Weekend wrap-up: July 7-8

Photo by Lyle Hanson

Wisconsin's elite racers must have been startled when the Clarke brothers of Australia -- star sprinter Hilton (Navigators) and little Johnny (Colavita) -- crashed their state criterium championships, presumably as a tuneup for Superweek.

You may remember Hilton from winning such races as the 2005 Beverly Hills Cycling Classic and the 2006 Tour of Elk Grove and Downers Grove USPRO Championship. This is a bit like Venus and Serena showing up at the local tennis pro/am.

"It was pretty nuts," Lyle Hanson (GDVC) tells me. "Basically [Hilton] and his brother Johnny got free after a few laps, along with Steve Scholzen (IS Corp), and they lapped the field like it was no problem."

Hilton went on to win ahead of his brother, with Schoelzen taking home 3rd and the state championship.

A handful of Chicago racers made the trip, including Adam Kosela (IS Corp) of Downers Grove, who won the juniors race. (I remember getting killed by this kid in citizens races two years ago.) Patrick Loney (Mach Schnell/JDRF) won the masters 1/2/3, Richard Adamczyk (WDT) got 3rd in the 50+, and Ricardo Otero (South Chicago Wheelmen) continued a fine season by getting 2nd in the masters 4/5. Trey McClure (Turin) of Aurora got 3rd in the 3's, and Tashony Noplos (Unattached) of far-west Sycamore was the top local finisher of the women with 9th.

In unfortunate news, the organizer of the weekend's Mississippi Bluffs Cycling Road Race is throwing in the towel because of lack of interest. Only 30 racers showed up for the second-year event. "I guess it was just a fantasy of mine," says organizer Dave Thompson, "that anyone in the Quad Cities area would want to do a longer road race in July."

And in belated results, Kosela and Otero also headed up to Wisconsin for the Elm Grove Criterium on Proctor weekend. Kosela won his juniors race, and Otero won the 4/5's race and came in 5th in the masters 4/5's.

Full Elkhorn Criterium results. Full Mississippi Bluffs Road Race results. Full Elm Grove results.

Elkhorn race reports:
Matt Waite (Brazen Dropouts; P/1/2): "Freshie the Man Beast got into a break with a Navigators rider and Colavita rider."

Elkhorn photos:
Lyle Hanson

Elm Grove race reports:
Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus; 4/5): "Hitting that second right-hander at 34 was oh sooooso much fun."

Scott Peterson (Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare; 30+ 1/2/3): "Kevin went wide holding speed but someone put the clamps down on the brake levers and Kevin went wider yet ... too wide."

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