• » Lakefront path users should expect a minor detour at the Chicago River for the next month or so. Here’s an update from Active Trans.

• » David Byrne (Talking Heads) is a brave, brave man: He rides the lakefront without a helmet.

• » Someone on NY Velocity has quietly outed the Bike Snob as Eben Weiss (GS Gotham), literary agent.

• » Also on NY Velocity, Dave Zabriskie (Garmin-Slipstream) reminisces about some fun times with our own Kenny Labbe.

• » Some riders with local ties did well at collegiate track nationals this weekend. Matt Fox (RPM/Hayes Brake) earned silver in the kilo and sprint and bronze in the omnium, riding for Midwestern State. Riding for Lees-McRae, Jennifer Greenberg earned bronze in the 3km pursuit and silver in the team pursuit. The Illinois Institute of Technology’s Elena Dorr reeled in three top 5’s and a 4th in the individual omnium, helping IIT place 5th in the D2 omnium. And ABD star Josh Carter, now enrolled at Midwestern State, pulled in a handful of top 10’s.

• » Chicago learns on Friday whether it gets the 2016 Paralympic Games. Universal Sports will broadcast and stream the cities’ final presentations.  Chicago is first at 1:45 a.m., with the announcement coming at 11:30 a.m.

• » It’s all over: Mainstream media discovers cyclocross.

The first weekend of ABD’s Fall Fling enjoyed the final gasp of summer, a gasp that turned into a brisk, gusty wheeze Sunday with enough wind to make a flat, narrow road race fun, hard and interesting.

In 1/2/3 action the players to watch have been Geargrinder’s Chad Hartley and Ryan White and ABD’s Ryan Freund and John Meyers. Everyone else, yours truly included, just hoped to cover one of their moves, hang on in the break and maybe get 3rd.

In Saturday’s criterium, the winning move was Hartley, Freund and David Polin (WDT-Allvoi), with Hartley, 2008’s Superweek points champion, having no trouble with the sprint. On Sunday the final break was larger and didn’t finally come together until after 40 hard, stop-and-go miles, but again it was Hartley taking it, this time ahead of Meyers.

Meanwhile some 3’s have raced well with the big boys, including Joel Friedman (Bicycle Heaven), who won Saturday’s field sprint, and Andrew Otte (Purdue) and Ronald Reagan winner Scott Rosenfield (IS Corp), who survived Sunday’s break. Now Friedman, Rosenfield, Andy Powell (Project 5) and James Bird (IS Corp) are in a four-way tie in the Cat 3 overall heading into this weekend’s time trial and circuit race.

There was a spot of drama in Saturday’s 40+ race, where Rob Kelley (Bicycle Heaven) appeared to have won out of a three-man break (above). Officials ruled, however, that Kelley had not sprinted in a straight line, relegating him to third and giving the victory to Mark Swartzendruber (Verizon Wireless). Swartzendruber again made the break on Sunday and thanks to a 4th place finish, finishing behind winner Brian Harris (PYOC), now enjoys a four-point lead in the overall, a lead we should expect will be padded in Saturday’s time trial.

Tom Doughty (Amgen/Giant Masters) was the top 55+ both days and is doubling up and holding his own in the 40+.  Mike Jones (PACT/Dish Network) broke away from Sunday’s 50+ field and stayed out solo for more than 20 miles to take the win. He’s now down a point in the overall to John Fleckenstein (Team Mack).

Jeffrey Angstadt (South Chicago Wheelmen) is not a name I’ve seen much this summer but he leads the 4’s ahead of Tim Speciale (Bicycle Heaven). Joe Berenyi (Endure It!) swept the weekend’s citizens races and has the inside track there, while the women’s races remain tight: Debbie Dust (PACT/Dish Network) and Jessi Prinner (ABD) are tied in the open, and just two points separates the top three contenders in the 4’s.

Full criterium results. Full road race results. Overall standings.

Criterium reports
Stephen Butler (Wheelfast; 4): “Suddenly found myself at the tail end of the field. In my head I heard Fred Willard saying, ‘Hey, wha’ happened?’”

Joey Iuliano (Purdue; 1/2): “The same guys who were at the Illinois road race were here. That means the goal was the same: Follow them.”

Adam Leibman (ABD; 3): “I sat in and did my best to go as fast as everyone around me, knowing full well that any time spent chasing or attempting breakaways might result in me going down in a blaze of glory.”

Mark Swartzendruber (Verizon Wireless; 40+): “I coasted across the line with my hand up gesturing to the officials and said, ‘Did you see that?’”

Criterium photos
Surviving in America

Road race reports
Debbie Dust (PACT/Dish Network; W-1/2/3): “‘I’m not happy because I was not beaten. I got screwed.”

Joey Iuliano (Purdue; 1/2): “The field soft pedaled the headwind, so any amount of effort generally got you a gap.”

Adam Leibman (ABD; 3): “I couldn’t help but wonder if the unusually slow and cordial finish was a show of camaraderie or simply a display of pure exhaustion.”

Mark Swartzendruber (Verizon Wireless; 40+): “Brilliant.  I’m in a move with the three fastest finishers in the race.”

• » Results are up from Sunday’s Kenosha Business Park Criterium. Some strong showings from WDT-Allvoi, PYOC and PACT/Dish Network.

• » Chicago Bike Racing backs the bid.

• » Thanks to the good turnout at Willow Springs, Tower Racing is donating $2,350 to World Bicycle Relief.

• » Fall officially started yesterday, which means it’s time to start thinking about the Chicago Winter Bike Swap: Jan. 16 at Harper College.

• » The Druber has started a blog. Next thing you know he’ll be Tweeting.

• » Derailleurs, shmerailleurs. Half Acre Cycling invites you to participate in the The Officially Unofficial Illinois State Cyclocross Single Speed Championship at its race in Dekalb on Oct. 4.

• » The Bonebell interviews Chicago Cyclocross Cup director Jason Knauff (Burnham Racing).

• » Speaking of cross: Fans will want to pick up Thursday’s Tribune. Shoot, pick up 10!

• » “This being Rock Racing, big money, flash, flash, they give riders one kit apiece.” Podium Insight has a great interview with Mike Creed (Team Type 1).

It’s time once again for our autumn classic, the Fall Fling, a four-race omnium series. Riders can do just one race or as many as four, although anyone angling for the overall prizes must do at least three.

The Fling is an excellent way to get in some final licks and take advantage of any lingering summer fitness, and the beginner fields can be excellent initiations for new racers. Or, race up a category and enter the off-season with a taste of what you have to work toward in 2010.

The time trial returns to Maple Park, but the other three courses are new. Saturday’s criterium is a flat, .8-mile loop with very gentle corners. Sunday’s road race looks to be a fairly flat 6-mile square with long lines of sight. The following Sunday we get a rolling, 1.5-mile circuit with two roundabouts to navigate each lap. All three courses are fairly unsheltered, so something tells me any brisk fall breeze could go a long way to shake things up.

ABD will be providing a free lunch to riders and volunteers Sunday, and indoor locker rooms will be available for changing.

Saturday
Fall Fling Criterium No. 1
ABR criterium
West Chicago, Ill.
Distance from Chicago: 1 hour

Sunday
Fall Fling Road Race
ABR road race
Crete, Ill.
Distance from Chicago: 2 hours

Sunday, Oct. 4
Fall Fling Criterium No. 2
ABR criterium
West Chicago, Ill.
Distance from Chicago: 1 hour

I don’t know if it qualifies as an instant classic, but the Ronald Reagan Criterium in Dixon is definitely one to note on the calendar for next year. It’s a fun and interesting course, a figure eight with wide, fast turns and three quick kickers out of Turns 1, 3 and 4. The finishing stretch is long and starts with a downhill out of the final corner, and the challenging terrain enabled breaks and made attrition high on Saturday.

Fields were regrettably small. Indeed, it’s a little goofy to think about how far we’re willing to drive to race in the snow in March, and yet many of us have hung up the cleats by the time the perfect weather of September rolls around. Nonetheless, organizers and locals were excited about returning next year and hope to see the race grow.

Some impressive firepower showed up for what turned out to be a fascinating P/1/2/3 race, including Geargrinder’s Rob White and Chad Hartley, plus local product Bryce Mead (Jelly Belly). The three of them went off the front on the second lap, eventually dropping all who’d gone with them. Chris Padfield (Team Get a Grip Cycles) was the last to be dropped; he survived in no-man’s land long enough for White, Hartley and Mead to lap the field and set off the front a second time. They scooped him up, and then the two Geargrinders went on the attack yet again, dropping Mead and Padfield to lap the field a second time, at which point they went to the front and set a fierce tempo for the rest of the race in order to keep the peloton out of Mead’s reach. They were successful and finished together, Hartley yielding the win to White. With Hartley headed to Kenda Pro Cycling next year, could this have been their last time racing together? If so, an impressive way to go out.

Two local juniors from IS Corp pulled a fast one on the 3/4’s. With seven to go, James Bird (IS Corp) attacked and created a dangerous gap. Tom Briney (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) bridged, but by three to go the entire pack had caught them. That allowed Scott Rosenfield (IS Corp) to counter, and he solo’d to the win, with Bird taking 4th.

With 30 starters the 4/5’s race was the day’s largest field. Except for some attrition, the group stayed together for most of the race. Chris Koster (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) and Ron Good (Endure It!) exited the final corner with a small gap, and Koster led the entire sprint to take the victory.

Full results.

Race reports
Chris Padfield (Team Get a Grip Cycles; P/1/2/3): “OOooooooh, now it’s really gonna be on. So much for an ‘easy’ race.”

Matt Riezman (Spidermonkey Cycling; 5, 4/5): “I found the cornering much less scary than advertised and I didn’t ride in the pack long enough to even have the chance to crash.”

Jared Rogers (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5, 4/5): “Heading into the stretch just before the climb I got a slight gap and that’s exactly where the field broke in two.”

Luke Seemann (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 1/2/3, P/1/2/3): “Down the long straightaway, we engaged in cat-and-mouse. I tried to shake-and-brake but I could get behind him.”

Photos
Nikki Cyp
Luke Seemann

• » Illinois Cup standings are final. Looks like Saturday’s road race went a long way toward deciding some of the categories.

• » Kelly Benefit Strategies’ Reid Mumford, Alex Candelario, Neil Shirley and Scott Zwizanski are going to Zambia to be ambassadors for World Bicycle Relief. Speaking of WBR, there’s a bit of time left to bid on SRAM’s auction of some signed Garmin-Slipstream swag.

• » Mike Ebert (ABD) shares a few words about what goes into throwing races.

• » Cycling painter Steve Dennis (Unattached) invites you to the reception for the “Bicycles and Bodies” art show Thursday night in Hyde Park.

• » Local official and cycling tifosa Nikki Cyp went to the Tour of Missouri and got access for a ton of nice pictures.

• » Universal Sports will be broadcasting the world championships live. I know where I will be at 4 a.m. on Sept. 26.

• » I am not quite sure what to make of the Gravel Grovel Group Ride, held in Indiana the day after Thanksgiving, but the organizer wanted me to let you know that you’re invited.

• » Your commute is boring.

With the advent of online pre-registration I’ve noticed a peculiar tipping point with some fields. Categories showing the faintest possibility of selling out will experience sudden runs on registration. Meanwhile, fields with less demand will sit dormant, which in turn stifles demand even more. After all, if only one person has registered for a race -- I’m speaking completely hypothetically here -- should we be surprised if only, say, four showed up on race day? Who on earth wants to race against just one person? (Besides match sprinters, of course.)

And so it is that we welcome the inaugural Ronald Reagan Criterium in Dixon this Saturday, a figure-eight course with a bit of elevation change. It’s late in the season, it’s an unknown course far from the city, and many of us will be spending Saturday meditating over tire pressure and admiring our cyclocross skinsuits in the mirror. So it’s not too surprising that pre-registration has been light, but I hope enough people jump on board to make the racing interesting and perhaps even justify a return in 2010. (Pre-registering before Thursday night saves $5. Entry fees are modest, and overlapping categories provide ample opportunity to double or triple up.)

Elsewhere there is a curious two-day road race in Indiana, and we get one more chance to race in Kenosha.

Saturday
Ronald Reagan Criterium
USCF criterium
Dixon, Ill.
Distance from Chicago: 2 hours

Huntington Bicycle Challenge
USCF road race
Huntington, Ind.
Distance from Chicago: 3.5 hours

Sunday
Huntington Bicycle Challenge
USCF road race
Huntington, Ind.
Distance from Chicago: 3.5 hours

Kenosha Business Park Criterium
ABR criterium
Kenosha, Wis.
Distance from Chicago: 1 hour

After a foggy morning the cloud cover broke and yielded exquisite riding conditions Saturday at the state road race championships in Willow Springs. A narrow, congested road and defensive fields made breaking away difficult, and, alas, the final stairstep climb did not put sprinters at the disadvantage I was expecting, resulting in some exciting if chaotic finishes.

Nearby Lemont’s most famous son, Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Slipstream), dropped by in the morning. He could not be coaxed into racing -- even with a broken wrist, I suspect he could have picked up some coveted ICA Cup points -- but he did escort the juniors for a lap. They dropped him in the uphill sprint, won by Ryan O’Boyle in the 15-18 and Trevor Rolette in the 10-14, a sweep for the South Chicago Wheelmen.

Some of the most animated racing came in the P/1/2’s, which had a fair share of lolly-gagging but also a series of attacks on the second lap that eventually yielded a group of six, all of whom had teammates in the chase, helping pad their gap to more than a minute. After 40 cooperative miles, hostilities broke out on the final lap. With a few miles to go, Ryan Freund (ABD) attacked hard and created a dangerous 10-second gap. The remaining five caught him early in the climb, where further attacks ensued. On the final pitch, Rob White (Geargrinder) put in the final punch, breaking clear with an incredible jump, followed by Jeff Barnes (Iowa City Cycling) and Seth Meyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo), the later of whom was the first Illinoisan and thus your new men’s state champion.

In the women’s P/1/2/3’s, a breakaway of four escaped from the starting line. Defending champion Kristen Meshberg (Team BH USA) flatted in the first few miles and took a wheel from her out-of-state teammate Anne Meyer, but she couldn’t get back on terms with Debbie Dust (PACT/DIsh Network), who time-trialed into the distance and into the championship jersey.

Gina Champion (Team Mack) lived up to her name and won the women’s 4’s race out of a lead pack of nine, and Pascale Petro (Project 5) wrapped up a successful year by winning the women’s 35+.

New squad Bloomington Cycling and Fitness made an impressive debut in the 3’s, where Chris Curran and Nick Ramirez, both of whom had impressive Superweeks as 4’s, found a good lane during the sprawling drag race and finished 1-2. Chicago’s Nate Iden (Burnham Racing) rounded out the podium.

I’ve remarked before how unusual it is to see a well-formed train in the lower categories. The Chicago Cuttin’ Crew is the one of only two teams I’ve seen do it with precision and success (Tower Racing is the other), and this is definitely a course where a good leadout is key. The boys in blue did it again Saturday in the 4’s, although when the caboose got derailed it was up to Jeff Perkins to seal the deal. Seal it he did, crossing the line just ahead of a hard-charging Chris Koster (XXX Racing-AthletiCo). (Perkins, shown above with Koster and James Cooper (Team MS Racing), noted beforehand that his road bike had gathered dust since last being raced in May.)

The day’s other breakaway came in the masters 1/2/3’s, where Christian Zauner (Verdirgris) came out on top of the 40+.  Finishing 4th to take the 30+ was Mike Heagney (Vision Quest).  In the earlier masters race, Gary Doering (Team Mack) outsprinted a tough 50+ field while masters national champion Thomas Weil (ABD) took the 60+.

The day’s closest race was in the 30+ 4/5’s, where video showed Jason Senffner (Bicycle Heaven) and Matt Samples (North Branch) crossing with an imperceptible margin. Officials gave the win to Senffner.

Crashes afflicted the day’s largest field, the 40+ 4/5’s, but David Schrauth (2CC) stayed clear of the mayhem and crossed the line first.

And how’s this for consistency: Kyle Selph (Tower Racing) raced two of the three Cat 5 heats and won them both. The 23-year-old has exactly four races on his palmarès -- and four victories. Erik Wiebe (Team MS Racing) took the third heat, which Selph was unable to contest owing to USAC prohibitions against competing in two concurrent races.

Full results.

Race reports
Dave Bower (Half Acre Cycling; 4): “Avoid the dead opposum. Avoid the two crashes. Sprint hard. Cross finish line, body and bike intact.  Have two Old Styles with the team.”

Rob Curtis (Bicycle Heaven): “No one knows WTF is going on, and the finish line is quite a distance away.”

Debbie Dust (PACT/Dish Network; W/P/1/2/3): “I busted my ass out there to take the win today.”

Ryan Fay (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “By the time the last climb came those calves were too spent to be competitive.”

Joey Iuliano (Purdue; P/1/2): “The race was, at least in my mind, what racing a masters race would be like: angry, yet no one wants to do anything for more than a few seconds.”

Adam Leibman (ABD; 3): “Thoroughly and utterly destroyed, nearly as dead as the opossum I dodged each time up the hill.”

Kristen Meshberg (Team BH USA; W-P/1/2/3): “It was a gorgeous day and fortunately Anne and I like riding our bikes, so at least we got in some nice hard riding.”

Seth Meyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; P/1/2): “Everyone wanted to save it for the last lap, so we just sort of crossed our fingers and hoped the situation didn’t get too precarious.”

Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “I waited for fireworks to begin.  And waited.  And waited.”

Ian Murray (Turin; 5): “I tried to gap people FTW. Unfortunately, I was not strong enough to make that happen, and thus faded and let mad people pass me.”

Avi Neurohr (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew; 30+ 4/5, 4): “It’s not rocket science, but it’s one thing to see it on TV, another to pull it off.”

William Pankonin (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5): “Told a few racers that we should hit the gas. No one seemed interested.”

Julie Popper (Half Acre Cycling; W-4): “I should have thought like a racer and tried to solo a little to make space for my bad climbing, but it was more fun to ride in the group.”

Luke Seemann (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “I was too far back and got too bolloxed by the traffic—some of which was covering more distance left-to-right than forward progress—to unleash the final dig I’d been visualizing for the past month.”

Mike Shea (Spidermonkey Cycling; 4): “With around 300 meters remaining, Drew came around, then the winner, then the top 10, then friggin’ everyone else.”

Zach Thomas (Half Acre Cycling; 4): “I got myself into a decent position behind the Cuttin’ Crew train and started the hill trying to get through the traffic.”

Photos
Gavin Gould
Luke Seemann

Seth Meyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) finished 3rd in Saturday’s P/1/2 road race in Willow Springs but was the first Illinoisan up the hill, giving him the 2009 state road race jersey.

Other state champions include Debbie Dust (PACT/Dish Network) in the women’s P/1/2/3, Jeff Perkins (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew) in the 4’s and Gina Champion (Team Mack) in the women’s 4’s.

Full wrap-up to come.

• » Active Transportation Alliance remembers fallen cyclists and pedestrians Oct. 4 with the Fifth Annual Dick Herron Memorial Bike and Walk.

• » Tom Doughty (Amgen/Giant) wasn’t the only local to hit the masters world championships in Austria. Leigh Thompson (Vision Quest) was also there, placing 5th in the women’s 45-49 time trial.

• » The inaugural Allvoi Cup wrapped up Saturday at the Northbrook Velodrome, featuring none other than the Jesse White Tumbling Team. Overall winners were Matt Fox (Hayes Brakes) in the men’s open, Dave Moyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) in the men’s 3/4/5’s and Molly Godlewski (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew) in the women’s open.

• » The Gateway Cup always draws large, strong fields to St. Louis over Labor Day weekend for some intense crit action. Local results include young Brandon Feehery (South Chicago Wheelmen) winning a bunch sprint in Saturday’s 3’s race. The women’s series drew national-caliber talent, with Jessi Prinner (ABD) placing 8th in Friday’s sprint. Also from ABD, Josh Carter cracked the top 10 in all four P/1/2 races, and Mike Vail won Sunday’s 4’s race and grabbed 3rd Monday.

• » In its interview with Brian Conant (Pony Shop), the Bonebell gets this transfer scoop: Chicago product Devon Haskell (Team BH USA), a new resident of California, will be joining powerhouse Tibco in 2010. “I’m super excited to be riding with Tibco next year!” Haskell says.  “I will hopefully get to do some more stage racing, which I really like.”

• » New Belgium’s Urban Assault Ride returns to Chicago’s streets Sept. 20, benefiting West Town Bikes.

We’ve been racing non-stop for almost six months. Save for those misfits who peak for cross, many of us may find our needles tilting toward “E,” but it’s time to eek at least one more race out of the tanks with Saturday’s state road race championships Willow Springs.

As previously discussed, the course is a 10-mile, mostly flat triangle with excellent pavement. There’s a kicker at Turn 2, but it’s too short to be of much consequence.

The real challenge is the climb from Turn 3 off Archer up to the finish line atop 104th. The milelong, three-section ascent is an enigma that has left this rider scratching his head on many a reconnaissance ride. Jump at the base? In the flat? On the final, steepest pitch? Attack too early and you’ll fold like a crêpe. Wait too long and you’ll run out of road. Indeed, race winners won’t necessarily be the best climber nor the best sprinter. Victory awaits the crafty rider who can best decode the climb’s mysteries.

Although 104th will animate fields on each trip up, I’m not convinced it’s long enough to yield any selections. However, it could open the door to some creative counterattacks and allow for unexpected moves in the false flats.

Traffic is closed one-way the entire course, but larger fields may experience congestion on the somewhat narrow roads. Be up front lest you get left out of any separations.

Online registration is open through Thursday and saves you $10. I’m a bit dismayed that no P/1/2/3 women have pre-registered. Recall that no Illinois women showed up to June’s criterium championships in Proctor.  Meanwhile, the 40+ 4/5 field is exactly one spot away from filled to capacity.

Note that there is some sort of golf tournament going on nearby, so traffic may be heavy.

Saturday
Illinois state road race championships
USCF road race
Willow Springs, Ill.
Distance from Chicago: .5 hour

• » Aurora’s Tom Doughty (Amgen/Giant) competed last week in Austria’s masters world championships. He placed 4th in the 55-59 time trial and 26th in the road race.

• » Chris Wiatr (WDT-Allvoi) won the sprint distance at Sunday’s Chicago Triathlon. He will represent Team USA at this month’s junior world championships in Australia.

• » Universal Sports is streaming the Vuelta.

• » Help Christina Peck (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew) get to Tokyo.

• » “That ain’t Gatorade ...”

• » TheCycleStudio is having an event to benefit the National MS Society.

• » News flash: In 90 percent of bike-car crashes, the driver is at fault, including this grisly piece of negligence in Madison, Wis.

• » The 40+ 4/5 field of our state road race is filling up, with only 16 12 spots left as of this writing. Meanwhile, do not neglect the Sept. 19 Ronald Reagan Criterium in Dixon, which appears to be wanting for participants in its inaugural edition. Could be the perfect opener for the next day’s cyclocross action.