Inside the Daredevil Bike Race Around L.A. City Hall on July 12th

WOLFPACK HUSTLE has taken an underground bike racing event and turned it into a legit international competition that will rock the streets around City Hall next weekend. The head-to-head battle on the closed-course bike race in Downtown Los Angeles is known as the Civic Center Crit, and is drawing racers from all over the world.

The highlight of the Wolfpack Hustle Unified Race Title, the Civic Center Crit will lead racers through the streets of L.A., with a ceremonious start and finish in front of the historic City Hall building. The second annual Crit has a racer list that reads as the who’s who of the underground urban racing world, with entrants from Chicago, New York, Mexico, Canada, Italy, Switzerland and many other cities and countries. Entrants will converge on Downtown L.A. on July 12th to compete against local talent for a chance at claiming a set of Wolfpack Hustle dog tags.

The organizers stress the competitive aspects of the event, but also point out the social good that can come from bike racing. According to Wolfpack Hustle, urban bike races offer a low barrier to entry, meaning novice riders can get into the sport with relatively little investment compared to other, more organized athletics. The outlaw nature of the sport appeals to those less drawn to traditional sports and can help kids stay away from drugs, gangs, etc. They point to riders like dog tag holder Edgar “Willo” Juarez and members of local racing teams Gorilla Smash Squad and Kushtown, as proof that urban bike racing has a positive effect on the community.

Wolfpack Hustle also celebrates their commitment to female riders, saying "Wolfpack Hustle races have always supported its she-wolves, like first generation dog tag holder Beatriz Rodriguez who later went on to attain Cat 1 rating and National titles under USAC. A legend and inspiration to female cyclists, the chance to measure up against Rodriguez drew other women on bikes to future races". By having equal courses, competition time, coverage, and awards, Wolfpack has attracted growing numbers of women and say they their scene is much more equal than others in the bike racing world.

Organizers expect 5,000+ people to attend the Civic Center Crit. More info here: http://www.WolfpackHustle.com

Some photos from last year's race: