Sad news today as organizers behind the Red Hook Crit announced that they have canceled all races for 2019. Series founder and owner David Trimble told VeloNews that sponsorship revenues this year were not enough to cover the event’s overhead costs.
“There were, in my opinion, bad options to continue this year at a lower level,” Trimble said. “But for me, reaching the full ambition of the race is my idea. So, instead of scrambling to find solutions for this year, I’m going to take a year and relaunch it in the future.”
The Red Hook Crit began in 2008 when Trimble wanted to throw a birthday race for himself. It grew massively from there with international races held in London, Milan, and Barcelona. Those races have also been canceled for 2019. Trimble hopes to bring RHC back in 2020.
I think it’s time some of these crits start increasing registration costs. Plenty of huge MTB, gravel and gran fondo races stick around with fairly minimal sponsorship. Registration for these races may be $100+ compared to a crit with a $10-20 sign up fee, but they’re also far less at risk if a sponsor leaves.
