The Chicago area picked up one national championship at this week’s masters road races in Louisville, Ky., thanks to Naperville’s Tom Weil (ABD), who in the 65-69 group was first up the final kilometer-long climb.

Defending champion Wayne Simon (Verdigris) found himself a marked man in the 50-54 field as it navigated a fast, twisting and hilly course. He had to settle for 3rd in the field sprint, 6th overall. Meanwhile, Aurora’s Tom Doughty (Amgen/Giant) placed 3rd in the 55-59, joined on the podium by Bloomington’s Stan Watkins (Vision Quest) in 5th.

Other quality showings from Chicago include Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo), 13th in the women’s 40-44; Stathy Touloumis (Alberto’s) and Jacques Cartier (XXX Racing-AthletiCo), 14th and 22nd in the 35-39; and Randy Warren (XXX Racing-AthletiCo), 16th in the 45-49.

Masters national championships continue this week with time trials and criteriums.

I’m off to Louisville to watch Wayne Simon (Verdigris) defends his masters national championship. I don’t know what the Internet situation will be like in Kentucky, so our next update might not be until Wednesday, and if I’m ignoring your e-mail, it’s not because I don’t like you.

Wisconsin turned on the heat this week with heat indices well above 100 at the Tour of America’s Dairyland. The conditions may have taken more of a toll at Tuesday’s Fond du Lac Road Race than the notorious climbs of the Blue Mounds course.

Keeping her cool, however, was Chicago’s Devon Haskell (Team BH USA), who won out of small breaks at both Fond du Lac and at Friday’s Greenbush Road Race. She’s just a few points out of the top overall spot. Meanwhile, Jessi Prinner (ABD) sits in 5th, and Jeannie Zuhajek (Team Mack) has several top 10’s to her name.

Full results.

Fond du Lac Road Race reports
Devon Haskell (Team BH USA; W-P/1/2/3): “I think we were all a little intimidated by the sizzling sun.”

James Pradun (GDVC; 3): “Today was the second hardest day of my life.”

Kristin Wentworth (Team Kenda; W-P/1/2/3): “The last two laps I felt like my head was in the clouds.”

Fond du Lac Road Race photos
Extreme Photography
John Wilke

Fond du Lac Criterium reports
James Pradun (GDVC; 3): “It doesn’t help that I’m now battling some saddle sores.”

Fond du Lac Criterium photos
Extreme Photography

Sheboygan reports
Avi Neurohr (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew; 4/5, 30+ 4/5): “Some ‘sconnie ladies were screaming ‘Cuttin’ Crew’ and the announcer mangled my name 17 different ways.”

James Pradun (GDVC; 3): “Coming into the final turn, miraculously no one crashed.”

Sheboygan photos
Extreme Photography
John Wilke

Greenbush reports
Seth Meyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; P/1/2): “I promised myself to do nothing stupid or crazy aggressive.”

James Pradun (GDVC; 3): “We slaughtered the field in the process.”

Greenbush photos
Extreme Photography
John Wilke

Here’s a late-breaking crit that escaped my radar: Village CycleSport and Redline Racing host the Wood Dale Criterium, ABR’s state criterium championships, on Sunday, July 5, at the same industrial park as ABD’s Memorial Day weekend masters crits. (I’m not sure which loop will be employed.)

It comes on the heels of sad news for Village CyclesSport: Elk Grove store manager Jason Eberhardt died Saturday in an accident while repairing a car. He was 28.

• » Reports have been positive from Saturday’s inaugural Allvoi Cup in Northbrook. Results are online. To encourage more women to race, registration fees are waived for the balance of the series.
• » The Downers Grove schedule is up.
• » What the city teaches its police officers about urban cycling.
• » Soldier Field Cycling gets Pez’d. (Direct link).
• » Look for the Nature Valley Grand Prix on Universal Sports starting this weekend.

It’s hard to believe we’re barely a week out of arm warmers and it’s already state championship time.

The fight for Illinois honors returns to Peoria on Sunday with the Proctor Cycling Classic. It’s a fun eight-corner course with wide, smooth roads and a short kicker right before Turn 8.

Open the legs up Saturday with The Downer Classic in Milwaukee, a longtime popular Superweek criterium that this year is also part of the Tour of America’s Dairyland.

Saturday ToAD: The Downer Classic USCF criterium Milwaukee, Wis. Distance from Chicago: 1.5 hours

Sunday Proctor Cycling Classic (state criterium championships) USCF criterium Peoria, Ill. Distance from Chicago: 3 hours Previous wrap-ups: 2007, 2008

ToAD: Carl Zach Cycling Classic USCF criterium Waukesha, Wis. Distance from Chicago: 2 hours

Some highlights from this weekend’s racing, including the memorable Fox River Grove climb (above):

• » Sometimes it’s hard to be an impartial observer. I cannot help but lead with the performance of XXX Racing-AthletiCo, which swept nearly every men’s elite category between the two Illinois Cup Races. At Cobb Park it was Tom Briney in the 4’s, Curtis Eldridge in the 30+ 4/5 and Peter Strittmatter in the 3’s. Briney and Eldridge won in bunch sprints, while Strittmatter won out of a late two-man break with Jason Knauff (Burnham Racing). At Fox River Grove, wins came from Briney again in the 4/5’s, David Moyer in the 3’s and Ed Amstutz in the P/1/2’s.
• » Speaking of clean sweeps, New Zealand import Jeannie Kuhajek (Team Mack) won all four of her races this weekend, taking the women’s open and masters races at both Cobb Park and Fox River Grove.
• »  Three members of regional powerhouse Texas Roadhouse stopped by Cobb Park and put a veritable beatdown on the locals in the P/1/2 race, sweeping the podium behind Kevin Attkisson (2008 masters criterium national champion), John Grant and John Puffer.
• » Tomasz Boba (WDT-Allvoi) raced well. At Cobb Park he finished 5th in the P/1/2’s (2nd, non-Texas Roadhouse division). At Fox River Grove he outsprinted Amstutz to win the masters 1/2/3, then traded positions for a 2nd in the P/1/2.
• » Post-up of the weekend goes to Doug Braun (Tower Racing), who with two to go in Fox River Grove’s 30+ 4/5 made a three-man selection, then with one to go unleashed an unanswerable attack that let him zip up and cross the line in style. This is a repeat victory for Braun: He won here the masters 4/5 in 2008, too.
• » Kudos to promoter Robert DiSilvestro and Fox River Grove for patching the road at crest of the hill. The surface was smooth as butter, a significant imporovement over just a week earlier. This race gets bigger and better every year, and even many people who DNF’d have vowed to return in 2010.

Full Cobb Park results. Full Fox River Grove results.

Cobb Park reports
Newt Cole (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “I slide up to Kyle’s wheel and tell him, ‘I’m on, brother. Let’s do this.’”

Jared Rogers (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4, 30+ 4/5): “From that point on I tell myself that I’m not giving up any more wheels.”

Luke Seemann (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “It was early, but if a group was out of sight, anything could happen. Better do something about it.”

Mike Shea (Spidermonkey Cycling; 4, 30+ 4/5): “In the final 20 meters, Davy Jones (Team Get a Grip Cycles) and I bumped shoulders and I badly threw the bike somewhere near the line. It was an exciting finish.”

Cobb Park photos
Carolyn Golz
Mark Keller
Video: Rob Ragfield

Fox River Grove reports
Doug Braun (Tower Racing; 30+ 4/5): “Over the top and down the hill at 35 into the corners, I take a quick look behind and no one is in sight.”

Newt Cole (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “For me, this is the race. I did my job and will not be denied two days in a row.”

Seth Meyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; P/1/2): “DFL > DNF > DNS.”

Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5, 30+ 4/5): “Two shifts and out of my saddle, I passed out of mere tunnel vision and into Dr. Dave Bowman hallucination-worm hole territory. “

Dave Moyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “I got a gap and motored down the final flatish portion of the descent.”

Tom Panton (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5): “I don’t think I ever suffered so much in only 20 minutes.”

Rob Roop (North Branch; 4/5, 30+ 4/5): “In this race if you weren’t going forward you were going backwards, and I didn’t find anyone to work with.”

Tim Speciale (Bicycle Heaven; 4/5): “He hammered it up the hill, the pack followed and I had no choice.”

Michael Young (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5, 30+ 4/5): “Wow.  That hill is making my legs burn.  This is great.”

Fox River Grove photos
Nikki Cyp
Carolyn Golz
Mark Keller

I haven’t seen any of the action firsthand, but perusing the results, it appears that in both size and caliber, the fields at the Tour of Dairyland are down half a notch from what we typically find at rival summer series Superweek. I’m surprised at how few Illinois riders are heading north, and outside of the elite races, there are hardly any national or international riders. That’s too bad: All reports are that the races have been run very well, and turnout hasn’t stopped the racing from being fast — and at times downright furious.

• » Blue Mounds lived up to its billing as a ridiculously hard, hilly course with a long, steep final stretch. Of the 88 P/1/2’s who started, only 26 finished. In 12th place, Will Nowak (Alderfer Bergen) was the top Chicago-area rider. Other fields saw similar attrition and detonation. Devon Haskell (Team BH USA) had a great day, making the break and getting 2nd in the women’s P/1/2/3. A large group of 3’s hit the final climb, and Jacques Cartier (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) outclimbed all but one to get 2nd.  Jake Teitelbaum (Spidermonkey Cycling) also hit the podium, getting 3rd in the 4/5’s.
• » WDT-Allvoi hasn’t gotten a win yet but has done very well in the 3’s. Waylon Janowiak placed 5th at Blue Mounds and got 2nd at the Giro d’Grafton. Then on Sunday, Ricardo Otero and Chris Gola went 2-3 in Manitowoc.
• » It was a good weekend for the juniors: Chazz Martin (IS Corps) won the 4/5’s races at both Grafton and Manitowoc, and Jessi Prinner (ABD) finished 4th in Manitowoc.
• » Haskell wore the women’s leader’s jersey Sunday, but she got pipped in the field sprint to lose it for the time being. She ends the weekend tied in first overall, sandwiched between two Verducci/Breakaway riders. Prinner sits in 4th, while Janowiak holds 3rd in the 3’s.
• » Veteran Steve Tilford (Tradewind Energy/Trek Stores) documents a contentious sprint and subsequent exchange of words between himself and Frank Pipp (Bissell) at Saturday’s Giro d’Grafton. The two of them went 2-3 Sunday and are now a tight 1-2 at the top of the men’s overall.

Monday is a rest day. Racing continues Tuesday with the Fond du Lac Road Race.

Full results.

Blue Mounds race reports
Jacques Cartier (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “I tried to ride within myself and give a couple more efforts but it was a no-go to win.”

Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; W-P/1/2/3): “I gutted it out to the last climb, swallowed my last gel, and then tried to remember to make circles instead of squares.”

Avi Neurohr (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew; 4/5): “We hit the hill and hell begins in earnest.”

Andy Powell (Project 5; 3): “For some reason, on that last climb of the lap, I had a horrible time turning over the pedals.”

James Pradun (GDVC; 3): “Pinnacle was a huge attack that split the 21 guys in half again.”

Jake Teitelbaum (Spidermonkey Cycling; 4/5): “The rest of the race is fear of being caught by the guy behind me and hope of catching the two guys in front of me.”

Steve Tilford (Tradewind Energy/Trek Stores; P/1/2): “The remainder of the finishers came in one at a time. Pretty epic. Pretty much a death march.”

Blue Mounds photos
Extreme Photography
John Wilke

Waterloo reports
James Pradun (GDVC; 3): “Two riders came in flying on my left side with clearly not enough room, as the road quickly narrowed.”

Waterloo photos
Extreme Photography
John Wilke

Giro d’Grafton reports
Derek Laan (Panther/RGF; P/1/2): “It is definitely a tougher field up here than we would have faced at Tour of Ohio.”

Chris Padfield (Team Get a Grip Cycles; 3): “About a half hour into the race I started to unravel due to the heat.”

James Pradun (GDVC; 3): “I’m just being a pansy and not suffering.”

Steve Tilford (Tradewind Energy/Trek Stores; P/1/2): “he was slamming me and everyone else into the far left curb.  He was nearly T-boning me, trying to squeeze into a hole that wasn’t there.”

Giro d’Grafton photos
Extreme Photography
John Wilke

Manitowoc reports
Derek Laan (Panger/RGF; P/1/2): “We were all really stoked to finally produce a few top 10 results and score a little bit of money.”

Steve Tilford (Tradewind Energy/Trek Stores; P/1/2): “Leaving the podium for the last time, I slipped on the aluminum steps and twisted my knee and scuffed up my shin. Bike racing is a dangerous sport.”

Manitowoc photos
John Wilke

Early reports from Wednesday’s debut of the Soldier Field Cycling Series are very positive. Riders loved the high production values —  Pepsi Max podium gals! — and say the course was better than what one would expect in a parking lot, although I’m told a narrow turn caused some problems for the crowded, sold-out 4/5’s field.

Women’s fields were tiny and the P/1/2/3’s race wasn’t enormous either, but I expect many people sat this one out to see how the first night played out. Here’s hoping for larger fields come the next round on July 1, and 4/5’s would be wise to pre-register to guarantee their spot.

Full results.

Race reports
Erik Didriksen (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5): “It was sketchy at times, but no more so than most 75-rider 4/5 criteriums.”

Seth Meyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; P/1/2/3): “Suddenly my man Jason Knauff (Burnham Racing) and I were reeling in this break that had been off the front for most of the hour.”

Martin Michalowicz (MS Racing; 4/5): “With three laps to go, I grabbed Dan’s wheel and started an MS train into the final lap.”

Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5): “Out of saddle to the line, with what feels like a bag of cinderblocks on my back, I throw just before I get pipped out of the top three.”

Spidermonkey Cycling (4/5): “I was able to gain position on the beck stretch but then lost it in the last two turns before the finish.”

Photos
Kevin Keeley
Soldier Field Cycling

Once the rain stopped, Saturday turned out to be a nice day for racing.

In the morning’s cold drizzle, however, the suck factor was high and flat tires rampant at Chicago’s Sherman Park Criterium. Get a Grip Cycles provided neutral support and turned wheels around as fast as they came in. So fast, in fact, that one rider who flatted twice was surprised to receive his original wheel on his second trip to the pit.

Despite the weather, racing was crash-free for the most part, save for a nasty pileup late in the 4’s. I don’t think the weather caused it, but poor visibility and bad traction certainly made it worse, with about a dozen riders sliding out. Casualties included one broken clavicle and one shattered frame.

Bicycle Heaven lit up the early races, winning both the morning 5’s and 4’s races behind Tim Speciale and Joel Friedman, respectively, both winning bunch sprints by large margins.

All day host XXX Racing-AthletiCo tried to use its large numbers to create breaks, but its three wins came from bunch sprints: Natalie Evans in the women’s 4’s, Michael Young in the second 5’s race, and Peter Strittmatter in the 3’s. At one point the team had four riders in a six-man selection in the masters 1/2/3’s, but in the sprint it was Adam Lesniakowski (PACT-Dish Network) and Marc Zionts (Alberto’s) repeating their 1-2 placing of 2008.

In the women’s open, Jessi Prinner (ABD) outsprinted Jeannie Kuhajek (Team Mack), the latter’s second 2nd place on the day.

A large field turned out for the P/1/2/3 race. Comcast/Higher Gear, XXX Racing-AthletiCo and others were active off the front for the first hour, but with 20 minutes to go, David Sachs (Vision Quest) and Greg Springborn (Proctor) quietly slipped away and held a 30-second lead to the finish, won by Sachs.

Full results.

Race reports
Rob Curtis (Bicycle Heaven; 4): “I couldn’t see crap. At times you were riding by feel. You could sense where the other riders were and just tried to maintain your position with respect to them.”

Elvis Falbo (Beverly Bike/Vee-Pak; 30+ 4/5): “I really dug deep, and when I passed the finish line I heard the announcer call my number and Beverly Bike. I was very pleased.”

Steve Dennis (Unattached; 4): [Picture worth a thousand words.]

Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; W-35+): “For a moment I quailed, but I wanted to give it everything I had, Jens-style. I told myself to just HTFU and keep pushing.”

Greg Heck (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “What happened next reconfirmed my thoughts on crits.”

Chris Kinonen (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 1/2/3): “It seemed like every time I looked around, our group consisted of different people”

Seth Meyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; P/1/2): “Maybe we shouldn’t have fired all of our bullets too soon, but we made a plan based on the previous years’ races, and we stuck to it.”

Will Nowak (Alderfer Bergen; P/1/2): “I was feeling good and confident that we could take a lap, especially once our gap reached a minute.”

Mike Shea (Spidermonkey Cycling; 4): “I kept spinning and jumped around him in the same gear and accelerated easily. I shifted once more for the long haul, then once more. I stood and tried to overtake the leader.”

Photos
Chicago Personal Photo
Mark Keller

• » Tour of Elk Grove registration is open.
• » Superweek’s Andy Garrison tells me that the 4/5’s races at local venues, especially Elgin, Arlington Heights and Evanston, are filling up. Register online at Truesport.
• » Speaking of Superweek, winners at Cobb Park and Fox River Grove this weekend earn two free Superweek entries; P/1/2 and women’s winners get five free entries. With Superweek races costing $30-$39, that’s a significant bonus.
• » The Chicago Tribune wrote an obituary of Higher Gear’s John Olin, including touching comments from Jeff Miller, to whom Olin donated a kidney in 2002. A ride in Olin’s memory will take place Sunday at 7:30 a.m. starting at Plaza de Lago in Wilmette. At an easy, no-drop pace the ride will go up to Lake Bluff and back, about 40 miles.
• » One of the bigger events to hit the Northbrook Velodrome kicks off Saturday when the Allvoi Cup has its first stage.
• » Don’t miss the New York Times photo essay of bar fighter turned bike racer Steve Marmo.
• » A reminder: Check your results on race day. Yes, even when it’s wet and cold.

The Illinois Cup comes back into play this weekend with two local criteriums.

Saturday is the Cobb Park Criterium, hosted by the South Chicago Wheelmen in Kankakee. It’s a flat, triangle-shape course along the Kankakee River. Online registration closes tonight, and the SCW asks that you contribute to its food drive by bringing items off this list.

Sunday’s Fox River Grove Cycling Challenge made my list of top 10 races. It’s a course as fun to watch as it is to ride, and I hope that this year it gets the turnout it deserves. I checked the course Sunday morning, and promoter Robert DiSilvestro was already out there hanging up streamers at the start/finish.

The infamous climb starts not far from the start. It will take 45-60 seconds, depending on your legs, too long for most of us to tackle out of the saddle, so sit as long as you can. The steepest pitch is at the bottom. You need to approach the turn in your small ring and one of your bigger cogs

—

better to spin for a bit than to be overgeared and risk a shifting mishap. Halfway up it becomes a series of shallower stairsteps.

The pavement at the top of the descent is choppy but nothing to alter your line over. After that it’s smooth, fast sailing all the way to the bottom. If you’re gapped over the top, it’s possible to hammer down the hill to regain contact, but do it quick, because if you don’t get any recovery before it’s time to climb again, your next gap is going to be even bigger.

The finish line is about 150 meters from the final corner. Winners will be either sprinting out of that corner or, more likely, zipping up and performing an elaborate post-up.

Meanwhile, the Tour of America’s Dairyland will be in full swing up in Wisconsin. Saturday features the popular Giro d’Grafton, with a twilight P/1/2 race at 7 p.m. It’s a technical course with a bit of a climb, while Sunday’s Maritime Bay Classic in Manitowoc, Wis., is on a fast, flat, 1-kilometer rectangle.

Saturday Cobb Park Criterium USCF criterium Kankakee, Ill. Distance from Chicago: 1 hour Previous wrap-ups: 2008, 2009

ToAD: Giro d’Grafton USCF criterium Grafton, Wis. Distance from Chicago: 2 hours Previous wrap-ups: 2008, 2009

Sunday Fox River Grove Cycling Challenge USCF criterium Fox River Grove, Ill. Distance from Chicago: 2 hours Previous wrap-ups: 2008, 2009

ToAD: Maritime Bay Classic UCF criterium Manitowoc, Wis. Distance from Chicago: 3 hours

There are times I’m really, really happy to have a job. And then there’s this week.

Three weekday races make their debut, starting with the Soldier Field Cycling Series and continuing with the first two stages of the Tour of America’s Dairyland. Wednesday’s races will run clockwise in the south parking lot of Soldier Field, directly off the bike path in a 1-kilometer, U-shape course with six turns. Parking-lot crits are nobody’s favorite, but this should be a great location and atmosphere. Registering for the entire series by tonight gets you free parking. (Otherwise, parking is $10 at the Waldron parking deck, across from the race course. Riders with roof racks should be mindful of Waldron’s short ceiling and take advantage of a drop-off area at the north end of the race course.) Juniors race for free and receive certificates for free Chipotle burritos. The inaugural Tour of America’s Dairyland kicks off Thursday with what is shaping up to be its queen stage: The Blue Mounds Race of the Future, held on a course being considered for the 2016 Olympics. Buzz is fever-pitch for this 22-mile circuit, which has has 2,200 feet of climbing per lap, including a brutal 3-mile finishing stretch. I’ll be curious to hear how the racing plays out: Will anyone be aggressive enough to make moves in the rollers, or will everyone just recover and let the climb sort things out? Friday the series continues with the Waterloo Classic in Trek’s backyard. The 1.6-mile circuit has a steep kicker at the beginning of each lap, then a shallow descent leading to a flat finish.

Wednesday Soldier Field Cycling Series USCF criterium Chicago Distance from Chicago: 0 hours

Thursday ToAD: Blue Mounds Race of the Future USCF road race Blue Mounds, Wis. Distance from Chicago: 3 hours

Friday ToAD: Waterloo Classic USCF criterium Waterloo, Wis. Distance from Chicago: 2.5 hours

 

John Olin, owner of Highland Park’s Higher Gear Bicycles, died unexpectedly Tuesday. He was 51 and the father of two teenage girls.

Mass will be celebrated Saturday Sunday. Memorial contributions can be made to the Olin Girls Educational Fund or to the National Kidney Foundation.

Update: The Chicago Tribune wrote an obituary, including touching comments from Jeff Miller, to whom Olin donated his kidney in 2002.

Some highlights from the rest of the weekend:

• » ABD defended its ABR national championship by winning Sunday’s 1/2 criterium in Winfield, this time behind Saturday’s winner Josh Carter, who previously held the title in 2007. He, Chris Uberti (Panther/RFG) and Mike Sherer (Alderfer Bergen) formed a break early and built more than a minute lead.
• » A small women’s field came down to practically a match sprint between three riders, with Michigan’s Christy Keely (Team Kenda) beating locals Debbie Dust (PACT/Dish Network) and Jessi Prinner (ABD).
• » Waylon Janowiak (WDT-Allvoi) and Hogan Sills (Verizon Wireless) both showed their Saturday podiums were no flukes, coming in 3rd and 4th in the 3’s, but it was Indiana’s Eric Young (Morris Trucking) taking the top step.
• » Chicago once again invaded and pillaged the Wisconsin state road race championships. Check out Vision Quest laying waste to the 30+  race, sweeping the podium behind Alex Pavlov, Robbie Ventura and Mike Heagney.  We also got winners in Devon Haskell (Team BH USA), who outkicked an eight-woman 1/2/3 break; Wisconsin resident Caroline Haebig (WDT-Allvoi) in the women’s 4’s; and Luke Seemann (XXX Racing-AthletiCo), who escaped late in the 3’s. The out-of-state 4/5’s race came down to a bunch sprint, insofar as one can sprint on a 14 percent grade, and Jake Teitelbaum (Spidermonkey Cycling) conquered it with a huge gap.

Full Winfield results.  Full Spring Prairie results.

Winfield reports
Rob Curtis (Bicycle Heaven; 4): “If you aren’t moving up then you’re being passed. It’s that simple. It becomes a self-feeding frenzy where the pace picks up as a result.”

Debbie Dust (PACT/Dish Network; W-1/2/3): “My back wheel skipped me along to a very close first-loser finish. Boo. But that’s racing and it just comes with the territory.”

Ed Hernandez (North Branch Cycling; 3): “It was almost as if everyone had rockets strapped to their chainstays, but my rockets were installed backwards.”

Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3, 4): “I’m gaining, gaining, gaining, and finally throw hard for what I swear to God is 3rd.”

Chris Uberti (Panther/RGF; 1/2): “I just followed Mike Sherer‘s (Alderfer Bergen) attack to cover some stuff, and before I knew it Josh Carter (ABD), Mike and I were drilling it for an hour.”

Winfield photos
Andy Daley
Brian Morrissey
Jim Whitmer

Spring Prairie reports
Danny Beissinger (Cycle Smithy; 3): “By the 6th lap, I began an unfortunate spiral into dehydration.”

Team BH Racing (W-P/1/2/3): “We all started the last brutal slog up the climb. Devon was flying and was able to come around Kristen to take the WIN!”

Doug Braun (Tower Racing; Non-WI 4/5): “I drilled it as hard as I could all the way up. At the crest of the hill one guy passes me with a huge burst of speed and goes ahead. I look behind and the next guy is 20 yards back. I try to catch the guy but the tank is empty.”

Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; W-35+): “I wanted to get on the front and drill it, but everyone was trying to get up front and I got blocked in.”

Chris Padfield (Team Get a Grip Cycles; 3): “I thought of trying to take off as well, but didn’t foresee myself lasting until the finish if there were more than two laps to go.”

James Pradun (Great Dane Velo Club; 3): “Everyone in the field looked at each other like they had just heard a duck’s quack echo or something because there were a mass of confusing stares over who the hell was going to chase.”

Mike Shea (Spidermonkey Cycling; Non-WI 4/5): “It’s ironic that suffering up such hills is so glorious in retrospect.”

Adrian Silva (Half Acre Cycling; Non-WI 4/5): “With the desperate knowledge that if we didn’t close the gap our race would be over, I put my head down and got aero on the hoods.”

Katy Steudel (Team Pegasus; W-4): “I was tenaciously climbing my way to the top, picking my way through the women that seemed to be almost standing still.”

Jake Teitelbaum (Spidermonkey Cycling; Non-WI 4/5): “After a few quick spins, I had the diesel engine going and within five pedal strokes, I had passed all of the 10 or 12 people in front of me.”

Zach Thomas (Half Acre Cycling; Non-WI 4/5): “The pack, where I really wanted to be, was going up the road faster than I could muster.”

Kristen Wentworth (Team Kenda; W-P/1/2/3): “I shifted to the big ring over the top and tried to catch her wheel but she was too strong.”

Spring Prairie photos
Katy Steudel
John Wilke

• » New Chicago resident Mark Swartzendruber (Verizon Wireless) is throwing Druber’s 40K Time Trial Challenge Aug. 23 near Champaign. Bonuses of $50 go to anyone who can beat Swartzendruber, as well as to any man who can beat an hour “naked”— no aero equipment. (Women get 1:05.)
• » Add the Sept. 19 Ronald Reagan Criterium in Dixon, Ill., to your calendar. (I expect hard-right turns and massive oxygen deficits.)
• » The Tour of Elk Grove won’t be going through Schaumburg this year.
• » New details have been posted to the Superweek schedule. I notice that the Bensenville map indicates it will go clockwise this year, which I hope will make for a safer circuit. Also, registration is now open.
• » Mark Keller (Bicycle Heaven) has been taking some great photos and posting them at Bike Race Imaging.
• » The Judson and Turin rides appear in the second half of John Bresland‘s video essay “Zero Station,” which celebrates the sanctuary we find on group rides. “Everyone here ... is really here.”
• » More cycling, fewer injuries and fatalities. Funny how that works.
• » A history lesson from Steve Tilford (Tradewind Engergy/Trek Stores): “Up until maybe Telekom, the teams didn’t ride tempo all day. Riders raced.”
• » Hoffman Estates’ Fitness for America Sports Festival will include a 10K time trial July 25.
• » “You wave, we drink.”

It’s time again for the luxury of racing within the city, compliments of the Sherman Park Criterium, put on by XXX Racing-AthletiCo. The course is a milelong loop through a historic South Side park. There are no turns to speak of, nor any elevation changes. The most technical part of the course will be handling the occasional pothole, but those who train on Sheridan Road may not even notice. The alderman has promised some fresh pavement, but lower categories need to take heed: Stay cool. In any race, but especially when there is imperfect pavement, havoc can occur when inexperienced riders overcorrect for bumps or cracks. Don’t swerve, don’t panic. Keep your body and arms loose and absorb any bumps. Purses and primes are bigger this year, including some of Get a Grip Cycles’ famous bike fits, a wheelset from Johnny Sprockets and three iPod Shuffles from CycleAnalyze Training Systems. The morning 5’s race has reached capacity, but there is still room in the masters 4/5 field and the afternoon 5’s race. XXX Racing-AthletiCo turns 10 this year. On Saturday the team remembers two of its beloved teammates by inaugurating the Beth Kobezska Women’s Open and the Pieter Ombregt Men’s 4’s. This is an important race to me and to my team. Consider this your opportunity to show your appreciation for Chicago Bike Racing. I get a lot of support already, but nothing would please me more than to see you out there this Saturday.

Saturday Sherman Park Criterium USCF criterium Chicago, Ill. Distance from Chicago: 0 hours

Wisconsin State Criterium Championships USCF criterium Ripon, Wis. Distance from Chicago: 3.5 hours

The threat of rain proved empty, and with temps in the low 50s it was perfect March weather Saturday for the Winfield Twilight.

This course demands patience. Let the suckers attack early, for it’s usually the late attacks, after the hill has worn everyone down, that prove effective. This was the case in the 2/3’s, where Ryan Freund was a quiet presence until going off the front with five to go. He held off Waylon Janowiak (WDT-Allvoi) and Hogan Sills (Verizon Wireless) for the convincing win. (He was not, however, able to lap your correspondent, who’d been doing some investigative reporting off the back, so he’s still got that to work on.)

An hour later Freund, who won here as a 5 in 2008, was in the 1/2 race and not only surviving but playing an active role, going on the attack and reeling in primes. Plenty of dangerous moves formed late that included enough of the the major teams

— ABD, Geargrinder, Vision Quest and Panther/RGF among them —

to seem viable, but nothing lasted much more than a lap. It came down to a sprint, with Josh Carter (ABD) winning three bikelengths ahead of Chris Uberti (Panther/RGF) and a depleted field.

Carter has a knack for this course. He finished 2nd in 2007 and 2008 and won in 2006.

PACT/Dish Network had a good day, or at least a good hour, as the women and men’s 50+ raced concurrently. In the women’s race, a selection of four formed early, out of which Debbie Dust (PACT/Dish Network) got the jump on Kristen Meshberg (Team BH USA) for the win (above). Meanwhile, Mike Jones (PACT/Dish Network) went solo early and cruised to victory.

Earlier, Tim Speciale (Bicycle Heaven) won the 5’s and junior Chazz Martin (ISCorps) continued his good showings in the senior ranks by showing good patience and then sprinting to the 4’s win.

Full results.

Race reports
Rob Curtis (Bicycle Heaven; 4): “It was like everyone went the speed of a normal Chicago style crit but they put some sort of Wisconsin hill in there and we were too stupid to slow down on it like the cheeseheads do.”

Debbie Dust (PACT/Dish Network; W-open): “I kept looking under my arm, just waiting for her wheel to come by, but in the end I was able to cross the line first.”

Ben LaForce (Team Get a Grip Cycles; 2/3): “I think this course is what my body was built for: a crit, technical and with a repetitive annoying hill thrown in for good measure.”

Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “I should’ve been going faster, not to mention taken a more aggressive and shallower turn.  Right there my podium was gone. “

Joe Schubert (Half Acre Cycling; 4): “About two seconds after this pic was taken I puked up about 1 1/2 cups worth of mucus.”

Luke Seemann (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 2/3): “It’s not a good sign when your ‘attack’ is complimented as a ‘pull.’”

Chris Uberti (Panther/RGF; 1/2): “It was a great venue because people who were not cyclists cared about the race.”

Photos
Luke Seemann

Turnout was light this weekend, and I suspect several reasons. Relatively unknown races. Costs of travel and entry. Riders still pooped from Memorial Day. It’s too bad, because I’m hearing nothing but praise for the O’Fallon Grand Prix and the new Wonder Lake Lakeside Criterium: good courses, good organization. I hope we get another chance at them in 2010.

Some highlights:

• » Few of us race as week-in, week-out as the boys at Burnham Racing. This weekend two of them finally picked up what I believe are their first road wins: Julian Baumgartner wore down a break and soloed to a 3’s win in O’Fallon, and at Wonder Lake Jason Knauff took an early leave from the 3’s and crossed the line well ahead of a chasing pack (above).
• » WDT-Allvoi had a productive weekend, too. Nathan Moorehouse and Tomasz Boba went 1-2 in the P/1/2 race a Wonder Lake, and James Londono won the 5’s race. Meanwhile, Chris Gola was in Sussex, Wis., getting 2nd in the masters 3/4’s at the Sussex Criterium. The previous day, Boba won the masters 1/2/3’s and Caroline Haebig won the women’s 4’s at the Chiropractic Criterium in Brookfield, Wis., a course that featured a significant climb.
• » Other local results from downstate: Kyle Hilgendorf (Unattached) finished 2nd in the 5’s, and William Pankonin (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) made the 4’s break to finish 5th.
• » And from Wisconsin: Chris Padfield sprinted to a 2nd place in the 3’s Saturday. In Sussex, Dave Moyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) grabbed 3rd in the 3’s followed by Julio Jacobo (PYOC) in 4th, and Lagrange’s Cathy Frampton (Unattached) won the women’s 4’s.

Saturday results
Chiropractic Criterium
O’Fallon Grand Prix

Sunday results
Sussex Criterium
Wonder Lake

O’Fallon Grand Prix reports
Julian Baumgartner (Burnham Racing; 3): “I again called upon the magic mojo from my Zipp 404’s and bridged up to a still-solidifying break and went right to the front, put my head down and went to work.”

Colm Flannery (Proctor; 4/5): “I got in a race with 35 sprinters and 1 diesel.”

William Pankonin (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “No mercy, and we didn’t look back until we passed the field that started before us.”

Tony Rienks (Beverly Bike/Vee-Pak; 4): “Wave after wave of attacks were going on. Of course I caught all of them except for the one that stuck.”

Chiropractic Criterium reports
Danny Beissinger (Cycle Smithy; 3, P/1/2/3): “All of a sudden, I ain’ts got me no more matches.”

Chris Padfield (Team Get a Grip Cycles; 3): “They started to peel to the right with the stereotypical ‘No you do the work!’ move, which I recognized as my perfect opportunity to jump.”

Wonder Lake reports
Danny Beissinger (Cycle Smithy; 3): “I knew that Burnham and South Chicago would try to put someone into the break. I didn’t think it would happen on the second lap.”

Julian Baumgartner (Burnham Racing; 3): “Maybe he just had to blow his nose and wanted some space.”

Erik Didriksen (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “I pedaled HARD through turn one to distance myself from that lunacy.”

Kristen Meshberg (Team BH USA; W-P/1/2/3, P/1/2): “A couple times there were some hard accelerations where I blew up and thought, ‘OK, I’m dropped,’ but then I would look up and see the field slowing and think, ‘Oh $%*&, now I have to keep going.’”

Wonder Lake photos
Matt Smith

Sussex photos
John Wilke

• » The Tour of Elk Grove schedule is out. There is one less 5’s field this year — nonetheless, a remarkable three of them — and a women’s 3/4 race has been added, with a respectable $1,000 purse. Once again the pros will contest a time trial, road race and criterium to divvy up $152,500 in prizes, and this year the race returns to the National Racing Calendar.
• » Registration is open for the Glencoe Grand Prix. Other upcoming races: Sherman Park Criterium. Cobb Park Criterium. Fox River Grove Cycling Challenge. Proctor Cycling Classic (state criterium championships).
• » Video to get you excited for next weekend’s Sherman Park Criterium.
• » Yojimbo’s Track Cats, a well-regarded program to get city kits onto the velodrome, is having a fundraiser Sunday at Goose Island. $10 gets you a beverage, snacks and screening of “The Warriors.” Costumes encouraged.
• » How come I have to pay $40 for Bike the Drive?
• » Many of our racing colleagues will be participating in two upcoming charity events: The American Diabetes Association has its Tour de Cure in Geneva on June 7, and on June 13-14 the Tour de Farms will raise money to fight multiple sclerosis.
• » With a name like Bird, of course you ride a Heron. (Time Out has more.)
• » Cervelo is coming to Turin on June 14 to demo some of its bikes
• » The excellent Grant Park bike valet service needs a sponsor.
• » Chicago’s awesomest workplace, starring Michael Zellman (Verizon Wireless). I submit my resume where now?

Seems like quite a few people took this weekend off from racing. Given the weekend coming up, I can’t blame them for saving their legs for some of year’s most fun courses.

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 neighborhood tifosi, traditionally including a block party on the climb that will call king-of-the-hill primes. They are good hosts, generous with their cheers (and sometimes their beers). Lower-category races should expect to shatter in the first few laps. Stay near the front from the gun so you don’t have to play catch-up, but be ready to bridge to a forward group. Meanwhile, the course is just difficult enough to facilitate breaks in the 2/3 and 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.”

Sunday’s state road race championship in Wisconsin is a rolling 6.5-mile rectangle with high exposure to the wind. Senior fields will do between four and 12 laps. There’s a steep but short climb before the start/finish, pictured above, that can crack the legs of even the lightest riders, yet it’s not quite long enough to eliminate the fatties. (Alas!) Each time up is liable to cut a field in half

—

be up front, be on guard and be sure to anticipate the climb by being in your small ring before Turn 4. Shifting on the climb will lead to unnecessary hardships.

Save something for the top, because there’s a long false flat up to the finish line.  Theoretically this can be the perfect spot to attack,  but a long, straight descent following the finish line will give chasers a window to catch. If you attack, you need to commit early, and you gotta get yourself organizized. All it will take is for one mope to not pull through and your break will be, well, broken.

For people desperate for another road race, there’s also Indiana’s state championship Saturday in Fishers, Ind. So far this is the only event 2009 announced for Benga Sports.

Saturday Winfield Twilight Criterium ABR criterium Winfield, Ill. Distance from Chicago: 1 hour Previous wrap-ups: 2007, 2008

Indiana State Road Race Championsips USCF road race Fishers, Ind. Distance from Chicago: 3 hours

Sunday ABR National Criterium Championships ABR criterium Winfield, Ill. Distance from Chicago: 1 hour Previous wrap-ups: 2007, 2008

Spring Prairie Road Race USCF road race Burlington, Wis. Distance from Chicago: 2 hours Previous wrap-ups: 2007, 2008