In the Red Hook Crit 2016 top contenders for RHC BK 10 we talked to many favourites for the upcoming 10th edition of Red Hook Crit. However, several contenders that either did not race RHC before, or did not perform at best of their capabilities are able to surprise everyone in the upcoming edition. We made a list with 6 riders to keep an eye on as their track record shows that they posses the capabilities to compete with the best. However, riding a Red Hook Crit is always different and full of surprises. We will have to wait who of these six will showcase their talent, but there is no question that each of them could do it.
Text: Brian Megens
Colleen Gulick
Colleen is not only a multi national champion in track cycling, she is also a 30 times national medalist. However, who thinks that Colleen is only a cyclist is wrong, as a field hockey player she also became national champions multiple times. Colleen competed in RHC BK No.5 when the field was mixed. She finished the race on the 76th place being one of the few women who finished the race. Colleen definitely has the power to be a threat to all the women racing RHC BK 10.
Tanja Erath
Tanja will make her debut in the RHC scene in BK10. With two wins in the NL Crit Series, wherein she defeated Eleonore Saraiva twice, she proved to be a strong rider. It will be interesting to see how she will hold up against a field that is packed and filled with a lot more strong riders.
In the men’s race we had couldn’t go with less than 4 riders as all 4 of them are able to surprise the RHC veterans and possibly can go for the win.
Cesar Valenzuela
Cesar is an 18 year old rider from Mexico that bombarded himself on everyone’s shortlist by winning the Mission Crit in a solo beating world-class RHC riders like Colin Strickland, David Santos, and Addison Zawada. It will be very interesting to see how he will hold up in a race with a higher pace and with a field that is absolutely packed with world-class riders. However, the kid showed everyone that no one should be surprised when he pools off from the front upcoming Saturyday.
Davide Vigano
It was already big news when Cinelli-Chrome announced that Davide Vigano would join the team for 2017. However, as a retired World-Tour rider, who has done alle the Grand-Tours and several classics, it is always a guess how serious they will take their ‘second’ career. However, Davide proved that he takes it very seriously by getting a second place a week prior to RHC BK 10 in the Rock Hill Criterium which is part of the USA Speed Week showing that the form is good.
Callum Skinner
There is no doubt that Callum is the fastest guy starting on RHC BK 10 as he was part of Team GB that won the Team Sprint in the Olympics of Rio 2016. However, the question is if Callum can deal with the distance, the chaos of a crit, and if he can control his own power on the fixed gear bike in corners. Furthermore, in what form is Callum in his post Olympic year.
Francesco Chicci
Another rider that is very fast on a bike is former world-class road sprinter Francesco Chicchi who won the U23 UCI Road World Championships in Zolder (Belgium) in 2002 and has over 30 UCI victories on his track record. Although Chicchi did race several fixed gear crits this year, he did not surprise the field yet and the big question around Chicchi is if he still is in top shape or in the mode of a retired road racer. We can only tell after RHC BK 10!
