No links today, but some sober news instead: Thursday evening a cab struck Steven Vandeven (Team Get a Grip Cycles) as he rode south on La Salle Boulevard toward Goethe Street. He sustained major head injuries. Following extensive surgery, doctors induced a coma. He remains under sedation.

The long-term prognosis is undetermined. Those of us who have raced against Vandeven, however, know that he is a fighter and a finisher. If he has any say in the matter, the recovery will be nothing short of full. As with all car-on-bike collisions, this one could have been much worse. Join me tomorrow in giving thanks for Steven, a class act and an ace cyclist, as well as thanks for one another and for the thousands of our rides that do not end in catastrophe.

Thomas Lynch pleaded guilty this morning to a Class A misdemeanor of attempted aggravated battery for the September 2007 paceline attack on St. Mary's Road.

On Saturday, Sept. 22, 2007, a group of 17 riders -- myself among them -- was riding single-file close to 30 mph when Lynch veered into its path and braked, causing a large crash, then sped away. One victim was transported to the hospital for examination. Another would eventually have surgery for injuries suffered in the crash. Lynch called 911 to claim that cyclists had kicked out his taillight after he had stopped to avoid hitting a squirrel. On the dispatcher's recommendation, Lynch returned to the scene to turn himself in. In February prosecutors charged Lynch with seven felonies, including felony hit-and-run. In the interest of a guaranteed conviction, however, we recently agreed to the compromised plea bargain. While we feel felony convictions would have properly reflected the magnitude of the attack, we understand the unpredictability of the jury system. Misdemeanor in hand, felonies in bush, as it were. But we are pleased that the terms of the plea include extensive punishment and reparation. Among these terms:

• » Two years of probation, transferred to Florida, his home state;
• » Prohibition from driving on St. Mary's or Everett Roads;
• » Court costs;
• » Letter of apology to the League of Illinois Bicyclists;
• » $3,500 donation to the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation (now the Active Transportation Alliance);
• » Anger-management evaluation and treatment.

I have no doubt that even when we ride single-file and within our rights our presence vexes many drivers on the North Shore. This was not the first time that a driver has maliciously braked in front of a paceline of mine. In August an Alberto's ride was attacked, also on St. Mary's Road, and a similar attack to ours occured in L.A. in July with much more dire consequences. We hope publicity from this case will remind both drivers and cyclists of the need to share the road peacefully and responsibly.

We are thankful to all the cycling advocates who wrote on our behalf and offered other support. And we are extremely thankful to our Lake County prosecutors, Brett Henne and Lonnie Renda, for seeing this case through to its conclusion. Not every prosecutor would have taken our grievances seriously. They went the extra miles to see that felony charges were made, and then ensured that the ensuing plea held adequate punishment.

Is your team's information in the team directory accurate? With so many people thinking about joining teams for 2009, this is a good time to make sure. Some of these listings haven't been updated since I first created the directory, and in most cases I'm counting on you to help me keep the listings current. Please alert me to any errors, as well as any errors in the ride list.

Speaking of group rides, I'm alerted that Judson will be convening Thursday and Friday this week. The rides will leave at 8 a.m. from Plaza del Lago. Four straight days of Judson to work off that Thanksgiving chow!

How far would you travel for a quality road race? Hillsboro? Wisconsin? Arkansas?

Belgium? That's where Vision Quest's Bryan McVey and Luca Lenzi headed this summer, becoming the latest in a long line of young American riders to rough it in one of the world's most grueling and hard-nosed racing environments. To learn more about the experience, I checked in with McVey, originally of Arlington Heights, who enjoyed a meteoric rise through the ranks in 2007. He's back in Illinois after graduating from Virginia Tech with a degree in mechanical engineering, and we should see more of him in 2009 now that he's working for Caterpillar in Joliet. He'll continue to ride for Vision Quest, but the 23-year-old says his services are available to teams racing at the NRC level.

In May 2007 you were racing (and winning) the citizens category at Monsters of the Midway. A year later you were Cat 2 and racing in Belgium. How the heck did that happen, and did it involve a time machine or space travel? Unfortunately there was no time travel. In the summer of 2007 I felt I was trying to make up for starting the sport later in my career. I stacked my schedule with as many races as I could.

What sports did you do before cycling? I competed competitively in cross country and track for 10 years prior to making the switch to full-time cyclist in May 2007. My last season as a runner was my junior year track season at Virginia Tech in spring 2007.

What was your primary event? I was primarily mid-distance in high school and distance in college. In high school my best event was the mile, and college I ran the 3k, 5k and 3k steeplechase the most.

How did you and Luca get hooked up with racing in Belgium? I had some teammates from my collegiate team at Virginia Tech (Eric Chrabot, and John Zaccone) who were at the Johan Bruyneel Cycling Academy, and `Racers will do anything to advance their position for the inevitable break in the peloton somewhere around the hour mark.’they gave me the information and inside scoop on the program. I then relayed the info to Luca and he was in.

What kind of contact did you have with Bruyneel himself? There wasn't any. But you have to remember that he was in season as well directing Astana, so there are priorities. He was at the pre-season camp in February in Arizona, although I wasn't there, and he did have constant contact with our director, Bernard Moerman.

Is the program just for Americans? The JBCA is not just for Americans, but it caters to Americans very well, so that is why most of the people there are from the States. It is pretty much a home away from home to live with other people that all have similar goals, which is to test themselves against some of the greatest riders in the world, in some of the greatest venues in the world. There were a few Belgian riders I raced with and became good friends with. They didn't live at the house, but would race with us as a part of the JBCA team.

How long were you there and how often did you race? I was there for about 2.5 months, and I raced a total of 17 times: 11 single-day races and one five-day, six-stage race.

How is the racing style different from American racing? It is much more cut-throat since every race is so important. A good finish in a race there will get you a lot of credit, compared to the average race in the states. Racers will do anything to advance their position for the inevitable break in the peloton somewhere around the hour mark. This includes riding on sidewalks, through gas-station parking lots and up the middle of the peloton through very narrow openings. It was very intimidating at first.

How are the Americans received? For the most part we were just another racer they needed to finish in front of. But every once in awhile you would run into the hot-headed person that did not like you being there, and they made it known to you. The American-flag kit made it a bit obvious. At times I was glad I didn't speak Flemish.

How would you describe a kermesse to someone who's never seen it? It's an extremely fast race, 100-120km in distance, on a 5-12k loop. The start/finish is in a small town, with the course on a mix of `Every once in awhile you would run into the hot-headed person that did not like you being there, and they made it known to you.’small country roads with tight turns and larger exposed main roads. Simply put, a pure suffer fest.

Is it true that Belgians go watch bike races even if they don't have family or friends in them? There is always a crowd for the races, usually in town by the start/finish area where families and spectators can sit and enjoy the race, as well as good food and beverages.

How was the beer? Excellent, and very strong.

What's one aspect of Belgian racing you'd like to see adopted here? The longer distance racing. You don't even need a large loop to do it on! You can have long races and still be spectator-friendly, which I think is key.

Looking at you I'd peg your weight around 90 pounds. Do you consider yourself a climber? How much does it drive you crazy to be in flat Illinois? Good guess, but about 60 pounds off. I do consider climbing as my best discipline, but I strive to be as much as an all-around rider as I can. Not being able to do climbing races around here is a bit rough, but I was lucky to have a whole collegiate season in the Appalachian Mountains last spring. I always look forward to the hilly races.

What are your cycling plans in 2009? Right now my plans for 2009 are to continue to ride for Vision Quest, with coaching from Jason Schisler. I will also be looking for any openings available with teams in some bigger races in the U.S. to help build my resume.

What's your off-season training look like? How does cyclocross fit in? I am working a full-time job and also training as much as I can full-time as well. Lots of running and trainer time, as well as strength training. Cyclocross for me is added fitness to mix up training in the off-season, so I don't put too much emphasis on it. I'm not very good at the technical stuff, but I love the races and the atmosphere.

What 2009 races are you looking forward to most? Whichever races I can do over three hours with more than 10 feet of elevation gain! Honestly, I am looking forward to racing as much as I can, and hopefully getting into some bigger races. So if anyone has any contacts for teams that need riders for any of the NRC races, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)! Also feel free to check out my blog.

• » Cycle Smithy, which has been killing the 4b cross races, made a video from Sunday's sand pit madness. Here's another Lansing video. And here's more video from Northbrook. Check out the expert stop, drop and roll around 2:33.
• » How big is cyclocross in Portland, Ore.? Even their unicycle category gets 15 riders. (Their beginner and masters categories field 120-150.)
• » The Illinois Cycling Association released the flier for its Dec. 7 awards banquet, featuring Christian Vande Velde (Garmin). Admission includes entry into a raffle for an autographed jersey.
• » The latest recruitment event comes from XXX Racing-AthletiCo, which is having an open house for women on Sunday, Dec. 7. And in the west and southwest suburbs, Team Apache is forming an elite team but is also looking for riders at all levels. Its membership meeting will be Dec. 13. E-mail president .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for more information.
• » Registration closes tomorrow for next week's introductory officiating clinic.
• » I have it on good authority that Hillsboro-Roubaix will be Saturday, April 18, not the previously reported 4th. Adjust your mesocycles accordingly. Nevermind. April 4 it is.
• » Working on your cadence this winter? Monday, Dec. 1, kicks off a series of IRO Sprints, fixed-fork roller races with a speed-metal edge and a generous prize list. Check out this promotional video, as well as photos from the original IRO Sprints in March 2007 and from the last time it was held at the Cobra.
• » The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation has a new name and mission. (Rest easy. I have no plans to rebrand CBR as Chicago Active Transportation Racing.)

American Bicycle Racing is throwing a banquet on Saturday, Nov. 22, for its Illinois and Wisconsin riders. Awards will include Wisconsin-Illinois Riders of the Year and the Tour of Illinois and Wisconsin, plus track and time trial honorees. Reserving a spot early saves $3 off dinner at the Old Orchard Country Club in Mt. Prospect.

• » Please take note of CBR's newest sponsor, Turin, which is hosting a power training clinic on Saturday, Dec. 6. Should be a good introduction to power for those who like me have succumbed to the dark arts of wattage this off-season.
• » Several cyclists are among Chicago Athlete's candidates for Clif Bar Athlete of the Year, including Devon Haskell (Team Get a Grip Cycles/Pony Shop) and Rebecca Much (Webcor/XXX Racing-AthletiCo).
• » Your next Illinois Cycling Association meeting will be Saturday, Nov. 22, at SRAM, 1333 N. Kingsbury. Special thanks to SRAM for providing a location so convenient to Chicgao riders.
• » OK, so the flaming barriers in Milwaukee were pretty cool, but Portland this weekend incorporated a windmill into the course!
• » In local cross action, Mike the Veloist put together a video from Northbrook's excellent cross course. Meanwhile, some fans are working to upload Chicago Cyclocross Cup results to Cross Results, a site that crunches numbers and tracks riders' "nemeses" and "victims." (For example.)
• » Only 42 more shopping days until Christmas.

• » Mark your calendars: The Illinois Cycling Association will have an awards banquet in Highland Park on Sunday, Dec. 7, following that day's state cyclocross championships. Christian Vande Velde (Garmin) will be the guest speaker.
• » Did someone say calendar?
• » One more reason to be a fan of Steve Tilford (HRRC/Trek): He rescues kittens on his training rides.
• » Rebecca Much (Webcor) has been moonlighting this cross season with her former XXX Racing-AthletiCo squad. She writes about the season so far at CyclingNews.
• » Northbrook Garner and Flatlandia are teaming up to "Save Ferris" at Sunday's cyclocross race. The following week, Lansing Cross will introduce collegiate categories to the Chicago Cyclocross Cup.
• » The worst part of winter isn't the cold or the suck: It's having to clean all the salt and gunk off your bike after a simple ride. That's why Rapid Transit's winter tune-up package seems like a good idea.
• » In addition to the winter workout series I mentioned last week, Endure It Sports in Naperville offers CompuTrainer classes, including Saturday sessions taught by Chris Mosora (Lucas Oil).
• » Three feet, please.