WATCH: Huge Brooklyn Cycling Race Wreck Sends Bodies — And Bikes — Flying

RED HOOK, BROOKLYN — This weekend, Brooklyn hosted the Red Hook Criterium, an annual bike race on the waterfront that continues to grow and draw more cyclists and spectators every year.

The contest is a closed-circuit race on fixed-speed bikes full of hairpin turns and straight-line sprints. That setup lends itself to an exciting racing event — and some major crashes.

This year's race was no exception, and a bystander captured a major wreck this year that happened on a straightaway during a women's race.

Check it out below (and ignore the weird techno music):

It's unclear how many people were injured here and how serious the injuries were. Several riders appeared to jump right back up, grab their bikes (or someone else's bike?) and continue the race. Others stayed on the ground a while, grabbing legs and other body parts.

Race founder David Trimble emailed Patch after we inquired Tuesday morning about the wreck. He said 15 cyclists were involved in the wreck, and one dislocated her shoulder. The race was re-started after the wreck, he said, so it didn't affect the results.

"In reality that crash was just at the start of the race and didn’t affect the outcome. The story is massively overblown," Trimble said. "It would be much better to cover the event as a whole than to focus on one incident"

For the record, American Colleen Gulick finished first in the women's final.

The crash shows just how perilous the race can be — and also why it's become such a draw for casual spectators.

Another crash last year — this one in a men's race — also sent bodies flying (mild language warning):

Image: YouTube screenshot