Red Hook Criterium announces cancellation of 2019 races

Organisers of the Red Hook Criterium series have announced that they won't host any of their popular fixed gear races in 2019.

It's not the end of the road for the fixie crit series, though, organisers say they're using this year to focus efforts on developing plans for 2020 and beyond.

A statement released via the Red Hook Criterium Twitter feed read: "After careful consideration of our options we will be taking 2019 off.

"Instead our efforts will be focused on raising support and developing plans for the continuation of the Red Hook Criterium Championship Series in the years to come."

>>> Watch: Massive crash takes down half the field and blocks the road at Red Hook Crit (video)

Speaking to VeloNews, organiser David Trimble said that the sponsorship revenue was not covering the growing overheads of the races, and that a year out was needed to ensure he could reach his full ambitions for the series.

The 2008 founded races - which first took place in Brooklyn's Red Hook - arrived in London in 2015.

The series consisted of four rounds in 2018, held in New York City, London, Barcelona and Milan.

The events were sponsored by Rockstar Games and the spectacle of riders railing corners on fixed gear bikes, usually dressed in the brightest skinsuits seen in cycling, brought in thousands of spectators.

In 2017, Specialized released an Allez Sprint track bike with an eye catching 'Red Hook Crit' paint job, to be raced by its sponsored team, Specialized Rocket Espresso RHC.

The announcement that the 2019 events are to be canned has received hundreds of comments on Instagram, arguably the home of the "cycling subculture", as it's described there.

The 'bicyclefilmfestival' commented: "We can’t wait to see what you have next. What you have done for the community is incredible."

It's certainly not the end of fixed gear racing for the year, London will likely see a fixie crit return to the Mr Porter Nocturne on June 8.