For one week only, South Chicago Wheelmen’s Tuesday night races this week will take place in Joliet at the Autobahn Country Club, a 1.5-mile, 9-turn course similar to the race track used at the Spring Super Criterium. As usual racing will start at 6 p.m., but entry fees will be $23 to cover rent and insurance.

• » The Delavan Road Race scheduled for Labor Day weekend has been canceled.
• » John Coyle (Wolverine Sports Club) has video from the Downers Grove Cat 2, in which he finished 3rd. Props to Patrick Fasse (Bicycle Heaven), who attacks ahead of Turn 5 and, even though he doesn’t get away, keeps the hammer down all the way to Turn 8.
• » WDT-Allvoi has its first national champion: Jon Fraley won the 30+ sprint at last week’s masters national track championships in Colorado Springs, Colo. Other local winners: Chicagoan Reid Schwartz (Midwest Masters) won the 60+ 500m and was part of the winning 60+ team sprint squad; Cary’s John Goodman (Midwest Masters) won the 60+ 2km time trial; and Jim Host (PACT/Dish Network) picked up a jersey in the 50+ 3km team time trial.
• » If you’ve ridden in Wisconsin this summer you may have noticed the phenomenal riding of IS Corp’s Matt Busche. Kelly Benefit Strategies noticed, too, and recently signed the young climber, and he had an explosive professional debut at the Tour of Utah, placing 7th in the GC. Podium Insight has the skinny.
• » Registration is opening for Chicago Cyclocross Cup races.

It’s official: We have a state road race championship.

Last year’s host Tower Racing steps up again, this time securing a course in beautiful Willow Springs, not far from the city. It’s a popular training route, and surely I am not the only one who has fantasized of racing there. It’s not Ventoux, but it’s about as good as it gets within 30 minutes of State and Madison.

Registration is open.

The Sept. 12 race comes late in the season, but the upside is that the delay came because of a paving project on 104th Avenue, meaning pristine tarmac. I rode the course this weekend. It’s exquisite. Some imperfections remain, but Tower tells me they will be patched in the next two weeks.

The triangular course resembles an M.C. Escher drawing, seemingly rising via false flat on all three sides. Traffic will be closed in both directions on 104th avenue between Archer and 95th Street, closed in one direction the rest of the way. The start/finish will be at the crest of 104th, north of 95th. Parking and registration will be at the Willowbrook Ballroom on Archer.

The most severe pitches come on 104th, turning right off of Archer. From the base there are three stair-step climbs, totaling just under a mile. For most of us it should be a big-ring, 2- to 3-minute effort.

The first part of the climb is the steepest but shortest. The final, pivotal stair step is .3 mile. At the top will be the start/finish, which should lead to some dramatic sprints, and I expect there will be fireworks every trip up this stretch.

Update: Tower Racing has published a technical guide. It’s worth a look. One interesting passage is a budget summary. Including a donation to World Bicycle Relief, Tower estimates per-rider expenses to be $43.88

—

which makes the $35 entry fee look like a bargain indeed. (Note the $10 fee for day-of registration. Note it and pre-reg instead.)

As many race promoters have found, sponsorship is tight this year, so there will be no primes. However, Tony Cacchillo (Tower Racing) tells me that once again a Ferrari or Lamborghini will pace some fields.

• » Project 5 Racing and Chicago Winter Bike Swap are hosting a women’s ride and picnic Sept. 19. All women are welcome.
• » Meet Evelyn Stevens (Webcor), from Cat 4 to world-class in about a year.
• » Tuesday, Sept. 22, is Chicagoland Car-free Day.
• » GPS art.
• » Two girls, one bike. The next trendy discipline?

If there's a problem with Downers Grove, it's that you can see only so much of the course, and there isn't a single spot that isn't a candidate for drama and excitement, especially when rain is thrown into the mix. Each corner becomes a slippery crap shoot, and each straight can be a launchpad for the next attack. At best you can stand at Maple and Main and be on top of two of the eight corners, but even then you're blind to more than 50 percent of the action, including the treacherous Turns 7 and 8 and the grueling kicker of Summit Street.

Fortunately there are dozens of rider and spectator accounts, so part of the enjoyment is later piecing together all the fragments of what -- and who -- went down. I spent the final laps of Sunday's men's championship down in Turn 8, waiting for what I knew would be a crucial final turn. The amazing crash of Rahsaan Bahati (Rock Racing) would be the only one I would see firsthand, but on just about every lap riders would limp through with torn kits and bloodied bodies. One of those was Matt Rice (Jelly Belly), who got the worst of a large pileup in Turn 7 inside of 10 laps but who judging from this photo appeared set to jump back into the fray, as dozens of riders would do over the day, some more than once. Here's a shot of Ivan Dominguez (Rock Racing) going down; I've read it wasn't his only trip to the ground. Writing for VeloNews, Mark Zalewski speculates that Kelly Benefit Strategies may have been trying trying the "Saturn sit-up" on the penultimate trip through Turn 1, and this is what led to the lap-long split of four KBS and two Team OUCH. Jeff Chen of Chicago Personal Photographers captured the maneuver nicely. As heart-breaking as Bahati's fall was, one must also feel for Kelly Benefit Strategies, whose Alex Candelario and Jake Keough had to take evasive measures while sitting second and third wheels. Candelario had his nose in the wind for much of the frantic final few laps. Last year, of course, he led out of the corner only to have Bahati outsprint him, and he finished 4th in the similarly rain-soaked 2007 edition. (Judging from Bahati's Twitter, the teams won't be exchanging condolence cards this week.) All this attention to the men shouldn't discount the conclusion of the women's race, which was just as exciting. Team Tibco put the field on defense much of the race, but just like last year it boiled down to mano-a-mano between Brooke Miller (Team Tibco) and Tina Pic (Colavita). This time, however, the veteran Pic took the inside line and came out of Turn 8 with victory in her eyes and a giant smile on her face. This was Pic's sixth national championship -- and her last, per her retirement announcement. She goes out on top. Local amateurs Debbie Dust (PACT/Dish Network) and Devon Haskell (Team BH USA) both cracked the top 20, in 13th and 19th, respectively. The men's elite national championship got the worst of the weather with rain and wind sweeping across the course. Attrition and chaos were high, and the Mavic pit busy. In the final laps a five-man group formed, and in it were some local ties: Riding for ABD, Colorado's Zach Watson would finish 4th, and Northwestern product Michael Margarite (CRCA/Empire) finished 3rd, both missing out on the national championship to Justin England (Cal Giant), who attacked atop Summit Street to earn the second consecutive stars-and-stripes jersey for the California squad. First out of the corner, first to the line: That's how it worked for Adam Lesniakowski (PACT/Dish Network) in the 2's, above, who flew up Main Street to take one of the biggest wins of his career. In tight formation behind him were John Coyle (Wolverine Sports Club) in 3rd and recent Cat 2 upgrades Peter Strittmatter (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) and Keith McMahon (Van Wagner/Yojimbo's) in 4th and 6th. Lesniakowski also placed 5th in Saturday'd 35+ 1/2/3 race. The 3's races at Downers are stingy with breaks, but it's not uncommon for last-lap fliers to stick if a rider can catch the pack sleeping. After 45 minutes of racing, that was the card played by Joel Friedman (Bicycle Heaven) in only his third Cat 3 race. He attacked hard halfway up Lane Place and had just enough of a gap to hold off the sprint, led by Saturday's winner Brent Mahan (NashvilleCycling.com). Henry Loud (Team Pegasus) has twice crashed out of good bell-lap positions in big races this summer, but he kept it upright to come in 4th. Others weren't so skilled, with several riders sliding out into Turn 5. (One of Mahan's teammates captured the last lap on video.) Did I at one time suggest that another race could possibly be the best criterium the Midwest has to offer? I take it all back. Downers Grove is king. Full results. See also my Saturday report and my preliminary Sunday report.

Saturday reports Rahsaan Bahati (Rock Racing; P/1/2): "The attacks started very quickly as every team has guys who can't win the jersey on Sunday."

Newt Cole (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3/4): "I looked at Julian and said in my nicest voice, 'Dude, let me go,' and off I went."

Rob Curtis (Bicycle Heaven; 35+ 4/5): "This course is really meant for us short, fat power riders."

Kristina Meinig (Half Acre Cycling; W-3/4): "For the first time in a bike race ever, I thought I might throw up."

William Pankonin (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 35+ 4/5, 3/4): "Someone counted me first wheel for four laps. That's a problem."

Bryan Witry (Spidermonkey Cycling; 3/4): "The pace started fast and the war of attrition began on lap one."

Eric Shivvers (Half Acre Cycling; 5): "It was such a blur, I don’t remember who passed me and who I beat. I just pedaled as hard as I could."

Steve Tilford (Tradewind Energy/Trek Stores; P/1/2): "I was surprised that I was still around. That wasn’t any of my doing. The race wasn’t going full tilt like prior years."

VeloNews: "The 50km was run on ever-darkening streets, making the later laps a challenge on the darker corners."

Sunday reports Newt Cole (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): "It sounded good until the wheel in front of me lost control of his bike in Turn 7 and once again I have to grab brakes."

CyclingNews: "'I stayed out of the way because you can tell the guys who can and can't ride in the rain, and there's a lot of guys who can't.'"

John Dunne (ABD; 5): "When I was not on the ground, I felt pretty good."

Debbie Dust (PACT/Dish Network; W-P/1/2): "Things were sort of twitchy and tight early on but it got better as riders eased in and got more comfortable in the turns and the field shrunk due to attrition."

Brad Huff (Jelly Belly; P): "It was very controlled and very safe ... for the first 40 laps. Then all hell broke loose."

Derek Laan (Panther/RGF; 1): "The race was crazy with riders crashing everywhere."

Adam Leibman (ABD; 3): "Two Mavic reps jump out of my way, leaving a remarkably clear path through to the other side of the tent, where I finally come to a stop."

Adam Mills (Mercy; 1): "It's tough to maintain focus in the rain when you nearly are killed by a falling tree!"

Ian Murray (Northwestern; 5): "I could have pwnd those guys and gotten 3rd and I should have followed the early break or attacked at some point."

Alex Neckar (Northwestern; 5): "I never really found my legs and was generally too terrified by the constant cornering to venture forward in the pack."

Podium Insight: "With so many dangerous breaks, the Colavita/Sutter Home field was forced to chase, time and time again burning riders as they went."

Mike Sherer (Alderfer Bergen; 1): "I think that was the hardest rain I have ever riden in or let alone race in."

VeloNews: "Eventually the three Kelly riders were joined by the few others as more and more riders went down in every subsequent turn, whittling the field down to 30 riders."

Photos ABD Chicago Personal Photographers Nikki Cyp: Saturday, Sunday LaMariposaGallery Mark Novack Andrew Rizzo: Saturday, Sunday Luke Seemann: Saturday, Sunday

John Murphy (Team OUCH) is your new national criterium champion after a wet, storm-delayed race in Downers Grove that will go down as one of the most thrilling and heartbreaking in American cycling history.

The race started an hour late after a serious thunderstorm whipped through shortly after the big-wheel race. The pavement stayed wet for the duration and caused no shortage of mayhem, particularly in the final laps. Fewer than 30 riders remained with two to go, dominated as usual by a large Kelly Benefit Strategies train, followed by a well-organized Team OUCH. Defending champion Rahsaan Bahati (Rock Racing) was completely isolated, as was favorite Tony Cruz (BMC), who rode the entire race without teammates. With one to go, the race was reduced to two small groups. Kelly had four and Team OUCH had two in the lead group of six. A mish-mosh of teams composed the 10-strong chasing group a few seconds back. After the second group regained contact, Tasmanian Karl Menzies (Team OUCH) was putting together a leadout for Murphy when he wiped out into Turn 5, with Murphy barely dodging the wreckage. Bahati then surged out of Turn 7 and led into fateful Turn 8 with victory in his grasp. At the apex of the turn, however, his wheels went out from under him and he slid into the hay in a devastating conclusion to a hard-fought race. Sitting on Bahati's wheel, Alex Candelario (Kelly Benefit Strategies) was forced to clip out. That opened the door for Ben Kersten (Fly V Australia) and Murphy to fly up the 150-meter homestretch, both raising their arms in victory: Kersten for the win, Murphy for the stars-and-stripes jersey. (Murphy may have been able to win, but he celebrated prematurely while Kersten threw for the line.) Cruz, a national champion here in 1999, finished 3rd, 2nd American, and was visibly disappointed as he took his latest Downers Grove podium. Jake Keough (Kelly Benefit Strategies) and Soldier Field star Adam Myerson (Mountain Khakis) rounded out the podium in 4th and 5th. Bahati lay motionless for several worrisome moments but eventually remounted his bike and, bloodied and in tears, crossed the line to large applause. He would place 22nd. Full men's USPRO results. Full wrap-up to come. More photos here, and Peloton-Pix has a good photo race summary.

Local amateurs were aggressive in Saturday night's pro-am, with Chad Hartley (Geargrinder), Josh Carter (ABD) and Jeff Schroetlin (ABD) all getting involved in key moves. After a final selection of about 20 riders was made with about 10 laps to go, it was 2004 elite national champion Frank Pipp (Bissell), pictured above, who made the move of the night, attacking with Jeremy Powers (Jelly Belly) with two to go. Tour of Elk Grove champ Karl Menzies (Team OUCH) bridged across, but Pipp held on for the win.

National champion Rahsaan Bahati (Rock Racing) was busy at the front but called it a day early, saving himself for tomorrow's title defense. Team Tibco won its third consecutive Downers Grove women's race, thanks to Katharine Carroll, who dropped her companion in a late two-woman break to solo for the final few laps, finishing just seconds ahead of a chase led by Tina Pic (Colavita). A 3/4's field of more than 150 was crowded but surprisingly safe and smooth through the corners. WDT-Allvoi was positioned perfectly out of the final corner with Waylon Janowiak leading out Ricardo Otero, but they could have used a sweeper: Otero lost Janowiak's wheel after the corner and when he found it again, Brent Mahan (NashvilleCyclist.com) swung past both of them to take the win, with Otero and Janowiak settling for 2nd and 4th. The day's closest win may have belonged to Pascale Petro (Project 5 Racing), who led out of the corner and then timed a perfect throw to barely beat a hard-charging Aubree Dock (KCOI Boulevard) in the women's 3/4's. Another impressive win came from David Jaggi (Flatlandia), who sprinted around Ben-Jamin Widoff (Team PoweBar) in the 35+ 4/5, followed closely by Bob Bryant (Unattached). Full results.

After a ridiculously mild summer, the weather gods turned mighty cranky this weekend. The broiling began as soon as a light rain subsided in Grayslake on Saturday, and many a rider fizzled in the sizzle of Sunday's oppressive heat in Glencoe. The only brief relief came in the form of a quick thunderstorm that interrupted Sunday's P/1/2 race.

Some highlights:

• » With its sweeping turns, Grayslake isn't a technical course, but poor Sean Metz (Apache) had an unfortunate run-in with a mailbox in the P/1/2 race, this after lapping the field with three others. He scrambled to a replacement bike but lost the lap he'd gained. Meanwhile, fellow break mates Ryan Freund (ABD) and Scott Pearson (Comcast) set off the front a second time, with Freund sprinting and posting up for a nice win -- with one lap to go. Fortunately for Freund, he was still able to collect himself and sprint for the win a lap later, this time for keeps.
• » Bad luck also fell on XXX Racing-AthletiCo, which managed to get two riders in the break of the 3's race, only to have both flat in the final laps, and it was ICA Cup leader Justin Armstead (Team Mack) taking the win in the sprint.
• » Team BH USA very nearly swept both day's of women's P/1/2/3 podiums. Kristen Meshberg single-handedly lapped the field Saturday while teammate Devon Haskell, in her first race back from another stint racing in Europe, also went off the front to solo into 2nd place. After going up a lap, Meshberg set to work leading out Madeleine Puissant to a sprint for 3rd. The next day, in a race shortened to 20 minutes after pausing for lightning to pass, it was defending champion Haskell's turn to be off the front by herself (above). Meshberg then got to enjoy a free ride on the wheel of Jeannie Kuhajek (Team Mack), who valiantly pursued, only to have Meshberg come around in the homestretch for 2nd.
• » Burnham Racing made well-timed escapes in two races Sunday. In the 30+ 1/2/3 race, Jason Knauff and Andrew Rizzo (Comcast) slipped away a little more than midway through. They held a 20-second gap the rest of the way, with Knauff taking the win. An hour later, Julian Baumgartner did the same trick, but he lost his companion early and had to go solo for the last six laps. Meanwhile, teammate Nate Iden took the sprint for 2nd, a nice example of what can happen when you force the other teams to chase. And thanks to spending so much time off the front, Knauff and Baumgartner gobbled enough sprint points to win their respective sprint contests, contests that electrified the racing all day.
• » Team MS Racing also had a blockbuster day. It was active in all the lower-category races and showed its depth by sweeping the podium after a bunch sprint in the 30+ 4/5's behind Erik Wiebe, Dan Cooper and Sam Schaefer. Later, Schaefer created a four-man break late in the 4's race and won the sprint despite being outnumbered by two ABD riders.
• » Glencoe's P/1/2 race stayed together with New Zealand pros Josh England (Subway-Avanti) and Hayden Godfrey (Subway-Avanti) going 1-2 in the sprint. Brian Cornelius (Landis/Trek) reeled off the day's fastest circuit, a factoid for which we can thank chip timing, averaging 30.8 mph on the final lap to take 3rd. Mike Sherer (Alderfer Bergen) in 4th was the top local finisher.
• » Sherer had a successful Saturday, too, going 1-2 with teammate and Northwestern University student Will Nowak at the Warsaw Downtown Criterium in Indiana.

Full Glencoe a.m. results. Full Glencoe p.m. results.

Grayslake reports ABD Cycling (P/1/2): "Ryan Freund turned a potentially embarrassing situation into another win."

Kevin Butler (Wheelfast; 30+ 4/5): "This what separates us from our golfing and softball-playing adult-sports bretheren."

Liam Donoghue (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): "I wanted to get in a break and have it be more than me, myself and I off the front."

Bryan McVey (Vision Quest; P/1/2): "There are a few things that I think accounted for my suckiness, but I'll spare you."

Madeleine Puissant (Team BH USA; W-open): "We decided to make it hot from the start and boy did we!"

Luke Seemann (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): "We floated backward together, he daring me to surge forward and take a pull."

Mark Swartzendruber (Verizon Wireless; 30+ 1/2/3): "There should be some good video of my substantial arse posted somewhere."

Mike Shea (Spidermonkey Cycling; 4): "I knew as I was entering the turn that I was not going to make it."

Grayslake photos Andrew Rizzo

Glencoe reports Julian Baumgartner (Burnham Racing; 3): "Coming up to the line amidst a sprint for a two-man wine prime I found myself in perfect position."

Devon Haskell (Team BH USA; W-P/1/2): "It was a tough battle trying to stay away, but there were lots of people hanging out in the rain and providing encouragement."

Joey Iuliano (P/1/2; Purdue): "Somehow in the next few laps became stupid and forgot those oh-so-nice lines I was taking just a few minutes earlier."

Chris Koster (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): "There were 300 meters to go and I think the others were not expecting to start the sprint that early."

Derek Laan (Panther/RGF; P/1/2): "Ryan, Greg and I planned to race aggressively and hope a break went with one of us in it."

Thomas Macneill-Zimmerman (Half Acre Cycling; 5): "I was defending my position and ready to sprint at any point."

Bryan McVey (Vision Quest; P/1/2): "I just focused on my position and not making any moves unless I felt good enough to make them."

Martin Michalowicz (Team MS Racing; 30+ 4/5, 4): "As I cleared the apex, I started to feel my front wheel skid. Now I knew I was in trouble."

Will Nowak (Alderfer Bergen; P/1/2): "A rainstorm rolled though right before our race, which conveniently cooled down what had previously been an unbearably hot day."

Joe Schubert (Half Acre Cycling; 4): "I was stuck in the accordion and found myself after the natural breaks after each corner."

Frank Shapiro (Alberto's; 5, 30+ 4/5): "In all my nervousness, I had forgotten to remove my saddle bag before the race. What a rube."

Mike Shea (Spidermonkey Cycling; 30+ 4/5, 4): "Tactics. Hmmm."

Stan Sterlinski (Half Acre Cycling; 4): "I felt crossing that line was a type of win itself at Glencoe, and I’ve got some great sunburn as my prize."

Mark Swartzendruber (Verizon Wireless; 30+ 1/2/3): " I attacked the field immediately after we caught them as I don’t generally like other people."

Glencoe photos Amy Dykema Carolyn Golz Luke Seemann Frank Shapiro Ed White

• » An update on the Barrington Hills Five: Case dismissed.
• » Jessi Prinner (ABD) finished 21st in the time trial and 35th in the road race at last week's junior world championships in Moscow.
• » Here's a unique, sanctioned road race in Indiana: 140 miles over two days at the Huntington Bicycle Challenge. A teammate highly recommends it.
• » Friday brings two great opportunities to meet the elite women of cycling. In Glen Ellyn, The Bike Shop will hostTeam BH USA, including two-time national champion Devon Haskell. Come for a ride, stay for the pizza. And in Evanston, the women of Team Tibco, including defending criterium national champion Brooke Miller, will appear at Turin.
• » Brats, beer and bikes: M&M Bikes in Mundelein is having a Storck event on Monday.
• » Storck? Elite women? Tati Cycles hosts Storck Patrol this Friday, featuring test rides and the women of Team Vanderkitten. Also: German beer and strudel.
• » Online registration is open through Aug. 16 for the Aug. 30 Palos Meltdown mountain bike race.
• » Speaking of the dirt, mountain bike pioneer Gary Fisher will appear Sunday at the Trek Store in Highland Park.
• » Steve Thordarson (Smart Cycling) is helping out with the Paralympics.
• » Cycling Tips has had some good posts lately, including this top 10 list and this discussion of reading a race.
• » Registration is open for USA Cycling's Bill Woodul Race Mechanics Clinic, held Dec. 10-13 in Colorado Springs, Colo. Graduate Julie Popper (Half Acre Cycling) recommends it, calling it "without a doubt the best launching pad into a pro race mechanic career."
• » They sometimes take a few weeks to arrive, but the reports and videos of John Coyle (Wolverine Sports Club) are usually worth the wait, and his accounts of the Chicago Criterium and Tour of Elk Grove are no exceptions.

I caught some grief last month when I declared the Chicago Criterium the best race our region has to offer. Several people made a strong argument for Downers Grove, and although I'm not ready to retract my claim, in retrospect I'll concede some hometown bias. Indeed, Downers Grove is about as good as it gets for both racers and race fans.

We get two hot days of action, professionally managed by Special Events Management, which also handled Chicago and the Tour of Elk Grove. National championship jerseys are available only to Cat 1 men, pro men and pro women, but anyone who wins this weekend will get to spend 2010 being recognized as "the one who won Downers last year." Most race glory is fleeting and is forgotten by the next week, but Downers Grove's sticks around. Expect the races to be fast, wild and woolly on this figure-8 course. This is a very technical circuit, so it's crucial to be up front and out of danger. One can get through these turns without braking up front where it's single-file, but in the bunch it can be a mess. And in the lower categories, the accordion at the back will squeeze you a mournful dirge as you fade into a DNF. Because of the turns, climbs and wide talent disparity, it won't take long for the 5's races to splinter. Keep an eye on the gaps and always be ready to jump across. And if you fall off the pace, don't be surprised if officials pull you from the course. With the exception of the occasional late-race flier, breaks rarely succeed. Count on bunch sprints in just about every race. If you haven't seen it already, find a way this week to watch "Race Day," a training video that Robbie Ventura (Vision Quest) shot from within the 2005 masters race. It's a fun way to preview the course. Someday someone should make a video for how to survive the “race before the race,” a spectacle that at Downers Grove is as pivotal as it is absurd. It isn't unusual for racers to abandon their warm-ups and start crowding the barriers 20 minutes before their race.

A few notes about the course: Turn 1: The best way to do well is to get to the front and stay there. This starts from the gun. Fortunately you've been practicing your clip-in. Once you're near the front, defend your position and jump on opportunities to move up. And don't shy away from taking a pull. Indeed, keeping the race fast can be a key to staying up front, lest the pace slow and you get swarmed. Between Turns 2 and 3: Here's a long, shallow climb. If there's room, it's a great spot to make up some ground. Keep an eye out for people moving up the sides and grab them for a free ride. Between Turns 3 and 5: At Turn 4 there's a short, steep kicker. It can be a good launchpad for attacks. One can also advance positions on the wide, fast descent between Turns 4 and 5, but the trick is slotting back into the pack by the time you get to Turn 5, an obtuse angle that can be taken super fast. You don't want to have to create your own line and risk running out of room. (And you don't want to be the jerk who bombs the inside because he got greedy and careless.) Turn 5: On the last lap and on any big prime laps, the pack may bunch up ahead of this turn. Nobody wants to be in the wind too early, and some will still be recovering from the climb. You can exploit this hesitation by jumping hard. Don't even look back to see if you're clear. Ride it like you stole it and there's a chance you'll stay away for the final kilometer. Not a good chance, but a chance, and even if you fail, this can be a good way to create opportunities for your team's sprinter. Between Turns 7 and 8: Turn 7 is slightly less than 90 degrees with some street furniture on the far side, so don't take Turn 7 too wide. Depending on the wind, you'll probably want to ride up the right side, however, so you can get the right apex at Turn 8 and to block people from charging up that side. Turn 8: From the last corner it's 150 meters to the finish line. Good luck! There's a climb through the start/finish area, so take care to not be overgeared coming out of Turn 8. If it's the last lap, you're going to want to be first or second coming into the turn. Keep in mind that you'll be going faster on the last lap, so you might not be able to take the same line as on other laps -- keep your inside pedal up. Even the pros will eat hay here, as Ventura famously demonstrated on the last lap of the 2004 national championship.

Have fun, ride safe and stick around for all the weekend's races. Sunday's pro races are always spectacular. There's not a dull spot on the course, but I recommend the bleachers at Turn 7 for the best end-of-race spectating. At the elite level, the true sprint will take place between Turns 6 and 7 as sprinters try desperately to be the first onto Main Street. From that corner you can see all the action develop down Curtiss Street and then watch as someone raises their arms in triumph 150 meters up the road.

Saturday and Sunday Downers Grove National Criterium Championships USCF criteriums Downers Grove, Ill. Distance from Chicago: .5 hours Previous wrap-ups: 2007, 2008

• » Fall Fling information is out, with new courses for 2009. Criteriums will be in West Chicago, the road race in Crete. This is always an excellent way to wrap up your season -- or start the next one.
• » It got lost in the Superweek hubbub, but ABR held its state road race championships July 18 in Port Byron, Ill., and some Chicago-area riders won their categories, including Adam Leibman (ABD) in the 4's, Tim Henry (Project 5) in the 30+, Brian Harris (PYOC) in the 40+ open and Debbie Dust (PACT/Dish Network) in the women's open.
• » Congratulations to Christina Peck (Chicago Cuttin' Crew), who won this weekend's North American Cycle Courier Championships in Boston. She is the first woman to ever win the overall, and she did so decisively.
• » Why we do wheel-rubbing drills. Nice save, Mike.
• » Francine Haas (Alberto's) is leading a beginners clinic for women Saturday in Glencoe.
• » There are only a few no more Cat 5 spots left for Sunday's Glencoe Grand Prix, but there's plenty room in both Cat 5 heats of Saturday's Grayslake Cycling Classic.
• » Well-Fit is hosting a cyclocross information session Aug. 13.
• » Anne Barnes (Turin) is looking for host housing for the women of Team Tibco over Downers Grove weekend. .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) if you can help.
• » You think crashing in the BK Stacker is bad enough in the Cat 4's? Try it when you're actually going fast. (Not for the squeamish, or those emotionally attached to carbon fiber.)
• » Colorado Springs to L.A. to Chicago to Oregon and back to Colorado Springs. The life of a gypsy cyclist.
• » The Bike Film Festival starts next Wednesday.
• » Team Beer'd spends most of its time "drunk and wearing spandex."
• » Our old friend Carlos Cabalu (Quaker City Wheelmen) has refreshed the Unattched Rider look.
• » How to post up.

With Superweek and the Tour of Elk Grove behind us, the racing scene takes a collective breath this weekend before the summer's final blowout weekend, that of Downers Grove. But that doesn't mean there's not any racing going on. In fact, this week is one of the year's busiest with many options within just a few hours of Chicago.

And you never know what pros and top elites will decide to hit the local crits to earn some gas money. Indeed, it's not uncommon this time of year to see some heavy hitters take on Matteson or the track to stay fresh before Downers. Just last week Adam Myerson (Mountain Khakis) showed up at Soldier Field to put a thumping on the A field. Starting with our Illinois Cup races, Saturday sends us to Grayslake for the Grayslake Cycling Classic. It's a U-shape course with wide, rounded corners that in the past has been friendly to breaks. Sunday's Glencoe Grand Prix has always been a very well-run event, and chip timing returns this year. This weekend the P/1/2 price purse was increased to $5,000, including 10 $100 primes. It's a flat course that for the afternoon races will feature a tight, acute final turn 300 meters from the finish. (Lower categories and juniors take a less technical turn.) It's no BK Stacker, but it nonetheless earns its own moniker: Amen Corner. Say a prayer each time that everyone makes the turn safely. Mind your inside pedal, especially on the last lap, when you will be going faster and leaning more than previous laps. Special note to women: Francine Haas (Alberto's) will lead a free clinic the day before the race, Saturday 2:30 p.m. This will be an excellent opportunity to preview the course and pick up pointers from experienced racers. Farther from home there is the Warsaw Downtown Criterium in Indiana, a flat, .45-mile course. And up in Grand Rapids, Mich., the Meijer Grand Cycling Classic throws three sections of brick at riders, not to mention $8,000 to the P/1/2's. Finally there is a rare opportunity to compete in a stage race with the Indiana Stage Race, an ABR omnium in Indianapolis. Promoter Dan Daly runs it, and he always treats Chicago riders like royalty.

Saturday Grayslake Cycling Classic USCF criterium Grayslake, Ill. Distance from Chicago: 1 hour Previous wrap-ups: 2007, 2008

Warsaw Downtown Criterium USCF criterium Warsaw, Ind. Distance from Chicago: 2.5 hours

Meijer Grand Cycling Classic USCF criterium Grand Rapids, Mich. Distance from Chicago: 3 hours

Indiana Stage Race: Eagle Creek Fast Crit ABR criterium Indianapolis, Ind. Distance from Chicago: 3 hours

Sunday Glencoe Grand Prix USCF criterium Glencoe, Ill. Distance from Chicago: .5 hour Previous wrap-ups: 2007, 2008

Indiana Stage Race: Ft. Ben Road Race ABR road race Indianapolis, Ind. Distance from Chicago: 3 hours

More Tour of Elk Grove highlights, in addition to Sunday's early report:

• » Each race featured primes bigger than most of the winner's purses we're accustomed to. This turned the races into two contests: The dash for cash, with riders going solo and hoping to stay off long enough to scoop up Benjamins, and then a twitchy, congested bunch sprint for the overall. Occasionally the prime hunters would nab a double payday with solo escapees staying away for good: Tim Yuska (Iron Cycles) survived a four-man break in Saturday's 4's race to stay off by himself, and then Alex Pavlov (Vision Quest) put in a brave ride to solo to victory in Sunday's 35+ 3/4 race.
• » Elk Grove has more than its share of crashes, most occurring at low speed in Turn 1, the U-turn where brake pads go to die. Indeed, several riders wiped out, jumped back in and still got good results. Brandon Diffenderfer (Unattached) crashed in the first 5's race but still won by such a margin that he was originally mistaken for a lapped rider. In Sunday's women's P/1/2/3, Jeannie Kuhajek took a spill in the U-turn but later sprinted to 4th, and in the pro criterium Ken Hanson (Team Type 1) bounced back from a crash to sprint to 2nd.
• » Saturday's 3's race both started and ended with crashes, and in between, wipeouts on the wet tarmac punctuated the entire race. Most were minor, but the sprint crash sent two XXX Racing-AthletiCo riders to the hospital; both checked out fine -- or as mentally fine as you can be to have dared a Cat 3 race in the rain.
• » Junior Waylon Janowiak (WDT-Allvoi) made a smart move in Saturday's 3's race, jumping from about 700 meters as a flier was caught and holding off the sprinters. Chicago Criterium winner Paul Wood (MOB Squad) was the first of those sprinters, followed by Team Pegasus heartthrob Henry Loud.
• » Wood also won the field sprint in Sunday's 35+ 3/4 race. (Before my Indiana readers e-mail me again, yes, I am aware that Wood was given a mandatory upgrade to the 2's. Officials have allowed him to ride out the 3's races he pre-registered for.) Other consistent sprinters: Nate Iden (Burnham Racing), Keith McMahon (Van Wagner/Yojimbo's) and Ricardo Otero (WDT-Allvoi) all hit the top 8 in both races.
• » Kristen Meshberg (Team BH USA) had a great weekend, sprinting to 4th in Saturday's women's P/1/2/3 and then improving that by one with a 3rd on Sunday. Pascale Petro (Project 5) has had a dynamite season, and she picked up her biggest win to date with Saturday's 3/4 race.
• » Light rain made for a slippy, slidey Saturday afternoon, but Sunday brought perfect racing weather: Warm and sunny with low humidity and a slight breeze.
• » In Saturday's pro road race, Phil Gaimon (Jelly Belly) got a gap of more than a minute all by himself, but wiped out in a wet corner. Chicago Personal Photographers was right there.
• » The criterium course changed slightly this year, taking a slight jog through the neighborhood and eliminating one of the U-turn, and riders approved of this revision. The other U-turn, however, remains unpopular for its frequent mishaps and repeated accelerations. The Tour of Elk Grove improves every year, and major sponsors Alexian Brothers and Gullo International have committed to three more years of the race -- might we hope for further course refinement in 2010?

Full results.

Saturday reports John Coyle (Wolverine Sports Club; 1/2): "The idea of moving up did not enter my oxygen starved brain until two to go."

CyclingNews: "[Team OUCH] set a pace fast enough to bring back the pair of escapees while saving enough energy to circle the final lap in an impressive lead-out for sprinter and new overall race leader Menzies."

Daily Herald: "Spectators spent the day taking in the races from a variety of vantage points all along the track."

Brian Hill (Team Get a Grip Cycles; 3): "Enter turn one at 8 mph and sprint out at 30 mph while riders hit the deck. Enter turn two at 8 mph and sprint out at 30mph. Enter turn three smoothly, move back around juniors and dumdums that crashed the line on the last three corners."

Brad Huff (Jelly Belly; P): "I can't remember any of the course but the smell of brake pads and the feel of burn in my legs as we sprinted out of every corner."

Kristen Meshberg (Team BH USA; W-P/1/2/3): "It started to rain on Saturday before our race and it was terrifying!"

Podium Insight: "'Everybody had so much energy, they probably had coffee in the afternoon for the first time in a while, so much energy and everybody is just trying to attack and get into breakaways.'"

Mike Shea (Spidermonkey Cycling; 4): "It was nice to have a good wheel in that finish because of all the jockeying and the length. I didn’t need to fight for one; I just needed to decide when to go."

Steve Tilford (Tradewind Energy; 1/2): "I tried to explain to the bike that it isn’t an easy life being under me. I’m not sure it understood, but it will eventually get it."

Chris Uberti (Panther/RGF; 1/2): "My particular excuse is that at the exact moment when the race winning three man breakaway was being established I got a flat tire."

Sunday reports ABD: "Carter told Schroetlin 'keep them within 100 yards and I can catch them.'"

John Coyle (Wolverine Sports Club; 35+ 1/2/3): "A sudden cold feeling rang through me with the bell as I sat 100 meters off the front of the peloton."

CyclingNews: "'The last lap was a total mess and I was lucky to have a couple of good teammates to help me get around the swarm.'"

Daily Herald: "'This race is here to stay for a long time to come.'"

Kristen Meshberg (Team BH USA; W-P/1/2/3): "People watching said it didn't look weird but I felt like I was completely out of control and my Power Tap showed a new max wattage."

Podium Insight: "'You’ve got the fastest guys in the country and all the best teams, it’s just a shame that you don’t get this every race. This is the best field assembled and it’s amazing.'"

Steve Tilford (Tradewind Energy; 1/2): "I jumped out of the U-turn and tried to bridge up. I only managed to launch Josh Carter (ABD) and Chad Cagle (Mercy) up to the move. I didn’t make it. I wasn’t that tired. Just was lazy or something."

Chris Uberti (Panther/RGF; 1/2): "My 'Sprinter Cocky' attitude ended about three seconds later when Will Nowak (Alderfer Bergen) piped me at the line."

VeloNews: "'The race was very, very fast and very crazy!'"

Kristen Wentworth (Kenda; W-P/1/2/3): "Only three of us racing, but we were able to really take control of the race and it ended up being a fantastic weekend for the team."

Kyle Wiberg (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 35+ 3/4): "This masters race was a wee bit slower, but much smoother. Things were looking good."

Photos Chicago Personal Photographers Steve Dennis Carolyn Golz John Rowland Luke Seemann

Superweek star Jonathan Cantwell (Fly V Australia) won a free-for-all sprint Sunday to take the criterium stage of the men's pro Tour of Elk Grove (photo above). Ken Hanson (Team Type 1) and Saturday's road race winner Sebastian Haedo (Colavita) finished 2nd and 3rd, while Chicago Criterium winner Brad Huff (Jelly Belly) came in 4th.

The Cuban Missile fired prematurely with 2007 winner Ivan Dominguez (Rock Racing) losing ground in the last 200 meters to finish 16th. Chris Horner (Astana) finished safely in 12th to move into 5th overall. (Officials scored a split in the finishing group, costing Zach Bell (BMC) and Ben Jacques-Mayne (Bissell) 5 seconds each and expensive spots in the overall.) Featuring domestique work from Floyd Landis, Team OUCH was the day's big winner, controlling the race well enough for Karl Menzies to maintain the overall and take home the $25,000 novelty check. Brent Brookwalter (BMC) scored enough sprint points in Sunday's criterium to earn 2 seconds toward the overall and sneak past time trial winner Tom Zirbel (Bissell) for 2nd overall. Sunday's $5,000 women's pro-am was a near-repeat of last week's Chicago Criterium, with Joelle Numainville (Kenda) beating veteran Laura Van Gilder (Mellow Mushroom) in a bunch sprint after Kenda scooped up big-money prme after prime. Locals went 3-4 behind them, thanks to Kristen Meshberg (Team BH USA) and Jeannie Kuhajek (Team Mack). In addition to top pros, the weekend drew some of the country's best amateur teams, and ABD came out on top. With 10 laps to go in Sunday's $12,000 1/2 race, an already heavily attrited peloton split in half. ABD's Josh Carter and state champion Jeff Schroetlin made the forward group of about 25. At one to go, Schroetlin animated a breakaway of four that was eventually caught, but he saved enough gas to help set up Carter to take the win. Carter came around Heath Blackgrove (Hotel San Jose) at 200 meters and outkicked Frank Travieso (Champion Porsche), this just 24 hours after Travieso and Schroetlin had gone 1-2 out of a five-man break in Saturday's elite race. Full wrap-up to come. Full results.