Red Hook Criterium rolls through London

Saturday saw the Red Hook Criterium storm through the Greenwich Peninsula bringing almost 200 cyclists from around the world and a buzzing crowd with it. Participants ranged from professional track cyclists to shop teams and messengers. The car park beneath the Emirates airline was transformed into a 1.25km track, which pushed the riders through long sprint sections and technical – at times disastrous – corners. One particularly tight corner claimed a collarbone and completely tore apart one unfortunate competitor’s bike, and air had to be let out of tyres to contend with tarmac made slippery by the heat.

The day began with a very cruise-y women’s qualifying heat; with only 39 entrants, all had automatic qualification for the final that evening. There were then five furiously competitive men’s qualifying races to whittle the field down to a 86 finalists. William Guzman took first place in the men’s race after a fourth place finish in Brooklyn back in April. The women’s race saw Ainara Elbusto Arteaga hold on to the RHC winner’s jersey she picked up in Brooklyn.

For more info about the Red Hook Criterium, head to their website.