You don't see this every race.

In the midst of position jockeying at the end of Saturday's Fall Fling road race, Ryan White (ABD/Geargrinder) had an opponent's skewer make its way into his derailleur. His break had been out of sight for most of the afternoon, but now his bike was disabled, and he had no choice but to shed his shoes and make a desperate run for the finish. Meanwhile, his teammates Rob White and John Meyers were sprinting for 1st and 3rd, after which Rob, the Tomax to Ryan's Xamot, perhaps psychically alerted to identical twin Ryan's distress, doubled back to provide his bike. Ryan quickly mounted and, as shown above, barely held off the main peloton -- in stocking feet -- to salvage a 7th among the 1/2's. ABD/Geargrinder had stacked numbers on Sunday, too, but Greg Christian (Turin) was able to take the win, with Meyers, Rob White and Josh Carter (ABD/Geargrinder) coming in 2-3-4. That puts Meyers and Christian in a tie for the overall, with Rob White just one point down. Nathan Moorhouse and junior Waylon Jankowiak of the new United South Shore Racing squad both had a good weekend: They were among the four 3's to make the break in Saturday's road race, and then they went 1-2 in the criterium. That puts them in good standing for the overall, which looks to be a tight race between them, Ryan Freund (IIT) and Ricardo Otero (Team Mack). One race wasn't enough for John Fleckenstein (Team Mack) on Saturday. After winning the 50+ race, he immediately jumped into the 40+, where he broke away late to solo to his second victory on the day. Team Tati had a good weekend in the lower categories, with Liam Bradshaw winning the 4's road race and Brian Hague winning both citizens races. In women's 4's racing, Elena Dorr followed a 2nd in the road race with a first in the criterium. Jessi Prinner (ABD) swept the women's open, giving her five consecutive Fall Fling wins. Because of egregious centerline violations in the 4's road race, omnium points were halved, an imperfect but important sanction. Road race results. Criterium results. Omnium standings.

Road race reports Patrick Brock (Team Extreme; 4): "About 15 riders decided they needed a better position for the sprint and not only crossed the center line by a little bit, they were on the opposite shoulder of the roadway. The official on the motor was all over it."

Robert Curtis (Bicycle Heaven; citizens): "I heard a guy sprinting by. Started calling out 'Left side!' Then I looked and saw it wasn't just one or two or three guys, but a train -- and it was trucking."

Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; W-40+): "A moment of inattention, a bit of nerves, and there you are."

Don Hanke (Tower Racing; 4): "We were by far the most active team. It didn’t work out but we had a blast trying to make it happen."

Seth Meyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 1/2): "The field mostly shut down as of Lap 3 (of 6), but it was fun anyway."

Avi Neurohr (Chicago Cuttin' Crew; 4): "The road was narrow, the centerline rule was keeping us three abreast and slow, and a combine 30 feet wide took up the entire road for a mile, keeping us all even slower."

Team Tati (4, beginners, W-4): "Everyone raced safely, and with style."

Joe Tortorelli (C-U Racing; 3): "I had some fun bluffing some cramps before the start of the final lap, which caused my fellow Cat 3 to put in an attack and cramp himself out a bit."

Criterium race reports Patrick Brock (Team Extreme; 4): "I tried some different lines but the field was too big to get the best lines and move up at the same time."

Robert Curtis (Bicycle Heaven; citizens): "From then it was like a time warp. I think I had visions. The surge came. I knew it would. It hurt."

Ed Ekstrom (Tower Racing; citizens): "I am about even with the rear wheel of the new leader now and gaining. I am feeling fresh and there is no way I am losing to this guy."

Avi Neurohr (Chicago Cuttin' Crew; 4, citizens): "Seven of us separated from the bunch to contest the sprint, and though I thought I'd saved enough through the last climb into the wind, everyone else did, too."

• » The Chicago Cyclocross Cup presents High-Octane Fuel for Cyclocross, a seminar by noted sports nutritionist Monique Ryan. The Oct. 7 event costs $15 and requires pre-registration.
• » Speaking of which, the Chicago Cyclocross Cup opened Sunday in Jackson park and included more than a hundred riders in the 4's. Results are online. A few photo galleries: Mike Campbell, Carolyn Golz, Melody Kramer, Jen Schuetz, Matthew Sipple, Ed White.
• » How hot is cross? Not one but two documentaries take a look at the 2007 national championships: "Nine Ball Diaries" and "Zero Traction"
• » Check your mirror, save a life.
• » Final Illinois Cup standings are updated. ICA vice president Steve Hansen (North Branch Cycling) provides some analysis.
• » In other ICA news, the introductory officials clinic I mentioned last week has been moved to Nov. 29.
• » Have you found Universal Sports on your television yet? World championships will be televised this week, from the time trials through Sunday's road race.
• » Get a Grip Cycles is missing some bikes.
• » Cycling needs more fans so stark-raving mad about the sport that they don giant antlers and prance around with enormous flags. Cycling also needs more riders like Juan Antonio Flecha.

ABR warmed up the Westlake Village road race course this weekend with its masters national championships. The biggest field appears to have been the 50+, where Andy Kerr (Redline) narrowly took a sprint ahead of John Fleckenstein (Team Mack). In the 40+, on the other hand, it was all Mack, with Jeff Williams, Ricardo Otero, Robert Kron and Mark Tank going 1-2-3-4 in a bunch sprint. Mack also claimed the 65+ jersey behind Bob Burns.

ABD/Geargrinder took control of a small 30+ field, with Wisconsin's White brothers riding all challengers off their wheels. Of special note in this race is the return of Marek Serafin, who after starting 2007 on a tear has been battling an injury every since. He apparently still has the stuff, winning the field sprint to take 5th. Full results.

Race reports Cory Hickman (Vitaminwater-Trek; 30+): "Some attacks led to a break of seven, then six, then five, then four, which was Andy, me and los hermanos Blancos."

Six months after we first turned the pedals in anger in Kenosha, the road season wraps up over the next two weekends with the Fall Fling, a four-race omnium series. Riders can do just one race or as many as four, unless they have their sights on the overall prizes, in which case they must do at least three.

Many of us have moved on to the winter pastime of cross, and others have moved on to the winter pastime of beer, football and the couch. For everyone else, the Fling is an excellent way to get in some final licks and take advantage of any lingering fitness, and the beginner fields can be excellent initiations for new racers. Saturday's road race is the same course used in previous years. The 8.1-mile rectangle has rollers on each side but nothing that should break up any groups. There’s a long, straight descent into the finish will yield some fast sprints. The biggest factor may be the wind, which can be heavy on these exposed roads. Be ready to echelon in the crosswinds. The 3's will race with the 1/2's but will be scored separately. I expect the field will break up significantly and that success will go to the 3's who can best hitch their wagons to the stars of ABD/Geargrinder. The Sunday crits will be in a Wood Dale business park: Hansen Court, Gerry Drive and Aec Drive this weekend, Mittel Drive, Pond Drive and Wheat Lane the next.

Saturday Fall Fling Road Race Westlake Village, Ill. Distance from Chicago: 1.5 hours

Sunday Fall Fling Criterium No. 1 ABR criterium Wood Dale, Ill. Distance from Chicago: .5 hours

Sunday, Oct. 5 Fall Fling Criterium No. 2 ABR criterium Wood Dale, Ill. Distance from Chicago: .5 hours

The Illinois Cycling Association is offering an introductory officials clinic on Saturday, Nov. 15 Nov. 29, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Highland Park. That same weekend there will be a clinic for upgrading to Category B.

In other ICA news, Steve Hansen has been working hard to update race results and Illinois Cup standings, which are now complete except for the Tour of Oak Brook. Somewhat related: No, I do not know when Chicago Criterium checks are being mailed out, other than what we learned in this post's comments.

• » Naz Hamid (Half Acre Cycling) brings us the most beautiful flier we're liable to see in these parts. Also, waffles! And cupcakes!
• » And two weeks later, Carpentersville Cyclocross will have beer. Hooray for cross!
• » Don't forget to use the Ride Board as you plan your cross season.
• » Police on Friday arrested Barbara Lee and charged her in last month's hit-and-run death of a Chicago cyclist in Wisconsin.
• » Some North Shore roadies have started group rides under the WGAS flag, complete with uniforms. What does WGAS stand for? Find out at their blog.
• » Local components maker SRAM is selling 40 percent of itself to Lehman Brothers. (At the rate Wall Street is melting down, I'm surprised SRAM didn't buy 40 percent of Lehman Brothers.)

ABR holds its masters national road race championships Saturday near Rockford, with categories from 30+ on up through 80+. It's held on the familiar West Lake Village course, so one could use it to preview the following weekend's Fall Fling road race. (Or depending on your perspective, I suppose one could use the Fall Fling as a review.) The 8.1-mile rectangle has rollers on each side but nothing that should break up any groups. There's a long, straight descent into the finish will yield some fast sprints. The biggest factor may be the wind, which can be heavy on these exposed roads. Be ready to echelon in the crosswinds.

ABR masters national road race championshps ABR road race West Lake Village, Ill. Distance from Chicago: 2 hours

Tuesday will be this season's final night of the Tuesday criteriums in Matteson.

UPDATE: Because of all the rain this weekend, there will not be racing in Matteson Tuesday. However, the South Chicago Wheelmen will be leading a group ride.

• » Two of our big August crits are going to be televised on Comcast SportsNet. The Tour of Elk Grove will be on at Sept. 20 at noon and Sept. 30 at 12:30 p.m. Downers Grove will be televised this Sunday at 4:30 p.m., Sept. 16 at 12:30 p.m., Sept. 27 at noon and Sep. 28 at 6 p.m. Set your TiVos!
• » Check out the sweet Chicago Cross Cup T-shirt designed by Jesse Lalonde. They cost $15, with a portion of the proceeds going to World Bicycle Relief.
• » Why, yes, that was your editor who won yesterday's Tour of Missouri "Guess the Catch" at CyclingNews. (Confidential to CyclingNews human resources: Is it really a guess when you know this much about professional cycling, are this good with computers and have this much media experience?)

ABD has released the flier for the Fall Fling. Note that the criteriums have moved from Lombard to Wood Dale. They'll take place in the same business park as the Memorial Day weekend masters races, on the "north" course the first Sunday and the "south" course the next week.

The track season concludes Thursday at the Northbrook Velodrome, and this will be a fun one to watch. There will be free barbeque and other special festivities, including a trackstand contest. Barry Taerbaum (Alberto's) sponsored the evening and will provide extra primes as he honors men and women in uniform. As one discipline ends, another takes its place. There's still one beginner's spot left at Saturday's cyclocross clinic, plus a few openings for more experienced riders. Then the Chicago Cyclocross Cup kicks off on Sept. 21 with Jackson Park Cyclocross. Note that women can earn travel expenses to the national championships thanks to the Smart Cycling Road to Cyclocross Nationals Women’s Project. In conjuntion with Saturday's clinic, Illinois Tech Cycling and Cycle Smithy are holding Swap and Hop, a bike swap on the Illinois Tech campus.

Your sets are not malfunctioning: That is cycling on your TV this weekend.

NBC's Universal Sports, channel 5-3 on the digital spectrum, has been showing the Tour of Germany and the Univest Grand Prix, including the Univest Criterium at the moment. Later this week Universal will be showing the Tour of Missouri and the Paralympic Games in Beijing, where Chicagoan Greta Neimanas (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) will be going for gold on the track. And at 4:30 this afternoon, Comcast SportsNet will be showing the Tour of Elk Grove.

ABR's famous four-person time trial world championships are this weekend. The flier is now available. E-mail your start lists and race classes to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Start times will be e-mailed Friday.

The race is way out in Utica. Sounds like a good candidate for the Ride Board to me.

• » How did Team Tibco prepare to sweep the women's races at Downers Grove? Watch and learn, compliments of SRAM's Road Diaries. Also dig this CyclingNews profile of double national champion Brooke Miller (Team Tibco).
• » SRAM also has this interview with Chris Horner (Astana), days before he would help Levi Leipheimer win gold in Beijing break his collarbone at the Tour of Elk Grove.
• » Some veterans of the Wednesday night Chicago Cycling Club rides are starting a team for Cat 4's and 5's. Read their flier. Any team that quotes Tim Krabbe is A-OK by me. (Link fixed.)
• » A new team is coming together in northwest Indiana, too: United South Shore Racing.
• » Patrick McNally (Team MS Racing) is starting a weekly ride from Wicker Park. He'll leave at 6:30 a.m. each Wednesday from Alliance Bakery, 1736 W Division St. Expect 60-90 minutes at a brisk pace.
• » Mark Swartzendruber (Lucas Oil) on the Tour of Oak Brook.
• » Charles Biro (Team Get a Grip Cycles) sends along this post-collision checklist. It appears to be Canadian, so your mileage may vary, and it doesn't include advice I've heard Lawyer Jim give countless times: Do not discuss your collision online. What you say online can and will be used against you when it comes time to go after the driver.
• » Finally! A free, convenient way to arrange carpools!

To repay the generosity you showed last week, I've created a service that several of you have long requested: A ride board for carpooling.

It hasn't been rigorously tested, but I'm hoping that it can see some use during cyclocross season and that by the 2009 road season it will enjoy so much use that none of us will ever again drive to a race alone. To use it, you must have an account and be logged in. Once you are logged in, e-mail addresses will become visible. Users should also read these guidelines. Contact me with any problems or ideas.