A free-for-all of cycling races, zany costumes and competitive glory is coming to a garage in Crystal City this month, following a postponement last year.
The 11th Garage Racing National Championships are happening Saturday, Feb. 22, giving beginner cyclists and enthusiasts a chance to make it on the winner’s podium. Unsanctioned by USA Cycling, the purely recreational event describes itself as “the Fight Club of bike racing.”
The day culminates in an outlandish “Anything Goes” race, calling on cyclists’ creativity through costumes and unconventional home vehicle creations — like a horse figurine fixed atop a pair of skis.
“This is not a race,” the registration website reads. “It’s an opportunity to put on a costume, grab that crazy looking bike out of the garage, and do parade laps of the course for 30 minutes.”
The Arlington event’s history goes back to 2012 with the inaugural Crystal City Diamond Derby at 1850 Crystal Drive. The event went through a couple of rebrands, once becoming a set of weekly spring races called the Wednesday Night Spins.
The event later became the Garage Racing National Championships in 2019.
This year, races kick off at 11 a.m. in the G4 level of the underground garage at 201 12th Street S., with the junior men and women championship for cyclists ages 10-14. Other races throughout the day invite novice-level cyclists, nonbinary cyclists and relay teams of four people. Each race lasts between 30 and 40 minutes.
Cyclist registration closes Friday, Feb. 21 and ranges from $8-$25, depending on the race. The last championship event in 2023 drew nearly 200 people, and at the time of publication, 89 cyclists are registered to participate.
Spectators are welcome to catch all the action from the sidelines with access to a pop-up bar, stationary bike rides and refreshments from Acme Pies, Good Company Doughnuts and Port City Brewing Co. Attendance is free, although RSVPs are encouraged.
The event is hosted by cycling media group CXHAIRS and the National Landing BID, which will be on-site with swag bag giveaways.
“We invite adrenaline-driven racers and curious spectators alike to embrace this one-of-a-kind experience in the most unlikely of places – a garage,” National Landing BID Deputy Executive Director Rob Mandle said.
