Rockstar Newswire

In the morning, a series of children’s races warmed up the asphalt, giving spectators a glimpse of some prospective future pro racers and Olympic hopefuls in action. The amateur races began soon after with an intense fixed-gear sprint over just four laps of the 1.2km circuit. With one gear and no brakes, the riders went all out to distance themselves from the rest of the field – setting a high standard that continued through the rest of the day. Attendees were also treated to a King of New York® mini-jam where pro BMX freestyle riders put on an amazing stunt show using large and small quarterpipes, multiple grandboxes and more, courtesy of Baby Bean Productions.

 

The points races then began with Michael Anderson winning the Cat 4 Men's Points race, and Gerard Yeates and Anthony Taylor winning the Masters 35+ and 45+ races respectively. Chase Goldstein won the Cat 2/3 Men's race and Laura Van Gilder, a longtime top-rider on the professional circuit, took the Pro 1/2/3 Women's race, setting the stage for the main event - a stop on both USA Cycling’s National Criterium Calendar and the dynamic USA CRITS circuit - the David Walker Memorial Men's Professional race, an event that attracts some of world’s finest racing talent for an unparalleled display of speed, power and skill on the iconic streets of Harlem. 

 

After Dominican national Augusto Sanchez made an early break, USA Olympian Bobby Lea - runner up in last year's main event - used his experience to power away from the chasing pack into a commanding solo lead. Behind him, the UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling team grouped together at the front of the peloton biding their time to make a move. Just after the start of the final lap they attacked the leader - young Kiwi rider, Cameron Kowalski - and set up a textbook lead out, lining up over the final lap to help Jake Keough, the fastest sprinter in the field, launch towards the finish line. After a nail-biting final few corners, Jake crossed the line ahead of world renowned cyclist Emile Abraham, and his own brother Luke Keough, to decisively win the 2012 David Walker Memorial. The victory makes it two wins in two events for Jake, after he and teammate Hilton Clark's one-two podium punch at last weekend's 2012 Crystal City Cup in Crystal City, Virginia. 

 

Check out a few photos from the event below, and for anybody that didn't have a chance to watch our live race day webcast stream, you can see the archived video featuring the entirety of the David Walker Memorial Men's Professional race, and the ending of the Pro 1/2/3 Women's race here.

 

You can also visit the official Harlem Skyscraper site for all of the day's results, and even more event day media.