Katendrecht was one of the first fixed gear crits in the Netherlands and the race has been popular throughout the years, with big names on the start lists and podium. It wasn’t any different this year with several top-10 Red Hook Crit riders like Eamon Lucas, Davíd van Eerd, Kaj Verhaegh and Tim Ceresa racing.
Text: Merlijn Spenkelink
Photography: Merlijn Spenkelink / Steve Where’s Tom
First up was the combined race of the women’s and men’s B race. With a big field of about 50 riders at the start. Unfortunately most of them where men, but that didn’t mean the were no ladies racing hard. Lisa Wörner took the win in the ladies’ race, while Susanne Bakkenist got second despite breaking off her saddle in the final round.
At the men’s B the pace was set high from the start with Martijn van Strien going full gas for the prime, who outsprinted Renwil Molina in a sprint á deux. The peloton was strung out quickly because the pace never dropped, and the blistering heat even made some riders quit. This created a front group of about 20 riders, which mostly stayed intact until the final sprint. Once again Martijn van Strien was the fastest, winning in front of Tamor Hartogs, and Alex Worgitzki getting third.
The men’s A race had a similar start, with a handful of riders going full gas for the second lap prime, which Davíd van Eerd took. These 7 riders managed to open up a gap, creating a front group very quickly and cooperating very well. In the group behind things didn’t go as smooth and halfway the race the gap opened up to a minute. Kaj Verhaegh opened up a small gap to grab the second prime, but eventually the first group would stay together until the finish. Luc Ducrot and Edwin van Kerkhof launched an attack in the last lap which not only surprised the whole field but also the lead car. Luc and Edwin had to brake fully to avoid them crashing into it. Unfortunately this derailed the attack by Team FAST, making it a too long sprint for Edwin van Kerkhof. He got beaten by Eamon Lucas, who took his first victory of the year! Davíd van Eerd got the last podium spot, finishing third.
Men’s A Podium
1. Eamon Lucas – Specialized Rocket-Espresso
2. Edwin van Kerkhof – Team FAST
3. Davíd van Eerd – Team WIT
Men’s B Podium
1. Martijn van Strien – Rapha Cycling Club
2. Tamor Hartogs – FixieBrothers
3. Alex Worgitzki – Lifeisaride
Women’s Podium
1. Lisa Wörner – Aventon Factory Team
2. Susanne Bakkenist – Spacemonkey
