Benga Sports this week released information for its Tour de Lafayette stage race in May. This new event -- criterium, stage race and time trial -- is interesting for several reasons: It's scored by time. Its only fields are men's 3's and 4/5's (save for citizen and junior fields at the criterium). And note this warning: "For safety reasons, if one rider violates the yellow-line rule, the race will be stopped, the stage cancelled, and no prize will be given to competitors for the stage."

Lafayette, Ind., is two hours from Chicago. Unfortunately the May 17-18 event conflicts with Monsters of the Midway, a Chicago favorite, and at 20 and 32 miles the circuit races are on the short side. Nonetheless, stage races are fun, and I'll be curious to see how Indiana and Illinois racers receive this one.

I'm sure there are dozens if not hundreds of people disappointed at being locked out of Hillsboro-Roubaix, and many women are upset at the shorter women's fields, but I'm extremely sympathic to the organizers for doing so much with limited resources. They're doing the best they can to make sure what has become one of our most popular races runs smoothly and safely, and somehow they do it with admirable good humor and patience.

Rich Pierce this morning posted the following over at STLBiking, and a low-res flier is now up at Hillsbororoubaix.com.

All, I appreciate your patience and trust. Work has been very stressful this year and I have not been as organized as I like.

Why fewer fields or less miles or both?
We are trying very hard to appreciate the dangers present in road racing after a young lady was killed in a race in Illinois last year. She placed 6th at Hillsboro last year. So in the interests of safety, order, and scoring, we are reducing the numbers of fields and some distances so we can manage the race as well as it can be done.

Oops on the flyer not being published yet
I did intend to have the flyer out before pre-registration opened. But there were 2 old guys involved, me and Dave Ploch who runs www.2wheeltech.com. We both sometimes find ourselves down in the basement of our homes, wondering, "Now what did I come down here for?" So we had a miscommunication and pre-registration opened before I intended and before the flyer got out. Old guys.

No waiting lists, sorry
We don’t keep and manage a waiting list. The logistics are very difficult. It takes a lot of time to manage all the communication, who is in, who is out, and we don’t have the personnel to do it. We all work regular jobs and in a guy's mid-50's, losing that job is not good.

On race day, we don’t know that “no shows” are “no shows” until registration closes. Once it’s closed, we can’t open it up- there are 100 emergency details that have to run like clockwork as we wind down to start time.

I don't get to race the race either
If you are disappointed that you won’t be able to race, I know how you feel. It’s "my" race (actually my team's race and a few other guys helped me plan the course) and I’ve never been able to race it, because I manage it. My team says they will arrange it so I can race, but I'd be so stressed and exhausted by the time it begins, I'd have nothing, nada, and get shelled. At least I'd have an excuse, though! I'd love to feel how it is on some of those downhill chicanes, in the pack.

Thanks for your support for the Hillsboro race and I hope we or another team is able to put the race on again next year.

I knew the Hillsboro-Roubaix fields would fill quickly, but I didn't imagine they'd fill this quickly. The 3/4's field filled overnight, joining capacity fields in the 4/5's and 5's. All that remains are the women's fields, juniors and masters fields, and the P/1/2 field.

What does this say about the demand for quality road racing in Illinois?

Let's see who was on the ball from Chicago-area teams:

Cat 3/4
8 Vitaminwater-Trek
7 Team Get a Grip Cycles
7 XXX Racing-AthletiCo
5 ABD
3 Flatlandia
3 Vision Quest
2 Cuttin' Crew
2 North Branch
1 Half Acre
1 Northwestern
1 WDT

Cat 4/5
10 XXX Racing-AthletiCo
9 Beverly Bike/Vee Pak
6 Vision Quest
5 Get a Grip Off Road
4 Half Acre
2 ABD
2 Killjoy
1 Cuttin' Crew
1 Team Pegasus
1 Turin
1 WDT

Cat 5
9 XXX Racing-AthletiCo
6 Vision Quest
1 Team Pegasus
1 UCVC

Registration for Hillsboro Roubaix is open. I don't see a flier yet, but men's 3/4's are capped at 100, 4/5's at 75 and 5's at 50. I expect all three of those will fill up, starting with the 5's, as this is one of the most popular road races in the Midwest, and deservedly so.

Congratulations to Vitaminwater-Trek for apparently winning the race before the race and being first to register.

1 P.M. UPDATE: Four hours later, the 5's field is almost 50 percent full, the 4/5's field is 33 percent full and the 3/4's field is almost 25 percent full. Happily, most of these registrations are from the Chicago area.

2 P.M. UPDATE: Promoter Rich Pierce posts the following over at STLBiking:

"In the interest of safety (#1!) we have made changes:

"The men's 5 race will be one lap. That's right, 22 miles of heck-for-leather racing and then you're done to recover and watch the pros duke it out.

"The women's 4 race will be one lap only, 22 miles instead of 44 miles.

"The women's 1,2,3 race will be 2 laps (44 miles) instead of 66 miles.

"This will allow us to have these fields fields finish quicker and then we'll have fewer fields on the road to manage. We had to do it! If we could we'd have 13 fields, 3 of them being men's 5's! But it's not possible to do it and score racers and keep them safe."

4 P.M. UPDATE: Good-bye, Roubaix Tuesday! The 5's race is now full. Your options are either to register for the 4/5 race or to ask -- politely, with sugar on top -- to be put on a waiting list.

By the way, how awesome are these pre-registration lists? Surely I won't be the only one who will be spending the next 45 days sizing up my competition by seeing how they did last year and looking up their results at USA Cycling. (Tip: Googling a person's name along with "compid" will usually return a list of their USCF results.)

7:30 P.M. UPDATE: Theres no time to lose, I heard her say;
Catch your dreams before they slip away. And now the 4/5's race has filled. Now a Cat 5's best shot of participating is to work the feed zone. Cat 4's, there's still room the 66-mile 3/4's race.

The Wisconsin Cycling Schedule has posted its 2008 road schedule. It's very similar to past editions, although I'm chagrined to see the Leland Grand Prix scheduled for the same day as Monsters of the Midway (whose 2008 flier has been posted, BTW).

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.

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.

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.

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.

Steve Goar of Benga Sports is an Indiana race promoter who tried to get a race series off the ground last year but for various reasons aborted the effort. Now he's back with a new Web site and an ambitious 2008 schedule, including another stab at the Anderson Mayors Cup, one of few series within a reasonable drive of Chicago. Also noteworthy is that first-time racers will race for free.

There appear to be lingering bad feelings between Goar and Indiana Race Series promoter Dan Daly. (God forbid this USAC/ABR schism should creep over the border into Illinois.) I don't pretend to know all the details, and I don't pretend to care. I just want to know when all the races will be, thank you very much.

I hope, however, that the two work out their differences and fashion complementary calendars. I've never had anything but a pleasant experience at a Daly race, and I have fond memories of the Mayors Cup that the two of them put on in 2006.

Chicago Special Events Management issued a press release this morning naming Mike Friedman (Slipstream) the new winner of the 2007 Tour of Elk Grove, following last week's disclosure that Nathan O'Neill had tested positive for phentermine.

From the release: "'We’re obviously disappointed but we will continue to be aggressive about testing and holding our riders to the highest possible standards,' said Elk Grove Mayor Craig Johnson, who also serves as Director of Tour of Elk Grove. As a result, O’Neill has returned his $33,500 prize money (which will be redistributed to other 2007 top winners). He will also be banned for life from racing in the event."

This is quick action, and I'm surprised that it was taken before O'Neill had appeared before his Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority, which on Nov. 8 CyclingNews reported would be happening "in the coming weeks."

On a happier note, the CSEM release gives the first official mention of a date for the 2008 Tour of Elk Grove. It will run Aug. 1-3, one day longer than previously, presumably to accommodate the new road race that was announced at this year's event.

USA Cycling announced the 2008 National Racing Calendar today. Notable departures include the Tour of Elk Grove, Downers Grove and Superweek. The inaugural Chicago Criterium failed to make the cut, too, a disappointment but not surprising given that it's an unknown quantity and falls on the last day of the Tour de 'Toona.

The closest NRC racing to Chicago will be the Nature Valley Grand Prix in Minnesota, the Priority Health Grand Cycling Classic in Grand Rapids, Mich., and, for the women, the Tour de Leelanau in Traverse City, Mich.

According to the announcement, Downers Grove was dropped "primarily because of the advantage given to clubs and teams with a greater number of American riders on their rosters." I'm not enough of an NRC wonk to understand what that means or predict the implications. Is this just meant to discourage another Canadian or Australian from winning? Is it that embarrassing for the Stars and Stripes to go to second place?

Photo by Luke Seemann

It looks like we have our own private Landis.

Health Net has terminated the contract of Nathan O'Neill, winner of this year's Tour of Elk Grove overall, for having tested positive for appetite suppressant phentermine at the event. According to the team's press release, O'Neill had a prescription for the drug, but its presence is banned during competition.

If you're looking for Health Net's bio page for the eight-time Australian time trial champion, it's not there, and his Web site has no comment yet.

Mike Friedman (Slipstream) finished 3 seconds behind O'Neill in both the overall and the opening time trial that decided the weekend. No details yet on whether this makes him the new champion -- or the new owner of the $26,000 novelty check.

UPDATE: This from Andy Lee of USA Cycling: "It will most likely be a while before USADA adjudicates O’Neill’s case. Once USADA determines the penalty, if any, USA Cycling will adjust the results of the event accordingly."

UPDATE: CyclingNews has a brief on a statement from O'Neill. In the statement, posted on his Web site, he concedes to having taken phentermine out of competition. Although he denies any stimulant effect, he apologizes for the "misjudgment." He now goes before the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority.

Remember that scene in "The Empire Strikes Back" when the rebels are evacuating Hoth? After the first first ship leaves Echo Base and passes safely through the Imperial lines, an announcement is made: "The first transport is away!" [Widespread cheering.] "The first transport is away!"

That's sort of how I feel now. "The first 2008 races have been announced!" Widespread cheering. "The first 2008 races have been announced!"

It was 75 degrees today for the cross race in Carpentersville, but ABR has already released information for its 2008 Mid America Time Trial Series, including dates for the ABD indoor time-trial series, and the spring practice criterium series, formerly held at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.

The criteriums will be March 2, March 9 and March 16. I understand they will be at the same business park as the other recent ABR criteriums in Kenosha, Wis.

This will be the 29th year of the spring training series. It's the traditional kick-off for outdoor racing, and after a long, hard winter, many will attack the series with an intensity that suggests they'd planned their season around it.

Only 138 days to go!

Pieter Ombregt (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) crashed hard racing at Matteson last night. Despite immediate first aid and more than two hours of surgery, Pieter passed away later in the evening at St. James Hospital in Olympia Fields.

It is a devastating loss for his family and the second tragedy to strike XXX Racing-AthletiCo this year.

This is my understanding of the crash, most of which comes from Michael Kelly (South Chicago Wheelmen), who was there: The 27-year-old Belgian was attacking into the wind out of Turn 4, one of many "frisky" attacks of his this night. After looking back to check his gap, he apparently strayed to the right, off the road, and struck industrial piping near the start/finish area. He was going about 30 mph. The force of the crash broke his carotid artery and caused massive bleeding. He never regained consciousness.

Witnesses speculate that he may have been blinded by the setting sun, which at that hour was in riders' eyes on that section of the course.

This was his second season with XXX Racing-AthletiCo after racing with ABD in 2005. He was a frequent racer at Matteson, and when he visited his family in Belgium he would train and race there. (On Aug. 25 he placed 7th in the Parochianenkoers Hertsberghe.) At Superweek this year he won the Cedarburg 4/5's and placed 2nd in Whitefish Bay.

He lived in Chicago with his fiancee. His family is en route from Belgium.

I will update this post as information develops. Friends and others are encouraged to share their thoughts and memories in the comments.

This isn't supposed to happen, ever, and for it to happen twice in one city, to one team, my team, is confounding.

6 p.m.: The Daily Southtown has a story: "Accomplished cyclist crashes in Matteson race, dies."

11 p.m.: I've started a photo gallery over at the XXX Racing-AthletiCo site.

9/13
9 a.m.: I wasn't sure at first, but that is our Pieter behind pieterombregt.com. I had no idea he was such a talented photographer. His portraits are amazing. A photographer colleague of Pieter's has a remembrance.

9:30 a.m.: Teammate Bob Willems also has a remembrance: "He brought his heart and guts to the start line of every race. People came to know Pieter by the character of his riding, and I think that's the highest compliment for a cyclist."

11 a.m.: The South Chicago Wheelmen have canceled the rest of the 2007 Matteson series, an understandable decision. The Daily Southtown story hints at this, but I expect there will be a difficult decision to be made, by both our friends at SCW and our generous hosts at Ace Hardware, about whether the races continue. I for one hope they do. I can't think of anything in the Chicago area that contributes more to racer safety than these practice criteriums. We are better, safer riders because of them.

6 p.m. There will be a viewing this Sunday, Sept. 16, at Drake & Son Funeral Home, 5303 N. Western, Chicago, beginning at 11:30 a.m. A prayer service will follow at 1:30 p.m.

9/14
8 a.m.: Here is Pieter's obituary, and Legacy guestbook.

9 a.m.: CyclingNews has a brief item.

4 p.m.: A scholarship to honor Pieter has been established. To donate to the Pieter Ombregt Scholarship Fund, direct funds to:
Columbia College Chicago
Attn. Kim Clement
600 S. Michigan Ave., 4th Floor
Chicago, IL 60605

His family will be notified of your contribution.

9/16
6 p.m.: It was standing room only at Pieter's prayer service today. Many moving and beautiful things were said in tribute to Pieter. Of relevance to the cyclists reading this are the words from Pieter's father: "When you are in the peloton and look around and do not see Pieter, do not be sad that he is not there. He is there. He's just escaped. He is around the corner, and you must go faster to catch up to him."

9/17
12 p.m.: Mark your calendars: On Thursday, Nov. 15, at 5 p.m. a reception will open an exhibition of Pieter's photography at the City Gallery of Photography at 800 N. Michigan Ave. This is a prestigious location, and the exhibition will run through Feb. 3.

9/20
3 p.m.: The Columbia Chronicle has a story: "Tragic cycling accident claims life of Columbia photography student."

And in Het Volk: "Onze zoon is vredig en gelukkig gestorven."

ABR has come through with a fall Kenosha, Wis., criterium, this one on Sunday, Sept. 23. Here is the flier. According to an ABR e-mail making the rounds: "The course has wide curvy roads in good shape and is located just east of the Kenosha Airport off of I-94. No huge prize list just great racing." (Thanks, Tim.)

The Parkside Fall Criterium of Sept. 16 has been canceled because of construction at the university. Rats! The fall Parkside race has always been a nice tune-up for, um, the spring Parkside races, which traditionally kick off our road season in March -- a mere six months away!

The cancellation means the only remaining road races in '07 are the two weekends of the Fall Fling and, presuming it is still on, the ABR masters national road race championship on Sept. 22 (flier pending).

I hope the construction doesn't jeopardize the spring series. That would be another big loss to the calendar, and I'm not sure I could handle going all the way to April without a race.

Update: Crack investigator Andy Daley (Team Clif Bar Midwest) digs into the University of Wisconsin-Parkside master plan and notes that there will no longer be a criterium-friendly inner loop. "We can all forget about racing at Parkside again." Let's hope our friends at Kenosha Velosport can dig up another course by March.

Many riders have been wondering this week about the status of Sunday's team time trial. It's on! Here is the flier. Bob Lundberg of American Bicycle Racing is spreading the word: "If you have not registered your team, please e-mail your team name, names of team members and class entered to ambikerace@aol.com. Bring signed release forms and entry fee to registration the day of event."

(Thanks, Scott!)

Lance Maylath (Project 5) reminds me that Comcast Sports Network is broadcasting an hourlong summary of the Tour of Elk Grove this week: Tuesday at 1 p.m. and again Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. A 30-minute recap of the national championships at Downers Grove will air Sunday, Sept. 2, at 4 p.m.

It's prime time. Rain or shine, Andrew Jackson will be at Sherman Park tomorrow ready to say, "Nice sprint!"

• » Like a kid counting down to Christmas, Jeff Kao (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) reminds us that there are only 30 days until cyclocross. To get ready, Jason and Kristen Meshberg (Flatlandia) are hosting cross practices Wednesdays at Spring Rock Park in Western Springs. Warm up at 5:30 p.m., race at 6. "It's practice and not a clinic," Jason says. "Everybody is there to get a crazy workout." Mind the rules: Knock over a barrier, do 10 push-ups. (I won't be covering the cross scene nearly as obsessively as road, but you can expect some updates.)

• » Action Images is starting to upload photos from Downers Grove.

• » Voytek Glinkowski (WDT) alerts me to construction on Sunday's Glencoe course. "Two-thirds of the width of Park Avenue, between Vernon Avenue and Grove Street, is under heavy construction. There is about a 4-inch drop on the street, surrounded by construction fence." Should make for an even more interesting course. UPDATE: Patrick McNally (MetCycling) tells me "the pavement is under construction because they are laying down NEW stuff for the race!" Even better! Race director Jon Knouse adds: "The village is owed a very healthy thank you for going the extra mile to assure the best pavement possible for our inaugural race." Thanks, Glencoe! Now if only Wilmette would follow and pave Sheridan Road ...

• » It is so not going to rain tomorrow, so don't even think about wussing out out of Sherman Park.

• » UPDATE: VeloNews now has a preview. It mentions that sprinter Tony Cruz (Discovery) is a possible late entry. It also quotes Ivan Dominguez (Toyota-United) on the final corner: "You either crash and injure yourself or you win the race." Dominguez says he wishes the finish line were elsewhere on the course, but I'm not sure where it could be positioned to allow for a bigger run-up. Between Turns 2 and 3? Closer to Turn 1?

• » We all loved seeing Chris Horner (Predictor-Lotto) at the Tour of Elk Grove last week. Cyclingnews' Mark Zalewski wrote a profile that looks at Horner's hopes for next year and expands on Horner's disappointment with Lance Armstrong: "Because Lance wants to get out of the sport he is going to unemploy half of his team. Personal opinion again, but that has to be the biggest bullshit story I have ever read!"

• » Kurt Jambretz of Action Images has hundreds of great pictures from Elk Grove, both amateur and pro.

• » Ed White (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) took some nice pictures at the track last night, where Adam Bergman (Colavita), Emile Abraham (Priority Health) and Todd Yezefski (Nerac) put on quite a show. (The former USPRO champ I was promised was a no-show.)

• » Fliers for the Fall Fling are out. Looks like another great series. Men's 3's will race with the 1/2's but will have separate payouts.

• » For those who need a program to tell the players apart, here's Sunday's start list for Downers Grove. Also, the race bible has a breakdown of the men's USPRO sprint contest. Points will be awarded with 45, 40 and 35 to go: 7,5,3,2 and 1 for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th. Winner gets a grand. Also, Cyclingnews has a preview, citing a "possible leg problem" with last year's elite champ, Kayle Leogrande (Rock Racing).

• » Eddie Van Guyse and the other announcers do a great job at Downers Grove, but when referring to the national championship jersey, they tend to call it the "stars and bars," which is very different from the "stars and stripes." So I propose a little game. Every time they do this, let's all call back in unison, "I think you mean 'stars and stripes!'"
  

Great news! The men's 3/4's race has been extended to 30 minutes plus 1.

It's still no Superweek, but at least this won't feel as abbreviated as a one-inning baseball game.

Our most compelling arguments for a longer race are that it will be safer and, given more time for things to develop, much more interesting. So, let's prove ourselves right by keeping the paramedics bored and by putting on a really good show. This will be fun!

Speaking of fun, Tim Hayes (Grumpy's) tells me to expect fireworks at the Northbrook Velodrome tonight. Pros getting in their pre-Downers kicks may include Adam Bergman (Colavita), who won the Evanston Grand Prix in July and demolished the field in Kenosha on Tuesday, and possibly a former USPRO champion. Tonight's 1/2/3 75-lap scratch race is the state championship and a qualifier for nationals.

I was going to get a much-needed haircut tonight, but this settles it: I'm heading to Northbrook!

I couldn't help but laugh to see how Matt Smith (Big Shark) is motivating himself at Elk Grove this weekend.

Good luck, everyone. Rubber side down, shiny side up. I'll be dashing off to a wedding shortly after the 3/4's race, but feel free to find me for a post-victory interview.

Also: Dig the nicely edited video from this weekend's Cat 3 races uploaded by Bryan McVey (Vision Quest). The Grayslake sprint, which McVey won, is a great companion to the in-race video shot by second-place Julian Baumgartner (Team Clif Bar Midwest). One thing I notice is the vast difference in cadence between McVey (80 rpm?) and Baumgartner (110 rpm?). If the finish line were just a few yards farther, I think the results would have been flopped. (I hope Baumgartner isn't kicking himself for all the extra grams the camera burdened him with.)

Tour of Elk Grove organizers sent a press release today saying that "all riders" will be drug-tested this year. I'm presuming this refers only to the pro riders and not to the lower categories, but one never knows that lengths a Cat 5 rider will go to to survive the rigors of a 20-minute criterium.

(UPDATE: A corrected press release clarifies that only random riders will be tested, not "all.")

The same release announced the marquee racers for the pro stage race: Chris Horner (Predictor-Lotto) and Christian Vandevelde (CSC), both fresh from finishing the Tour de France, as well as defending Elk Grove and Downers Grove champion Hilton Clarke (Navigators). (No Dave Zabriskie (CSC)? Nuts!)

Fan favorite Horner will appear Friday, Aug. 10, from 4-5 p.m. at Village Cycle Sport, 45 Arlington Heights Rd., Elk Grove Village.

Finally, dig this prize list for the pro men, a total of $200,000 that is the largest for a cycling event on American soil. A $3,000 sprint prime!

"I like to watch the cyclists. They're a little bit sexy."

Sniff. Only a little bit?

The Peoria Journal Star reports that the Proctor Cycling Classic will not be returning to Brimfield, in part because of concerns raised following Beth Kobeszka's fatal crash last month. USA Cycling recommended continuing the race, but the race committee decided otherwise.

The current story doesn't indicate whether there will be a replacement road road or where, but it says "organizers wanted another event that would attract more fans." I could be reading too much into that, but that says "criterium" to me.

The news isn't a total surprise. Comments on this story and others in the Journal Star show that many residents in the area resent cyclists in general and the road race in particular.

Road races in Illinois are already a rarity, and it's no small task to put on one. Let's hope there is indeed a replacement course, a safe one, and that the Proctor Cycling Classic doesn't go the way of the Al Stern Memorial Road Race, the previous state championship.

Photo by Luke Seemann

Downers Grove registration is finally open!

Of relevance to many of my readers, the men's 3's and 4's are a combined field this year and capped at 100. I expect it to fill up by, oh, about 4 p.m. tomorrow. Anyone even thinking about racing should register now.

The races are ridiculously short this year, so the masters 4/5 is a good option for those eligible. Last year I had a mediocre 4's race, but it let me figure enough things out to do well with the masters.

Several riders on the cusp of upgrading to 4 have asked me whether they should do so in time for Elk Grove and Downers. My answer has been an emphatic "no." These races are going to be fast, technical and congested. Even a rider who's been crushing the 5's fields this year will find these races unfun and dangerous. You'll be doing yourself and everyone else a favor by enjoying the 5's race instead, and assuming the races don't get behind schedule, you'll get the same 20 minutes of racing as the 3's and 4's.

Sometimes it makes sense to extend yourself by racing over your head. This is not one of those times. (Sherman Park, on the other hand, is an excellent opportunity to race up.)

Note also that the Downers Grove Web site has updated some content and changed its URL.

• » Masters national championships are being decided at Seven Spring Mountain in Champion, Penn. (Where else?) Among local results so far, Tom Doughty (Discovery Masters) came in 3rd in the 55-59 time trial and 5th in the criterium. Downstater Mark Swartzendruber (Delta Faucet) came in 2nd in the 45-49 time trial. Road races start tomorrow and go through Wednesday, with juniors action starting Thursday.

• » On the Route's new Trek concept store is among the shops providing demos of the 2008 Trek Madone and Lemond Tete de Course. Test rides along the lakefront will be available Wednesday, July 11, from 2 to 6 p.m. RSVP at either store, online or by calling (312) 588-1050. Be prepared to specify frame size, pedal preference and the time of expected arrival.
  
  

The Superweek Web site reports that 4/5 fields are filling up quickly, especially for the races in Chicago. Fees go up $5 per race starting Monday, so register now or start picking out the best place to watch.

In other race news, here is a Glencoe News story about the inaugural Glencoe Grand Prix in August. It looks like an interesting course. I'll plot it out on MapMyRide when I have a chance. "IllinoisFrank" provides us with this map. Note that the course for juniors at 5's will be slightly altered, taking a shortcut down Hawthorn to avoid the sharp turn off South onto Vernon. I've never seen a race do this, but it seems a prudent precaution.

Our worst fear. Our greatest possible loss.

Beth Kobeszka (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) was struck by a vehicle and killed during Saturday's Proctor road race near Brimfield, Ill.

Doctors declared her brain dead upon arrival at the hospital. She was kept on life support, then allowed to pass Saturday evening with her family at her side.

The crash occurred in the finishing stretch of the women's 4's race. My understanding is that she was bumped across the centerline and came into the path of the truck, which was towing a horse trailer. The course is known to have narrow roads, but I do not have information about the conditions at that point of the road, and I have not yet cared to probe or speculate.

Beth was 24, an honors graduate from Northwestern and an organ donor.

Her last race was the Cobb Park Criterium. She came in first.

And she was a teammate of mine.

We called her "Beth K.," because there already was a Beth on the team, and what daredevil tries to pronounce that name anyhow?

She joined us this year, and I did not get the chance to know her well enough to do her service here. But just from the few times I met her, I know that she was spunky, smart and supportive. As a cyclist, she was talented and selfless.

I invite friends and family to use the comments here to tell us more.

Here is a story from the local ABC affiliate. There is also a brief in the Peoria Journal Star, but its comments have already been filled with so much bile and ignorance that I cannot in good conscience link to it.

Here is a gallery of photos at the XXX Racing-AthletiCo site. Non-teammates who would like to upload photos can e-mail them to me.

I will update this post as there is more information available. There will be opportunities for memorial and tribute, but details have not been announced.

7/2
9 a.m.: Here is a more complete story from the Journal Star, but again the comment section has been visited by uninformed, occasionally hateful debate about roads.

11 a.m.: Here are two stories from the NBC affiliate, with videos: "Cyclist Dies in Crash," "Cyclists React to Crash"

5:30 p.m.: Local teams are sharing their condolences: Team Clif Bar Midwest, North Branch Cycling, Team Get a Grip Cycles. In addition, I am told that Turin has committed its winnings from the weekend toward Beth's memory, and the women of XXX have been particularly grateful for the love and support of Team Kenda Tire.

10:30 p.m.: The Chicago Tribune has a story in Tuesday's paper: "Cyclist aiming for another win killed in race."

10:45 p.m.: CyclingNews has a story, "Cyclist killed in midwest road race," which includes comments from another participant in the race. "I just saw people getting tangled," said Katie Haft (Morris Trucking), "and one woman fell into the side of the trailer." Haft mentions prior violations of the centerline rule, but I'll note that no witness has asserted that such a violation -- by Beth or any other rider -- led to the fatal crash.

11 p.m.: Visitation will be Thursday afternoon and evening, July 5, at the Fagen-Miller Funeral Home, 2828 Highway Ave., Highland, Ind. A funeral will be held Friday morning. Check back here or at XXX Racing for location and time.

The family has not yet named a benefactor for memorial contributions. In the meantime, funds can be sent to the team, which will hold them and distribute them per the family's wishes. Information about a bank account for this purpose will be available later this week.

7/3
12:30 a.m.: Chicago's NBC affiliate ran a story tonight including comments from coach Randy Warren and cyclist Francine Haas (Alberto's).

11 a.m.: Parade laps will be ridden in Beth's honor at tonight's Matteson races and Thursday night at the Northbrook Velodrome.

1:30 p.m.: Arrangement information has been released. The wake Thursday will be from 2-8 p.m. at Fagen-Miller Funeral Home, 2828 Highway Ave. A funeral service will be held there Friday at 10 a.m., after which there will be a procession to Our Lady Of Grace Cemetery. (Please note the corrected time. Also, Highland is in the central time zone.)

2 p.m.: The Northwest Times of Indiana has a story: "Highland native killed in bike race accident."

6 p.m.: Gigi Norcross (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) has uploaded photos from Friday's criterium, including the parade lap ridden in Beth's honor.

7/4
1:30 p.m.: The Northwest Times of Indiana now has an obituary, which includes a Legacy guestbook.

7:30 p.m.: The Fagen-Miller Funeral Home also has a condolence book.

7/6
1:30 p.m.: I just returned from Beth's funeral services. Mourners from the many families that Beth touched filled every seat at the funeral home and spilled into the hall and adjacent rooms. The sermon naturally included a drafting metaphor: As we let ourselves be pulled, so must we pull for others.

2 p.m.: Here is an affecting account of the crash and of knowing Beth from Brooke Schuman (Kenda).

3 p.m.: The Daily Northwestern has a story: "Northwestern alum dies in cycling accident."

7/7
1:30 p.m.: NUSports has a story, including a picture of Beth running cross-country in college.

7/10
8 a.m.: Various cycling communities are discussing the crash, usually leading to a discussion of the importance of the centerline rule. (I'll reiterate: Nobody has yet said Beth or anyone else was intentionally violating the rule at the time of the crash.) In St. Louis, a secondhand account claims the truck was going very fast, an allegation I've heard other women in the race make. In Minnesota, a witness also estimates the truck was going at least 40 mph and adds that the crash had begun before the truck was within sight.

A discussion on preventability is an important one, but although I provide these two links, I do not want to start one here. I'd like the comments to remain about Beth, and comments about the centerline rule will not be approved.

5:30 p.m.: Beth's family has named the Hancock County Community Foundation as a memorial benefactor. Tax-deductable donations can be mailed to her mother: Vicki Kobeszka; 1536 Misty Oaks Drive; Findlay, OH 45840. Include your name and address.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

The flier for the Spring Prairie road race, Wisconsin's state championship, is out. Registration is available online.

Once again they are breaking the 4/5 race into two fields: one for in-state, one for out-of-state. They did this last year to accommodate the large numbers of Illinois riders.

New this year will be a neutral roll-out from the registration area. Hopefully this will eliminate the chaos that always clogs the start/finish area.