Red Hook Barcelona is my favorite course yet: eight turns including two hairpins all set on a slight angle that is hovering above the beach. Spectators were crowded under an awning, which made their raucous cheers all the louder. It was very exciting to race here. The qualifying round was held at dusk, and the main race after nightfall.

The qualifying rounds were frustrating, as half the racers in our qualifying group followed Mash SF around the course. The last thing we wanted were racers sprinting passed us as at the end of a lap after our team worked together for a fast time. Like the last few Redhook races, the fastest lap time recorded in thirty minutes is ranked among all competitors’ fastest times, and the eighty-five fastest race in the main race. That means more than a hundred competitors don’t race in the main race. Trying to avoid other racers, I moved into a smaller group and Enol Costales Cortina, a pre-race favorite, put down a big effort. I followed in the second half of the course—Enol and I made the cut. Chas and Walton, again towing around half of our qualifying field, not only made the cut but also rode fast enough to start the main race in the front row.

Kyle and I were just behind them, putting our whole team in a good position to be in the front of the race in this technical course. Furthermore, it put Chas in a good position to win the first lap prime, a goal he came close to achieving. He got the hole shot into the hairpin-chicane-finish section, but was passed just before the line. Unfortunately, in the second lap, he crashed in a puddle. With that said, it was imperative for our team to ride the front of the race because rain, grease, and metal grates on course were very dangerous.

Dangerous as they were, I was still having fun in the hairpin corners of the course. My front Contintental Gatorskin tire was sticking to the wet and greasy ground like glue, and my HED Stinger wheels accelerated effortlessly out of them, I was instantly gapping the field by bike lengths. At the last Redhook race I attended I rode the hairpins like a chicken because of poor tire selection—a mistake I won’t make again!

Walton, Kyle, and I continued to ride the front of the race, following moves by the strong guys. Walton and I gave the group a one-two punch with attacks to try to get Mash SF off the front, but we were chased down. The course was a very technical one, with almost no straight stretches, you were either turning or setting up for a hairpin, which made chases difficult and facilitated a breakaway. Furthermore, the puddle that took out Chas was in the worst possible place, directly in the exit of the hairpin. This was very dangerous and prevented an easy chase.

With a quarter of the race left I realize that Kyle Murphy and I are in the winning move, a group of six including Stefan Vis and Francesco Martucci, both pre-race favorites and Evan Murphy, Redhook Milano 2012 champion. Kyle put in a big dig to go solo, of which Stefan chased down. Kyle put in another big dig of which his brother Evan chased down. All this after bridging to the lead group. Kyle was ripping!

In the last lap Kyle attacked out of the first hairpin, Stefan caught his wheel, and I Stefan’s. Going into the second hairpin Stefan got the holeshot and Martucci followed. I was following Martucci. Stefan’s move there was the winning moment of the race. Coming out of the hairpin Martucci sat up and went wide forcing me to close the gap in the chicane that he opened to Stefan, but it was too late.