Harlem "Skinscraper" : Race (and crash) Report
Some races humble you. Some races invigorate you. And some races simply show you how much grit you have in you to push past fear and obstacles.
Racing Harlem Skyscraper Classic AKA “Harlem Skinscraper” did exactly that.
If I’m honest I felt a little discombobulated coming to New York to race this iconic event for many reasons. The main reason being that this race painfully marked a year since the most horrific day I’ve ever lived through. In June of 2022 I tragically lost my best friend to suicide days before I was supposed to race Skyscraper for the first time. Considering the emotional tidal wave I unexpectedly found myself treading through I ended up simply attending as a spectator. I couldn’t mentally show up enough to actually compete. The festivities of attending and seeing all my bike pals did form a welcome bright spot in a pretty dark period. Not racing was the healthiest and best decision for me in 2022 and I’ve been looking forward to returning in 2023 with my wheels on the pavement ever since I saw the registration link go live.
The atmosphere in Harlem on Father’s Day weekend was truly beautiful and I was extra pleased to see that the fields of racers reflected the diverse neighborhood through which we were pedaling. This stood out is one of very few cycling events I have attended where you couldn’t count the riders and teams of color on one hand and it warmed my heart. In addition, there was water ice, street food, music, more than enough bike joy to go around.
This year I felt physically prepared and mentally sharp. I’d been warned by many a racer-friend and local that this race tends to be hectic, fast, and dangerous due to it being a wide 4 corner course with rough sections of pavement. I thought I had a grip on what to expect, but it still turned out to be the sketchiest race I’ve done to date. The lack of a hill or technical turns make for a lot of surging in the peloton which is exactly what happened in our race start to finish. And for those who don’t ride/race…this makes for a very tiresome and choppy race environment from the moment the starting gun goes off.
Unfortunately, with 9 laps to go a couple of riders hit their brakes going into a corner clipping my front wheel and sending me leaning into another racer on my outside. We gave it our all to try and stay upright but in the end I took a brutal tumble to my right side into the pavement. After gathering myself (no broken bones) and checking my bike I made my way around the course to neutral support, took my free lap, and sprinted right back into the mix. I felt exceptionally proud of how I handled the crash and getting back into the race, but found myself riding uncharacteristically timid for the rest of the race. Crashing into the hard concrete with no control or cause of your own can really mess with you mentally and it becomes an active and constant battle to not let fear ruin the rest of your race.
That said, I was spooked for the rest of the race. This has never happened to me before.
Worth noting- my heart rate stayed steady and my legs felt snappy and fresh (probably from adrenaline) through the rest of the race. I had expected the surging, constant attacks from other racers, and sprinting out of corners to wear me down but they somehow didn’t.
I’m happy with where my training has brought me to with regard to fitness levels but positioning and fear ruined my final results. I also attacked on the last lap too early between corners 2 and 3 and found myself on the very front with no help or response from the other racers. It was not what I expected at all so I eased up knowing it would be stupid to pull the entire group around as their lead out and then have no energy left to sprint at the end. By the time we reached corner 3 I got swarmed and felt myself back off when I saw riders around me who had caused my tumble earlier. I could have fought for position and taken some big risks between those last few corners but I thought to myself- I already hit the ground today, let’s just finish in one piece.
In the end I placed 14th from a mid pack sprint. All in all, it was a super challenging and hectic race that showed me just how tough I am when it matters. Harlem Skyscraper Classic owes me nothing but a little skin on right arm and a trip to the chiropractor.
Photo Credit : Curran J, Steve KovarikIt’s with a slight grimace that I write the next section of this recap. I don’t take any joy in critique but there were some disappointing aspects to my Harlem Skyscraper experience with regards to course safety, marshaling, and neutral support, AKA “the PIT.” I also don’t intend in any way to devalue or discredit the exceptional efforts that I know go into organizing a large race, gathering volunteers, securing sponsors/funding, procuring permits, and the months of logistics and manpower needed.
That said, without racers, there can be no race, so the overall experience of the racers (along with their feedback and support) has to be of great value to organizers and officials. I only share on my experiences below in an effort to highlight a few items that stood out.
At the start of the day the men’s novice race was neutralized more than once due to trucks and vans driving onto the active race course. Imagine turning a corner mid race only to be met with screeching brakes and the entire peloton dividing around a U-Haul Van driving down the course. I did note that there were adequate marshals and police present to assist around the course but they either lacked direction on their roles or the personal initiative to involve themselves at the level required to manage local foot traffic. At least half a dozen times that I observed there were non-racing individuals (on e bikes, cruisers, or scooters) riding straight onto the course during a race only to find themselves being yelled at by hundreds of spectators to get out of the way as peloton came barreling down on them. It was scary for them and scary for us watching. Additionally, on a course prone to crashes (myself being in one of them) and mechanicals, I found the neutral pit to be lacking entirely. There were inadequate indicators as to where it was located and to who the mechanics were. I would have loved to see a larger tent, better or clearer signage, and/or a more organized appearance. When I made my stop in at neutral I pulled over there only because there was a race official present, not because I was fully confident that it was in fact the neutral pit. Thankfully my bike and I were okay to re-enter the race but the individual who checked my shifters for me was another racer friend, not the assigned mechanic.
All in all I am hopeful that sharing my experience will contribute to the thoughtfulness of race organizers on behalf of competitors at all levels. Safety and the overall event experience is what keeps us coming back and Harlem Skyscraper deserves a marked spot on every racer’s calendar in the years ahead.
Next we head home for 1 day to (re)pack then fly to Milwaukee to finish racing the last 5 days of Tour of America’s Dairyland (TOAD) with my composite teammates and gal pals from Team Abundance. I can’t wait!