Beginner Class
To ensure proper safety and progress of the riders, beginner racers were separated into 2 heats of 6 riders on a paced 6 laps course. In a Keirin-like fashion, riders were paced carefully for 4 laps by Kodama-san himself, then launched into 2 laps of hot racing. The top 3 of each heat passed into the fast final, and the bottom 3 going into the slower final.

Overall, riders from different backgrounds and levels, but without experience in fixed gear crit specifically, were able to gain confidence in the sport over 2 races and hopefully will join the Unlimited race for the next edition

Beginner’s Top-3

1. Taichi Iseki
2. Rafaёl Salles
3. Kenji Yamagiwa

sfiDARE Crit – Unlimited Class
For the elite format, riders had to qualify through a 1km TT on the race course. Toshifumi Kodama (Sfidare works / Affinity Cycles) clocked a convincing 1:49:61 on a windy and wet course to get the first grid position 2.7 seconds faster than its closest competitor. For the main race (15 laps), the fastest qualifier pushed the pace from the gun to get the Holeshot prime, only to get passed by Jasmin Ten Have countering his early attack right before the line.

Toshifumi Kodama kept the aggression going to eventually get a gap by lap 4, a gap that would grow and be maintained between 17s and 22s throughout the race which would give the Professional Keirin racer, and ex-All-Japan track champion, the mid-race prime and the race win. Back in the hard working chase group, Hiroyuki Hori detached himself with 500m to go on the last lap to grab 2nd place with 9.2sec behind the winner, with Jasmin Ten Have sprinting for 3rd position

Unlimited Top-3
1- Toshifumi Kodama (Sfidare works / Affinity Cycles)
2- Hiroyuki Hori (Balba Cycle Racing Team)
3- Jasmin Ten Have (Team iBike / GSAstuto wheels)

Holeshot prime: Jasmin Ten Have
Mid-race prime: Toshifumi Kodama

Tanja started doing triathlon when she was 11-years old. “I did that for about 16 years. The first seven years of triathlon were like a hobby. It got serious when I started working, but I injured my right leg, so I couldn’t run anymore. I tried for two years, but it didn’t improve,” Tanja explains switching sports.

Erath was doing triathlons at a high level. She participated in the IRONMAN 70.3 age group World Championship in 2015, but was already injured by then. “I came off the bike in 5^th place, but lost like 40 places during the running.”

In September last year Tanja tried riding a fixed gear bike for the first time. “Two weeks later I did my first fixed crit in Rijswijk, and I finished in second place”.

Because of her history in sports Tanja wasn’t new to training. “The biggest difference is that I now only swim a couple of times during the winter and ride my bike the rest of the time.” Erath has a coach who makes her training schedule. “I always think the more I train the better I get. So I need someone to tell me what to do, otherwise I train too much. I’m not really into sport science.”

Tanja still works with the same coach as she did during her triathlon days. “My trainer Utz Brenner is a triathlon coach. So we are finding out what works on the fly, but it goes quite well, I think.” This past winter Tanja worked on her base condition doing some endurance work, and strength training in the gym. As the season comes closer she does more and more race specific training. “I do lots of 6 second max sprints followed by 2 minutes of keeping a high pace.”

Even though Tanja works over 40 hours a week she does the same amount of training as she did when she was in school. “I still train about 12 to 15 hours, spread out over six days. But now I have to train after work.” As the season progresses Erath replaces here strength training in the gym with strength training on the bike. “I’ll do some heavy gear low cadence exercises.”

She also does some endurance work. “In the weekend I do long rides, 4-5 hours. For fixed gear crits it’s not that important, if you have good base. That’s the thing I like about fixed gear racing: you don’t need to train that much, it’s easier to combine with work or school.”

Tanja trains with a power meter, but never uses one during a race. “Workouts are more complicated. You not only train for pleasure but also for the watts. I like the scientific part, the numbers and stuff. But during a race I never use it, I like to race on instinct rather than on the watts. I think I can do more in a race than during training. Maybe it’s the adrenaline. I don’t know.”

Even though having a strong season so far, Tanja stays modest in her ambitions. “My ambitions for this year? To have fun!” She thinks she chose the right sport to do so. The fixed gear scene is totally different from the triathlon scene. In triathlon everyone is really serious. They go to bed early and they never drink a beer. Fixed gear riders are much more outgoing. It’s much more fun.”

Tanja participated in the German road race championships this year in the elite-women category. She finished 21^st in both the road race and the time trail. Asked if she has ambitions turning pro, she says: “Maybe, I don’t know if I have the level. But for now, I do not have the time to train as much as needed because of my work. I’ll get my medicine degree in November, so I’ll decide then if I’ll give it a try”.

With 20 people who came to race the field was rather small. Despite that it still featured some strong racers from local fixed gear teams and local road racers who gave fixed crit racing a shot. Among One Way Fixed and Firmly Fixed from Rostock, Track Mob Berlin brought some racers as well as Mess Pack Berlin.

A lap on the airport was 3km long, with 12 laps in total and slight head wind as well as tail wind sections it offered a lot of spays and possibilities to ride of the group. However it didn’t happen before the 7th lap was on, when Raphael Jung from Mess Pack Berlin took the initiative and broke away with five other riders. With his team mates Hagen Lindner, Robert Horn and Rolf Berger, there were also Robert Bolsmann and Marko Weber (PSV90 Neubrandenburg). Raphael, who launched the attack, stayed back afterwards to keep others from chasing.

The group of five was sitting comfortable at the front and took turns in the lead until the usual “bide and lurk” started in the last lap. Even though the pace was kept high, it was the final sprint to the finish line that determined the race. Robert from mess pack, who already worked a lot in the group, went for it first, but had Robert Bolsmann at his wheel, who had the strongest legs in the end and took the win. Robert Horn missed the second place by half of a wheel and came in third behind Marco Weber. Followed by mess pack riders Rolf and Hagen, who wasn’t allowed to sprint for podium after he got a “free lap” due a mechanical right at the start.

Out of three women who started it was Dreher who took first place before Lisa Schröter from Mess Pack Berlin, both rode strong in a group of guys and kept setting the pace through the race.

The next weekend the series will find it’s end at Ullmax Radsporttage with two more races.

Men’s Podium:
1. Robert Bolsmann – Firmly Fixed
2. Marco Weber – PSV90 Neubrandenburg
3. Robert Horn – mess pack berlin

Women’s Podium:
1. Tini Dreher – ONE WAY FIXED
2. Lisa Schröter – mess pack berlin

face the race cup standing after 3/5 races
Men:
Robert Bolsmann – Firmly Fixed – 25pts
Johannes Killisperger – mess pack berlin – 15pts
Timon Seubert – Suicycle Trackteam – 15pts
Maximilian Höflich – Canyon Rad Pack – 15pts
Robert Horn – mess pack berlin – 14pts

Women:
Tini Dreher – Firmly Fixed – 27pts
Johanna Jahnke – Elf Huez – 20pts
Kathi Sigmund – FC St. Pauli – 13pts

“The Car Park Cannon Ball is a new and out-of-the-ordinary series of urban cycling events. Riders will be racing up all levels of a carpark. Once they cross the finish line on the top floor, the party starts with live DJ, craft beer and street food.  Participants will be racing in different categories: geared and fixed gear, men and women. There’s a 90-minute qualification session first (multiple attempts allowed), and separate shoot-out finals determine the Car Park Cannon Ball Kings and Queens. Riders can challenge pro riders Maurits Lammerink and Marco Mathis of Team Katusha Alpecin and the best fixed gear riders in the NL crit en Red Hook crit series!” The event in a couple of sentences according to Daan.

Regarding the circuit in Eindhoven “The Eindhoven track is a super short,  fast and furious. We start with a 30m +10% ramp, followed by a 440m track (avg gradient 3.7%) with only 4 corners. Just to get ready for the  heavy duty circuit in Maastricht!”

Why did you involve fixed gear racing in the event?
We want to make the cycling experience not only attractive for the riders but also accessible and entertaining for the fans. Most of us live in town and we want to bring the racing action closer to our homes. Fixed gear racing does exactly that and we feel this is a concept that has a great future. With Car Park Cannon Ball we wanted to make it even more accessible and also mingle the fixed gear with the more traditional “geared” riders and introduce them to the beauty of fixed gear racing too.

What is you opinion on fixed gear crit racing in general and how do you see fixed gear crit racing in cycling as a whole?
It’s fast, it’s spectacular, it’s tough, it’s tactical, it’s technical. So it has all ingredients that make cycling heroic. Yet it’s short and constantly entertaining for spectators. Fixed gear crit racing is a true and integral part of the cycling sport, and it has a vibrant, urban sub-culture. But it’s also part of a lifestyle that all of us, cyclists, recognize and live on a daily basis. So the experience, both as a rider and as a spectator, close to us and it’s easy to engage in the action of the moment. We feel that that fixed gear crit racing has a very bright future in cycling. And while we honor the past, we also embrace the future!

About à Bloc, the beer company behind the series, Daan adds “à BLOC is more than just a beer. The goal of à BLOC is to unite cyclists around the world and celebrate the beauty of cycling. We believe that performances and challenging each other are some of life’s greatest experiences. We ride hard, but we wait on the top of the climb to return together. So we can share our stories in good company. And with a great beer! With the Car Park Cannon Ball series, we’ve created a spectacular yet accessible cycling experience, combining bicycle racing in a closed down down-town car park, in a fun party atmosphere with live DJ, craft beer and street food. The racers are centrepiece of a great night out, but it’s hard to tell who is enjoying the effort more, the riders or the spectators!”

Other events and future ambitions?
In 2017: we have Maastricht (NL) on the agenda on 21 October (MECC Parking – during Euro Cycle XP), and Christchurch (NZ) on 26 November Christchurch (NZ) (check out the schedule at www.carparkcannonball.cc)

and for 2018 we have Canberra (Australia), Amsterdam, London, Girona and Brussels that we’re adding to the list. And we’ll be back in Eindhoven and Maastricht of course!

Other info people should know?

• Bring friends and family and show them what racing is all about in a very entertaining setting. Make sure they register as guest so they can win à BLOC Beer and Katusha gear!
• We’ll have 2 world tour pros (Maurits Lammertink and Marco Mathis) amongst us and some of the best fixed gear riders registered
• Bring some warm clothes for the afterparty!

To register for the Car Park Cannon Ball click here.
PS. to get €5 discount on registration enter the code “ILMAGISTRALE” provided by our friends from Espresso Magistrale.

Magnus Ruby Bang is the first to get trough the first corner and holds the lead the whole lap, by doing so he takes the 1st lap prime. Then the speed goes down and several attacks from Johannes Killisperger and Eike Haumann are launched. The front narrows down to 5 riders. In the 5th lap, Johannes Killisperger, Eike Haumann and Magnus Ruby Bang are in front with Thue Kramp and Benjamin Ferm chasing. Eike attacks off the front again with Johannes joining Eike. However, a few laps later Johannes suffers a punkture and is forced to leave the race. By now Eike is alone in front with a solid 20 second gap. Chased by only three guys left in the field, Eike takes the midway prime and countinues straigth to the win. In the chasing group it comes to a sprint for 2nd and 3rd. Wich is taken by Thue Kramp and Magnus Ruby Bang.

In the womens race, which was simultaneously raced with the mens, Andrea Therese Kaaber and Siri Tolander fought for the victory. Around the first half of the race the to super strong riders worked together to keep the pace high. With 14 laps to go, Andrea had to let Siri’s wheel go, allowing Siri to cruise solo to the victory.

Men’s Podium:
1. Eike Haumann – Fixepott
2. Thue Kramp – #fixiekurwa
3. Magnus Ruby Bang – SFCT

Women’s Podium:
1. Siri Tolander
2. Andrea Therese Kaaber

Giorgio on how he got into the sport. “This crit comes from the strong passion for cycling in general. In 2016, Giorgio was still a cyclist of the Elite category and participated in his first fixed-gear event at “Criterium dei Ponti” in Pogliano Milanese. It was love at first sight! He had an accident during qualifying round of Red Hook n.7 of Milan but did not stop … Adrenaline, the fans, screaming people, the big family of the fixed-gear world soon became involved, so much so that he started with Selene the great project of “Rhevo Cycling Project srl”, which was born within the Politecnic of Turin.”

“The idea of organizing this great event in Turin came after the tragic death of Michele Scarponi and Nicky Hayden. We realized that it was right to hear the voice of cyclists riding the Italian roads every day. With the #godsavethecyclists Criterium we want to make everyone understand that cycling is also fun if you follow the right safety rules. Turin was among the first Italian cities to welcome fixed gear bike lovers and we want to give our city a Criterium for everyone.”

“The event is divided into three parts: We will start with the kids, educating them to pedal safely, teaching them all the rules to be observed and things to remember when riding on a bicycle, helmet, flashing lights, bell and reflectors. This will also be useful for adults who often forget the basic principles to keep in the street. There will be a part of debate held by some friends who have joined us in this project and who will be able to answer any question on the bicycle, so we can compare how to improve the situation. There will be a fun and exciting part, the Criterium for fixed-gear bikes. The public will spend a beautiful day dedicated to cycling in all its forms, education, information and entertainment. Combining the theme of road safety for cyclists, education for children, a conference on the safety of cyclists, and finally the crazy world of fixed-gear bikes is definitely a challenge and an important stimulus, but we are ready for it!”

On the question how dangerous it is for a cyclist in Italy, “being a cyclist in Italy is as dangerous as going to war and is demonstrated by the over 250 deadly accidents recorded in 2015 and every 35 hours there is an accident wherein a cyclist’s life is at risk. Italian drivers are very unruly and disrespectful.  By now the common place has been created where the cyclist seems to be a traffic jam and this is not good.  The bicycle paths of Turin are often occupied by parked cars, glass bottles, and other junk.  Cyclists should have the right to ride the roads freely without the fear of being hit by a car or anything else! It is necessary to make it clear that it takes discipline and cooperation also from cyclists to be able to create a situation safe for everyone. To make people understand the situation we have made a video which has the story of 4 cyclists who got hit by a car.”

Giorgio on what can be improved for cyclists, “the ideal would be to build a good network of bike paths, even on the suburb of the city, to enable cyclists to walk the busiest roads safely. It would also be helpful to educate people, starting with children, about using the bike as a means of transport. Too many people use their cars for short journeys, with serious pollution problems and urban mobility.

Although the crit is so much more than ‘just racing’ we of course still asked Giorgio for the course and format info on the race. “The circuit is 1250 meters long, within the Ruffini Park in Turin. It has 3 curves to the left, 2 curves to the right and 1 hairpin to the left, totally flat. There will be 2 qualifying heats in the men’s race both 12 laps. The men’s final will be 24 laps and the B final 15 laps, the same for the women’s final will be 15 laps.

Registration can be done here. For other info check the Facebook event.

From the start Tim Ceresa let no doubt that he was riding today to defend David’s lead in the GC. It was also David who took the first prime after the 2nd lap. Mid-way the race it was Kaj Verhaegh and Justin Williams who set-up a break-away together but soon realised that the peloton didn’t plan to let them go. The moment that Kaj’s attack was neutralised it was Óscar Torres Fernández who attacked. From the peloton it was Brian Megens who joined Oscar and for several laps the two were in front. However, also here it was the peloton that neutralised the break-away within a couple of laps.

With 5 laps to go it looked like a bunch sprint was unavoidable, but then Brian Megens attacked on the moment that the no-one controlled the peloton. He build up a gap of around 8 seconds. Going into the last lap it looked like Brian was able to maintain his solo. However, from the bunch it was Richard Jansen who tried to jump to Brian. Richard got 5 meters on the peloton but Tim Ceresa didn’t allow anyone to go and by sticking to Richard’s wheel the peloton was brought back to Brian’s wheel with 300m to go. With fast guys like Justin Williams, David van Eerd, Edwin van Kerkhof, and Tim Ceresa the sprint could go to anyone. Tim Ceresa, who basically worked the whole race to neutralise attacks, tried to lead out David but it was Team FAST with Edwin van Kerkhof and Thomas Jacobs who had the freshest legs and took 1st and 2nd place followed by David van Eerd who had to settle for the last spot on the podium.

The woman’s and men’s B -race started of slowly, but fast enough to stretch out the entire field for the second lap prime, which was won by Terence Driessen from Spacemonkey. The peloton stayed together for a long time, despite a crash and some small attacks. Nathalie Simoens, Ashley Faye en Lisa Worner could keep up pretty easy in the men’s peloton, and they even managed to attack a couple of times. In the final lap Alex Worgitzki managed to open up a gap, and he managed to keep it untill the finish, winning the race right in front of Joeri Bal, who also had a slight gap in the peloton. Terence Driessen took third by winning the peloton sprint.  In the woman’s race it was Ashley Faye who won by outsprinting Lisa Worner in the bunch of the peloton while Nathalie Simoens came in third.

Podium Men’s A:
1. Edwin van Kerkhof – Team FAST
2. Thomas Jacobs – Team FAST
3. David van Eerd – 8Bar

Podium Men’s B:
1. Alex Worgitzki – lifeisaride
2. Joeri Bal – Unattached
3. Terence Driessen – Spacemonkey

Podium Women’s:
1. Ashley Faye – LA Sweat
2. Lisa Wörner – Fixedgearcrit.com
3. Nathalie Simoens – Team FAST

“Since I remember I’ve always wanted to catch that precious second when people’s souls comes out from their bodies and eyes. That second that can’t lie about who you are or what you are going to do. Taking race pictures is always fun. It’s also a challenge for me, considering all the good photographers around on Red Hook Criterium (killing the game with their amazing shot). I learnt a lot being by their side, mostly with Jason Sellers. Hunting people’s spirit is really what I like to do even in my every day life. I feel so blessed to have that specific link with the riders. Race after race we understand each other better and better. I know how they feel during the day and when it’s the right moment to talk to them. Using an analog camera is a real choice and specifically that one, the Mini Leica 35 mm. I like to capture the behind the scene as if I was in my daily life. The mini Leica is a compact camera, pretty easy to use, that gives me more freedom. But also as it’s an analog one, I’m more focused on my subject.  But what I like the most is the faithfulness that the films give to see. If I could take all of my pictures with an analog camera I will definitely do it.”

Coming up to the last corner Viganò seemed in the perfect position to take the win in RHC BCN No.5. “I made a mistake in that last corner. I took it to wide. Van Eerd took the inside and beat me.” In London Davide was beaten by Filippo Fortin. In Barcelona he made sure that would not happen again. “Fortin always rides on my wheel. He is really fast in the sprint so he follows me around all the time. So this time I returned the favor making him close the gap on Van Eerd. I jumped out of his wheel just before the last corner”, Davide explains his tactics.

Viganò had some help from his teammate Ivan Ravioli in the beginning, but was isolated in the end. “Yes, I think it’s really important. Look at the tactics Aldo and Colin used last year. It’s useful. If you have four strong riders like Rocket Espresso-Specialized and play it smart, you can do what you want.”

According to Viganò the race course in Barcelona was slow. “Two hairpins and one long straight where we had headwind.” Davide said he liked the course but prefers a faster one. “I think the course in Milan suits me better. It’s really fast and has no hairpins. If you check the super pole on the technical courses, I’m always in the back. The others are really fast in the corners, they ride their bikes like Valentino Rossi.”

“With the last race in my home town Milan, I’m looking to put the cherry on top of the cake.”

To some people the win of David van Eerd came as a surprise, but not to Viganò. “He is always up there, I think he had some trouble with the wet conditions in London, but in Brooklyn and Barcelona he was really strong, so I knew he could win.”

Having just retired from pro-cycling and working in the Cinelli factory creative department, Davide aims to continue his fixed gear career next year. “This is my new hobby, I’m really happy at Cinelli and everything goes well together.”

80 fixed gear riders made their way to the circuit to compete divided over the men’s and women’s categories. The main race turned into a battle between the local squad “Moskovstyle” and Ukrainian Kiev based team “Yatagarasu.bikes”. As a result the podium was split between them.

In women’s category for the second time the 1st place was taken by Oksana Antonova. However, this year it was decided by a photo-finish. The 2nd and the 3rd places were taken by girls from Moscow and Kiev correspondingly.

Men’s race:
1. Eduard Lavrov – Russia / Moskovstyle
2. Maxim Reznichenko – Ukraine / Yatagarasu
3. Vladislav Yushko – Ukraine / Yatagarasu

Women’s race:
1. Oksana Antonova – Russia / Kazan
2. Victoria Vasilyeva – Russia / Moscow
3. Maria Kachalova – Ukraine / Yatagarasu