In March of 2017, USA Cycling held a social media contest to crown the best weeknight criterium series in the country. As part of the competition, USA Cycling’s CEO Derek Bouchard-Hall promised to visit the weeknight race that won—and partake in the action himself.

On Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, racers from across the U.S. vehemently lobbied for their favorite weeknight race—a Thursday nighter at a motor speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire; track races at the Indy Cycloplex velodrome in Indianapolis; even a criterium held in an underground parking garage in Arlington, Virginia.

The online pleas in support of various weeknight race series were impassioned (many made in ALL CAPS). And understandably so. Weeknight races tend to hold a special place in racers’ hearts. Many have existed for decades, cultivating multiple generations of cyclists. They’re our mid-week break from work and life stress, where we can connect with friends, log a workout, and maybe even earn a result.

Generally accessible and low-key in nature, weeknight race series epitomize the grassroots fervor of cycling. Most racers—from age-groupers to future Tour de France stars—got their start at a weeknight race.

After tabulating the results of the social media competition, USA Cycling named the Driveway Series in Austin, Texas, the best race series in the U.S. The announcement didn’t come as a surprise here at FloBikes.

The Driveway Series takes place just a few miles from the FloSports headquarters (also in Austin), and we’re out there chasing primes and sharing a post-race beer most Thursday evenings.

Bouchard-Hall came to Austin to compete in the Driveway Series on September 14, and we took our video crew out to the Driveway to capture what makes this event so special.

Enjoy.