How dev shop hatchmap is connecting fans with cycling’s hottest race

Brooklyn is one of three international locations for the Red Hook Criterium – a bike race also held in Barcelona and Milan every year. (This year, it’s also expanding to London.) Despite the increase in popularity of the annual race, racers and spectators previously didn’t have a way to keep up with results in real-time — until hatchmap created a solution.
The Greenpoint-based hatchmap develops apps and other software projects for various clients that want to use the latest technologies. The company, which launched in 2007, designed a mobile app for the Red Hook Crit and quickly helped grow the event from an underground race to an international phenomenon.

“We built and app that allows both riders and the spectators, to follow people that they know, and see if they have advanced to the final round, or if they are on the bubble,” said Ariel Sanchez, hatchmap’s SVP of business development.
Not only does the app provide real-time updates, but it also includes social media integration allowing anyone from across the globe to follow the race.
“People can post pictures during the race,” said Sanchez of the app, which has about 20,000 downloads. “While there were only three events per year, people would be involved and engaged throughout the year. They would post pictures to Instagram of their bikes and training.”

//

The Red Hook Criterium app isn’t the only connection that hatchmap has to cycling. The company’s founder and lead architect, Randy Locklair, is a transportation alternatives advisor and has a passion for cycling. That’s partially why hatchmap became a major sponsor in creating a “women’s only” Red Hook Crit race. The startup wants to continue to create products that promote the safety of bike riders in Brooklyn and other New York boroughs.
“There are tons and tons of cyclists biking all over the city, especially in Brooklyn, and one of our goals is to use technology to help keep riders safe within our communities as well as encouraging people to ride” said Sanchez.