoid the follies inherent in each approach.
dude, awesome idea! lets make the whole harlem crit course a giant velodrome with a nice surface and banked turns! while we’re at it, lets also get blimp coverage. the general public loves few things more than blimps. also, i propose that we race crits like they did back in the old days. track bikes with no brakes and inch-pitch chains, and i don’t mean the redhook crit, like oldschool prewar freakin crits. badass.
God why are NYC amateur bike racers such psycho narcissists…demanding photos every Monday morning and thinking that the only thing standing between them and thousands of fans is a 6:30 AM start time.
A lot of the postings on this thread are TOTAL PIE IN SKY BULL – written by people who’ve clearly never done a lick of organizing a bike race.
Go race Harlem, enjoy yourself, it’s a great local race – stop thinking Dick Enberg’s going to show up and Goodyear’s sending a blimp.
Now we get the guys jumping in late with the sarcasm and the Vermonters with no sense of humor.
newsflash friend…this was not about making amateur races huge…this about bringing a proper PRO event to the city.
…by the way, are you this self deprecating when you are pitching your amateur team to a potential sponsor? “yes sir, we suck and are a bunch of losers. we are not competitive, no one care that we are even out there…give us some money.”
This take it on the chin, self aware talk is bullshit…if thats the case lets go back to no sub teams in crca and lets all just do it for fun. Even you my full of shit friend feel more important when you put on that sponsored kit that…I bet you have an SRM or powertap…TT bike?
I like how “I bet you have a TT bike” is the hot new insult. OOH you have a TT bike!
When was the last “big” NYC event? Wall Street pro crit?
Until the City of New York fully backs an event, nothing is going to get any big press or exposure.
This month’s comparison: the Giro started in the heart of Venice and ends with a lap around the Colosseum in Rome. And a .6mi crit course with some townhouses in the background is going to compare?
The Athens Olympics went by the Acropolis. Beijing had the Great Wall. NYC 2012 was proposed for … wait for it…. St George, Staten Island, with a summit at Wagner Community College.
Go to Philly in a few weeks and see the difference to NYC. It’s Philadelphia on one of its best days of the year. (Maybe the Marathon in enough of a best day for NYC to show itself to the world).
To make a big bike race event (if people do indeed want to watch bike racing), the city has to buy into showing itself off, instead of just allowing race events at locations that are out-of-the-way and don’t affect traffic flow.
Regardless, I will enjoy and appreciate Harlem and invite people as I always do… above just my .02.
There’s a difference between promoting bike racing and promoting a race. A big race needs a lot of things, one of those things is not watching cat 5/4/3 riders competing for honor. The philly race is pro teams, the tour of california is pro teams, that’s why there are so many fans and spectators.
Having amateur class races on the same day/venue as the pros is an exercise in narcissism, so guys like me can go to work on Monday and say yeah, I raced in ____.
To promote inclusive amateur racing we have (and need more) of the less formal races where entrants pay a small or no fee. Like floyd bennet field. The reason for training races is to go out, hammer, win or lose, it’s preparation for the amateur’s big race. I love seeing the photos on this site… but I don’t get confused into thinking that I’m ever going reach some sort of cycling “A” list celebrity status because of it.
There’s a big difference between the races most of us do, and the races like tour of california or the philly race. To add a little perspective, how many racers have been to the baseball stadium in Staten Island to watch a minor league baseball game? I have and it was great we had a really good time. But I didn’t know the names of any of the players, and the atmosphere was a little different from MLB.
So I’m thankful that I can race as an amateur in a really hard sport. Occasionally I get to race against someone with a domestic reputation, or watch them race. This is pretty cool. Our sport requires intense training and a very high level of fitness, this beats belonging to a bowling league any day!
Anyway, sign up and race or go watch this flat four corner crit in Harlem. It’s great fun to watch. Grab a lemon ice and a slice and hang out near one of the corners. I suggest adding a little sauza to the lemon ice for extra grins.
Why would you want to race in any other part of Manhattan? CP is the most beautiful part of the city. NYC wasn’t laid out like Paris, London, or Rome. It was divided up into a grid by a bunch of capitalists, and parceled off to the highest bidder. NYC is a packed, dirty city with miserable roads. You’re lucky to get a couple decent city blocks where you can hold a crit.
European cities spend their tax money on maintaining and upgrading their infrastructure. We spend our tax money on blowing up other people’s infrastructure while our own decays.
Responding to the comment on the Univest GP not being world class. It is, in fact, world class. It is one of the top 3 or 4 UCI 1.2 races in the world, and certainly has the best TV coverage of any 1.2. Angelo Zomegnan (director of the Giro) came to the race last year, and took note of the way we do our circuits – my race director was Andrea Peron, (former Motorola, CSC, Fasso Bortolo rider) someone being groomed for a head spot in the RCS (Giro) management.
The Tour of California is a great race. Unfortunately, it has the same budget as the Giro, loses money, and, in it’s current structure, is an unsustainable business model.
The fact is that cycling has to be built up slowly and consistently, just as with any other business. I feel strongly that the relatively affordable Univest model of event promotion will outlast and ultimately be more effective that insta-races with millions of dollars thrown at them.
I have respect for John. He is one of the only 3 cycling personalities I think I’d be honored to be in a picture with, and be proud about to show on my walls. Here in USA, the story of the racer is just as important as the ability. As a 20 year commuting NY sometimes racer cat 4, I see a growing influence of cycling on life here. Fame of the 5 Boro, Transportation Alternatives, and other great established groups-rides, shops, THE BIKE PATH USERS, the hundreds in Central Park some 6am mornings… wish I could be the one to pull all together-but I would support in my small way [as thousands would] the right combo of personality, fresh innovative idea, public participation, sponsor visibility, accessability, advertisement, family atmosphere…Mike Green is working on a few ideas. I however am still bitter about Harlem last year. I’d used Father’s Day to bring family by after church, locally to see me race. There was the persuation, preperation, the huff to get there and find parking, the wait of 10 minutes of thunder storm, getting the family pointed inthe right direction there after, a rush over just to be told the race was closed (I got to the table 3 minutes late) and loose pre reg money I didn’t have. What a hell of a Father’s Day- no grace, no race, and short of a refund and apology I couldn’t go back, personally. I have not been as mad as that ever in anything resembling something that was ever supposed to be fun. It is about fun, right?
Really? you’re not going to do Harlem ever again because YOU were late to sign in? You didn’t even warm up dude, you would’ve been toast anyways. At least you were saved the embarrassment of getting pulled after a few laps.
I enjoy the race when I can get myself prepared for it physically and mentally – you always know it will be a battle there! I for one would love to be able to race early in the morning as I’m older now and have other things going on during the weekend.
Maybe the article and replies address the issues of finances, but I have to say it really annoyed me last time I raced there, I placed, and never got paid. Yeah, I got my trophy but when I went to collect my money, everyone started the whole “that’s not my department, try the other guy” routine.
I don’t race for money, but after going to some trouble and expense to do so, and surviving the carnage that always happens (like some dumbass Maya Shoji who hooked me hard starting the last lap) I like to see some reward for my efforts, rather than being $30 in the hole.
If they can’t pay, they should be honest about it, and not hide the ball.
Dude, Do you win your prize money back in every event you enter? If so, shouldn’t you be over in Italy right now? jaggoff.
Does anyone know what four*five is?
John is right, it takes time and effort from the cycling community to grow an event. I know that this crit is right next door to a slowly growing 5 day stage race in NJ that has great community support and great road courses. I did it last year. With the tour De Toona canceled, I would rather support an event that is going to raise the bar for quality cycling than crash fest crit. I know its in Jersey (NYC joke) but with Georgia and California dependent upon so much sponsorship $ to run, you get somebody to drop out and you loose a great event. One thing that my professors taught me KISS
(KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID)
http://cyclingnews.com/photos/2009/giro09/index.php?id=/photos/2009/features/giro09_robin_morton/SCAN0004
…on that moustache!
To Mr. 9:04 –
I may be a “jaggoff”, and I readily admit I have very limited talent compared to lots of racers. But yeah, I make money at most races I go to.
try picking races you are suited to, train appropriately, and maybe you’ll get some results.
Chump.
races pay money? how novel! i gotta get me some of that.
Damn, how did you know it was me?
Joe Chumpowitz
I’ve just seen the comment about someone not getting their prize money. We actually run a pretty efficient organization and I am sorry if that person somehow missed out. Bike riders are usually pretty good at finding their money
This is my email: jde@spartacycling.com
If you did not get your prize money, please email me with your name and license number and Category and we will get it out to you. And, rather than complain on a blog, simply us contact next time.
I took John up his offer to solve the issue – turns out Sparta did not organize/promote the event I attended.
Despite this, John gratiously offered to look into it.
We all knew he’s a straight up guy, but this is more confirmation of that fact. Makes me feel even better about attending his races, even if I don’t have a prayer of making $ at some of them.
Come and get it…
http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?EventID=8789
Alan
Hi everybody. Pre-reg has been extended to tomorrow night at 10pm, so if you’re doubting your presence in CT, or just not traveling, come register for Harlem to save the late fee.
Looking forward to seeing you there.
Alan