Women's open house

Related to our discussion last week about gender equity in bike racing, XXX Racing-AthletiCo is hosting an open house for women this Sunday. Although the event has recruitment in mind, it's an excellent chance for women thinking of joining any team -- or of racing unattached -- to meet other female cyclists and learn about their experiences. (Note that the hosts request an RSVP.)

How I spent my Saturday evening

I've updated the race schedule with what I know about the 2008 season. This schedule is still missing a few dozen events, including most local races and the entirety of Superweek, but I'm waiting for the Illinois and Wisconsin associations to finalize their schedules before I publish most of those races.

If you represent a mass-start race close to Chicago that's not on this list, feel free to e-mail me its information.

Only 63 days until the first criterium formerly known as Parkside!

Hump day links

• » I'm not sure if it's the last cross race of the 2007 season or the first race of the 2008 season, but Team Mack is hosting the 20th Annual Tour de Groundhog on Feb. 17 near Springfield. In preparation, new South Side team Beverly Bike VeePak will be hosting a training cross ride on Feb. 10.

• » Riding Attempting to ride portions of the lakefront path last week was a balance drill of despair. Now there's so much salt it's like riding on sandpaper. Keep track of latest conditions at this handy Chicago Bike Federation page.

• » CyclingNews has a feature story on Team Type 1, a new UCI team whose development squad includes Alberto's Robert Schrank, part of a Ride Across America team that won its division this year. UPDATE: Scott Van Maldegiam (Spin Doctor Cyclewerks) points out that ABD product Alex Bowden is also on the development squad.

• » What's it like to be a messenger in Chicago? Dispatch 101 is here to tell us.
  

2008 Superweek dates

Go ahead and file those time-off requests at work, as International Cycling has posted dates for the 2008 Superweek: July 11-27.

The third weekend conflicts with the announced date of the inaugural Chicago Criterium. No other details are available yet, including whether the series will be returning to new hosts Blue Island and Evanston. Both were among the highlights of 2007, so here's hoping it does.

More results from Kansas City

I missed a few other strong results from local riders at this weekend's cyclocross national championships. Debbie Pielet (Alberto's) finished 6th in the women's 50-54, and Wayne Simon (Verdigris) got 8th in the men's 50-54. (Thanks, Barry!)

And if you have a strong stomach, check out this video of the head-on crash that took out defending champion Ryan Trebon (Kona).

Some more race reports are now online:

Aspen Gorry (University of Chicago): "The temperatures rose later in the day turning the course into a mix of soupy mud and grass and causing ice to rain down from the trees that it had been covering."

Devon Haskell (Team Get a Grip Cycles): "It's tough riding your bike when the course grabs your wheels and throws you every which way. People went down all over the place."

Holly Klug (Killjoy): "The woman who ended up winning our race came all the way from the left side across to the right completely out of control, taking me completely out."

Hump day links

• » Big congratulations to Devon Haskell (Team Get a Grip Cycles), who was the top local finisher at this weekend's cyclocross national championships in Kansas City. She finished 4th in the collegiate women's race. Ben Popper (Killjoy) was among the others who braved the remarkable snowstorm: "I fell three times in the race, twice in this lap, once on a hairpin turn where I slid out sideways pretty dramatically."

• » Last week's interview with Elk Grove Mayor Craig Johnson, in which we learned that there will be only one women's race at the 2008 Tour of Elk Grove, sparked a good discussion at the St. Louis Revolution blog, online hub of the X Plane women's team. I join them in hoping that the schedule, generous as it is for the dudes (and 32-year-old Cat 3 dudes in particular), can be tweaked to provide more opportunities for women. If it means taking races or prize money from the men, so be it.

• » Speaking of gender equity, mountain biker Georgia Gould (Luna Bar) is petitioning the International Cycling Union to require equal payouts for the top finishers in both women's and men's races. Deeper men's fields would pay deeper, but Gould wants equal purses for the top five.

• » Pre-owned Discovery Channel bikes, only $10,200. Free shipping!

• » I guess this explains why some of you haven't bought my calendar yet. (WARNING: May not be safe for workplace viewing.)

CBR interview: Devon Haskell

Photo by Luke Seemann

Plenty of Chicago racers had good seasons in 2007, but none dominated a field quite like Devon Haskell (Team Get a Grip Cycles). In just her second year of competition, Haskell cruised to victory in each of the six races of the Chicago Cyclocross Cup, where she raced women’s 1/2/3, including Sunday’s state championship at Montrose Harbor. She also invaded our neighboring states, winning the state championship races in Indiana and Wisconsin.

The 26-year-old had a memorable road season as well. Racing for the University of Chicago, where she is pursuing a PhD in economics, she finished 3rd in the Division II women's road race national championship and 6th in the criterium. That earned her a spot on the Ryan Collegiate All-Stars, a women's squad that competed against the nation’s best professional women at June’s Nature Valley Grand Prix.

This weekend Haskell tackles the next level with the national cyclocross championships in Kansas City, where she’ll slog through the cold and mud not just once but twice. Even though she was busy getting ready for that and writing a big paper for school, she spared a few minutes this week to talk about her season and cycling’s many dividends.

What happened at the Nature Valley Grand Prix?
It was a fun experience until Day 4. I don't really remember what happened. The first 70 miles of the race were going along fine, and then I think I hit a curb that according to witnesses launched me about 20 feet onto my head. (Thank goodness for helmets!) I had a concussion that left me out for a bit. I missed out on some summer racing, like Proctor weekend and most of Superweek, which was a bummer.

How did you get ready for cross season?
I found a super coach, Brian Conant (Pony Shop), who prepared me well.

Did your success surprise you?
I didn't know what to expect from cross this year, so yeah, I was surprised.

You'd think women's cross would be popular: small time commitment, low risk of injury, high risk of incredible fun. Any idea why the ChiCrossCup fields have been so small?
I guess people just haven't`[Cross is] like being a kid on the playground while at the same time discovering and redefining your body's limits.’ learned how much fun cross is yet.

What's so fun about it?
You get to play in dirt, mud and snow, splash in puddles, dart through trees and jump over stuff. It's like being a kid on the playground while at the same time discovering and redefining your body's limits. It's difficult not to get hooked by that combination.

Will you be going to cross nats in Kansas City this weekend?
Definitely. I don't want to miss one more chance to ride my cross bike this year. I'll be racing collegiate and then elite.

With the cross season ending this weekend and the collegiate road season starting in February, you're not left with much of an off-season. You obviously can't do the traditional drawn-out prepare-base-build-peak cycle. What kind of plan do you have?
Apparently I have a short plan. It will be better than last year, when I didn't really know about the whole base-build-peak thing until February.

Where do you see your cycling career going?
This is a hard one for me. With this being my first full season, I haven't had a lot of time to figure that out. I've definitely developed a passion. All I know right now is that I want to keep riding and having fun.

Is it coincidence that you went to Dartmouth, alma mater of former collegiate national champion and UCVC rider Todd Yezefski (Nerac)?
Yeah. The only biking I did at Dartmouth was from one side of campus to the other. That's not very far.

One of your teammates has accused you of being "the sweetest and most genuine person that I have ever met." How do you plead?
My teammates are too nice.

I happen to have ample evidence that nice guys tend to finish if not last, mid-pack. Don't you think you'd go faster if you stopped smiling all the time and at least snarled a little?
:)

Do you ever apply economic models to cycling? Resource management? Cost-benefit and risk analysis? Tire inflation? You could do an entire thesis on a single race!
I could use a dissertation topic. Maybe we should talk some more.

Which would you rather bring to the University of Chicago: another Nobel prize for economics -- like it needs any more! -- or another national championship?
Well, if I do my dissertation on the economics of cycling, I'm pretty sure a Nobel prize is out of the picture.

Hump day links

• » Minneapolis blogger Smithers has a fun and insightful interview with the new Minnesota Cycling Federation president. Read parts one, two and three. Coming on the heels of last week's ICA discussion, it's interesting to see the issues facing another state association. Money quote: "It’s easy to sit behind the keyboard and pound out on the message board what should be done, but it’s a lot harder to endure a brutal meeting or spend eight hours in the middle of nowhere watching a corner so 35-year-old men can pretend they are Lance Armstrong." (WARNING: Interview is accompanied by photo that may not be safe for workplace viewing.)

• » Ed White (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) is the lastest Chicago racer to win the VeloNews photo contest, with a little help from Adam Clark (XXX Racing-AthletiCo).

• » How awesome is it that thousands of Chicago drivers will be paying $75 to slap a picture of a bicycle on their windshields?

• » Turin in Evanston is offering two weekly indoor training sessions: Monday sessions meet at the shop for free, and Thursday sessions at the McGaw YMCA are $17.

• » If 2008 comes and you can't keep track of what day it is, it won't be my fault. Order your Chicago Bike Racing calendar today!

CBR interview: Craig Johnson

Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson has made no small plans in his attempt to put his home on the map via the sport of cycling. Plans for his Tour of Elk Grove get even bigger in August 2008, its third year: A professional road race will make its debut, a JumboTron will help fans track the action, and the weekend's $225,000 payout will be theworld's largest for a three-day cycling event.

Part of what has made the Tour of Elk Grove extraordinary is that is has always included a full slate of amateur racing. What's more, its amateur purses have been the most generous in the Midwest, making it one of the few weekends where even a Cat 4 racer stands a good chance of a decent payday.

Since August, however, we amateurs have been wondering how the 2008 changes will affect us. To find out I went straight to the top and asked Mayor Johnson about what to expect. Some details remain to be finalized, but as things stand now:

• » Saturday's road race will start in Schaumburg and end with circuits of the 4.5-mile time trial course, a portion of which makes up that day's amateur criterium course, meaning racing will either be put on hold for or will be scheduled around the pros' arrival.

• » A two-criterium series for Cat 1/2 men will feature a $35,000 purse. (That's almost as much money as is on the line for P/1/2's over the entire 17 races of Superweek.) The overall will be decided by time, with time bonuses available at both stages.

• » Masters racing will expand. Cat 1/2 masters get a 50-minute race with a $6,000 purse, 3/4 masters get 40 minutes and $3,000, and Cat 5 masters get 20 minutes and awards.

• » Men's 3's score big: They'll get their own 60-minute race, after sharing a 20-minute race with the 4's in 2007. Cat 4's will get their own 25-minute race, and 5's will get a third field to accommodate demand -- this in addition to the Cat 5 masters race.

• » The good race director giveth, and he taketh away. To make room for added men's races, there will be no juniors races, and the lone women's race will have an open field. The women's purse will be $4,000, down from a combined $18,000 in 2007.

• » Portions of each entry fee will benefit the Heart of the Marines Foundation and the Elk Grove Village Fallen Soldiers Memorial Fund, which provides scholarships in the name of Elk Grove residents killed in the line of duty.

This next year brings many exciting changes but also some challenges.

• » Will the country's best teams return even though the race isn't on the National Racing Calendar?

• » Can the race shrug off any embarrassment from its 2007 winner, Nathan O'Neill, having tested positive for a banned diet drug?

• » Will spectators finally show up in numbers that do justice to the caliber of the riders?

• » Will Elk Grove and Schaumburg have the logistical wherewithal to pull off a successful road race? (Chicago cycling historians, help me out here: When was the last time there was a road race this close to the city?)

For answers to all this and more, here's the Chicago Bike Racing interview with Mayor Johnson.

What kind of cyclist are you?
I'm a newer cyclist. I bought my first bike since college two years ago when we were doing the bike race for the first time. But I've always been somewhat of a fan of it.

Let me explain how all this got started. Our community celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2006. I don't know if you've ever heard of a band called REO Speedwagon.

A little bit, yes.
We had them come and do a concert for the community. Back in the early '70s they played at our teen center when they were first coming out. We thought that would be a neat way to celebrate our birthday: Get a band that really made it big after it was playing little teen centers.

So we did that, and I was trying to think of a way to bring the world to Elk Grove. I had followed bike racing, and I said, "You know, that would really be neat if we could do something like that." `We can't bring the Cubs to play a game in Elk Grove. But we could have world-class cycling in Elk Grove.’We can't bring the Bears to play in Elk Grove. We can't bring the Cubs to play a game in Elk Grove. But we could have world-class cycling in Elk Grove.

It was going to be a one-time event. In order to get the community involved I thought, Besides getting the pros to race and the differing categories out there, why don't we do a community race, where we have a mayor's challenge?

The event was a huge success the one year. I'm not sure if you remember, but Floyd Landis was going to race that year.

I remember that.
And six days before our race he got caught. That was kind of a blow to us. We had ESPN coming out to cover the race. We had all the major networks coming out. This was going to be Floyd's first race, since he won the Tour de France, back in America.

It would have been neat to have that, but it was such a success in the community and so many riders liked it, and more importantly our community loved it, we decided we wanted to have an annual event now.

Last year we went from a one-stage professional criterium to three stages over two days: a time trial and a crit the first day and a final crit on Sunday. And of course we kicked up the purse, which is astronomical in the cycling world, as we're finding out. We had the largest purse for a two-day event in the world last year.

So we said, If we're really going to make this a real event that's going to be on the top level -- and we go back and forth on whether to be UCI sanctioned or not -- we really have to get a road stage in. So we decided that this year we're going to have a time trial on Friday evening for the top pros, we're going to have a 90-mile road stage with the neighboring town of Schaumburg, and we're going to finish with a final 110km crit in Elk Grove on Sunday.

We of course kicked up the purse, and we just got verification that we've got the biggest purse for a three-day, three-stage race in the world [$225,000]. That's exciting for us, because we want to make sure people realize we're making a premiere event here.

We've also expanded some other things. For example, we're going to do three Category 5 races. We've separated the men's 3/4 race into separate races, and we lengthened the time on them. The men's 3's race will be a 60-minute race. Even the Category 4, I think we're going to do 25 minutes and a lap. Last year we did 20 minutes. I'm eventually going to get the 4's to 30 minutes and a lap.

We also increased the purse. One thing we're doing that's unique is a two-day, two-stage Cat 1/2 race. It's almost like a little mini tour. The purse on that is $35,000.

Will that be two criteriums?
They'll be criteriums. Trust me, trying to do a road race in this area is impossible.

I believe it. What can you tell me about the course?
The road race is going to start in Schaumburg. They're working on that as we speak. They're going meander through the community a little bit and then end up in an area where they can do an 8- or 9-mile loop and do five or six of those. And then they're going to bring it back through the town, back into Elk Grove, and we'll have them finish up on our course. We'll use the same time trial course, which is 4.5 miles. So they'll do four or five loops or whatever we need to get to the 90 miles. We want we meet the minimum requirements and make it a 160km for a road stage, so there will be some loops in there. We're trying to minimize the amount of that.

What we're going to do this year that's neat for the fans is we're going to have a JumboTron TV with live feed for all the races. For the road stage we've already hired the helicopter and we've got the motorcycle rider that will carry the feed for the road stage live back to our JumboTron so the fans in Elk Grove will be able to see the pros going.

At the same time the pros are running in Schaumburg, we're going to run some races on our course, so they can check on the TV to see how the pros are doing at the same time they're seeing some racing in the village.

All the races, the Cat 5 races all the way up to the Cat 1/2 two-stage race, will be televised live on the JumboTron. So as they're riding the crit course, you'll be able to see them as they are away from the start/finish line.

We want to become more fan friendly. We're doing two nights of block parties. After Friday night's time trial with the pros and after Saturday's road stage is complete, we'll have live concerts and fireworks for the fans. If they want to hang around and have a beer or have a brat, they can do that.

We're going to have a Kids Fest area. One thing we heard from the parents is, "Hey, bicycling's fun for them but sometimes the kids get a little antsy." So Wal-Mart's going to sponsor a kids fest area, where they have the jumping gym area `We're trying to get in more races ... We're doing is we're tying to give what the riders are asking for.’and the slides and all of that. And all that is free to the community.

We're really trying to expand more. We're trying to get in more races. One thing I'm sorry to say will be eliminated this year will be the junior races. And we're going to cut down to just one women's open race. We're not going to have two different women's races this year.

And in all honesty the reason on that is lack of riders. One of the juniors races we were doing I think had seven riders. To take away time on the course when we had so many people clamoring for Cat 5 races -- we had to turn riders away for the Cat 5 last year. And I know the 3's and 4's wanted to be separated. We heard from them on that one. So what we're doing is we're tying to give what the riders are asking for.

All the races, we've increased the purses. I mean, $35,000 for a two-stage 1/2 race? It's unprecedented. No one does that.

The women will not be doing the road race?
No. They'll just have an open criterium race. I'm sorry we had to do that, but I was very disappointed with the women last year. The first year, we did a $6,000 women's P/1/2 race and I think we had 48 riders. And they came clamoring to me: "Mayor, it's great what you're doing, but give us some purses that rival the men's. C'mon, come through for us!" And I said, "I'll do it for you, ladies, if you turn the riders out."

So last year we did a one-stage criterium, P/1/2 women, $15,000 prize money, which is unheard for women -- and we had only 38 riders. We had 10 less riders than we had the year before. And I said, "Come on. You asked me for something, I delivered for you, even though a lot of the people involved said I was crazy to do it." I wanted to give 'em the chance, and they didn't come out.

So just one women's race?
Yes. It's an open, so you can be a pro on down to Cat 4.

The National Racing Calendar came out last month and Elk Grove wasn't on it. Do you expect it to get on there? What difference do you think that will make as far as what teams you attract?
I don't think it's going to hurt us because everyone knows now about the Tour of Elk Grove. We were disappointed with the calendar situation. I talked to USA Cycling about that. What happened was, we changed our weekend from the second weekend of August to the first weekend of August. At that time they already had two long-standing races on there. Obviously nowhere near the type of fields or the purses that we put out, but for this one year they said out of respect for those races they didn't want to bump 'em out. Next year, they've already assured us, we will be on the National Racing Calendar again.

The reason we moved it -- and we are now permanently set for the first weekend of August -- is that we have the Arlington Million going on. Our main paper sponsor, the Daily Herald, is in Arlington Heights to cover both, and they've asked us for years to move.

The other thing this year is the Olympics start the second weekend of August, and it would have been difficult to attain some of the top riders if we'd stuck to the second weekend. So we decided that, after talking to Chris Horner (Astana) and to Freddie Rodriguez (Rock Racing), and they can definitely make it over after the Tour [de France] to our race, and the other pros can. Matter of fact, they'd prefer to have it up that first weekend.

Everyone loves seeing Chris Horner there. Do you expect him back next year?
No question. Chris, we expect Fast Freddie back, and we expect a lot more riders from over in Europe. We've gotten a lot of inquiries, now that we've added the road stage, from the other teams in Europe. They're excited. So you'll see even a better field of pros. Christian Vandevelde, we expect fully to be back again next year.`[Chris Horner and Freddie Rodriguez] didn't come over to make appearances. They came over to race and to win.’

And if you noticed, Chris and Freddie didn't come over to make appearances. They came over to race and to win. This race, they view it as one of the top races in the world and they want to be competitive in it.

The amount of money you're able to raise for this is frankly astounding. How do go about getting people to contribute to a sport they may not be familiar with?
Our lead sponsor is Alexian Brothers, and they've got a beautiful commitment with us. It's a three-year rolling contract. In other words, after each year if they're happy with it, we're guaranteed two more years of sponsorship. So they're on line for not only this year but also for 2009 and 2010.

The other main sponsors -- Citi, Elk Grove Bank, Gullo International Development -- they're all good. And even the small sponsors -- The atmosphere we have here, the effect we have here with these bike races, it's a community event. And with the kids fests and the big-wheel races, anyone who wants to ride on the same course as the pros race on, they can. You and I, we can't drive our cars at the Indy 500. You and I can't go play baseball at Wrigley Field.

So I think one reason that it's taken off so well and the sponsors want to be a part of it is it's more than a bike race. It's a community and a regional and now it's becoming a national event. And they like that. They like the partnership, and they like the atmosphere we put on for them.

Will the criterium and time trial courses be the same?
The time trial course will be the same. The criterium courses will be the same: Saturday will be the longer criterium, Sunday will be the shorter criterium. The only difference is that when the pros come back from the road stage they will ride the time trial course when they do the loops.

What was your reaction to the Nation O'Neill positive test?
I felt bad for Nathan, but the feedback I got, and my feeling is, we did the right thing. We've always said that we're going to try to run the cleanest event there is in professional cycling. I feel bad that Nathan had the problem he had, but it proved to the riders that we're not kidding and we're not just giving lip service. We will try run the cleanest race in the professional circuit.

Remember, the vast majority of riders are clean riders, and they should face fair, equal competition. No one should have an unfair advantage. We're going to continue the testing, and we're going to look for ways to make it even stronger in the future.

I live in Chicago. Our mayor is a bike enthusiast, too. Who would win a 10km time trial between the two of you?
I don't know, but if you'd like to try it, I'd be glad to do it. I would love to do it.

Maybe that's a good way to settle the O'Hare expansion.
I'd be willing to do it, but I'm not sure he would.

Turin offers free cross-training opportunity

Turin's Chris Dimmick is in need of help to dig out the course before Sunday's state championships cyclocross race. He and others will be out there Saturday between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Bring a shovel or broom and treat yourself to a unique off-the-bike workout.

Cross results updated

Chicago Cyclocross Cup standings have been updated ahead of Sunday's finale at Montrose Harbor.

Barring catastrophe, overalls are pretty much locked up, with Luca Lenzi (Vision Quest) and Devon Haskell (Get a Grip Cycles) sitting pretty atop their respective fields. One remaining showdown is in the 4's, where professional triathlete Brad Zoller (Unattached) and Aspen Gorry (UCVC) are separated by a mere 15 points. (Gorry no doubt pines for the 10 points he lost at Lansing when officials relegated him for riding off-course in the final sprint.)

Even if the series are settled, state championship jerseys are on the line, so expect fierce competition all day. Make sure your cowbell ringing and heckling are just as merciless.

IRS releases '08 schedule

Dan Daly of the Indiana Race Series has posted a preliminary schedule for 2008. Although the series is much smaller than previous incarnations, it still includes two stage races: the Tour of Indiana on April 19-20 and the Indiana Stage Race on Aug. 23-24.

Missing from the slate is The Great Race, a criterium and road race that are low-key, semi-local alternatives to Memorial Day weekend's big races in Iowa, Minnesota and Tennessee. Daly tells me The Great Race is still on, but he does not yet know whether he'll be helping run them.

Hump day links

• » As you may have read in The New York Times, cyclocross "has recently caught fire" in the United States. Get it while it's hot by coming out to Sunday's state championships at Montrose Harbor. A "light wintry mix" is forecast, which should make the racing extra sloppy and spectator-friendly, but it should be warm enough that you don't freeze your butt off. Bring $20 and you can go home with this amazing poster from legendary poster artist and bike enthusiast Jay Ryan.

• » Dan Castallaneta of "The Simpsons" joins "Le Comedie du Bicyclette" when it returns to the Lakeshore Theater for a short run Dec. 12-16. I have no information on whether drugs will enhance the performance.

• » Just because it's snowing doesn't mean you and can't have fun with your bike, thanks to our friends at Bike Winter.

• » Your mechanic called. He said he and the other wrenches would like a calendar for Christmas.

Hillsboro-Roubaix on for March 29

The promoter for Hillsboro-Roubaix, perhaps the Midwest's most eagerly anticipated amateur road race, has confirmed that the 2008 edition will be Saturday, March 29.

This is an exciting, grueling course, famous for a long stretch of uneven brick -- an approximation of Europe's pavé -- that will reduce the hardest cyclists to Jell-O, assuming the crosswinds and climbs don't claim them first. Finishing this race is a victory in itself, and winning it bestows bragging rights for life. Indeed, it is the thought of Hillsboro in March that motivates many of us to mount our trainers in December.

ABD joins with Gear Grinder (nee PCW)

In his CBR interview last month, Mike Ebert (ABD) alluded to some big changes for Athletes by Design. Today he delivered, and the changes are a much bigger deal than just a few new sponsors.

ABD is joining forces with Gear Grinder Cycling (formerly known as PCW) to form a combined pro development team, known as ABD-Gear Grinder, to race regionally and at select National Race Calendar events.

The arrangement is for 2008 only, but Ebert tells me "everyone at ABD and Gear Grinder has been looking much further down the road since we first started talking." This includes potential partnerships on junior, off-road and multisport programs.

The teams will continue to operate separate teams -- ABD has more than 200 members, PCW 130 -- for riders Category 1 through 5.

Gear Grinder is a Wisconsin-based company that will be selling "cycling-inspired" casual clothing. (Its Web site is under construction.)

Ebert's post also unveils the 2008 ABD-Gear Grinder roster, which retains ABD heavyweights Josh Carter and Jeff Schroetlin and adds from PCW the dynamic duo of Rob and Ryan White. You may know Rob best from an impressive win over Jonathan Clarke (Colavita) at Glencoe or from this famous shot from Downers Grove.

In other ABD news, the flier for its annual indoor time trial series is now available. 2008's first race is only a month away.

(Full disclosure: ABD is a sponsor of Chicago Bike Racing.)