The sun had gone down on Central Park, and a crowd of close to 150 people had gathered around two bicyclists near Engineers’ Gate. Volunteers holding the seat posts steadied the bikes as the riders clicked into their pedals.
Then, when the coast was clear, a starter yelled, “Go!” and the first race of the night was off: a 300-meter straight shot uptown in the bike lane along the Central Park loop. Lose and you’re done. Win and move on. After 60 riders had gone through five elimination rounds, the victors were decided. Enzo Edmonds, a 15-year-old from Brooklyn (and a nine-time national juniors champion) won the men’s bracket. Among the women, Camie Kornely, 49, the reigning women’s national and world masters champion who also holds a world track-bike record, took first place.
And then the Central Park Raccoons, a small collection of track-bike enthusiasts, rode off into the night, agreeing to return whenever the next Shootout race is held. It was unclear when that would be.
https://dnyuz.com/2022/09/07/the-raccoons-of-central-park-move-in-packs-and-go-fast-on-bikes/
