With 320 riders starting in the men’s category, Red Hook Criterium Brooklyn No. 11 will have the biggest field in the history of RHC. Out of those 320 starters, we selected 5 riders that deserve the label ‘top favourite’.
Text: Brian Megens
Photography: Tornanti.cc
David van Eerd
Davíd surprised the whole field by winning Red Hook Criterium Barcelona No.5. However, looking closer at Davíd’s RHC results you can see that he only missed the top-10 twice. Davíd is also known for being able to read the race very well and throwing himself into every little gap that he sees.
Colin Strickland
The name should say enough. This man did the incredible after RHC Barcelona No.4, Colin had 4 consecutive Red Hook Crits. Together with his partner in crime, Aldo Ino Ilesic, they went on to win the RHC Team Championship with only a 2 man team. However, in 2017 Colin got the 2nd place in Brooklyn No.10 but the rest of the season didn’t go as planned. For this year, he has Michael Sheehan as a teammate, but the question is if Colin’s preparations, which were mainly gravel races, are geared towards the short intense fixed gear crit format enough to secure a win.
Davide Vigano
Davide Vigano is the reigning Red Hook Criterium Champion. However, Davide was unable to win a single RHC event so far. For RHC Brooklyn No.11 this is definitely something he wants to change. Past winter he worked on his speed by focussing on track cycling and he made it to the Italian National Selection. We are curious to see if he can bring those fast legs to Brooklyn.
Stefan Schaefer
Stefan will defend his title in Brooklyn No.11. He seems to be in the right form as he won both the 8Bar Crit and Mission Crit. On top of that, with Specialized/Rocket-Espresso Stefan has one of the strongest teams in the field to back him. However, the question is if the fast course and other race favourites can prevent Stefan to break-away from the field.
Filippo Fortin
Filippo was the main competitor of Davide Vigano for the RHC Championship. On top of that, Filippo won RHC London No.3 and was on the front of RHC Barcelona no.5 and Milano No.8. The only Red Hook Crit wherein Fortin didn’t perform.
