Free December
Happy holidays 🎄 Happy new year 🥳 Happy first year of this Raleigh Criterium project. This will be the last "Free" monthly bike maintenance newsletter— RaleighCrit.com is changing.
How It Started
I first registered this domain name for RaleighCrit.com nearly two years ago in January 2022. This domain fell into the ether of my 40+ registered domain names for projects, products and brands that I tend to dream up and hoard on a regular basis. When I started putting this website together, I only shared it with some close friends in search of feedback. Progress was slow in 2022, no one really knew about this site and that was very intentional. I was still figuring out how to provide enough value to justify launching this site into the public eye.
In January of 2023, I met Cameron Zamot at Boulted Bread in Raleigh (if you haven't yet, treat yourself— either to some bread or chats with Cam, both are splendid) where we shared our dreams of crit racing and our mutual desire for a prominent criterium to exist in/around Raleigh. Two days later I'd polished up the site, created our Instagram account, and the first of our "Free" monthly newsletters was born.
I've enjoyed a lot about this project over the past year. These monthly "Free" newsletters have been an encouraging way to keep myself engaged in the website portion of this project.
The Middle
In the beginning, momentum was strong. We surely didn't expect to amass so many followers in such a short time but, this reception by the community proved a high demand for racing around Raleigh, it was inspiring.
We got to work, asked our little community for help, and y'all came out swinging. We had a beautiful poster designed for (what was supposed to be) our first race. The first of two generous checks from Jim Sedore at Carolina Dive Center would allow us to navigate USA Cycling's requirements for, and successfully obtain, a permit— officially sanctioning our very first race. We were on the USA Cycling website, we were in their list of official events, we were all-systems-go. The stoke was high, and then it wasn't— our location backed out.
We needed a new location.
For those unfamiliar— the first rule of filmmaking turns out to be shared with the first rule of crit making: location, location, location. We needed a new location. This is not a small part of the process, it is the crux. Enter ...
The Town of Clayton
After meeting with the Parks & Rec director, we knew we'd found the right place to host our first race. We'd eventually recruit race promoter Graham Costa (Newport News Twilight Criterium, Langley Speedway Criterium) to join us on a Zoom call with the Town of Clayton— it went very well. As of December 2023, Clayton is still enthusiastic about hosting a race downtown. The proposed course is a classic 4-corner crit with a downhill on the long back stretch, a short punchy climb and slight uphill (mostly flat) drag to the finish on Main St.
For the Newport News Criterium, Graham was able to work out a deal with the city of Newport News, VA such that the city covers a handful of upfront costs associated with city permits and police presence.
Hear about this and more in his interview on the Criterium Nation Podcast
The Town of Clayton was not willing to offer such a partnership, upfront costs will be in excess of $3,000. Total costs to host this race will exceed $5,000, and if we're lucky it'll total less than $10,000 after all USAC officials are paid, porta-potties are picked up, and the proverbial dust has settled. This isn't a deal-breaker, but it is a barrier we weren't financially prepared for. Carrying as much momentum as we could, we hosted our first fundraising event in partnership with Oaks & Spokes, the Sweet Summertime Alleycat on May 26, 2023.
The Sweet Summertime Alleycat raised about $1,000.
Thanks to all of you beautiful people who participated, the Sweet Summertime Alleycat raised about $1,000. If you haven't seen the recap video edited by Finote, again I must urge you to treat yourself:
As of December 2023, after paying for minimal Alleycat expenses and our bank taking $16/ month in fees since we opened the account in April, we have about $700 remaining.
Unfortunately, that's about where momentum came to a screeching halt. We still wish to host and/or support a criterium race around Raleigh. We still need more money ... about $5,000+ more monies ... and that's if we could file permits with Clayton today. With all of this in mind, we're going to be sending $500 to Jim Sedore this week. We feel that's fair to them for the generous financial efforts which allowed us to get as far as we did. The remaining funds will float this site until the next fundraiser (Alleycat anyone? Perhaps something new?), or until someone donates, maybe even subscribes. We may have failed to produce a criterium this year, but we learned a lot and we met a lot of the right people along the way. And we're not done trying 😉
Sincerely, thank you all ❤️
If you or someone you know would like to chat about sponsoring the criterium in Clayton, or if you/they have access to a closed-course location where a criterium could be hosted, please reach out to us.
We'd also love to see a local weekly series a la Driveway Series, even if that's done at Dix park (how much do we need to raise to repave this thing? Anybody know?). Financially, a series might have to be a 2025+ goal.
If you or someone you know would like to chat about sponsoring the criterium in Clayton ... please reach out to us
How It's Going
Today, most of our engagement is on Instagram. However, I am always thinking about what this website is "supposed to be" and how to bring value to this community. Instagram recently influenced a new idea for this site and, as a result, I've started organizing photos and videos captured at this past year's races. I've uploaded what I have into Google Drive and made links to each race available at the following pages:
THE FUTURE 🔮
We want criterium racing to exist around Raleigh. We don't feel the need to be the race promoter, but we do want to promote our local racers. It's easy to browse BikeReg.com for upcoming local USAC sanctioned races, but it can be hard to find out exactly what happened at those races. We want this website to be a place where you can find local races, but also find out who did what at those races and ultimately how those people on road-results.com got to that podium. Was it a breakaway? Did anyone lap the field? Who won the field sprint?
While text, photos & videos all help to tell these stories and while Instagram Reels are genuinely awesome, we believe the gap that needs to be filled is live streaming. With this in mind: we have been tinkering.
We have a live stream rig ready to roll. We can now connect multiple cameras, GoPros and drones to our live stream. It would be nice to have more cameras, more GoPros (HERO 9 & newer), HDMI transmitters, more batteries, some big portable power, and we'll need to rent a generator for every event, but we've got enough of these pieces to start. In fact, it's already begun.
Stay tuned 😉
CX-MAS 2023
TLC For Bikes
Monthly Repair Class
When: 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM on Wednesday, December 6th, 2023
Where: TLC For Bikes at 8480 Honeycutt Rd #126, Raleigh, NC 27615
This happens every first Wednesday of the month!
Bring a bike and Gary Smith will be there to help you work on what you need to learn, on the bike you brought.
Learn more at: https://www.tlcforbikes.com
Raleigh Community Kickstand
Community Bike Repair Day
When: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM on Saturday, December 9th, 2023
Where: Oak City Cares at 1430 South Wilmington Street, Raleigh, NC 27603
RCK host a repair event at OCC every 2nd Saturday of the month!
The Raleigh Community Kickstand (RCK) is an all-volunteer, non-profit community bicycle cooperative project located in Raleigh, NC and established in 2017. They work closely with Oak City Cares (OCC), a homeless resource center located south of downtown, to provide bike repairs and teach maintenance skills to those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. They also work with the city, local cycling shops, cycling non-profits, and other organizations and individuals to collect resources and skills focused on addressing a need in our community— safe, reliable, self-sufficient transportation.
Their motto is simple: fix, teach, give. They fix/replace brakes, clean chains/drivetrains, tune shifters, fix flats, and make other minor adjustments. In addition, the group accepts donated bikes, which they repair and donate to members of the OCC community to provide safe and reliable transportation.
This is an excellent opportunity for experienced bike mechanics to lend a hand and make a positive impact in the community. Please note that this event is not for bike servicing or repairs of participants' personal bikes; it is focused on helping Raleigh Community Kickstand and Oak City Cares' client base.
While bringing your own tools and repair stands is not necessary, it is encouraged. Let's work together to make a difference!
Learn more at https://oakcitycares.org
and even more at https://raleighcommunitykickstand.org
Oak City Cycling
Free Basic Maintenance Class (Sign up!)
When: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM on Wednesday, December 13th, 2023
Where: Oak City Cycling at 707 N Person St, Raleigh, NC 27604
This happens every second Wednesday of the month!
Attendance is limited, please only sign up if you plan to attend. Sign up here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-basic-maintenance-class-tickets-685011938147
Learn these things:
- Basic bike anatomy
- How to change a flat
- How to clean & lubricate your chain
These are typically the only topics covered in this class. If you'd like to learn more, keep an eye out for their Intermediate Maintenance Class (also free!).
WHAT TO BRING: Bring a bike! You'll get to practice changing out a tube & chain maintenance during class. If you can't get it here, no worries! A bike will be provided for you.
If you sign up and cannot attend, PLEASE let them know. Space is limited and someone else can take your spot!
Learn more at http://www.oakcitycycling.com
Check out all the calendars