Some deep fields visited Wood Dale and Batavia this weekend for ABD’s three-day masters extravaganza. Some highlights, and one lowlight:

• » The 40+ races must have been something, what with the usual Team Mack vs. Lucas Oil grudge match, plus chronic national champion Curtis Tolson (Texas Roadhouse) there to make it even more interesting. Tolson won Saturday, then Clark Priebe notched one for Mack on Sunday and Dave Stone took Monday for Lucas Oil. Shame that Mark Swartzendruber (Lucas Oil) wasn’t there to provide his usual commentary.
• » Tolson’s wife Tracy Tolson (Texas Roadhouse) swept the women’s 40+ races.
• » In addition to his 40+ win, Priebe won Saturday’s 30+ race. Cory Hickman (Vitaminwater-Trek) won the other two 30+ races, the only other multiple winner I spot in the larger fields.
• » Saturday saw some terrible crashes, including one that sent the popular Mike Jones (MetCycling) to the hospital. We’re going to miss him. Speedy recovery, Doc.
• »  The Beacon News has a story about the “200 professional cyclists” who raced in Batavia, complete with photo gallery.

Not too many people hit Indiana’s Great Race series, but there were some podium appearances. In the criterium, Jeff Popelka (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) got 3rd in the citizens criterium and Long Grove’s Andrew Starykowicz (Unattached) got 3rd in the 30+ 1/2/3. In Monday’s road race, Doug Braun of the new Tower Racing squad placed 2nd in the 4’s race, while Chicago’s Jeanette Schrand (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) and Lindsay Jones (Unattached) went 2-3 in the women’s open. Finally, Pieter Ombregt‘s father Ludwig Ombregt (XXX Racing-AthletiCo), visiting from Belgium, placed 2nd in the 40+ road race. Gefeliciteerd! And last but not least we have the Duluth Classic, a four-day stage race in Minnesota. Last week an insider asked me to handicap the field of Chicago riders. “Brian Haas (Alberto’s) in the 35+ is on good form,” I told him. “He’ll break some legs.” Sure enough, Haas won both road races over the weekend, but unfortunately that didn’t make up for the time he lost in the opening time trial, and he finished the weekend 7th overall. Jason Schisler broke away from the closing crit and finished 2nd, earning enough time to bump him from 11th into 6th overall in the 3’s. Tamara Fraser also needed a good result Monday to move up and got it, getting 4th in the women’s 4’s crit to finish 5th overall. Finally,  Evanston’s James Sauls (Vision Quest) finished 3rd overall in the masters 50+. He also won the final two king-of-the-mountain sprints on Sunday to clinch the polka-dot jersey (shown above). OMG, is that a camo leader’s jersey? I’ve heard raves about the race’s organization and execution, and not just from my inside contact. It’s a long haul from Chicago, but time stage races are pretty special, and I expect an even larger contingent will make the trek next year.  If so, I may ask to bum a ride. Full ABD Saturday results. Full ABD Sunday results. Full ABD Monday results. Full Great Race results. Full Duluth Classic results.

ABD photos Carolyn Golz: Saturday, Sunday

ABR masters race reports Gary Chioda (Tower Racing; 30+ 4) “The second of three Mack riders killed us. He covered every attempt to bridge up.”

Fran Connelly (Tower Racing; 30+ 5, 30+ 4): “We had dropped close to half the field in what seemed to me to be a somewhat blistering pace.”

Ron Cook (Project 5; Juniors 9-10, 30+ 1/2/3): “Ryon took off from the gun and never looked back.”

Rob Dongoski (North Branch; 30+ 4): “After a few Hail Marys, I looked back and saw more carnage happening on the other side of the road.”

Cory Hickman (30+ 1/2/3): “There was this fellow in the break with a really big potty mouth and an obvious dislike for other bike racers and everything else maybe.”

Terry O’Grady (Tower Racing; 30+ 4): “As the blood returned to my brain, I remembered my plan: ATTACK!”

Scott Van Maldegiam (Spin Doctor Cyclewerks; 30+ 4): “I thought I wasn’t going to make the turn. I did make the turn, but I had swallow as my heart was up in my throat.” (Day 1, Day 2)

Great Race reports Doug Braun (Tower Racing; 4): “I crested the hill with a small gap and then started to hammer it as hard as I could. Only one rider was able to bridge and we agreed to work.”

Pat Dillon (Tower Racing; 4): “I’m not saying Tower Racing is ready for the Tour de France but we sure worked like a pro team at this race.”

Duluth Classic race reports Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; W-4): “I suffered mightily and I enjoyed it!”

Tim Hayes (Grumpy’s/LGR; 3): “Coolest road race course I have ever done.”

• » Time Out Chicago did a round-up of Chicago racing in its bike issue last week, plus an interview with messenger heartthrob Jeff Perkins (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew).
• » Juniors: Whatever you do, DO NOT watch this video. (Thanks, Steven.)
• » Women interested in track racing should consider this women’s clinic this Saturday, hosted by Francine Haas (Alberto’s). Loaner bikes available.
• » Two local Vision Quest riders are spending the summer racing in Belgium. Follow along as they blog: Bryan McVey and Luca Lenzi.
• » What we’re up against: A Chicago cyclist this weekend was fined in Fox Lake for violating Village Code 8-3-7: “No person upon roller skates or riding in or by means of any coaster, toy vehicle, or similar device shall go upon any roadway except while crossing a street on a crosswalk.” Toy vehicle!? Fortunately there’s a happy ending: The CBF swooped in to get the ticket dismissed and enlighten the police officer.
• » Are you excited for Superweek yet? Maybe this video will help.
• » Oh, Dave. Whether it’s chamois creme or Yield to Life, he’s always looking to save our skin.

 

Some highlights from the next two days of Iowa:

• » How does one top a victory at Snake Alley? How about wins at both Sunday’s Melon City Criterium and Monday’s Quad Cities Criterium? That’s what Lindsay Koren (Team Get a Grip Cycles) pulled off in the women’s 4’s. She now plans to upgrade, and with Devon Haskell and others waiting for her, Get a Grip could prove to be a formidable presence in the women’s open. Speaking of whom, Haskell did well this weekend as well: 5th at Melon City and 4th at Quad Cities.
• » How often do we see a women’s 2/3 field? Not that often. Kristen Meshberg made the most of it by coming in 2nd at Quad Cities.
• » Nick Gierman (Vitaminwater-Trek) has been steadily climbing the results tables and finally notched that elusive victory Monday in the Quad Cities 4’s race, this after getting 3rd Sunday at Melon City. Perhaps he, too, will be upgrading soon to join the rest of his team in the 3’s?
• » 14-year-old Chazz Martin (Smart Cycling) has also been making some appearances high in the results this year, and he finally pulled the trigger and sprinted to win in Melon City 4’s race. I believe it’s his first senior victory. James Bird (IS Corp) is another junior who had a great weekend: 5th in the 3’s at Melon City, then 9th in the 3’s and 3rd in the juniors at Quad Cities. John Tomlinson (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) also pulled off multiple top 10’s: 9th in the 3’s at Melon City and 3rd in the 3’s at Quad Cities, getting 2nd in a field sprint that fell just meters sort of catching a solo breakaway, just ahead of Chicago Jeffrey Whiteman (Northbrook/Garner). (Check out Tomlinson’s podium ceremony.)
• » Other great results: Tomasz Boba (WDT-Allvoi) won the 3’s at Quad Cities. And Chicago Cuttin’ Crew pushed a lot of riders into the top 10, including Molly Godlewski, 4th in the women’s 4’s at Quad Cities;  Adam Clark, 7th in the 4’s at Melon City; and Max Riordan and Ben Fietz, 4th and 8th at Melon City’s 5’s.
• » This isn’t something that gets said that often, but ABD/Geargrinder got shut out of the podium all weekend. I bring it up because it’s so unusual, but also as an excuse to note that that’s John Meyers in the nifty photo above, taken at Melon City by Matt Smith (Vitaminwater-Trek).
• » Be sure to read Steve Tilford’s race report and sit in awe of how after hundreds if not thousands of races, bike racing still has the capacity to surprise and delight. “Kind of fun really.” Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Full Melon City Results. Full Quad Cities results.

Melon City photos
Shawn Delk
Matt Smith: W-4, W-1/2/3, 4, 3, P/1/2

Quad Cities photos
Shawn Delk: 30+, 4, P/1/2
Matt Smith: 50+, 30+ 4/5, W-2/3, W-4, 5, 4

Melon City race reports
Carson Christen (Unattached; 4): “Could have been another victory if I had been watching.”

Nick Gierman (Vitaminwater-Trek; 4): “Going over the bump, my move would be coming soon. I was on the inside, three riders back about halfway up the hill.  It was time. I jumped and it felt good.”

Nate Iden (Spider Monkey; 4): “The race was going to be won be the guy who got the hairpin at the top of the hill first.”

Lindsay Koren (Team Get a Grip Cycles; W-4): “This race was more representative of what real racing should be like. I have to give mad props to the women from Punk Rock Cycling. They’re strong and they were throwing attacks like mad.”

Amanda Miller (Mesa Cycles; W-1/2/3): “I took off at the bottom of the hill giving it everything I could. Sam was still on my wheel, telling me that I could keep going.”

Mike Sherer (Alderfer Bergen; P/1/2): “I luckily played the sprint well and picked the right move on the right side of the hill behind Andy Crater (Wheel & Sprocket). Ended up 6th, which I was extremely stoked about.”

Andy Skeen (ABD/Geargrinder; P/1/2): “I was able to bring not one, not two, but three teammates from the back third of the field to the top 10-15 in one trip up the hill.”

Steve Tilford (HRRC/Trek; P/1/2): “I probably could of cut the apex and chopped Alex Boyd and Cole House and finished third, but I already felt a little bad about chopping them already once 50 meters before.”

Quad Cities race reports
Andreas Fischer (Vitaminwater-Trek; 3): “When I thought everyone else was just about to jump I went all out…..but had almost nothing left.”

Nick Gierman (Vitaminwater-Trek; 4): “It was so close and things seemed to slow down for an instant. I was thinking to myself, `Do not make the same mistake you did yesterday. Do not let up until you throw the bike.’ I lowered my head and pedaled as hard and as fast as I could.”

Nate Iden (Spider Monkey; 4): “t was either bomb the corner and come out in 4th with the possibility of taking half the field out, or let up and roll through in 10th or 12th.”

Lindsay Koren (Team Get a Grip Cycles; W-4): “Going into the last corner I had enough of a gap to breathe and take in what will probably be the last victory I’m going to get for a while.”

Amanda Miller (Mesa Cycles; W-2/3, W-open): “Eventually, we lapped the field. Things got a little crazy when we were mixed with the rest of the field.”

Steve Tilford (HRRC/Trek; P/1/2): “In this sport, the strongest guy doesn’t always win. It’s an organism of its own. So many different variables in such a short period at the end of the races make it exciting and frustrating at the same time.”

The flier is out and pre-registration is open for the Spring Prairie Road Race, Wisconsin’s state championships. It’s a great course and is one of the last road races of the year. So many Illinois riders entered this race in 2006 that they created a special 4/5 category for out-of-staters. As such I don’t expect these fields to fill, but keep an eye on things. And as we’ve discussed before, pre-registration can make things a lot easier for you and also for the race promoters.

UPDATE: Four hours later, out-of-state 4/5’s outnumber Wisconsinites 11-1 in their own state championship. I love you guys!

Closer to home, pre-registration is now available for the Sherman Park Criterium (June 14), Cobb Park Criterium (June 21), the Glencoe Grand Prix (Aug. 10), as well as the Illinois criterium championships in Peoria (June 29).

No organization puts on more races than long-time CBR supporter Athletes by Design, and this weekend’s races are the crown jewels of those efforts.

The action starts Saturday afternoon with the Winfield Twilight Criterium.  It’s an interesting course with a long, gradual climb on the backstretch. The residential course brings out the neighbors, often including a block party on the climb (above) that will call king-of-the-hill primes. Expect the lower-category races to shatter in the first few laps. Stay near the front from the gun so you don’t have to play catch-up. Meanwhile, the course is just difficult enough to facilitate breaks in the 2/3 and P/1/2 races.

The next day the action moves to a different part of Winfield for ABR’s national criterium championships. Jerseys are up for grabs in some categories, but good money and great racing are available to everyone. The milelong, rectangular course has a false flat on the backstretch and a nice kicker at Turn 3.  Recall the advice of Winfield veteran Reid Mumford (Kelly Benefit Strategies) from his CBR interview: “It’s good to notice that the the hill doesn’t end until sometime after Turn 3.  A lot of people race to Turn 3 and then think that the effort is over.  After Turn 3 is an excellent place to launch an attack.”

For USCF sticklers, there’s a criterium in Sussex, Wis., and there’s a new road race in downstate O’Fallon. Organizers promise a Hillsboro-like experience with windy roads and “short but formidable” climbs.

Saturday Winfield Twilight Criterium ABR criterium Winfield, Ill. Distance from Chicago: .5 hours

O’Fallon Grand Prix USCF road race O’Fallon, Ill. Distance from Chicago: 5 hours

Sunday ABR Criterium Championships ABR criterium Winfield, Ill. Distance from Chicago: .5 hours

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

 

Let’s hear it for the older guys! First 48-year-old Steve Tilford (HRRC/Trek) demolished the Midwest’s hardest road race when he won Hillsboro-Roubaix in April.  And now 39-year-old Dewey Dickey (Mercy/Specialized) has crushed our hardest criterium, Saturday’s Snake Alley Criterium in Burlington, Iowa, not once but twice. Gives hope to those of us on a 10- to 20-year macrocycle.

After winning the morning’s 30+ race, Dickey easily won a two-up sprint against Brian Jensen (Successful Living) to take home the P/1/2 race, a field stacked with the region’s best riders.  “It’s a dream come true,” Dickey told the Burlington Hawk Eye, adding that he’d been trying to win there for 21 years. (See this profile for more background on Dickey.)

Among Chicago-area racers, Lindsay Koren started what would turn out to be a very fruitful weekend by winning the women’s 4’s race. Koren rode away from her field early and finished with a 31-second lead. (The Hawk Eye has coverage of her victory, too.)

Our other winner was Kaleb Koch (Smart Cycling), who won the juniors 13-14 category, the biggest win in what’s already been a successful year for him.

XXX Racing-AthletiCo pushed two riders into the top 10 of the 4’s race, Peter Strittmatter in 5th and Brian Morrissey in 9th, and they were kept company by Adam Clark (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew) in 6th.
In the 5’s, Max Riordin (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew) hit 6th while Avi Neurohr (Unattached), whom you may know as “that dude racing on the single-speed” or “that dude racing cyclocross in the Jordan jersey,” following in 7th in one of his first races on a geared bike.

Our only rider to hit the top 10 in the 3’s was junior Chris Hurst (Baraboo Sharks), coming in 9th, but Devon Haskell came in 4th in an impressive women’s-open field.

Finally, congrats to Neurohr for a 4th in Friday’s prologue road race, and to Jacques Cartier (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) for a 6th in the Cat 4 road race.

I was in Indianapolis all weekend

— watching a car race and pretending they were bicycles —

so it will take a few days to digest all the great racing that transpired over the weekend and serve up a report. (Let me tell you, all y’all getting so many top 10’s doesn’t make my job any easier.) Stay tuned!

Full Wapello-Mediapolis Race and Snake Alley results.

Photos
Shawn Delk: P/1/2, 4
Fry Guy Images
Bryan Moritz
Heet Myser
Iowa Pix
Punk Rock Cycling
Matt Smith

Wapello-Mediapolis race reports
Avi Neurohr (Unattached; 5): “The fear of getting dropped by the wayside seems to keep me from giving it 100 percent. What if they use me up and I’m off the back as they bridge? But then something else kicks in: Who fucking cares anyway?”

Snake Alley race reports
Carson Christen (HBA; 4): “I hit the top with a gap and then smooth sailing to the finish line for the WIN! I could not believe it. My fat ass was able to get myself over the climbs faster then anyone else!”

Nick Gierman (Vitaminwater-Trek; 4): “‘Dude, let’s see you out here.  This is tough!’”

Jeff Holland (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “On the 9th lap, about halfway up the Snake, “KAPOWWW!” My tube blows up, blows the bead of the tire off the rim, and I come to a screeching halt . (Well, about as screeching as you can when only going 8 mph.)”

Nate Iden (Spider Monkey; 4): “Slipped a pedal on the start, bad, did not get out front on the first corner, bad, got stuck in the middle of a mess heading up the 1st lap of the snake, bad, did not bomb the downhill to make up for the error, bad.”

Lindsay Koren (Team Get a Grip Cycles; W-4): “After some serious wheel rubbing with one other woman throughout the first time up the chute, I managed to get clear of the biggest groups.”

Amanda Miller (Mesa Cycling; W-open): “Need to learn better shifting techniques, as it cost me the race.”

Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “It was agony to spin the big ring but I had to get up to speed to lose my pursuers, and the bait of the last lap must’ve been beyond enticing.”

Avi Neurohr (Unattached; 5): “I nipped two spots to get into 5th at the last top-out of snake alley, only to freewheel my way around, thinking I had another lap.”

Tristan Schouten (Planet Bike; P/1/2): “This year I saw more guys standing on the sidewalk puking on different parts of the course than in previous years. It’s fun watching guys ride straight of the course on the back section hunched over their bars with drool down to their top tubes

—

one more spot for me!”

Mike Sherer (Alderfer Bergen; P/1/2): “I got suddenly very sick and just started puking on the side of the road. Man that pissed me off. Oh, well. I guess that’s bike racing.”

Steve Tilford (HRRC/Trek; P/1/2): “Dewey was crazy strong today and deserved the win.”

Jeff Wat (Vitaminwater-Trek; 3): “One switchback up and a guy just fell over. All he could muster was a "sorry" and I think he gave up.”

Kim “The Devil” West: “After AGAIN being offered an ice-cold frosty barley malt, he turned back and SPAT at me, er, the devil.”

Marcus Moore of Yojimbo’s Garage, the city’s preeminent source for track and fixed-gear bikes, is starting a program to get city youth on the track. With some help from the Chicago Cuttin’ Crew, Track Cats will provide instruction and guidance to boys and girls who want to race track. The team will make its Northbrook debut Friday, June 13.

I think this is fabulous. Our juniors fields aren’t exactly overflowing, and Chicago has hundreds if not thousands of young athletes who could become great cyclists if given the right resources and opportunities.

Chicago high school students interested in the program should e-mail Marcus.

UPDATE: Marcus sends this addendum: “I must give props to Nicole Kemerer who was (and still is) a major driving force, as well as Brean Shea, Alex Wilson, Sarah Miller, Lindsay Jones, Chuck Cox, Charlie Short and a number of others who have been working on this for a couple months now.  We’ve had two practices and plan on having a couple/week in the city for easy access for kids and parents.

“Yojimbo’s Track Cats will soon be an official program of West Town Bikes meaning that we can take charitable contributions to help offset costs.

“We’re still looking for interested high schoolers and adults who want to contribute. Adults can contribute financially (of course), by expressing an interest in being a guest (or guest coach) at a training session, or by helping with carpooling to the track (or transporting bikes or loaning a van). There are other volunteer roles we hope to fill as well.”

I know it was a packed weekend, but I’m not sure why Saturday’s road race in Wisconsin drew so few riders. Only 19 lined up for the Cat 3 race and fewer than 30 in the 4/5’s. Road races aren’t getting any easier to come by. I would have at least expected more Madison riders.

In any case, it was a good day for Chicago flatlanders, an enormous climb notwithstanding. James Pradun (UIC) won the 4’s race, Paul Swinand (MetCycling) nabbed 3rd in the splintered masters 1/2/3 race and Doug Braun (Tower Racing) did the same . Rockford’s Jordan Heimer (Geargrinder) continued his barnstorming tour of the 3’s by spending more than half of that race solo off the front. After a chase group caught him heading into the final climb, he broke off again, this time with a XXX Racing-AthletiCo rider. You all know how this one ends: Heimer had no trouble sprinting to the victory, despite having his wheel sucked for the final 3 miles.

Sunday drew enormous fields to Madison for Wheels on Willy, a short, hilly course through a funky residential neighborhood. The P/1/2/3 race alone had 107 entrants, although many of those appeared to be 3’s taking advantage of a free third race and didn’t hang around for long.

Riding solo against some strong teams, Kristin Meshberg outkicked everyone on the uphill sprint to win the women’s open race. Vitaminwater-Trek had a profitable day, scooping up primes in both the masters 3/4 race and the 3’s, and Matt Smith came in the money in both races, 4th and 8th, respectively. And in the P/1/2/3 race, a break of five got away about halfway through, led by Saturday’s hero John Meyers (ABD/Geargrinder). It was local pro Chad Hartley (Jittery Joe’s), however, who took the win (above).

WDT-Allvoi, Beverly Bike-Vee Pak and XXX Racing-AthletiCo were among the Chicago teams who sent squads down for the inaugural Tour de West Lafayette. Hard to know who’s to blame, but parked cars obstructed most of Saturday’s criterium course, forcing organizers to cut it in half. “It was basically hill repeats,” one 4/5 competitor told me.  Thanks to the abbreviated course, only 12 out of 58 who started finished the 4/5’s criterium.

Not only that, but according to Beverly Bike-Vee Pak account, the road was open to cars during the criterium, which strikes me as seriously irresponsible. It would be great to have a viable stage race in the area: Let’s hope the promoter irons things out next time.

In the 3/4’s, Champaign’s Nicholas Dornik (Turin) came in 2nd in both the criterium and road race to place 3rd overall, followed by teammate Chris Clary in 10th overall. In the 4/5’s, XXX Racing-AthletiCo put out good results in all three stages to finish 4th, 5th and 6th overall behind Jeff Holland, Brian Morrissey and Jonathan Dugas, followed by Naperville’s Mike Will (Endure It! Sports) in 7th.

Saturday results
Denzer Delight

Sunday results
Tour de Lafayette
Wheels on Willy

Wheels on Willy photos
Vitaminwater-Trek

Denzer Delight reports
Brian Abraham (Team Brown Bear; 3): “We just rode side by side and talked because we knew we weren’t going to catch the leaders. “

Ryan Baumann (Sakonnet; P/1/2/3): “We drilled it for a while and got the break in sight on the finishing straight, but that was the last we saw of them.”

Doug Braun (Tower Racing; 30+ 4/5): “On the climb for the last time. One guy is already up the road and the field shatters as soon as we hit the bottom.”

Pat Dillon (Tower Racing; 30+ 4/5): “I was white-knuckled most of the time in this race.”

Ben LaForce (Kitchi-Mi-Kana; 3): “If I could manage the hills, hanging on for the rest of the lap wouldnt be a problem.”

Seth Meyer (Turin; P/1/2): “The race was pretty much over at this point so I was like ‘Screw this, I’m at least going to race the rest of the race,’ and so I did the climb from bottom to top crazy hard.”

Luke Seemann (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “Halfway up I looked back and there were only four behind me. Then only three.”

Wheels on Willy reports
Ryan Baumann (Sakonnet; P/1/2/3): “The pace was solid from the gun, and a strung-out field was splintering all over the road.”

Ben LaForce (Kitchi-Mi-Kana; 3): “After coming around the last corner of the final lap I got out of my saddle to sprint and broke the master link on my chain. I just looked down and there was nothing there so I coasted across the line in the middle of the pack.”

Seth Meyer (Turin; P/1/2/3): “I moved up with a surge on the right going into the bell and…whoops!...coasted into first wheel. What now?”

John Meyers (ABD/Geargrinder; P/1/2/3): “When you have a team that you take pride in, and teammates that you don’t want to let down you race to win. Period.”

Andy Skeen (ABD/Geargrinder; P/1/2/3): “I lost a contact right when I was in a position to help, and as such, had to give ground through every corner and fight my way back up every time up the homestretch hill.”

Matt Smith (Vitaminwater-Trek; 30+ 3/4, 3): “I’m still kicking myself for not throwing caution to the wind and drilling it. Who knows what could have happened?”

Bennet van der Genugten (Inferno; P/1/2/3): “All of the Midwest and northern teams brought full squads and launched about a million attacks until one stuck.”

Tour de West Lafayette reports
Graham Dewart (Mesa Cycles; 3/4): “I was in no-man’s land as there was only about half a mile to go.”

Jeff Holland (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5): “The field was destroyed by Lap 2, with only 12 out of 58 guys finishing. The others were pulled or dropped out.”

Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5): “The line jumbled as everyone looked for an opening and a wheel at the same time.”

Damon Nelson (Beverly Bike-Vee Pak; 4/5): “We have been pulled only 15 minutes into the race! What the hell is that all about?”

• » Chicago police to cyclists: Get bent.
• » Superweek has a much-needed new Web site. A second Bensenville crit is now on the schedule, but there’s still a void for Monday, July 14.
• » Here’s a better video of David Millar‘s famous bike throw.
• » Speaking of the Giro, find your feeds and brush up on your Italian at Cycling Fans.

One of the summer’s most exciting weekends is upon us with four great races near the Quad Cities, three days of masters racing in the suburbs and a two-race series in Indiana.

The weekend’s jewel is the legendary Snake Alley Criterium on Saturday. The course features a steep, famously crooked switchback paved with brick, followed by a steep, technical descent. As the day goes on, the hill becomes a spectacle as rowdy spectators badger and cajole riders struggling to navigate the climb. (Tradition in the Pro/1/2 race is for fans to hand cold beers to racers as they throw in the towel.)

The race plays out almost like cyclocross: The sprint comes at the beginning, not the end, and packs will immediately disintegrate into small clusters of riders. Success hinges on being among the first to the Snake on the first lap, lest you get bottlenecked behind the inevitable crashes. Get forced to dismount and you’ll be half a lap down by the time you get to the top.

Once the race starts, riders will be too fried from climbing the Snake to think straight, so it’s important to have a reliable routine for getting through the rest of the course. This turn-by-turn guide from Steve Thordarson (Smart Cycling) is essential pre-race reading. Read it. Memorize it. Tape it to your stem. Also be sure to consult last year’s reports.

The weekend stays hot with big criteriums in nearby Muscatine, Iowa, and Rock Island, Ill.

Locally, ABD is hosting not one, not two, but three days of masters racing in Wood Dale and Batavia. This year the categories start at 30+ for both men and women.

Also close is the Great Race in Elkhart, Ind., which features a crit on Sunday afternoon and a road race on Sunday. The road race route is new, but count on rolling hills and narrow roads.

Friday Wapello-Burlington Road Race USCF road race Burlington, Iowa Distance from Chicago: 4.5 hours

Saturday ABD Memorial Day Weekend Masters Race ABR criterium Wood Dale, Ill. Distance from Chicago: .5 hours

Snake Alley Criterium USCF criterium Burlington, Iowa Distance from Chicago: 4.5 hours

Sunday ABD Memorial Day Weekend Masters Race ABR criterium Wood Dale, Ill. Distance from Chicago: .5 hours

The Great Race: Elkhart Criterium ABR criterium Elkhart, Ind. Distance from Chicago: 2.5 hours

Melon City Criterium USCF criterium Muscatine, Iowa Distance from Chicago: 4 hours

Monday ABD Memorial Day Weekend Masters Race ABR criterium Batavia, Ill. Distance from Chicago: 1 hour

Quad Cities Criterium USCF criterium Rock Island, Ill. Distance from Chicago: 3.5 hours

How much money would it take to persuade people to chase John Meyers (ABD/Geargrinder)? Apparently more than $350, as that was the astounding amount raised in a crowd prime for the rider who could catch Meyer’s long, solo breakaway (above). None succeeded — some tell me they couldn’t hear the stakes as the pack screamed by the announcer’s stage — so the windfall went to Meyers, along with the convincing 1/2/3 victory.

I’ve been hearing compliments about this year’s race, and I’m sorry to have missed out. The crowd prime sounds like an inspired idea, and I understand UCVC did a nice MacGyver job to safely patch a hole on the back stretch. “Last year there were under 20 starters in the 50+ race; this year over 30,” Barry Taerbaum (Alberto’s) tells me. “Clearly the word has spread about what a fantastic event the UCVC has been putting on year after year.”

In last week’s preview I noted that breaks were nigh impossible in the larger races. Leave it to Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus) to make me a liar: With three laps left in the 4’s, he struck out on his own and time-trialed to an impressive victory. Teammate Henry Loud took 3rd in the sprint, not the first time that Pegasus have reaped dividends from the formidable combination of Padfield’s endurance and Loud’s sprint.

Speaking of Loud, he also wins Flatlandia’s Moustaches of the Midway competition

— by a hair. “Mike Jones (MetCycling) was in the running with a moustache that made him look like a pub bouncer,” says moustache commissaire Jason Meshberg, “but Henry Loud has a very handsome looking ‘stache and picked up an impressive 3rd while working his tail off in defense of his teammate who was off the front.  Moustaches are for hard workers.  The Monsters Moustache is for the lunch-pail type of worker, not for the glory seekers.  Thus we give it to Loud.” For his efforts, Loud took home this five-dollar bill and a Clif Bar.

Photo by John Wilke

The gentlemen of Vitaminwater-Trek and XXX Racing-AthletiCo have been monsters on the Midway for years, so it was no surprise that the Cat 3 race came down to a drag race between Jeff Wat (Vitaminwater-Trek) and Shane Winn (XXX Racing-AthletiCo), with Wat taking the win over his former teammate (above). Tomasz Boba (WDT-Allvoi) and John Tomlinson (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) continued their hot streaks by coming in 3rd and 4th.

I’m happy to see Ansgar Graw (MetCycling) once again at the top of the 40+ standings, especially after the frightening spill he took in a field sprint at the 2007 Monsters. No longer content to relax in the sprinters lounge, Graw formed a four-person break, out of which he attacked with enough dominance to afford himself a nice post-up

Results aren’t up yet so I don’t have any observations to make on the other races, including the juniors, women’s and other masters races. I’ll update this post later, and I’ll have another post for the great weekend some people had in Wisconsin and Indiana.

Photos:
Amanda Barbato
Grant Davis
Carolyn Golz
Renata Graw
KHM73
Vitaminwater-Trek

Race reports
Kevin Clark (Half Acre; 5): “It was a humbling half hour.”

Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; W-40+, W-3): “I expanded my lead to a half lap and WON. And this time I posted up.”

Andy Daley (Vitaminwater-Trek; 30+): “I tried some end of the race nonsense with three laps to go and bridged to a group of three riders who were dangling off the front.”

Nick Gierman (Vitaminwater-Trek; 3, 4, 1/2/3): “He was close enough that I thought I might be able to close the gap but then it was too late.”

Ed Hernandez (North Branch; 40+, 3, 4): “This was bike racing as it was meant to be enjoyed.”

Emir Jaganjac (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5): “I had trouble clipping in but that wasn’t the problem as was some sketchy cornering being done by true citizens in this race.”

Tim Keeley (ABD; 3): “Fast race, fun race, easy race when you could stay tucked behind the big guys.”

Lindsay Koren (Team Get a Grip Cycles; W-3, W-4): “I went for the inside line again and grabbed the wheel of the only other girl who seemed to understand how to work the wind.”

John Meyers (ABD/Geargrinder; 1/2/3): “I gotta say though, there are less painful ways to win races!”

Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus; 4): “I glanced back and I was all alone now as the other guy couldn’t hold on. By now I was in faux time trial position and looking oh so PRO.”


Andy Skeen (ABD/Geargrinder; P/1/2/3): “Clark Priebe (Team Mack) launched a last ditch effort at the start of the last lap, and I not only caught him, but put a lot of other would-be attackers in the hurt box, simply by making them chase me down.”

Matt Smith (Vitaminwater-Trek; 30+, 3, 1/2/3): “I thought I might actually have a chance…until I felt my legs turn to mush in that long straightaway. “

Jeff Wat (Vitaminwater-Trek; 3): “I found just enough energy to click one more gear and surged and threw for the win.”

Tuesday night racing at Matteson is on hold while the paint factory undergoes some construction. The South Chicago Wheelmen will hold events as conditions allow, but it will be on a week-to-week basis. Keep an eye on the Web site for updates.

I’m also told that USA Cycling now requires new rider releases each week, rather than one for the entire season. The best way to take care of this is to complete one with everything except for the date, then make 20 copies and keep them with your gear. Sign and date and you’re good to go.

• » Note: Your sprint should end with a bike throw at the finish line, not with 1km to go.
• » The international Ride of Silence to remember cyclists killed on roadways will take place May 21. Chicago’s ride leaves Daley Plaza at 6:45 p.m.
• » The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation has long been at the forefront of defending our rights and fighting for our safety. Recent events show that its work is needed now more than ever. Show your support by attending the May 23 Phil Liggett fundraiser at Turin in Evanston. UPDATE: Tickets have now been discounted to $25!
• » If you’re not yet reading Rapid Transit’s Chicago Bike Blog, I recommend starting.
• » Consider this your weekly reminder to register to race and volunteer at Sherman Park June 14.
• » A certain friend of CBR also reminds you to consider the Duluth Classic over Memorial Day weekend. Entry fees go up significantly after May 19. Stage racing is a blast, and the chance to do two road races in one weekend may be well worth the drive to warm, sunny Duluth, Minn.
• » ABD’s Memorial Day weekend masters series now has 30+ fields.
• » Paging Corey Higgs! I’m told you left a wheel at the Vernon Hills Grand Prix. E-mail me and I’ll tell you how to contact the promoter to retrieve it. (Tip for everyone else: Always leave your phone number and e-mail address with your spare wheels.)

One of the spring’s biggest weekends is upon us.

Saturday brings us the first of only a few hometown races with Monsters of the Midway, held on the beautiful Midway Plaisance at University of Chicago.  The long rectangular course isn’t the most interesting, but it’s spectator friendly as it provides a clean view of all the action. The atmosphere is always festive and exciting. This year the UC Velo Club adds a women’s Cat 3 field, and I join them in hoping enough women show to justify making it a fixture.

Separations typically occur in the smaller fields, including women’s and masters races, but the long straightaways and unobstructed views make breaks nearly impossible in the large 3’s and 4’s races. Hold tight and get ready for a raucous sprint. About that sprint: Mind the wind. With a stiff breeze off the lake, you can launch yourself out of the final corner. With a headwind, however, you’ll want to wait another 100 meters or so.

Chicago Bike Racing is happy to sponsor three cash primes to the lower categories. Keep your ears peeled and your legs ready. And don’t forget Flatlandia’s Moustaches of the Midway competition: Best finisher with a moustache gets a prize, plus mass adoration.

It’s also a big weekend in Wisconsin. Saturday’s road race in Denzer is one of the best around, especially for the climbers. A mile and a half into each 11-mile lap the road pitches up to climb about 700 feet over the next mile. It’s a steady, unrelenting climb that will break legs and shatter fields.  A false flat follows the climb, and then there is a short descent with a sharp right turn and steep kicker at a bottom. Don’t be caught off guard. As soon as you see the marshal, be moving to a smaller gear.

Near Denzer on Sunday will be Wheels on Willy, a popular crit in Madison that brings out loads of neighbors and spectators. The kilometer-long course features a long, gradual climb into the start/finish.

But wait, there’s more! Le Tour de Lafayette makes its debut in Indiana, giving 3’s, 4’s and 5’s a chance to try stage racing under USA Cycling sanction. Saturday’s criterium looks like a fun, hilly course complete with King of the Mountain competitions. Sunday’s road races are only 20 and 32 miles, so I expect the weekend will be decided with Sunday afernoon’s 5.8 mile time trial.

Saturday Monsters of the Midway ABR criterium Chicago Distance from Chicago: 0 hours

Le Tour de Lafayette USCF criterium Lafayette, Ind. Distance from Chicago: 2 hours

Denzer Delight (Leland Grand Prix) USCF road race Denzer, Wis. Distance from Chicago: 3 hours

Sunday Le Tour de Lafayette USCF road race Lafayette, Ind. Distance from Chicago: 2 hours

Wheels on Willy USCF criterium Madison, Wis. Distance from Chicago: 2.5 hours

It was a quiet weekend of racing around Chicago, but some riders went up to Muskego, Wis., to make some noise at the criterium there. Congratulations to winners Kaleb Kloch (Smart Cycling) in the juniors 10-14, Kristin Meshberg (Flatlandia) in the women’s open, Anthony Carfang (Illinois Tech)  in the 4’s and Chris Clary (Turin) , who slipped away with just a few laps to go in the 3’s race.

Full results.

Photos
Burnham Racing
John Wilke

Race reports
Ben   Bartoszuk (Team Wheaton; 30+ 3/4, 30+ 1/2/3): “I looked back, I had a gap, and I was convinced I was going to win. They can’t catch me!”

Ryan Bauman (Sakonnet; P/1/2): “I jumped at the right time, but I pulled out of my pedal!”

Julian Baumgartner (Vitaminwater-Trek; 3, P/1/2): “The final corner on the last lap was a harrowing experience with children bombing inside, riders flinging themselves to the outside, breaks screeching, and of course a whole helluva lot of swearing.”

Craig Erbach (Project 5; 3): “The Muskego course was not suited for me at all. Probably better suited for people in shape.”

Loukas Kozonis (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5): “Knowing that my energy levels were low, I was hoping just to survive in the back of the pack.”

Scott Peterson (Team Wheaton; 3, 30+ 1/2/3, P/1/2): “I had the legs for a decent placing, just lost mental focus and awareness of how far back I was.”

I don’t monitor track racing here, but I’m still a big fan and head up to the Ed Rudolph Velodrome in Northbrook every chance I get. The 2008 season starts Thursday, and this year Northbrook offers a two-for-one admission coupon. Opening night usually draws strong fields of riders. This week the action starts at 6:45.

Metra is the best way for spectators to go, especially with the Edens construction. Here’s the train schedule. The velodrome is a short walk from the station, and the 5:58 p.m. train from Union Station will get you there just in time to watch racing.

Track racing is exciting stuff. Here’s a video from the inside. But in addition to enjoying yourself and supporting your friends and teammates, you will be able to observe tactics as they unfold at 30 mph. The velodrome is a veritable laboratory for tactics, and you can see all the moves and counter moves from your vantage point in the stands.

Devon Haskell (Team Get a Grip Cycles), who has dominated our road and cross scene for the past two years and whom you may remember from this interview, won Saturday’s collegiate road national championship (Div. II) in Ft. Collins, Colo. After an early climb whittled the field to five, Haskell proceeded to ride her companions off her wheel. “I went after Devon,” one competitor told CyclingNews, “but just couldn’t catch her.”

Haskell finished 4th in Sunday’s criterium and wound up tied for 1st place in the omnium. This is a major achievement for Haskell and for the University of Chicago Velo Club. It is UCVC’s second national championship, the first being the 2005 criterium title from Todd Yezefski (IF Racing).

A handful of Chicago riders also made the long trip to Fayetteville, Ark., for the weekend’s Joe Martin Stage Race. Seth Meyer (Turin) took a stab at the P/1 field and finished 57th overall after a grueling weekend. Jessi Prinner (ABD) showed off a powerful uphill sprint to finish 3rd in Sunday’s difficult criterium and 10th in the women’s 3/4 general classification. Debbie Dust (Team Kenda Tire) finished 4th in the field sprint and 5th on the day in Saturday’s W-P/1/2 road race. “It was by far the most rewarding result I have ever gotten,” Dust reports on her blog. “I suffered like a dog when I thought I’d rather be dead. I was able to pull off something beyond what I ever thought I could do. So damn cool.” Her finish helped Kenda grab a 3rd place in the overall team competition.

Finally a XXX Racing-AthletiCo rider got in a four-man break in Saturday’s Cat 3 road race. His notoriously feeble sprint was no match against the three juniors, but the three-minute gap to the field held up, giving him a 4th place finish in the GC, tops for Chicago-area competitors.

UPDATE: I’m alerted that Geneva’s Ben Raby also had a good week, instigating a long breakaway in Friday’s P/1 road race and winding up 61st overall in his first racing since the Tour of Missouri. The former ABD and Kodak Gallery rider is now racing independently under the SRAM flag.

The Superweek schedule has been updated to add a July 13 criterium in south-suburban Homewood. That’s the series’ first Sunday, previously home to the Bensenville Criterium,  now scheduled for Wednesday, and makes a total of four Chicago-area criteriums, plus the P/1/2-only twilight criterium in Beverly.

The schedule still has two empty slots, and I have no word on the fate of the Tour of Alpine Valley or the MGA Proving Grounds Road Race.

Not a whole lot going on this weekend, but with a mess of great racing around the corner, perhaps a break is called for. In any case, both available crits promise uphill finishes, and Wisconsin’s criterium in Muskego is the third annual memorial for Matt Wittig (IS Corp).

Saturday Matt Wittig Memorial Race USCF criterium Muskego, Wis. Distance from Chicago: 2 hours

Eagle Creek Traditional Crit ABR criterium Indianapolis Distance from Chicago: 3 hours

Some highlights from a full weekend of racing:

• » WDT-Allvoi had another dynamite weekend.  In windswept sprints at the Vernon Hills Grand Prix, Voytek Glinkowski won the masters 4/5 (pictured above) and Tomasz Boba won the 3’s. Elsewhere, Jayson Torres won the 4’s criterium in Kenosha, Wis., followed by Maciek Kurka in 4th and Dennis Sandquist in 5th.
• » Francine Haas (Alberto’s) doubled up Sunday, winning the women’s masters race and then getting 2nd behind Jessi Prinner (ABD) in the women’s open.
• » Beverly Bike-Vee Pak got the best result of its inaugural season when Elvis Falbo got 2nd in the Vernon Hills masters 4/5 race. And since winner Glinkowski is 40+, Falbo gets to claim the victory for the 30+.
• » New racers for XXX Racing-AthletiCo won two races at Vernon Hills: Triathlete Chris Riekert rode away from the 5’s race, and in only her second race, Anna Loney won the 4’s field.  Jonathan Dugas also had a productive day, getting 2nd in the 4’s and 3rd in the masters 4/5’s.
• » IS Corp showed textbook teamwork in the 15-18 race when James Bird and Edward Gurney traded attacks out of the four-strong separation. After Gurney got reeled in on the last lap, Bird had no trouble taking the victory.
• » The Chicago Cuttin’ Crew continues to execute team tactics flawlessly, a nice thing to see in the 4’s, let alone a bunch of 5’s. In Saturday’s Winona Lake Road Race, Andrew Nordyke gave Jeff Perkins an unbeatable leadout to win the race. (You may remember Perkins from his CBR interview.) Daryl VanEssen finished right behind in 3rd and Nordyke held on for 9th.
• » Team Get a Grip Cycles also headed south with Aspen Gorey picking up 4th in the 3/4’s road race.  And although   Tracy Tolson (Texas Roadhouse) is usually a lock in Indiana races — seriously, check out this resume — Devon Haskell and   Lindsay Koren used their numbers to go 1-3 in the women’s open race. Riding alone the next day, Koren lapped the field and placed 2nd in the criterium.
• » Few Chicago riders made the trip to Baraboo for the hilly road race there, and the weather kept many Wisconsin riders away, too, keeping the fields rather intimate. Top Chicago finishers were Gigi Norcross (XXX Racing-AthletiCo), 3rd in the women’s 4’s, and Jacques Cartier (XXX Racing-AthletiCo), who escaped from the field to get 4th in the masters 4/5’s.

Saturday results
Baraboo Road Race
Winona Lake Road Race

Sunday results
Vernon Hills Grand Prix
Winona Lake Criterium

Baraboo Road Race reports
Kevin Clark (Half Acre; 4/5): “Then came that climb again. This one put me in a bad place.”

Lyle Hanson (GDVC; 3): “It doesn’t make for epic racing and proud storytelling to sit in and wait for the sprint, but sometimes you do what you need to do given the situation.”

IS Corp (P/1/2): “A little ridiculous.”

Luke Seemann (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “I smelled nice and felt very Euro.”

Calvin Smythe (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5): “I was feeling good. I wasn’t just hanging with the pack, I was trying to strike up conversation with other riders who seemed worried about the hardships to come.”

Vernon Hills race reports
Peter Allen (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4, 30+ 4/5): “I thought we could at least get a paceline going to try and catch the peloton. Great in theory, hard in practice.”

Beverly Bike-Vee Pak (5, 30+ 4/5): “At 150 to go, the door opened up and that’s when Elvis started winding up his sprint. He looked up at 50 meters to go and realized he was off the front and powering toward the win.”

John Boggs (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5): “My plan was to breeze up along the outside of the pack back up front coming up the slight incline out of Turn 3, where there was protection from the wind.”

Chad Chenoweth (Team Get a Grip Cycles; 3): “The split was just a little too big and there were too many guys trying to sit on.”

Nick Gierman (Vitaminwater-Trek; 4): “Every time a gap opened and I jumped to close it, I turned around and the field was right on my wheel.  “

Jeff Holland (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “The finish was a long one and everyone started their sprint way too soon. I passed a few people, got passed by some others, passed even a few more, etc, etc.”

Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus; 4): “As I was coming into the final turn I really thought I had it.”

Tom Panton (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5, 30+ 4/5): “One of them caught my front wheel and for a second or two, I thought I might be able to hold it but then, BOOM, I was on the ground.”

Luke Seemann (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “The group never organized. You’d have thought everyone would have recognized this as an express train to the top 10.”

Jeff Wat (Vitaminwater-Trek; 30+ 1/2/3, 3): “With one to go, Goodwin got me close enough to the express train and I yelled ‘ChooChoo on!’”

Vernon Hills photos
Carolyn Golz

Village of Winona Road Race reports
Brian Boyle (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3/4): “One Brian fights spoke, other Brian fights the wind.”

Team Get a Grip Cycles (3/4, W-open): “Devon managed to not only find a random spare wheel and have it pumped up, but also rework her way back through the patchy field and rejoin us just before the finish.”

Jeff Perkins (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew; 4/5): “‘UP! UP! UP!’ I’m shouting as if I know what the hell I’m talking about.”

Zach Thomas (Half Acre; 4/5): “Winona, Ind., is not the same as Winona Lake, Ind.”

 

• » The driver accused of running a red light and killing a cyclist last week is unlikely to face sanction beyond a driving citation. Coincidentally, a bill is before the state House to increase penalties for drivers whose recklessness kills cyclists, pedestrians or motorcyclists. The Vulnerable Users Bill already passed the state Senate 54-0 but must pass the House by Friday. The CBF has more information, and here’s how you can contact your state representative.
• » Red Eye readers got their money’s worth Friday when Eric Goodwin and Matt Smith of Vitaminwater-Trek made an appearance in Five on Five, in which we finally learn why Smith is online all the time.
• » Speaking of Vitaminwater-Trek, Goodwin is managing the Illinois Tour de Cure, a fundraiser to benefit the American Diabetes Association. He’s looking for volunteers for the June 7 ride in Geneva, as well as for cyclists to help lead a 60km group ride May 17. E-mail him if your team would like some extra exposure.
• » Ladies, clear your appointment book. The Flickr group you’ve been waiting for is here: Moustaches of the peloton.
• » It’s no moonwalking bear, but there is a giant chicken in this gag video that Gatorade is attempting to turn viral. UPDATE: Former Chicago rider Angelo DiGiovine was an extra in the shoot and snuck this shot from the climb.
• » What part of “If you liked me you’d pre-register” do you people not understand?

I have a lot of tips for riders here, but what about for the other side of the registration desk? We’ve discussed this somewhat before, but what tips do you have for promoters? Here are 10 that have recently come my way, but feel free to add more in the comments.

Note: This is not an invitation to complain about promoters, all of whom are providing invaluable, thankless service for us at very little benefit for themselves.  Plus, I hate whining. Rather, I’m soliciting the little things that might not have occurred to promoters already buried with paperwork, permitting and other logistics.

1. Include the exact address of your event, not just directions. This gives people something to plug into their GPS devices or their favorite mapping tools.
2. Make the finish line clear. Don’t put it a yard away from the crosswalk. If there is a banner, make sure it hangs exactly over the line.
3. Give a discount for online registration, or reimburse the service fees. Pre-registering is in your interest, and any costs you incur can be made up for by the people who register but don’t race. It lets you hedge against bad weather, too.
4. Discount for multiple races. Many of us are disinclined to pay full price for a race outside of our target category, such as masters or open races where we know we’ll be overmatched. But we’ll pay half price, and half is better than nothing, and our second race adds nothing to your fixed costs.
5. Let us re-use race numbers for multiple categories. One less thing we have to worry about before races. And make registration close and easy to find.
6. Provide results as deep as possible. For a new racer, there is a difference between 40th and 60th place.
7. Make safety a priority. More marshals at urban crits, please. More signage and motor escorts on road races, please. Position and choose barriers that make us more safe, not less.
8. Announce prime prizes before the race. We can’t hear you over the bell.
9. Post results online quickly. Racers are vain and like to spend hours studying the results tables. The Wisconsin Cycling Association and its promoters are models in this regard. Results are prompt, including updates to its cup standings.
10. Have plenty of water — free water —  and toilets near the start/finish area.

    
    
    

    What other suggestions do you have for our promoters?

Snake Alley start lists are online. I see a handful of Chicago riders have won the “race before the race” to earn a sweet spot in the front row. Now the trick will be for them to stay there.

Online registration is now available for Downers Grove and for your Chicago Criterium. Cat 5’s will want to register as soon as possible, especially for Chicago, which has only two heats.

 

Last week I was contacted by Marc O’Shea (Turin), an English teacher at Naperville Central High School. One of his classes has been immersing itself in legendary American cyclist Major Taylor. In addition to reading everything they get their hands on about him, they’ve learned about cycling and have even monitored their own cycling performance to get a feel for the racing experience. “The students are reading everything on Taylor and analyzing his motivation, perseverance and so on,”  O’Shea says. “They’re studying his bike racing tactics and movement in and out of Chicago during his life.”

It gets cooler: The unit inspired the students to design and produce wristbands that they will sell to raise funds for World Bicycle Relief.  “They’re pumped,” O’Shea says. “They have become so appreciative of bike racing. The power of the bike in life on man and the lives of many in need has marveled them as they’ve read.”

Here’s where it gets really cool: When O’Shea learned that Taylor was a major influence on Rahsaan Bahati (Rock Racing), he invited Bahati to come speak to the class

—

and he accepted. Next week the sprinter and former national champion will spend two days with O’Shea’s students, meeting with them in small groups to discuss Taylor, bike racing and minorities in sports.

Bahati, fresh off a win at the prestigious Athens Twilight Criterium, is bringing their studies to life, O’Shea says. “He is the bridge between the past and the present.”

Paying the bills to get Bahati here? None other than Rock Racing owner Michael Ball.

Say what you will about Ball and Rock Racing, I think we all can agree this is a pretty awesome gesture. I’m so impressed by the project that I’ve offered to publish an edited interview conducted by the students. They’re preparing their questions at this moment. Look for the results in the next week or two.

There’s a lot of great racing in Indiana, but each year we hear of Chicago riders who after a four-hour drive arrive with barely enough time to register and slip into their chamois. So at the recommendation of Mike Kelly (South Chicago Wheelmen), here’s a reminder: Indiana is an hour ahead. Set your alarm clock accordingly.

And, no, Wisconsin does not run an hour behind during Superweek. It only seems that way.

There’s nothing more frustrating than dropping your chain at a pivotal moment of a race.  Being behind someone who’s dropped their chain at a pivotal moment is a close second, and I have experience with both.

Most chain drops are avoidable. They happen when you are climbing with full tension on the chain and attempt to switch to the small chainring. Your front derailleur will send your chain past the small ring, where it will come to rest on your bottom bracket, sad and useless.

Here’s the easy way to avoid this scenario: Shift to the small ring before you start climbing. The small-ring climbs around here shouldn’t catch us by surprise. Take the Baraboo climb, please: You’ll see it from a mile away. As you approach, go small ring, small cog while you’re still in the flat and there’s slack on the chain. Then as you start to climb, progress up your cogs as needed.

Just be on the lookout for the dude who didn’t read this tip. He’ll be the one dismounting his bike and swearing.