A race across the Williamsburg Bridge with a catch: Citi Bikes only
More than 100 cyclists gathered near the Brooklyn side of the Williamsburg Bridge on Saturday afternoon for a street race with a $1,000 cash prize and a catch: Citi Bikes only.
It was the second annual Grand Prix hosted and organized by Citi Bike Boyz, an Instagram account that's become a movement. Its creator Jerome Peel began posting videos of himself doing tricks on the big blue bikes in 2017 – catching air and jumping stairs, ramps and even a subway platform. He's since amassed 153,000 followers who share his zeal for using the micromobility devices in unconventional ways.
"I use a Citi Bike for whatever, not just stunts, it's a great tool for the city," said Peel, who was distributing free T-shirts he'd printed to commemorate the race and serve as official uniforms.
One teenage participant said he and his friends took the train from Westchester to take part in the race from Continental Army Plaza in Williamsburg to Commodore II, a bar on the Lower East Side.
"I told my mom I'm going to [a] shopping mall [an] hour away," said the teen, who requested anonymity due to fears over being grounded. "She thinks I'm in a mall right now."
Last year's winner, a semi-professional bike racer named William "Hacks" Hacker, completed the roughly 2-mile run – which begins with a long gradual incline to summit the bridge – in approximately seven minutes. Several of his challengers were conspiring as to how they might beat him.
Daniel Shaw and Ray Shurda, two Bronx High School of Science students who called themselves the "High-Viz Warriors" for their electric green reflective vests, had a secretive plan that involved using teamwork to block Hacker's path.
"He thinks he's gonna win, but he doesn't have the creativity," Shaw said.
The race kicked off at 2:30, and police officers – who were otherwise hands-off – temporarily blocked traffic to let racers freely access the bridge's bike path.
Several immediately peeled ahead, while others got caught in a bottleneck and bumped into each other as they jockeyed for position. At least one racer wiped out on the sharp turn onto the bridge, while non-participating cyclists pulled off the bike path to watch the passing spectacle in fear or amazement.
Minutes later, Hacker climbed atop a trash can at the finish line on Second Street and Avenue C to claim the prize – a shiny trophy and 10 crisp $100 bills – for a second consecutive year. He'd been in second place until he spotted a gap and pulled into the lead as officers stopped traffic to let the race pass at Delancey Street.
Shaw, the Bronx Science student who was conspiring to defeat Hacker, came in around 10th. He'd tried to gain an advantage by riding over the bridge's car lane illegally, but couldn't navigate his unwieldy bike through the heavy traffic.
"Things didn't go as well as I wanted," he said as he headed into the afterparty at Commodore II. "But I'm going to try the same thing next year."
While some racers sipped free frozen drinks inside, a second competition was taking place on the sidewalk, where Peel had constructed a small wooden plywood ramp for a long jump competition. Contestants gathered speed and momentum on their heavy blue bikes before attempting to catch air in front of a cheering crowd.
One rider, Adam Lafortune, suffered a crash landing, but was beaming for the cameras as blood poured down his face.
While the whole affair was over in under an hour, many participants were late to the afterparty – nobody could find a place to dock their Citi Bike.
