Seth Meyer (Team Get a Grip Racing) reminds me that many group rides are adjusting their start times to account for diminishing daylight. The Pizza Hut and  The Turin ride has gone into hibernation, Pizza Hut now starts at 5:15 p.m., and this week the Judson ride leaves at 8. The XXX Racing-AthletiCo ride will start leaving at 8 and 8:30 a.m. this Saturday, too.

Marc Zionts (Alberto’s) reports that the GTE Barrington ride is suspended until April. “We still depart at 5 a.m. every Saturday, but on cross bikes and usually hit the Des Plaines River Trail.  The ride still departs at Java Love in Highland Park at 5AM.  Anyone looking to join or for details can .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).”

I won’t be able to verify every time on the rides list, so try to confirm any ride time before you head out.

It’s been so long since I’ve had a wrap-up that I had to remind myself how to do it. Unfortunately I don’t have results yet from the ABR masters national road race championships or Sunday’s new Kenosha Criterium, but here are a few reports to get you started.

Update: Here are results and capsules for the road race. Looks like there was some good, exciting racing. I particularly enjoyed the 40+ write-up: “On the back stretch reality sets in: The race is over, no one is chasing.” Oops.

Masters road race reports
Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; W-40+): “I’m very happy that I’m strong enough to experiment and learn. Big lesson: Have a game plan going in.”

Kenosha Criterium race reports
Bob Marshall (ABD; 4/50+): “I get second, in my second crit ever, and was still happy, as my original plan was to finish somewhere in the pack.”

Scott Van Maldegiam (Spin Doctor Cyclewerks; 3, 4): “I managed to catch the end of that train, but had to give it a hard effort as I had lost all my momentum coasting up to the lead riders.”

The Daily Herald has a story: “Cops: Driver caused 16-bike pileup near Libertyville.”

Two clarifications: By my count there were 17 of us, and not all of us went down in the pileup.

Friday’s paper has a more complete story: “Pickup driver accused of causing 16-bicycle crash.”

Update: Chicago Athlete has its story online: “Driver allegedly attacked cyclists and caused 16-bike collision.”

• » Two opportunities to volunteer for studies and get some end-of-season performance data: Brett Peterson of UIC is looking for cyclists to be tested in LaGrange, as is the Gatorade Sports Science Institute in Barrington. Scott Van Maldegiam (Spin Doctor Cyclewerks) blogs about the Gatorade experience at his new blog.
• » One of the riders in this week’s VeloNews photo contest winner is a certain member of XXX Racing-AthletiCo. Not to be braggy, but within six months the same person has been both the winning photographer and part of the winning subject. (The Snake Alley photo was taken about 30 seconds before I crashed and broke my clavicle. I did not have a good day.)
• » Cyclists have it bad around Chicago, but at least we don’t live in L.A. or Beverly Hills. (Thanks, Matt.)
• » “Train and race so hard you sweat, vomit and bleed lactic acid.” Chicago’s loss will be Des Moines’ gain and Iowa’s bane. Good luck, Jen. In other transfer news, I understand that two of the most coveted Cat 4 sandbaggers have made arrangements with Flatlandia and Team Clif Bar Midwest, but I’ll leave it to them to make official announcements.
• » A grand tour passing through Indianapolis and Carbondale? I’ll believe it when I see it.
• » I just about melted when I saw this video of a busy Dutch intersection that gets along fine without traffic lights. So many bike commuters! Cars and bikes getting along! The world as it ought to be! (Thanks, Payton.)
• » Somewhat related: Copenhagen Girls on Bikes.

With all the drama of the past few weeks, one can almost forget that there’s still racing going on.

This weekend kicks off ABD’s two-weekend Fall Fling stage race. As with most ABD and ABR events, there’s a festive, low-key vibe to these races. Mike Ebert and company are good hosts. I haven’t missed an event in the past two years, and I regret that I’m not going to be able to do them this year.

It’s a great series for just about everyone. There’s a citizens field, making it a good opportunity for new racers to give this racing thing a shot before diving into it full-steam next year. For riders who may have gotten a late start to their training, it’s a chance to shine at a time of year when many others have either burned out or moved on to cyclocross. Finally, it’s an opportunity to end the season on a good note. Doing so will go a long way toward motivating those three-hour trainer rides in January.

Saturday will be a 10-mile time trial. The course is mostly flat with one turnaround. Wind is often significant, and it’s one of those magic Chicago winds that’s always in your face. The finish line is not at the same spot as the start line. You’ll want to note its position so it doesn’t surprise you at the end.

Sunday is a criterium in Lombard. The oval, office-park course will be repeated the following Sunday. Corners are soft and easy. There’s a shallow descent between Turns 1 and 2, then a steeper climb between Turns 3 and 4. Successful sprints will start right before Turn 4, so on the final lap make sure you start the climb in good position and be ready to jump. I’ve never seen a break get off in a 4’s or citizens race, but the 1/2/3’s and masters races will be all over the place.

Sunday
Fall Fling Criterium No. 1
ABR criterium
Lombard, Ill.
Distance from Chicago: .5 hour

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