5 Minutes with David Trimble
If the name
Trimble sounds familiar, it should. The Trimble Aero TT Bike was
among the most radical frame designs in the early 1980s. Designers
James and Brent Trimble were on the cutting edge of carbon bike design
and early aero frames such as the Kestrel 4000 and GT superbikes used
by the United States Olympic team in 1996 and 2000.
Twenty-seven year old David Trimble is now
making his own mark in cycling through grassroots race organization.
Trimbles Red Hook Criterium will enter its fourth year in Brooklyn,
New York, combining track bikes (fixed gear; no brakes), night racing,
and the off-the-beaten-path energy of the Red Hook neighborhood. An
art exhibit and after-party complete the Red Hook Crit package, set to
run this year on March 26.
Coming from a bike-building family, have you been riding and racing your whole life?
Actually, no. I started go-kart racing at
age 12 and raced professionally for several years. I was
wheel-to-wheel with a lot of guys who are racing Indy Car or Formula 1
now, but I didnt have the money to make the next big step in Formula 1
racing.
Im super competitive, and basically decided
that I needed to race something after I retired from car racing. I was
21 when I did my first mountain bike race, so actually I started
rather late.
What brought you to New York and how did you get into the racing scene here?
I grew up in Alaska, where my dad built the
original Trimble bikes, and also lived in Boston, Arkansas, Houston,
and Indianapolis. When I got out of working as a mechanic on the race
car circuit my uncle offered me a job at his architectural firm here
and Ive been able to apply a lot of my hands-on mechanical (and
problem-solving) skills from race cars.
I wanted to get away from anything that
involved an engine. I got into alleycat racing and won a few of the
big races. Monstertrack was my first alleycat. I’ve raced mountain
bikes, track bikes, road bikes… Last year I did my first downhill
race.
The Red Hook Criterium in Brooklyn
started out as a birthday party for you, with a bunch of friends
showing up to race. How has the race grown since then?
Each year weve had more riders show up and
the number of people watching has been crazy. Theres no formula yet.
Every year something completely different has happened at the race.
What does bike culture mean to you? How do you see the Red Hook Crit fitting into the equation?
I think New York City is the real center of
diversity in cycling. Weve got every type of racing here and every
type of rider. Everyone is interested in all facets of cycling
(messengers, road racing, cyclo-cross, alleycats) To me, thats the
appeal of the Red Hook Crit.
There arent too many options for unique
events. Here theres no real advantage for any one group. Youll see
kids from the neighborhood dropping Cat. 2 riders who dont have the
experience riding track bikes. The first Red Hook Crit was won by a
woman (multi-time national champion, Kacey Manderfield – Ed.).
This year youll have a closed course
for the first time, along with some big name sponsors like Eastern
Mountain Sports, but the race will still be held at 11pm. Where do
you see the race heading?
Ive already taken the format to Milan. The
turnout there was bigger than in New York and the race has already
been copied several times in Italy. Well be bringing the winner of the
Milan race to Brooklyn this year. Its pretty crazy for me to bring a
race to Italy and have it copied! Im also working on taking the race
to Berlin this Fall.
All I really want is a short, really hard
race. Its a new style of racing and I think theres an opportunity for
more cycling events to be cool and interesting for people who arent
necessarily cycling fanatics.
Chris Henry is peloton's Special Features Editor. Based in New York City, he is a photographer, writer, urbanist, musician, ideas man. Follow on Instagram and Twitter: @chrishenryworld
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