Best of the Bunch: Grant's Tomb Criterium
We’re pretty adamant that New York City has one of the best bike racing scenes in the country. It’s true that we lack a national race series like Intelligentsia Cup or even a weekday series of the caliber of the Driveway Series. And the weather can leave something to be desired for half of the calendar year. But for what we lack in ‘high production value’ events or SoCal weather, NYC makes up for with the sheer density of the race race schedule.
While the post-COVID race schedule remains very much in flux, if all of the NYC series return there are summer weeks where you can race one weekend morning in Central Park, the other in Prospect Park, and then head to FBF in Brooklyn on Tuesday, hit the track at Kissena on Wednesday before wrapping up the week at Rockleigh Crit on Thursday. And depending on where you live in NYC and your personal level of ambition, you could do all five of these races without ever getting in a car.
Of course, some of these races may not return post-COVID. But as we prepare to see what NYC bike racing looks like post pandemic, we’re going to be adding a few races to our the Best of the Bunch series of our favorite races. We’re starting with arguably the biggest race in New York City: the traditionally early season CRCA Grant’s Tomb Criterium.
Words: Matthew Vandivort
Photographs: Scott Rettino
Grant’s Tomb Criterium 2019, from Scott’s Journal entry “Grant’s Tomb Criterium 2019: A New NYC Racer’s Perspective”
What makes Grant’s Tomb Criterium worthy of that title? First and foremost: the course. Set on five turn course in upper Manhattan, this is one of just two New York City bike races that still happen on City streets - the other being the legendary Harlem Criterium. And the Grant’s Tomb Criterium makes the most of these streets. As Austin put it:
For me it's the course - I love how you hit almost every corner with speed coming off a downhill. Then the punchy little hill between turns 3 and 4, and the fast sweeping hairpin on turn 5 into the slight uphill drag to the finish. It's a dream to race on that course
Grant’s Tomb Criterium 2019, from Scott’s Journal entry “Grant’s Tomb Criterium 2019: A New NYC Racer’s Perspective”
While the course is unique, Grant’s Tomb has also historically held a memorable place on the NYC race calendar—the first “big” race of the season. This early March timing means racing in uncertain weather—there is the infamous “hurricane” year, but also any number of years where ice had to be chipped from the course before racing could begin - with uncertain fitness to go along with it. As Shane put it:
I think it's great to emerge from a largely solitary winter and remember that there are so many other weird people who have also been sweating it out on the trainer for months just for the chance to rip each other's legs off in freezing conditions.
Grant’s Tomb Criterium 2019, from Scott’s Journal entry “Grant’s Tomb Criterium 2019: A New NYC Racer’s Perspective”
Ultimately the Grant’s Tomb Criterium is one of those races where the sum is greater than its parts - the combination of an early season race date, where the whole of the racing community emerges from hibernation, with a unique course and a national monument for a backdrop, and a whole day of racing across a dozen or more fields… it all adds up to what is undoubtedly one of the best races on the East Coast in our view. And for 2022, Grant’s Tomb Criterium looks set to return with a new mid-summer date that promises to put a new face on a race that deserves its title as one of the Best of the Bunch.
As Liz summarized:
Grant’s Tomb is the first big race of the year, the conditions are usually pretty brutal, but it’s also an easy one for friends/family to watch, racing in NYC is rad, racers can race multiple times, and it's a "true crit."
Grant’s Tomb Criterium 2019, from Scott’s Journal entry “Grant’s Tomb Criterium 2019: A New NYC Racer’s Perspective”
Grant’s Tomb Criterium 2019, from Scott’s Journal entry “Grant’s Tomb Criterium 2019: A New NYC Racer’s Perspective”
A New York City based cyclist and sometimes photographer. Part adventure rider, part crit racer, and fully obsessed with an English bulldog named Winifred.
Instagram: @photorhetoric
E-mail: matthew@tobedetermined.cc
