Our Chicago newspapers may have shoddy coverage of cycling, but they're still useful for something. Jeff Wat (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) reminded me of this after this week's torrential rains, which no doubt caught many of us out on the path.

When you get home and your shoes are soaked inside and out, stick a sheet of newspaper in each one. The paper will absorb the water, leaving them bone dry by the next morning.

Don't use too much, or the air won't circulate. And I personally recommend a broadsheet. None of that tabloid nonsense.

A few bits to have come across the Chicago Bike Racing transom recently:

• » Robert Schrank (Alberto's) and his eight-person Team Type 1 (all of whom have type 1 diabetes) won their division in the Ride Across America last week in an astounding 15 days, 5 hours5 days, 15 hours and 43 minutes, an average of 22.4 mph.
• » Several riders who know their way onto the road podium hit the Velo City Tour track event in Kenosha this week. XXX Racing-AthletiCo had a huge presence, and two of its messengers, Andrew Nordyke and Jen Greenberg, won their divisions and earned trips to Dublin, Ireland, for the Cycle Messenger World Championships next month.
• » Matt O'Keefe (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) has created a blog for videos from his new helmet cam, including in-race footage from a masters crit in Lombard. Neat! (Something tells me this guy will become a fan.)
• » Chicago's T.C. O'Rourke has qualified for the legendary Paris-Brest-Paris randonneur and is blogging the journey.
• » Speaking of blogs, many of us say prayers to Joe Friel and his training bible each night. Now he, too, has a blog, although it's not updated very often and isn't restricted to cycling.
• » Floyd Landis (Unattached) will be in Wheaton and Chicago July 9 and 10 to promote his book. Here's a thorough account of Landis' March appearance, and here's one that includes video.
• » The Superweek criterium to be held in Evanston has its own Web site.
• » Finally, don't miss Michael Kelly's encounter with Kankakee's most famous felon in the comments section of my weekend wrap-up. (Note also that I've added Cobb Park and Fox River Grove results to the post. UWW results TK.)

I've added three August crits to the race calendar: the Grayslake Cycling Classic, sponsored by North Branch Cycling on Saturday, Aug. 4; the Sherman Park Criterium, sponsored by XXX Racing-AthletiCo on Saturday, Aug. 25; and the inaugural Glencoe Grand Prix, sponsored by Alberto's on Aug. 26. It's going to be a busy month!

It's a shame there's not a seasonlong team competition. In the 3's, it would be down to WDT, which would own anything flat, and Team Get a Grip Cycles, which would clean up on anything steeper than a driveway, and I'm not sure who would come out ahead at the end.

Get a Grip continued its hot streak Sunday by going 1-2 at the Fox River Grove Criterium. Steven Vandeven got things started with a solo attack on the third lap. Teammate Seth Meyer, showing strong legs despite wrapping up the weeklong Tour of Ohio the day before, latched on to a bridge attempt from Jason Knauff (Team Clif Bar Midwest). Eventually Meyer ditched Knauff and crossed the finish line raising arms high with his teammate; Knauff was able to hang on for 3rd. (Meyer subsequently applied for his Cat 2 upgrade, so we in the 3's won't have him to kick us around anymore.)

The fields were pretty small for the weekend's local crits. Only nine contested the Fox River Grove P/1/2 race. Perhaps people were scared off by the rain, or were getting some rest before the upcoming state championships. It's too bad, because even with the weather it seemed like everyone had a good time. And as the Wall Street Journal reported this weekend (albeit somewhat dubiously, IMHO), small, underattended races can be a great opportunity to get some easy results.

Speaking of results, special congratulations go to Chris Padfield, who won the Cobb Park 5's race to get what I believe is the first road win in the debut season of Team Pegasus.

Here is a Cobb Park story from the Daily Journal.

Several people headed north to avoid the weather but found the Whitewater races no easier to stay upright at. A 180-turn at Saturday's crit proved as dodgy as last year's minefield, and a nasty pothole took out several riders in Sunday's road race. Matthew Smith (Big Shark) e-mails me with a description of his tumble in the 4/5's:

"I saw a guy one or two bikes ahead of me hit the pothole. He freaked, he teetered, he leaned on the guy next to him, then he went down. Oh, ****. Frequently, it seems, I have the bad luck to be directly behind some chucklehead who has no idea how to ride a bike. I run over chucklehead's bike, I go down. Josh Green (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) goes down, as does a teammate of his. Several other guys go down. When I get up, I see someone inspecting his newly taco'd rear carbon wheel. Ouch!"

Smith also reports that Ben Levitt (Northwestern) got crashed out right after winning the 4/5 sprint. Unlucky.

Let's work on our 180-degree turns, people. The Tour of Elk Grove is full of them and the fields will be much less forgiving than those of Whitewater. (The Editor will be enjoying the races from behind the camera, thank you very much.)

I don't have links to all results yet, but I will update this post as soon as the promoters upload them.

Full Cobb Park results. Full Fox River Grove results. Full UWW crit results. Full UWW road race results.

Cobb Park race reports:
Brian Boyle (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): "A local radio personality ... hosted one of the two parties on the course complete with a roasted pig. This despite the rainy day."

Eric Goodwin (Team Clif Bar Midwest; 3): "Time to assess my odds in a sprint. Wait ... I can't sprint. Nuts. As if sensing my thoughts, Ansgar the Barbarian pulls up next to me. 'Don't even theenk about it, stick man.' Nuts."

Frank Rowley (D'Arcy; P/1/2): "The crash happened: 3-4 guys sliding all over and myself heading right towards them. I tried to dive inside and the front was washed out with a bright-ass yellow curb heading straight for me. Somehow I was still upright and clipped in. I noticed a large tree with some padding. That was going to be my landing spot. I ejected, flew over the bars and missed the tree, winding up about 2 feet from the Kankakee River, in a mudhole."

Tim Hermanas (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): "I started debating if I throw my hands up after I won or if I should rock the baby like Vino when I took a quick look back and saw the field gaining on me fast and there was nothing I could do but throw my bike."

Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus; 5): "No one seemed to want to break, so I did. I was about five or six people back and got a decent acceleration as I swung around the left side. Before hitting the turn I shed a little speed, dropped two cogs coming out and hit it."

Shane Winn (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): "With two laps to go, the pack -- me included -- let a solo attack roll off the front. With a lap and a half to go I was sitting on the front with my heart rate barely at an endurance level trying to convince my fellow racers that we could still catch this guy."

Melanie Wong (Team Get a Grip Cycles; W-open): "On the last lap for the first two stretches of road, we were rolling so slow I almost fell off my bike."

Cobb Park photos:
Team Clif Bar Midwest

Fox River Grove race reports:
Larry Allingham (Unattached; 4/5): "Legs cramping and burning, filled with more lactate than blood. Lungs turning themselves inside out as they try to fill themselves with air. Heart rate somewhere in the stratosphere, tongue on the top tube."

Ron Cook (ABD; 3): "About halfway through the race, people finally got tired of just racing for 2nd place and the attacks came. This is where I got off the bus and said goodbye to the main field."

Andy Daley (Team Clif Bar Midwest; P/1/2): "At less than 18 minutes into Sunday's race, I was a slobbery mess of a rider with numb arms, getting dropped."

Jason Knauff (Team Clif Bar Midwest; 3): "As a wise man once told me in my youth, this is bike 'racing,' not bike 'winning.'"

Bryan McVey (Vision Quest; 4): "My plan was to attack at the top of hill and go flat out on the downhill to get a gap for the finish ... Someone else attacked on the hill before me, so I had to chase him down on the backside with one other person. I came out of the last turn in third position from our group of now 3, but there wasn’t enough distance to the finish to pick up enough speed to make a move."

Seth Meyer (Team Get a Grip Cycles; 3): "We crossed hand-in-hand for the 1-2. I guess they still score you even if you do something like that, though, and my tire was like a few millimeters in front of his in the photo. Whatever. It was purely a team victory today."

Fox River Grove photos:
Colavita Chicagoland

UWW race reports:
Jason Knauff (Team Clif Bar Midwest; P/1/2): "A Cat 4 racer from XXX said it was a rollercoaster and the fields were broken up all over the place in every race that day. The Cat 3 race would prove to be no different.'"

Brian Carlson (Wheaton Franciscan Healtchcare; M4/5): "I positioned myself to be at the front coming around the last turn and when we hit the corner I took the inside line and everything opened right up for me and I was able to fly up the right side of the road to a 3rd place finish."

Lyle Hanson (GDVC; 3): "With about a mile to go, somebody jumped and the group followed. I got swarmed a little bit but didn't panic, and opened up my sprint at the bottom of the finishing climb."

Andy Reiland (Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare; M4/5): "There are times when I think we aren't going very fast and then others where I am on the rivet giving it all I have."

June Upshaw (Unattached; Men's 45+): "I heard the next day that many people rode one lap and went to their cars and went home, forfeiting their 25 bucks in the process."

Matt Waite (Brazen Dropouts; 3): "A Wheaton guy rolled slowly off the front and created a gap. I really should have gone with him, because he stayed off solo until the end and won. The field didn't do anything, and never really chased. They just wanted to be together and save some energy for their precious little sprint for 2nd at the end. Nothing happened for the next 2.5 laps. It was slow and boring. I almost fell asleep."

Jeff Wat (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): "I informed the stronger riders that I would not contest, but would work with them as much as I could."

Melanie Wong (Team Get a Grip Cycles; W-open): "If I solo attacked, the America's Dairyland girls in the pack would chase me down. But if I didn't, I was sitting in a pack with people I may not be able to out-sprint, but who weren't strong enough or weren't willing to bridge a 1-minute plus gap with me."

The Evanston Review profiles the upcoming Superweek crit, with some background on how the event came to be.

Three cheers for Turin's Chris Mailing, who helped make this happen. I'm hoping Evanston's blue laws don't prevent us from finding him that Sunday and buying him a beer.

With the road season two-thirds in the books, now is not the time to be joining a cycling team. However, this is an excellent time to think about joining a team.

Over the next few months I'll have more to say about the trade-offs of being on a team. (Abstract: Many benefits, few costs.) The first step to having a good team experience, however, is finding the right one to join. Proximity is important, but more so is chemistry, so if you're unattached, spend the rest of the summer doing your research.

Start now. Go on various team rides. Get a feel for the atmosphere and values. Is it a weekly hammerfest? Do older riders help the new guys? Are the rides too fast? Too slow?

Pay attention to the other teams in races. Which teams look like they'd be fun to compete with? Which teams display the level of sportsmanship that best matches your own? Do some teams put too much pressure on winning? Not enough pressure? If some teammates tend not to block for one another, are you cool with that? If teams are consistently sacrificing themselves for the good of others, are you cool with that, too?

Finally, talk to people. All it takes is one "Nice race" and you've made a new friend. Ask them how they like their team. See if they'll be back next year.

Like any organization, cycling teams tend to be insular and intimidating to outsiders, but what strikes the outsider as elitism or standoffishness is often simply camaraderie and friendship (or even shyness). The sooner you get to know future teammates, the better, and the sooner you get on the inside yourself.

The largest teams in the Chicago area are XXX Racing-AthletiCo and Athletes by Design. Both are open to the public. The former tends to draw city riders, the latter from the suburbs. (Full disclosure: The Editor rides for XXX.) There are also many quality small teams with open memberships. North Branch Cycling, South Chicago Wheelmen and Spin Doctor Cyclewerks come to mind, but there are many others.

High on my to-do list is completing a directory of Chicago cycling teams. If you represent a team and haven't done so already, feel free to comment here or e-mail me with relevant information, especially if you're looking to recruit for 2008.

Photo by Luke Seemann

It's state championship time!

Jerseys are up for grabs at both Saturday's road race and Sunday's criterium of the Proctor Cycling Classic. I haven't done the crit, but the road race is run on a rolling 17-mile course. Most races have a king- or queen-of-the-mountain contest, although I don't remember the climb being significant enough damage the men's fields.

Several rollers lead up to the finish area. Use these climbs to make up ground in the pack. Narrow roads make it hard to do so anywhere else. By the time the course flattens out for the run-up to the sprint, it will be too fast and congested to sprint. Last year's Cat 4 sprint was particularly argy-bargy, with at least one rider (Hi, Joel!) bailing out into farmland. As always, scout the finish beforehand so it doesn't catch you by surprise.

If anyone was planning to race in Indiana this weekend, the Hendricks Regional Health Fast Crit in Indianapolis has been moved a day earlier to Saturday, June 30. There's also a crit in Elm Grove, Wis., about 2 hours from Chicago.

Saturday
Proctor Road Race
USCF road race
Brimfield, Ill.
Distance from Chicago: 3.5 hours

Elm Grove Criterium
USCF criterium
Elm Grove, Wis.
Distance from Chicago: 2 hours

Hendricks Regional Health Fast Crit
ABR criterium
Indianapolis, Ind.
Distance from Chicago: 3 hours

Sunday
Proctor Criterium
USCF criterium
Peoria, Ill.
Distance from Chicago: 3 hours

photo by Luke Seemann

Chicago cyclists are lucky enough to be close proximity to two velodromes, three if you count Major Taylor in Indianapolis. The Washington Park Velodrome in Kenosha, Wis., holds races each Tuesday, and the Ed Rudolph Velodrome in Northbrook holds on Thursday and Fridays.

The benefits for roadies are many. Racing the track can be a great way to work on sprinting, often with multiple opportunities in a single race. And since the formats depends so much on tactics and even game theory, the track will make you a smarter racer. Some of the smartest tacticians I've raced with have track backgrounds, and I don't think it's a coincidence. (Hi, Tim! Hi, Shane!)

Even if you can't commit to a second discipline, or if you just feel you don't look sexy enough in a skinsuit, it's worth your while to go and watch.

Sometimes it's hard to get a feel for what exactly goes on in a peloton until you watch it externally, and the track lets you do just that. Indeed, the velodrome can be like a racing laboratory, and you get a complete, unobstructed view of each race's development. See which breaks work, notice how teams work to block, and observe when people launch their sprints and how well it works out for them. If you're part of a team, come visit the infield -- bearing brownies, if possible -- and listen as your teammates debrief and deconstruct each race.

UPDATE: Andy Daley (Team Clif Bar Midwest) sends along this route and recommends it for evening training and getting to the track. "One can do a workout on the Skokie path, make a detour to the 'drome on the way home, check out some racing on Thursday nights and bum a ride home from a track star." To get to the track, head west on Plotz Road until you get to Meadowhill Park.

Rats! We've been discovered by the spambots. To save you all from endless pitches for cialis and low-rate mortgages, I've set it so that comments must now be approved, at least until I figure out a more elegant solution. Sorry!

The good news is that I'm online almost all waking hours I'm not on my bike, and save for personal attacks or improper use of the apostrophe, I won't pass any editorial judgments.

Andy Daley (Team Clif Bar Midwest) used Google Earth to create this look at Sunday's Fox River Grove course. I'm sorry I'll be missing it!

This morning I spoke with Anne Davis with the Mayor's Office of Special Events. She and the rest of City Hall are swamped with the upcoming Taste of Chicago and other festivals, so there are still many details to be worked out regarding next year's Chicago Criterium. However, she did confirm that there will be amateur racing. How long and in which categories will depend on how long the city allows streets to be closed. Keep in mind that even with streets shut down all day, promoters must either cut races extremely short (Elk Grove, Downers Grove) or limit the number of fields (Superweek).

She couldn't release the course other than to say that it will be in Grant Park, but from what another source as told me, I can tell you it's going to be challenging, fun and picturesque. (UPDATE: I defied doctor's orders and rode it this morning, my first ride in almost a month. It's even better in person than on paper. This could be the best race Chicago has seen since Jane Byrne beat Michael Bilandic.)

Davis is as excited about the race as we are, and she says the city's goal is to make it an annual event and a national draw. Here's hoping it lasts longer than previous efforts, both here and elsewhere.

I neglected to mention yesterday that Turin has sent a squad to the Tour of Ohio. Yesterday Erik Tomlinson (Turin) of Genoa, Ill., came in second.

And in Minnesota, Brooke Miller (Tibco) won Stage 2 of the Nature Valley Grand Prix.

The Superweek page for Blue Island doesn't yet have a course map, but according to Main Street Blue Island, which has produced a nifty YouTube video detailing important Blue Island history and retail along the course, this will be the route. It's a basic rectangle through tree-lined streets, both commercial and residential. From the satellite view it looks flat, but MapMyRide suggests a 100-foot dip around turns 1 and 2. Perhaps someone from Blue Island can scout it out for us.

In other news, Point Premium Root Beer was today announced as the series title sponsor. International Cycling has always done a great job finding title sponsors for the individual races, but I don't know that it's ever had a sponsor for the entire series.

Meanwhile, June Upshaw (Kenda Tire) gets her new blog off the ground with a look at the rules of Superweek. Among other things, she finds a $250 fine for stealing food. Please keep this in mind when your hand is in my jersey looking to nip a Clif Shot.

Peter Allen (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) writes:

What is the general rule/practice for race directors when it comes to canceling or postponing races due to weather? The reason I ask is the thunderstorm forecast for this weekend. I figure the race will go on if there is light rain, but they might cancel or delay due to lightning or heavy rain. Any words of wisdom?

Rule 1E2(h) of the USCF rule book says, "Road races are normally run rain or shine." Indeed, my experience is that promoters will race no matter the conditions. Weather patterns in the Midwest are too fickle to do otherwise, and it's too much work to change permits and find volunteers for new dates. (My experience also includes two bad crashes while racing in the rain, so proceed at your own peril.)

That said, several Indiana races were canceled this spring because of extreme cold, and no promoter worth his insurance premiums will send riders into a lightning storm. The good news is that our thunderstorms tend to be brief and isolated, so schedules can be adjusted around them. Expect delays but don't count on them.

Several Chicago riders are competing in two major stage races this week.

In Ohio, Seth Meyer (Team Get a Grip Cycles) bounced back from a tough Stage 2 in the P/1/2/3 to spend most of Stage 3 in a breakaway, even "starting the hostilities," according to Truesport. He eventually got dropped less than 5 miles to the finish, but racked up some king-of-the-mountain points along the way. He shares the excitement on his blog: "I’ve never been in such an elite breakaway, and, after yesterday, I really wanted to do some great performance to give me something to be proud of again. I think I can be proud of this." Don't miss the stage-by-stage video blog he's keeping with friend Matt Waite (Brazen Dropouts).

Then at the Nature Valley Grand Prix in Minnesota, the women's pro/1/2/3 field is stacked with Chicago ties. Debbie Dust (Kenda Tire), Corie Berrigan (Kenda Tire) and Susan Peithman (ABD) are all giving it a go, and the pros include Rebecca Much (Targetraining), formerly of XXX Racing-AthletiCo; Sarah Tillotson (Colavita), formerly of XXX Racing-AthletiCo and ABD; and member of the U.S. National Team Brooke Miller (Tibco), whose husband lives in Evanston and who often trains on the North Shore. Miller came in 2nd in the Stage 1 field sprint for 10th overall.

In addition, Devon Haskell (Team Get a Grip Cycles) is there on the Ryan Collegiate All-Stars.

Any other local riders I'm missing?

UPDATE: Miller went on to win Thursday's Stage 2, a 60-mile road race, and did so with an excellent post-up.

A few weeks ago I heard from Larry Allingham of Chicago, who wrote to tell me that Chicago Bike Racing was helping prod him toward racing. Sure enough, today Larry sent me the report from his first race, the Great Carroll County Cycling Event. I thought I'd share it here to remind experienced riders of the thrill of one's first race, and to give new riders a taste of what they have to look forward to. Thanks, Larry!

I began my day in Dixon, Ill., boyhood home of Ronald Reagan, by shaving my legs.

Although in my second year of road riding and now a veteran of fast-paced group rides, endurance sufferfests and road rash, I hadn’t undergone this roadie branding ritual until hours before I was scheduled to enter my first race, the Carroll County Cycling Event. In an odd way, it was gratifying to have this rite of passage to mark my final psychological transformation from soft middle-aged soccer dad to lean, mean weekend warrior.

I arrived two hours early at the start in Chadwick, Ill., but the Carroll County Cycling Club was already hard at work setting things up, displaying that genius for organization that characterizes small towns. Everyone seemed to know their role, from the men trucking stuff around in their extended-cab pick-ups to the ladies of a certain age setting up the registration tables.

It wasn’t long before other riders started streaming in, bikes perched impressively on rooftops, pick-up beds, or traditional rear-end carriers. It became quickly apparent that most were racing as teams and that I was one of the very few unaffiliated and unbranded.

I picked up my packet from the pre-registration line, paid five bucks for a one-day race license, attached my timing chip to my left fork and my race bib to my left side, and began warming up by doing out-and-backs from the start-finish line. Most riders were doing some version of the same thing, although some had actually brought their trainers along and were furiously spinning away, probably in part to get a controlled, rigorous warm-up and probably in part to intimidate newbies like me. (It worked, I might add.)

As race time approached, riders starting gathering at the start line. There were designated areas for each group, beginning with Cats 1, 2, and 3, along with 30+ and 40+ Masters (having looked online at the finishing times from last year’s race, I had wisely concluded that I belonged in Cat 4 and not in the Masters!), followed by a very large group of Cat 4's (said by veterans of previous years to have mushroomed in size), 50+ Masters, women of all categories, and then, incredibly, a group containing 60+ and 70+ men and the inevitable eccentric in the fully fared recumbent.

We removed our helmets for the national anthem, sung a cappella by a local man. A few people were recognized for their organizational contributions, and then one of the race judges explained the procedure for starting. We would be going out in waves, according to our category. We were instructed on what to do should we overtake someone in the category in front of us, bringing a lot of amused comments among the Cat 4's as we fantasized chasing down Cat 1's after spotting them a 10-minute head start.

After the first wave went out, we Cat 4's made our way to the start. Finally, the gun sounded and off we went, in a Judson-size peloton, following a police escort and speaking strictly for myself, feeling like we were in the Tour.

For those who’ve never done group riding, the thought of cruising at high speeds in close proximity to dozens of other riders seems dangerous to the point of craziness. But we who have become accustomed to riding in a pack know that in fact the peloton provides comfort and security, offering shelter from the cyclist’s true enemy: wind resistance. Thus, we assume our semi-fetal crouches and literally nestle ourselves in the peloton’s protective womb. And in my view, there’s nothing quite like the whir of a hundred wheels as the pack moves along at nearly thirty miles an hour. That said, there’s always the risk of a spectacular crash and thus the wisdom of keeping body hair to a minimum.

While we were still forming our large peloton and cruising along at what we all must have thought were respectably high speeds, an event occurred which reminded us that we were mere Cat 4s and still well beneath the abilities of real racers. To our left suddenly appeared a whizzing blur of impossibly lean and tough old men – the 50+ Masters were passing us as if we were on Schwinn comfort cruisers. As they rumbled past, I could only imagine them sniffing their disdain at the pack of muffins who had the audacity to think they were racers.

I guess we were supposed to be in a “neutral zone” for the first few miles, until we reached a bike path. Neutral zone or not, it was clear that the teams were already testing tactics and measuring each other. I made it a point to stay near the front, having learned that once you fall off the lead group, you can forget about ever catching up with it again. It wasn’t always easy, because as the speed increased, the line began to stretch out in single file and those in the line were more than content to let those riding abreast of them feel the full force of the wind. Thus, I had to more or less force myself into the line on a couple of occasions.

The first part of the course was moderately hilly. For reasons that are not completely clear to me (having a engineering background and a better than rudimentary knowledge of physics), I tend to coast past larger and heavier riders on descents. As a result, I suddenly found myself in the lead, a place I really didn’t want to be. I tried to pull over and yield to someone who might be feeling more studly than I, but the team behind me would have none of it and simply followed my line. Reluctantly, I resigned myself to a long pull, settling into the drops and trying to maintain a smooth, efficient cadence at a speed of around 21-22. Fortunately, relief was soon in coming as I saw our path in the distance blocked by a long freight train. As we all pulled up at the tracks, I discreetly dropped back a bit.

The French have taught us many good things, from the pleasures of fine wine, foie gras and fishnet stockings to the thrills of competitive cycling. Another time-honored French tradition was on display while the train passed, as a number of guys ditched their steeds and hustled over to urinate in the weeds.

Once we crossed the tracks, I started paying attention to the miles. I had plotted out the course and knew that the two hills reputed to be heartbreakers would be coming up at around the 27-mile point. We finally reached the bike path, which required a sharp turn over a rather precarious patch of gravel and where I made my first tactical error in allowing myself to drop too far off the front. The path was relatively narrow and those in the front took full advantage to rocket the pace to a lung-searing 30+ mph. Needless to say, the peloton started breaking up and I found myself in a group that was two or three removed from the lead. Now the race was really on. We wound our way along the path to the sound of twigs snapping under our wheels. We crossed two wooden bridges, producing a deafening rumble in the process. Suddenly, we started a series of snaking turns, eventually finding ourselves cutting through a supermarket parking lot. One more sharp left and oh, s**t, we’re on the first big hill.

For those of us in the vertically challenged set who spent our youth whiffing feebly at farm boys’ fastballs and having our drives to the hoop rejected by guys twice our size, cycling offers an unparalleled opportunity to serve up delicious plates of cold revenge. Hills hurt, but they hurt bigger guys more. Nothing offers more sadistic pleasure to a half-pint like me than to glide past some super-fit hulk of a man bent over his frame like a circus elephant on a drum, huffing, puffing, and muttering language harsh enough to wilt roadside flowers. (I reveal this little secret knowing that my fellow RAW riders tend to be sized much more like me than like some of the sun-blotting giants in yesterday’s race.)

Anyway, the big hill was tough because it was steep, but it was mercifully short. We had a quick respite on a ridge before turning into a second hill of similar character to the first. On both, I resisted the temptation to go all out and attack, preferring instead to find a gear in my small chain ring that allowed me to maintain a smooth, even cadence while out of the saddle. (I still harbor painful memories from my 300K brevet last month when I attacked a series of tough hills into a 20 mph head wind and suddenly found myself cramping up with 30 miles left to go.) Next year, I’ll be less concerned about conserving my own energy and more concerned with putting the hurt on as many fellow riders as I can. Did I mention that cycling is a sport for sadomasochists?

Unfortunately, the combination of the pack-splitting ride on the bike path and my own tentativeness on the hills effectively ended any hope I might have had for a high placement. But as we moved into the second half of the course, I was able to regroup with some other riders and catch some of those who had jumped ahead. Again, the hills proved to be great equalizers, especially those long ones of moderate grade where you can concentrate on Greg Lemond’s advice to stroke like you’re scraping peanut butter off the bottoms of your feet and thus add a bit of sprinter’s power to your climbs. My tactic was to attack on the hills, then coast down, slow down, and allow the others to catch up and pass while I caught someone’s wheel and rested. It seemed to pay off as the miles went by and guys started progressively dropping off.

At some point along the way, we were in for another surprise as we found a section of the road torn up and nothing but dirt and gravel for about 50 yards. Everyone was forced to dismount and walk his bike through the construction zone. I can only imagine what was going through the heads of the beer-gutted construction workers as they watched a bunch of sweaty men in tight shorts tiptoe gingerly through their work zone, carrying spindly little machines that in some cases cost as much as an honest pick-up truck.

The construction zone further split the field and it was no longer possible for me to judge whether I was in the lead pack or far off the pace. As we hit the 50-mile point, the course started to flatten a bit, although there were still enough low-grade hills to keep everyone honest. I found myself in a foursome with three guys from the North Branch cycling team. I pulled for a while and was gratified when I relinquished the lead that the third man of the team signaled for me to latch onto his wheel. For the last few miles, I was a de facto member of North Branch.

As we approached the final turn to the finish, I made my break, in another of the Machiavellian characteristics of this sport: Your friend and helpmate eventually becomes your mortal enemy. Unfortunately, I moved too soon and was out of gas for the final sprint and my "teammates" passed me at the finish. As we slowed and circled back, one of the guys -- one of those strapping young twentysomethings that have the world by the tail -- came over to me, slapped my hand and gave me a fist bump. "Dude," he said, looking and sounding like Owen Wilson, "Are you on a team?" I assured him I was not. "You should be, man. You’re a strong rider. Check out our Web site and send us an e-mail."

Needless to say, that comment made my day. Oh, as for the official results? I did the 62-mile course in three hours and one minute, which I figured was pretty decent given the train delay, the hills, and the construction zone. I placed 55th overall out of a field of 98 and 27th out of 48 Cat 4s. You can be sure that next year’s Carroll County Cycling Event will be a primary motivator for my training from here on.

Sounds like everyone enjoyed the inaugural Giro d'Grafton, a twilight crit near Milwaukee, even the cyclists who had to contend with the pros using the race as a tune-up for this week's Nature Valley Grand Prix. Notable Chicago results inclue Eric Wiecek (Team Get a Grip Cycles) getting 3rd in the 3's and Ricardo Otero (South Chicago Wheelmen) getting the same in the masters 4/5's.

Lee Wheaton Heaton got a win for Team Get a Grip Cycles in the 3's at the Great Carroll County Cycling Event, an unorthodox road race near Rockford that also had WDT well-represented among the leaders. This link to timed results doesn't account for the handful of riders who were relegated after their lead car took a wrong turn. Scott Van Maldegiam (Spin Doctor Cyclewerks) tells me Mark Shea (Unattached) actually won the 4's and David Haussler (DICE) won the 50+, but I'll post a link once official results are up. (UPDATE: Complete Carroll County results.)

About 50 riders competed in the 4's and 20 in the 50+, but other fields look thin. Nonetheless, I'm happy to see this event growing. This could become a great race on the calendar. We need more long, timed point-to-point races, even ones that, not unlike Paris-Roubaix, include unpaved passages and stopping to wait for trains to pass.

Incomplete Carroll County results. Full Giro d'Grafton results. Full Fon du Lac Criterium results. Full MAJOR series results

Giro d'Grafton race reports:
Ryan Baumann (ABD; P/1/2): "$6500 prize list and big crowds and live music? It probably had the largest and strongest P/1/2 field I've ever seen outside of Superweek in the Midwest ... I think we put on a good show!"

Phil Cianciola (Unattached; celebrity race): "I didn't get much of a chance to actually race today, but I did get a chance to feel like a racer, to feel right at home with my people, my crowd. All those bikes. All those people. It was electric."

Elvis Kennedy (LAPT; M4/5): "Mike was able to get back on his bike and death-march to the finish, where the pain of his freshly fractured collarbone became too much."

Seth Meyer (Team Get a Grip Cycles; 3): "Through that last, tricky, 120-degree corner, my front wheel just about lost it on that crazy tar. Then, we just ran out of gas. The pack caught back onto us with about 300-400 meters to go."

Andy Reiland (Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare; M4/5): "We hit the final turn. My pedal scrapes road as we are flying. I hear what sounds like a blown tire and maybe a crash from behind."

Frank Rowley (D'Arcy; P/1/2): "We knew we were screwed before the race started. About 10 national pros and all the midwest regulars were there ... These guys are not human."

Tristan Schouten (Trek/VW; P/1/2): "I couldn't see where I was going in the dark, but generally crit racing at a bigger race like this mostly means following for me, so that was easy enough in the dark. Maybe that was the reason I was having so much fun, or the fact that we screaming around the course faster than I've ridden in a long time. Heck, I don't even like criteriums and it was still the most fun I've had a race this year."

Matt Waite (Brazen Dropouts; 3): "Seth Meyer bridged up to me. Sweet. We went about another haf of a lap and Dallas Fowler bridged up to us too. That's what I call a pretty awesome breakaway group. This is the group that I think all the Cat 3 riders are scared of. "

Giro d'Grafton photos:
Lyle Hanson
Elvis Kennedy
Nick Schweitzer
Team Clif Bar Midwest

Carroll County race reports:
Larry Allingham (Unattached; 4): "I can only imagine what was going through the heads of the beer-gutted construction workers as they watched a bunch of sweaty men in tight shorts tiptoe gingerly through their work zone, carrying spindly little machines that in some cases cost as much as an honest pick-up truck."

Steve Parrish (ABD; 3): "Tom Doughty decided to blow things apart. After that big hill in Savannah our field of 50 or so was down to about 12."

Dave Thompson (DICE; 50+): "We dismounted like in cyclocross and ran through the hazard. Then four 50+ and two Cat 4 riders took off on thewrong road, while the rest of us went right direction. There was mass confusion, with some riders waiting to restart and others taking advantage of confusion."

Scott Van Maldegiam (Spin Doctor Cyclewerks; 4): " Shortly before Lanark, there was the tricky section of sand. The local street crew decided today was a good day to EXTEND the sand section so it was twice as long and completely unrideable. I walked it through that section as most, if not all, people did."

Fon du Lac race reports:
Brian Carlson (Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare; M4/5): "Although I got my rear wheel taken out and had to go off-roading, I still managed a 10th place as the camera caught me off in the grass."

MAJOR series race reports:
Joe Bobka (Spin Doctor Cyclewerks; 50+): "'Stay calm, Joe. You know they slow in the back stretch because of the wind. No one wants to lead.'"

Superweek has swapped two of its road races: The Whitnall Park Road Race will now be on Tuesday, July 17, and the MGA Proving Grounds Road Race will now be on Wednesday, July 18.

This change was made to accommodate my need to race earlier on Wednesday in order to see The Decemberists in Millennium Park. Thank you, Superweek!

Photo by Luke Seemann

I did the UWW series last year, when a last-minute venue SNAFU had us racing the criterium in a tight parking lot. Between the treacherous corners and the intermittent rain, few races finished without a crash. This year, thankfully, the course will be on a park loop.

The UWW road race will be the same course as last year -- I remember it as being mostly rollers (above) through a pleasant lake area with one or two short out-of-saddle climbs -- except it will be run in reverse. If my memory is correct, this will put a moderate climb right before the start/finish. Fun! This could be an excellent tune-up for the following weekend's Proctor Road Race, the Illinois state championships.

Then there are two crits closer to Chicago. Saturday's Cobb Park Criterium, hosted by the South Chicago Wheelmen in Kankakee, will be on a flat three-corner course. Sunday's Fox River Grove Criterium is decidedly un-flat: A steep climb right after the start/finish will split many a field. You won't want to line up in the second row for this one. Ron Cook (ABR) has created this course map of Fox River Grove at MapMyRide, which provides satellite views and an elevation profile.

Saturday:
Cobb Park Criterium
USCF criterium
Kankakee, Ill.
Distance from Chicago: 1 hour

UWW Criterium
USCF criterium
Whitewater, Wis.
Distance from Chicago: 2 hours

Sunday:
Fox River Grove Criterium
USCF criterium
Fox River Grove, Ill.
Distance from Chicago: 1 hour

UWW Road Race
USCF road race
Whitewater, Wis.
Distance from Chicago: 2 hours

Pike's Peak Road Race
ABR road race
Nashville, Ind.
Distance from Chicago: 4 hours

The city this morning announced the inaugural Chicago Criterium, to be held in Grant Park July 27, 2008, and featuring "national and international cycling teams," no doubt part of the mayor's effort to establish the city's Olympic credibility. (There were rumors of a major race on Memorial Day weekend this year, but it never came together.)

I had dinner with a CBF employee last night and she was stubbornly tight-lipped about the announcement. I'm going to try to flesh out some more details: Will it be on the National Race Calendar? Will it be part of Superweek? What exactly will the course be? Will there be amateur races?

And who will be the first to tell the city that "inaugural" has only one "n" about the missing apostrophe in the headline that it needs to hire a highly paid copy editor cum cycling consultant?

In any case, this could be a lot of fun. Spectators? A grandstand? Jumbotron? At a cycling race? Crazy!

(Thanks, Jason!)

Gentlemen, start your credit cards: Superweek registration is open! The 4/5 fields are capped at 75, so I expect they will fill up, especially the local events. The flier has the complete breakdown of which fields are available at each event.

(Thanks, Scott!)

Giro d'Grafton organizer Bill Ochowicz will be on the radio Friday at 4 p.m. to discuss Saturday's race. (You can listen online.) It looks to be a great inaugural event. The course looks interesting: six corners with one wicked acute-angle turn. Note, however, that winners of the Cat 3 and masters races will receive Festina watches -- supposedly valued at $350 -- instead of cash, a structure that may encourage the fields to let a solo rider escape.

Also, Scott Van Maldegiam (Spin Doctor Cyclewerks) comments in my previous post with some extra details about Saturday's Carrol County road race.

Photo by Megan Husband

The story of Saturday's Spring Prairie Road Race, Wisconsin's state championship, may have been all the yellow-line disqualifications. One report put the number of DQ's in the 3's race alone at nine.

Although I'm sympathetic with people who drifted to the left not to gain advantage but to avoid overlap or to scrub speed, they can't say they haven't been warned. Enforcement may be a new development, but officials warn about the yellow line before every race. And it's for good reasons, safety, fairness and not annoying the neighbors among them. I hope enforcement continues at Superweek, where many of the roads are just as narrow as at Spring Prairie.

In the out-of-state 4/5's race, Rob Ehrman (Vision Quest) slipped away alone on the final lap. Despite overwhelming numbers -- a third of the field! -- XXX Racing-AthletiCo (pictured above on the final climb) could not reel him in. Luca Lenzi (Vision Quest) blocked and single-handedly stymied the chase. "I was pretty surprised that I held out," Ehrman said, "but there was no way I could have done it without help from my teammate. He's young, only 18, so watch out for him in the next few years."

With Vision Quest getting the top two spots, XXX had to settle for 3rd, 4th and 5th. And 6th and 7th. And 9th and 10th. And 12th and 14th.

A late two-man break got away from the 3's race, but only Jack Hirt (Velo Trocadero) could make it stick. The field caught the other escapee, and Julian Baumgartner (Team Clif Bar Midwest) was able to chug up the hill the fastest. Teammate Eric Goodwin got 6th, their best showing on the year and proof of what a daily dose of Chicago Bike Racing can do for your performance.

Northwestern University riders also had a good day, with Ben Levitt getting 3rd in the Wisconsin 4/5's race, Reed Tanger (Turin) getting 4th in the 30+ and Seth Meyer (Team Get a Grip Cycles) getting 4th in the 3's.

Emily Hutchins (Get a Grip) won the women's 4's race, making her 2-for-2 after winning at Winfield last week.

Full results.

Race reports:
Peter Allen (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5 out-of-state): "I was stuck behind the mayhem and had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting the guys in front of me. Although I was only held up for a few seconds, you could see the pack in front of us attacking."

Ryan Baumann (ABD; P/1/2):"I figured I'd try to jump the finishing climb early and get a gap before the base of the climb -- which worked, but I blew at 3/4 of the way up again."

Julian Baumgartner (Team Clif Bar Midwest; 3): "1:33:00: Velo Trocadero and Chrono Metro ride off into sunset. Pack pretends not to care. Velo T = winner."

Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; W4): "We were facing a big hill and I just thought 'I won't be able to keep up.' Then I got pissed. Screw that! I pedaled harder and faster and not only kept up, but forgot about being tired."

Tim Hayes (Grumpy's/LGR; 3): "I had my best road race of the year. I got 16th, which is excellent considering the lack of teammates and the climb."

Bryan McVey (Vision Quest; 4/5 out-of-state): "I came in second with a sweet bike throw to edge out some guy who was clearly pissed, judging from the many expletives spewing from his mouth as we crossed the line."

Seth Meyer (Team Get a Grip Cycles; 3): "I should have just used some energy to come to the front before the hill because I was way faster than anyone up that climb with energy to spare."

Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5 out-of-state): "I am still too nice of a guy to be a successful racer, but I am working on it."

Matt Waite (Brazen Dropouts; 3): "They were watching us like hawks. Seth and I were putting in solid attacks, just the field never wanted to see us go.""

Melanie Wong (Team Get a Grip Cycles; men's 4/5 out-of-state): "I'm on the far left side of the pack and to avoid the person next to me I shifted to the left for a few seconds before scooting back in the pack. Apparently at this point I had crossed the yellow line ... I kind of blink at him in disbelief, but he was adamant."

Photos:
Len Bucher
Megan Husband
Sheesh_photo

Ever make mistakes in a race? Of course you do, and so do officials. That's why you should get in a habit of checking results as soon as they are posted. If you wait until results are online, it's too late.

Scoring a field sprint is like counting cattle in a stampede. Riders are regularly missed or mistaken for teammates, and sometimes numbers are obscured or illegible, even on the race camera. (Some riders like to crumple their numbers, but most officials say it makes them harder to read.)

Checking the results is essential if you're in the top 10 or in the money, but it's also a good idea no matter where you end up. You may need proof of the pack finish when it comes time to upgrade. Yes, it's sometimes a drag to wait, but any extra time just means the officials are being that much more diligent to get it right the first time.

If there is a mistake, you have 15 minutes to file a protest with the officials. Be calm, be polite, be patient. Officials expect riders to point out scoring mistakes and are more than happy to go over the film frame-by-frame with you.

The Superweek schedule has been updated.

Previously the first Friday's crit had been announced as being in Fon fu Lac, Wis., but it is now in Green Lake, Wis., another hour and a half away from Chicago.

Somewhat more exciting: The map for the July 22 Evanston crit is out and it's a doozy. It's a .9-mile course shaped like a golf club. Looks like the start/finish will be at the plaza at Sherman and Davis. We'll ride counter-clockwise around a city block before heading up Orrington toward Northwestern University. We'll turn left at the Burger King, home of many a 99-cent Whopper during my college years. (I expect that here is where on certain laps homeless people will ask the lead riders for change, cycling's first reverse prime.) Then we'll head back down Sherman, past the new Barnes & Noble and back to the start/finish.

Like most of the Superweek crits, Evanston is longer than we're used to around here. "30 mi." means 30 miles, not 30 minutes. Cat 3's will do 40 miles. Pro/1/2's will do 62.

Here is a Google Map version to give a better idea of the location. I'm hoping someone will ride the course this weekend and return with commentary on road conditions and what exactly those corners will be like. In fact, Team Judson and XXX Racing-AthletiCo rides usually wind down Sherman on their way home. Perhaps Sherman/Davis will become a new sprint point for the next month.

This much is certain: This will be a fun, fun race to watch. Evanston is among the races on the National Race Calendar for both men and women, so the country's best teams and riders will be there, and this looks like a dynamite location. Race early and bring your lawn chairs and cowbells for later.

Photo by Luke Seemann

The 3's race of Sunday's inaugural Wheaton Criterium was one for the ages -- the ages 57 and 14, to be exact, those being the ages of first-place Richard Adamczyk (WDT) and second-place John Tomlinson (XXX Racing-AthletiCo).

A series of attacks, some more organized than others, finally yielded a three-man break of Adamczyk, Tomlinson and Chip Gray (Team Get a Grip Cycles) with about six laps to go. Thanks largely to blocking from Gray's teammates, the trio built an insurmountable lead, at which point the crafty Adamczyk isolated Tomlinson and Gray floated back to the pack.

With one lap to go, Tomlinson found himself reluctantly leading the way. Adamczyk knew he could force the junior to do the work because if the break failed, chances were good that teammate Marek Serafin (WDT) could win the sprint. Indeed, Serafin won the field sprint for 3rd.

As far as I know, with the exception of the Winfield Twilight Criterium, the Adamczyk/Serafin one-two punch is unbeaten this year.

Other highlights:

• » A five-man break (pictured above) splintered into a three-man break on the last lap of the P/1/2 race. Rob White (PCW) held off John Meyers (Turin) and Scott Pearson (Higher Ground), and his twin, Ryan White (PCW), won the field sprint for 4th after the pack absorbed the two riders who fell off the break.
• » Teammates Jessi Prinner and Susan Peithman (ABD) held hands as they finished one-two in a tiny women's open race. Only five women entered, and the book was closed as soon as Prinner and Peithman slipped away and started working together. Only Melanie Wong (Team Get a Grip Cycles) avoided getting lapped. ABD was also one-two in the women's 4's race behind Sue Semaszczuk and Irene Pang.
• » Jeff Wat (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) won the first race of his career in a field sprint in the 4's. Ricardo Otero (South Chicago Wheelmen) also had a good day, coming in 2nd in the 4's and 4th in the masters 4/5's, and Joe Ebenroth (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) got 3rd in the 4's and 2nd in the masters 4/5's.

Here's hoping racing returns to Wheaton next year. RDS Cycling put on a great event, with trophies and everything for some of the winners. Its next race will be the Fox River Grove Criterium on June 24.

Full results.

Race reports:
Joe Ebenroth (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4, M4/5): "We come out of turn 4 and he is 6 bike lengths up on me and I am in second place now. NOOO!!!!!"

Tim Hayes (Grumpy's/LGR; 3): "I knew the time was right so I went hard and was TOTALLY off the front for 1.5 laps. It was sooooo dumb, but Luke said the photos are sweet."

Bryan McVey (Vision Quest; 5): "I took some hard pulls at the front to try to string the pack out a bit, before I set myself up behind this HUGE guy for a nice long sprint out for the win."

Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5, M4/5): "It's really about instinct, intuition, having the balls to make the first move, and stick with it even when you belatedly realize it's the wrong move."

Jessi Prinner (ABD; W-open): "Susan attacked and got away. I just sat back and enjoyed the free ride as one woman chased with all her might."

John Tomlinson (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): "We went past the start/finish and saw 7 to go. I knew that this was going to be tough."

Scott Van Maldegiam (Spin Doctor Cyclewerks; 4): "My move wasn't smart, but it was fun and agressive."

Jeff Wat (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): "I had never felt so good at the end of a race, so as we passed Joe, I announced, 'We got this!'"

Melanie Wong (Team Get a Grip Cycles; W-open): "True to every other time I've race against them, [ABD] tag-teamed me, trading attacks until they dropped me."

Photos:
Andy Aardema
Sheesh_photo
The Editor

I'm not sure what to make of this Saturday's road race, the Great Carrol County Cycling Event. If anyone has done it, please share in the comments.

The fact that it's a 62-mile single-lap course is itself pretty nifty. It's sanctioned by ABR and is included in the Tour of Illinois/Wisconsin, so it should attract the dozen or so riders who pay attention to that. But according to the results, last year's fields were thin and spread out. That's not necessarily reason to avoid the race, however. If nothing else it can be a good training ride, a chance for 4's to tackle a long road race or an opportunity to improvise tactics on an unusual course.

I don't know much about the weekend's crits, either. I don't even have a flier for Fon du Lac. Do you? The MAJORS race looks like a fun event for those who get a Father's Day exemption from church and yardwork. The women's 4's get an unusually big payout at Fon du Lac ($300, 10 deep). The payouts are even more generous at Saturday's Giro d'Grafton: $6,500 for the P/1/2 (to be raced under lights at 8 p.m.), $2,000 for the women's open and $350 for the women's 4's. There's even a $200 pool for the U-14 juniors.

In other calendar news, I have in my hand a flier for the Fox River Grove crit on June 24 and have added it to the race schedule, but I have not found a copy online. You? and I just found a version online.

Saturday
Great Carrol County Cycling Event
ABR road race
Chadwick, Ill.
Distance from Chicago: 2 hours

Giro d'Grafton
USCF criterium
Grafton, Wis.
Distance from Chicago: 2 hours

Sunday
MAJOR series (masters, juniors)
ABR criterium
Elgin, Wis.
Distance from Chicago: .5 hours

Fon du Lac criterium
USCF criterium
Fon du Lac, Wis.
Distance from Chicago: 2 hours

It's a weekly routine: Racers huddled around picnic benches filling in their USCF waivers. They scrounge for a pen that works and scratch their heads trying to remember their girlfriends' phone numbers for the emergency contact.

There's a better way. Print the standard USCF release form. Complete all the blanks that won't change over the season, then make 30 copies and put them in your gear bag. Now all you have to do on race day is fill in the name and date of the event. Voila: An extra 2 minutes to go find where you put your chamois creme.

Julian Baumgartner (Team Clif Bar Midwest) sends along this tip:

"Before any race starts the officials allow the field to take a lap to inspect the course, get a feel for how to take the turns and get a general lay of the land. This lap can be crucial to understanding the course as sometimes at full speed and surrounded by other racers one hasn't the time or the wherewithal to spot that nasty pothole or the gravel hiding around turn 3. It can also be a great time to psych one's self up or to visualize taking the turns or climbing the hill.

"Yet often times a rider will take that ever-so-important lap only to find him/herself staged at the very rear of a huge field; not the best place to start a Midwest crit. If one allows enough time for set-up, one can jump in with another field as they take their preview lap, thus avoiding the terror of the accordion. Just be discreet and polite and exit quickly."

Here's a discussion from local coach Steve Thordarson about the importance of being prepared for a course, using Snake Alley as an example. August's Downers Grove criterium, with its 8 turns and various bumps and road imperfections, is another one where pre-riding the course is essential. You'll see riders trying the course early in the morning, even before all the barriers are up.

It's often not possible to pre-ride a road race, but one should try to drive it to be prepared for the climbs and descents. And it's essential that one pre-ride the last mile. More than a few races have been lost because people didn't know where the finish line was and started their sprint too early or too late. Pick out useful landmarks for the sprint: Be in 10th place here, be in 5th place here, start the sprint here -- and cross the finish line in first here.

A reader writes:

I have been riding a pretty old and worn out Schwinn Letour circa 1980. I am wondering what is a decent investment in a new bike that would not get laughed at when you pull up to the line at a race?

I'm hoping some other readers can jump in in the comments and give their take, but here's how I replied:

Expect to spend around $1,000-$1,200 for a new bike. That's about the minimum for a raceworthy set-up.

People just starting out shouldn't get hung up on bling, and one shouldn't spend much more than that because: 1. There are a lot of hidden costs down the road (race fees, team costs, transportation costs, other equipment) that one should save for. 2. You might end up not enjoying the sport, but if you don't you'll still have a good bike for long rides. 3. If you do fall in love with the sport, you'll want to upgrade in a year or two anyhow once you know more about racing and what kind of bike would be good for you.

Pay more attention to components than frame manufacturer. In that price range, most frames are for all intents and purposes the same, but you'll want a reliable set of components. If you go Shimano, that means 105 or Ultegra. Stay away from Sora or Tiagra.

Steel? Aluminum? Carbon? Doesn't matter. What matters more is whether it fits correctly and whether you go to a good shop that will give you the service you'll need as a racer.

My first racing bike was a steel Jamis Quest. In 2005 this ran $1,200 and came with mostly Ultegra parts and heavy but sturdy Mavic Cosmos wheels. It was the perfect entry-level racer, and my neighborhood shop always gave me top-notch attention. I got dropped from most of my races that year, but I still would have gotten dropped if I were riding a $7,000 dream machine.

At 5 hours it's a little far from Chicago, but a reader alerts me to the Tour de Winghaven, a circuit race in O'Fallon, Mo. The 3's and P/1/2's go off late enough that one could make it without an overnight, and the $2,000 and $10,000 prize pools might be enough to make it worth the trip -- or at least pay for the gas.

Well, this is very interesting.

The Alexian Brothers Tour of Elk Grove, returning for its second year in 2007, and the Downers Grove national criterium championships are both run by Chicago Special Events. They are, far and away, the most professionally run races in the midwest. Payouts and crowds are enormous, signage is great and the races themselves are fun and well-organized. For two entire weekends, cyclists get to enjoy the illusion that they participate in a sport that Americans actually care about.

But according to the Elk Grove schedule and the Downers Grove flier posted at USA Cycling, there will be no Cat 3-only races on either weekend this year.

Downers Grove on Aug. 18 will have a 3/4 field instead of separate 3's and 4's races. It appears this change was made to accommodate a second Cat 5 race. (Due to overwhelming demand last year, a second field was added on the fly but the races were only 15 minutes long, disappointing many racers.)

I cheer the move to improve the lot for beginning racers, but I have to think that this change will have a negative impact on both the 3's and 4's fields. Many 3's will resent having to race with less experienced riders, and many 4's will resent having to race up in a field where most of them will be severely outmatched. It's a shame there wasn't another way to expand the schedule.

The 3/4 field is capped at 100, so gentlemen will want to jump on registration as soon as it is open. (I know, I know. My kvetching brings to mind the joke from Annie Hall: "And the portions were so small!")

The rest of the schedule is the same, including a masters 4/5 race and a women's 3/4 race that at 20 minutes sounds like half of a good warm-up for the female racers I know.

Elk Grove will have a 3/4 field on Saturday, Aug. 11, again to accommodate a second 5's field. Although the prize pool is an astounding $5,000, the field limit is 175. With all due respect to my friends in the 4's, the thought of taking those 180-degree turns with more than a hundred beginning riders gives me pause. (Then again, the thought of taking those 180-degree turns with me should give everyone pause.)

The next day, there will be no 3/4's race as there was last year. The only Sunday racing opportunity for 3's -- and 1's and 2's for that matter -- will be the masters 1/2/3 race.

On the bright side, the payout for Sunday's 68-mile professional race is a mind-boggling $105,000, and the overall payout of $200,000 is 30 percent more than 2006. New this year for the pro's is a three-event stage race, starting with a 4.5-mile time trial Saturday morning. I'm not sure if the overall will be scored by time or by omnium points.

Start lists are not yet available, but those purses will attract the best cyclists in the country. Last year David Zabriskie (CSC) made a cameo at the Saturday race before crashing out early and heading to the sidelines for a beer. He would be a favorite in the time trial if he returns. Other ProTour Americans racing last year included Chris Horner (Predictor-Lotto) and local native Christian Vande Velde (CSC).

Registration for Elk Grove is open but only through through the mail at this point online.

Spring Prairie is Wisconsin's state road championship but more people have registered for the out-of-state 4/5 race (43) than all other male categories combined (40), underscoring how fun this race is for Illinois flatlanders. XXX Racing-AthletiCo and Vision Quest are both heavily represented, but an unattached rider can still be successful. (A Missouri rider without teammates won this division last year.)

Online registration closes at midnight Thursday night. With the field capped at 75, only 32 slots remain for out-of-state 4/5's. Of course, anyone who gets locked out can always have fun watching Saturday's state junior track championships instead.

In my first visit to Matteson lo those many years ago, I had a devil of a time insinuating myself into the pack. So not wanting to be stuck at the back, I would race to the front, quickly tire myself and then sit up. This very nearly caused a crash every time because the rider behind me wasn't expecting me to slow down, and a teammate rightly scolded me: "Don't do that!"

But that's why you do Matteson, to learn things like that.

What I learned is that you shouldn't just sit up, and you should always signal when you're about to pull out of a line. The best way to do this is a simple wag of the elbow. Use the elbow of the side on which you want people to pass you. If you want to pull over to the left and have the pack pass on your right, wag your right elbow. If you want to pull to the right, wag the left elbow.

This goes for races as well as group rides. Whether your paceline is a Sunday training ride or a winning breakaway, good communication will keep things smooth and efficient. And just as important, it will keep people from yelling at you.

Photo by Luke Seemann

With Jordan Heimer (Kegels) off the front of Saturday's Winfield Twilight 4's race, I shouted time gaps and encouragement to the chase group, which included two of my teammates. After the third or fourth update, and after the gap had grown from 15 seconds to 20 seconds to 25 seconds, someone in the pack yelled back: "Save it for your blog!"

Glad to know I'm developing a fan base.

I let the peloton figure things out on its own after that and it never did catch Heimer, pictured above, who after attacking from the gun was assisted by a minor crash that split the field on the second trip up the long climb.

The races were fun to watch, especially in the company of the many enthusiastic neighbors who populated the sidelines. Winfield resident Tim Allen was the ringleader, organizing a party, live music and cowbells aplenty at the top of the hill and donating prizes for King of the Mountain primes. It's a wonderful thing for residents to be this welcoming of cyclists tearing through their neighborhood. I trust racers returned the kindness by keeping lawns free of gel wrappers and nature breaks.

Heimer wasn't the only one to solo to victory: Tom Doughty (AMD Discovery) also did so in the 50+ race, Christopher Sprock (Spin City) of Decatur did it in impressive fashion in the citizens race and Jeff Schroetlin (ABD) ended the day by riding away from the P/1/2 field. Team Get a Grip Cycles had impressive numbers in the 2/3's race, starting with 12 10 out of the 42 and ending up as a third of the 12-man winning break. It was unable to convert, however, with Steven Vandeven settling for third behind Dan Verner (Team Mack) and winner Adam Lesniakowski (Redline). Lesniakowksi, it should be noted, finally tasted victory after coming in second in this race not once, not twice but three times (2003, 2004 and 2005; he got 4th in 2006).

In the women's open race, Susan Peithman attacked out of a two-woman break to win ahead of Devon Haskell (TGAGC).

I didn't make it to Sunday's ABR championships, also in Winfield, but it appears Marek Serafin (WDT) is still in his groove, winning a field sprint in the 3's. ABD again defended its home turf with Joshua Carter (ABD) winning the P/1/2 race. Ryan Baumann (ABD) reports on his blog that a shrewd tactical decision paid off when ABD chose to pull the throttle back on a successful break to prevent it from lapping the field, figuring its chances would be better with gruppo compatto. Carter proved the hunch right.

Obviously there are a lot of local winners so I won't go through them all, but I'll note that Paul Miner (Spin Doctor Cylewerks) won a rainy 4's race in what I believe is the first elite-category victory for this new-ish club. And on the women's side, Emily Hutchins (TGAGC) won in her very first race, being one of only two 4's women to hang with the lead women's open group.

Full Winfield Twilight results. Full ABR championship results.

Winfield Twilight race reports
Ryan Baumann (ABD; P/1/2): "We took the bull by the horns today and attacked time and time again on the hill."

Steve Hansen (North Branch; 4): "It took a keen eye to have any idea what was going on after about five laps."

Seth Meyer (Team Get a Grip Cycles; 3): "It was sort of cool to say, 'I’ll pull up the hill every time. Just help me around the rest of the course!' On the other hand, it was too cocky, snobby and just dumb."

Frank Rowley (Darcy; P/1/2): "Two laps to go and I look for Flora. He has the look of hell on his face. He's about 10th. The sprint and Flora ends up 7th, damn good for a fat guy who rides one time a week."

Jonathan Tenney (Team Get a Grip Cycles): "The one-mile loop was simple and entertaining: You go up a hill, wind down the hill through the lovely local neighborhood, and cross the finish line, and repeat for just under an hour."

Scott Van Maldegiam (Spin Doctor Cyclewerks; 4): "[Heimer] solo'd pretty much the whole race ... He probably won by half a mile, literally. Pretty amazing performance. I am just glad he is moving to Colorado."

Rick Widen (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): "The course made the race a half-hour roller coaster ride, ka-chunk, ka-chunk-ing up the quarter-mile climb, then flying thru alternating left and right turns on the way down. "

Melanie Wong (Team Get a Grip Cycles; W-open): "It was great because there were so few people in our race I could rip around the corners like a nut and take whatever the heck line I wanted."

Winfield ABR championship race reports
Ryan Baumann (ABD; P/1/2): "We really didn't want to lap the field since neither of us can sprint to save our lives against a guy like Andy Crater (Wheel & Sprocket)."

Josh Carter (ABD; P/1/2): "The guys never missed a single move and controlled the entire race down to the last lap with Jeff solo off the front."

Ron Cook (ABR; 30+): "Then two riders broke free: one Mack and one Met Life. Something told me right away that I was watching the race leave us."

Eric Goodwin (Team Clif Bar Midwest; 3): "Even in the rare instances when we had even numbers up the road, there was little joint cooperation and the fragile breaks were scattered all across the terra firma."

Seth Meyer (Team Get a Grip Cycles; 3): "My foot must have ended up in some spokes or something like that because I felt like someone grabbed me by the heel and tried to steal it from the rest of my foot!"

Seth Meyer (Team Get a Grip Cycles; P/1/2): "I wanted to close it out on Sunday in the pack and at least know I can hang with it through the bad times and hope that, as I get stronger physically, I’ll have to be stronger mentally next time too."

Paul Miner (Spin Doctor Cyclewerks): "At this point in the race, with the rain coming hard and steady, I decided it was now or never. I swung to the left side of the group at the bottom of the hill and started moving past everyone. Once I knew I was going to get past everyone, I stood on the pedal and gave it everything I had."

Jonathan Tenney (Team Get a Grip Cycles): "The men did their best to establish a race-winning break, but the long downhill and the seeming lack of interest in teams other than TGAGC and TCBM in establishing a breakaway, doomed the field to the usual long and crowded sprint finish."

Winfield Twilight photos
ABD
Sheesh_photo
The Editor

I'm sorry to be missing this Saturday's Spring Prairie Road Race, Wisconsin's state road race championship.

It's a fun, challenging course. The flier promises "hellacious climbs," but it's really only one. Most of the 6.5 rectangle course consists of big-ring rollers, but a short, steep climb leading into the start/finish area will break more than a few legs.

4/5 men will do six laps, and each time up this hill will be an opportunity for separation. The final trip will be as close to a mountain-top finish as we get around here. The climb is short enough so that climbers won't have an exclusive advantage, but it's steep enough that the sprinters will have to adjust their timing. The prudent racer will pre-ride the approach to the hill so it doesn't catch him by surprise during the race, and will use the first few laps to fine-tune his gear selection and timing for the endgame.

Registration is available online.

Sunday's course is new: a flat rectangle in downtown Wheaton.

Saturday
Spring Prairie Road Race
USCF road race
Spring Prairie, Wis.
Distance from Chicago: 2 hours

Sunday
Wheaton Criterium
USCF criterium
Wheaton, Ill.
Distance from Chicago: .5 hours

Ellen Wight (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) sends this one my way:

When you're on a training ride and come to a stop -- and your group ride always stops at red lights, right? -- remember to shift to an easier gear. The gear you've been using to cruise at 23 mph is probably not the right gear to get you going from a stop. You'll restart more quickly if you're not overgeared, and the ride will flow better if the group doesn't have to wait for a few guys to grind out of their 53x12.

The same goes for races: Most packs will slow heading into corners, especially at the 4/5 level where people haven't mastered pedaling through corners at speed. If you're overgeared when you exit the corner, you'll get gapped and eventually dropped.

My rule of thumb is to always shift two gears lower heading into turns. This gives me the right gearing to accelerate out of the corner and close any gaps that may have formed.

I've added a few races to the race calendar, including the Wheaton Criterium on June 10 and the races of Superweek.

You'll be hearing a lot about Superweek over the next two months. It's a fantastic, two-week series that draws racers from across the country. The races are very competitive with very generous primes and prize purses. Many will take time off work for the weekday races, myself included, and some strong riders will put off upgrading to have one last crack at some good money and prestige.

I'm sad that construction prevents a return to Milwaukee's lakefront courses, two of my favorites in the series, but Chicago racers can celebrate two new local criteriums, in Blue Island and Evanston. This is in addition to Bensenville and Beverly, the later of which is a twilight P/1/2-only race that is a blast to watch. I don't know much about them, but Chris Dimmick of Turin, which is helping put on the Evanston race, tells me it's "a figure-eight through downtown Evanston and will be fun!"

Not all the races will have women's fields and none will have 5-only fields, but most will have 4/5 fields and some will have masters 4/5 field.

I've also added a few group rides, including the Harper Rides and the Lake and Harlem rides in Oak Park. A few people have asked about Hyde Park or south-suburban training rides, but I don't know of any. Please e-mail me if you do.

There are few more exciting ways for a cyclist to spend a weekend than a stage race. The typical stage race has at least one race of each road discipline -- time trial, criterium, road race -- and the stakes rise with each one. By the final race, teams will be throwing all their firepower behind their highest-placed rider in the hopes of securing a top spot in the general classification.

Most stage races are omnium races, in which the overall classification is determined by placings: n points for first, n-1 points for second, and so on. Rarer for the amateur but twice as exciting is a timed stage race, in which actual racing time determines the overall standings, just like in the professional stage races we see on TV -- or that we would see on TV if we lived in Belgium.

A handful of local racers jumped at the opportunity for a timed stage race and drove eight hours to Tennessee over Memorial Day weekend for the Edgar Soto Memorial Stage Race: a time trial on Friday followed by a circuit race, a criterium and a grueling, hilly road race finale that created time separations galore.

Jason Schisler (VisionQuest) was the top local finisher, getting 8th overall in the 3's after getting 4th in the all-important Stage 1 time trial. Julian Baumgartner (Team Clif Bar Midwest) and Jason Knauff (TCBM) rebounded from tough time trials and steadily improved their GC standings, respectively ending up 19th and 20th overall.

In the 4's, Tim Hermanas (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) had three strong finishes under his belt heading into Stage 4, but mechanical issues -- and surely not biomechanical issues -- cost him valuable time and he ended the weekend in 15th place, one out of the money.

The Anderson Mayor's Cup, an omnium series near Indianapolis, was postponed in April but has not yet been rescheduled. Other than that, the only stage race close to Chicago will be ABD's Fall Fling, a two-weekend series in October. It's an excellent target for riders who have only recently started their training, and it's a fun way to end the season.

Full results.

Race reports:
Julian Baumgartner (Team Clif Bar Midwest; 3): "As the grade increased so too did the pace. The screws wound tighter and the gears shifted up. The water started to shimmer and the bacon began to dance. And then after 74 miles of waiting, a corner was rounded and the race began."

Nathan Goates (Faulkner Honda; 3): "on a turn in the final lap I was hit from the inside and sent sailing towards the outside curb leaving rubber and heal plastic on the road in my wake."

Tim Hermanas (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): "I slowly shifted into a lower gear and watched the pack with the yellow jersey ride away."

Mark Swartzendruber (Delta Faucet; 30+): "I spent the crit moving through the field, which contained more than the normal share of completely terrified riders, and finished safely in the front bunch as a couple of crashes resulting in more broken bones (IDIOTS!) from guys trying to move up from 60th to 55th place separated the group on the last lap."

Photos:
Jay Levy