The village council of Downers Grove voted Tuesday to eliminate the $37,000 it spends on the USPRO National Championship weekend, the crown jewel of local racing.

Although the budget’s wording suggests the race will be canceled, I’m told that organizer Special Events Management is seeking sponsorship to plug the gap, and the race may go on. (The Downers Grove budget also calls it a “criterion,” but that is neither here nor there.)

USA Cycling was unaware of the development. Director of communications Andrea Smith says at this point the race remains on the national championship calendar.

SEM estimated that more than 15,000 spectators attended the races in 2009. Although downtown restaurants benefit, locals tell me that some retailers see a drop in business and resent the crowds, and several close up shop for the weekend.

At a July planning workshop, the village council rated the race as “low priority.”

Village manager David Fieldman did not return a request for comment.

In addition to national championships for men, women and elites, Downers Grove traditionally hosts a full slate of amateur races over two days, including a Saturday twilight pro-am. In 2010, however, the women and elite men will have their criterium national championships in Bend, Ore.

SEM manages the Chicago Criterium as well, and that race’s future also will hinge on angel sponsorship without city funding.

Meanwhile, the Daily Herald reports that Arlington Heights is considering not funding its Superweek race, a midweek criterium that made its debut in 2009. Read the comments for a sampling of residents’ attitudes toward bike racing.

Time to start crossing names off your holiday shopping list: Chicago Bike Racing calendars are here! Perfect for all the coaches, wrenches, parents and significant others in your life.

New this year: A cyclocross-only calendar!

There are two ways to order: For $17.50 plus shipping, you can order either calendar online. Follow this link for road and cross or this link for cross-only.

Or, I will have a limited number of calendars for sale in person. Price: $15. Cheap! I will have them available at remaining cross races and XXX Racing-AthletiCo functions, or I can have them available from my office in River North. E-mail me to make arrangements.

Buying 10 or more? $12.50 each.

As in previous years, this is not a big money maker for me. It’s just a chance to share some of my favorite photos with some of my favorite people. Note that there are still several cross races I expect to shoot. If I get any gems, I may publish an update in December. Stay tuned.

All photos are from the 2009 season, and all your favorite races and racers are included:

Road and cross
Cover: Ryan Freund (ABD) cruises through the BK Stacker at the Evanston Grand Prix.

January: A masters races makes its way up the challenging Circuit of Sauk climb.

February: Debbie Dust (PACT/Dish Network) beats Kristen Meshberg (Team BH USA) in an exciting sprint at the Winfield Twilight Criterium.

March: Wayne Simon (Verdigris) leads the charge up the ski hill at the Fox River Grove Cycling Challenge.

April: Devon Haskell (Team BH USA) negotiates a wet corner off the front at the Glencoe Grand Prix.

May: April showers lead to May flowers: Some color at the Cat 3 Tour of Elk Grove.

June: Adam Lesniakowski (PACT/Dish Network) had a perfect endgame to win the Downers Grove Cat 2 race.

July: Ryan Freund (ABD) bridges to a move in the Chicago Criterium P/1/2 race.

August: Who will ever forget Rahsaan Bahati (Rock Racing) and the thrilling end to the USPRO National Championship?

September: Seth Meyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) gives it full gas on the final climb in Willow Springs to claim the 2009 state championship.

October: Bobby Lea (Team OUCH) takes Turn 8 at the Downers Grove pro-am.

November: State champion Scott McLaughlin (SRAM) is first up the hill at the Dan Ryan Woods cyclocross race.

December: It takes a village: Heckle Hill gives every kind of encouragement to Jacob Thom (Half Acre Cycling) as he gamely rides up through the thick mud.

Cyclocross only
Cover: Jacques Cartier (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) leaps over a barrier at Jackson Park.

January: It was a cloud of dirt and fury as the 4A’s charged across a softball field at Jackson Park.

February: Pony Shop is there, so this must be near the front of the race.

March: Robin Williams (Mercy-Specialized) rolled through the women’s 1/2/3 field at Dekalb.

April: Uh-oh. Something has made Henry Loud (Team Pegasus) angry at Dekalb -- very angry.

May: That’s Ed White (Half Acre Cycling) escaping from the 4B scrum at Dan Ryan Woods.

June: Cat 4 powerhouses Brittany Barran-Stanley (Verdigris) and Janette Rho (Bouledogue Tout Noir) march up the Dan Ryan Woods run-up.

July: Andrew Yeoman (Team Pegasus) shows good shoulder form at Dan Ryan Woods.

August: Ara Oggoian (Bicycle Heaven) leads the P/1/2/3’s over the barriers at Sunrise Park.

September: Dave Norton (The Bonebell) pops a wheelie for the adoring tifosi at Sunrise Park.

October: Ah, fall. Tim Boundy (Verdigris) gives Andy Daley (Burhnam Racing) a nice draft at Sunrise Park.

November: The crowd erupts as Jacob Thom (Half Acre Cycling) tops Heckle Hill.

December: The shot you’ve been waiting all year for: Super Girl is queen of the hill, and dozens of her loyal subjects cheer the latest muddy pratfall.

• » Time Out reports that the city may cut funding to the Chicago Criterium, meaning significant private sponsorship would be required for the race to continue.

• » Many of us have had the honor of being beaten by young Adam Leibovitz (NUVO Cultural Trail). Bicycling profiles him and how cycling helps his attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

USA Cycling today released the 2010 National Racing Calendar, including spots for the Chicago Criterium and the Tour of Elk Grove, July 25 and July 30-Aug. 1, respectively.

For those of us who assumed the Chicago Criterium would go the way of our Olympic bid, this is promising news.

Neither event, however, is included on the women’s NRC.

Also nearby will be the Marion Classic in Marion, Ind., and the Meijer Grand Cycling Classic in Grand Rapids, Mich., both of which move from August to early July.

Brad Huff (Jelly Belly) escaped on an unlikely flier and the 35+ 1/2/3 race yielded a four-man break, but otherwise it was a day for bunch sprints at Sunday’s Chicago Criterium. Few break attempts got more than a few seconds, and the overall speeds were high as everyone gunned for big-money primes and hoped to come out on top of large, stacked fields.

• » This video from Tim Radcliff (Team EMC2) doesn’t quite clarify what caused a crash before the final turn of what was the largest and strongest 3’s race of the year -- and I’m officially against public finger-pointing. What is clear is that 300 meters was the perfect spot for Paul Wood (MOB Squad) to jump, and mayhem was to be expected as others swerved and jockeyed to catch his wheel. Shane Winn (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) came closest but couldn’t close the gap on the homestretch, and for the second year a Hoosier interloper took this race. Winn and Ricardo Otero (WDT-Allvoi) rounded out the podium. (Don’t miss Ed White’s (Half Acre Cycling) dramatic photo of Ben LaForce (Team Get a Grip Cycles) unclipping over his handlebars.)

• » Bissell/ABG is 2-for-2 at the Chicago Criterium, and the 35+ 1/2/3 race may have been the most exciting on the day. Various small groups of aggressive riders were off the front the entire race, eventually leading to a winning foursome out of which Jason Swiatkowksi (Bissell/ABG) would win by a large margin, followed by Dave Stone (Verizon Wireless) and Scott Pearson (Comcast/Higher Gear). 2008 winner Derek Witte (Bissell/ABG) won the field sprint for 5th. (From that sprint, here’s another great handelbar video from John Coyle (Wolverine Sports Club). He is a master at carving his way up through the pack on the final lap.)

• » In a post-race interview, veteran and former national champion Laura Van Gilder (Mellow Mushroom) singled out locals Kristen Meshberg (Team BH Racing) and Debbie Dust (PACT-Dish Network) for being aggressive in the women’s P/1/2/3 race, but the out-of-towners took the podium in this one. Van Gilder led out of the final corner and almost held off Canadian Joelle Numainville (Kenda), who as shown above came from sixth position to win. Meshberg and Dust both finished in the top 10 -- White has a great shot of Meshberg watching Numainville pass in the sprint -- and former Chicagoan Jennifer Greenberg (Vanderkitten) took an apparently uncontested $400 gamblers prime.

• » Will Joel Friedman (Bicycle Heaven) ever upgrade to the 3’s, or might he just skip ahead and join brother MIke Friedman (Garmin-Slipstream) in the pro ranks? After winning Superweek races Friday and Saturday, Friedman launched a long sprint to take Sunday’s 4’s race ahead of Greg Kick (Turin).

• » Tyler Avery (Team Pegasus) was aggressive in his Cat 5 heat, getting a threatening solo gap midway through. Upon the catch he was able to recover enough to handily take the bunch sprint for first. Herb Seitz and Bjorn Hammer, two of the six XXX Racing-AthletiCo riders who crowded the top 12, came in 2nd and 3rd. Mike Balco (Unattached) took the other Cat 5 heat.

• » Nebo Ridge and XXX Racing-AthletiCo were the biggest teams in one of the largest women’s 4’s fields we’ve seen this year, and it was no surprise that they were highly involved in the final sprint. It was a photo finish, with Julia Daher (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) beating Robin Bauer (Nebo Ridge) with the throw.

• » South Chicago Wheelmen had a good day, with Danny Solomon enjoying a nice post-up upon winning the 35+ 4/5 race, and Brandon Feehery placing 2nd behind 14-year-old Rudyard Peterson (Kalamazoo Bicycle Club) in the juniors race.

Full results.

Race reports
Tyler Avery (Team Pegasus; 5): “I really wanted to throw my hands in the air over the finish line or mimic some signature move from a pro, but I felt that might be a little too cocky.”

Vanessa Buccella (Spidermonkey Cycling; W-4): “I started moving to the front because I remember someone saying that you if you could make it into the front for the last hill you had a good chance of making the top five.”

Stephen Butler (Wheelfast; 4): “I found myself at very tail end of the mass of 120+ riders that were already at the line. Super.”

Rob Curtis (Bicycle Heaven; 4, 35+ 4/5): “Rode heads up and it paid off.”

Debbie Dust (PACT-Dish Network; W-P/1/2/3): “I had to grab a lot of brake to avoid a potential wreck coming over from the left and lost some position because of it.”

Colm Flannery (Proctor; 35+ 4/5): “With no real zip in my legs I quickly found myself at the back.”

Ed Hernandez (North Branch; 3): “At one point, I wondered if a sniper was sitting on some rooftop overlooking Grant Park using us for target practice.”

Brad Huff (Jelly Belly; P/1/2): ”Mike Friedman (Garmin-Slipstream) was riding like a full team but he was just a one-man show, a one-man show with a rocket in his back pocket waiting to be lit.”

Joey Iuliano (Purdue; P/1/2): “It was wicked fast and somewhat demoralizing to be near the back of a 180-man field and see the front taking a corner well before you’re even ready to set up for it.”

Chris Jensen (Half Acre Cycling; 5): “The only thing left was a good showing at the end.”

Ben LaForce (Team Get a Grip Cycles; 3): “I was immediately behind him and rode over his bike and flipped over my handlebars at close to 30mph.”

Bryan Merrill (Spidermonkey Cycling; 35+ 1/2/3): “We immediately slowed, bunched and I watched the massive surge blow by me on the left.”

Kristen Meshberg (Team BH USA; W-P/1/2/3): “When we hit the final corner my instinct told me to go now! and I exploded first out of the corner.”

John Meyers (ABD; P/1/2): ”Chris Horner (Astana) probably was bored and scared out of his mind the whole race. It was easy, and slow.”

Martin Michalowicz (MS Racing; 4): “I was spent, but I wasn’t unhappy.”

Avi Neurohr (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew; 4, 35+ 4/5): “I’m totally disenchanted with crits at this point in the summer, but it’s hard not to love this one. Fast and wide, nowhere to hide.”

Will Nowak (Alderfer Bergen; P/1/2): “I raced the front and got in a few breaks (one featuring Chris Horner (Astana)), although nothing lasted longer than a lap.”

Podium Insight: “‘Because of the money, no one wanted to go hard enough, everybody wanted to get into the breakaway but didn’t want to work.’”

Tony Rienks (Beverly Bike/Vee-Pak; 4, 35+ 4/5): “I had a good sprint at the end but got pinched by the guardrail jutting out on the east side of the course behind a slower sprinter.”

Joe Schubert (Half Acre Cycling; 4): “I tried to be a ghost but still stayed aggressive.”

Albert Segura (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “I’m skidding, skidding, and somehow keeping the bike upright with my back wheel locked up and my foot in the spokes.”

Mike Shea (Spidermonkey Cycling; 4): “In the bell lap, I had good position, was ready to go, got on a good wheel on the backside and going up the overpass at Balbo riders shifted lines and I lost the wheel I was on.”

Mike Sherer (Alderfer Bergen; P/1/2): “All that work just to get taken out on the last lap. Very Frustrating! I guess that’s bike racing.”

SRAM Road Diaries: “The final lap disrupted that train and the final sprint turned into a melee to get out of the final turn clean.”

Steve Tilford (Tradewind Energy-Trek Stores; P/1/2): “The result wasn’t what was desired for the amount of pain I went through to get to the end. Bike racing.”

VeloNews: “‘Guys are jockeying for position, guys are being aggressive. I was like, ‘Good lord, can everyone just calm down?’”

Kristen Wentworth (Kenda; W-P/1/2/3): “The speed was fairly high but as we approached the final two corners things got a little squirrelly.”

Bryan Witry (Spidermonkey Cycling; 5): “As we slammed down the front stretch with one lap to go, everything seemed to fall into place.”

Andrew Zens (Spidermonkey Cycling; 5): “When you sit at the front for the whole race it kind of sucks to finish mid-pack.”

Photos
Chicago Personal Photographers
Nikki Cyp
Steve Dennis
Amy Dykema
Carolyn Golz
Goose Island
Gavin Gould
Aaron Greco
Jason Knauff
John Rowland: P/1/2, W-P/1/2/3
Luke Seemann
Brad Trankina
Ed White

Sprinter Brad Huff (Jelly Belly), shown above doing an impromptu jig during call-ups -- or was it a Chicago hold-up? -- attacked out of Turn 2 at Sunday’s Chicago Criterium and held the flier all the way to the line to take victory in the P/1/2 race.

The seven men of Kelly Benefit Strategies, the largest team presence in the race, put together an impressive train from nine laps out, but the squad ran out of steam before it ran out of track, and it missed out on the podium, with Hilton Clarke (Fuji-Servetto) and Karl Menzies (Team OUCH) taking 2nd and 3rd.

Huff said he had been hoping to help his former teammate Mike Friedman (Garmin-Slipstream) on the final lap, but the latter felt more than a kilometer from the finish was too early. Friedman was first to jump out of the final corner for the field sprint, but had to settle for 4th.

Chris Horner (Astana) said the weather wasn’t nearly hot enough to suit a climber like himself, unlike last year where the field wilted in the heat. There was never a serious break, and Horner finished safely midpack.

Full wrap-up to come.

I made this claim last year, and I’ll make it again: Sunday’s Chicago Criterium is the finest criterium course in the Midwest and perhaps the entire United States.

The money will be huge, the crowds will be enormous and some of the biggest names in domestic racing will be putting on the greatest show on two wheels Sunday. This race was a hit in its 2008 debut, and with the 2009 edition making the National Racing Calendar, the P/1/2 field should be even stronger -- especially with Euro Chris Horner (Astana) and possibly Mike Friedman (Garmin-Slipstream) making appearances.

And lucky us, we amateurs get to race, too.

The course is great. Most of the turns are wide and smooth. Turn 2, a downhill left onto Michigan Avenue, requires concentration, although it proved not much of a problem last year. Keep your inside pedal up as you lean. Do not use this turn to advance positions. Find a wheel you trust and stay there. Bomb the inside and you will get pinched and yelled at. Advance on the outside and you will quickly run out of real estate and run up into street furniture.

Cat 3 and below should expect a lot of accordion effect at this corner.  The first 10 riders will go through at speed, but after that it will bunch up and nervous riders -- guilty as charged -- will brake to scrub some speed. This will open the slightest of gaps and require huge accelerations once onto Michigan.

Here’s handlebar video from first first and last laps of last year’s Cat 3 race.

Consult the race bible for a list of the cash primes available, including $1,000 for the half-race leader in the P/1/2’s.

Conventional wisdom is that the future of the Chicago Criterium hinges on the Olympic bid. If Chicago is unsuccessful, this could very well be the last time we see bicycle racing on Michigan avenue. Don’t squander the opportunity: Ride well, but also make time to watch an entire day of great racing.

The Mayor’s Office of Special Events confirmed today that Chris Horner (Astana) will race the Chicago Criterium on Sunday, July 26.  Horner placed 14th 15th at the 2007 Tour de France and 4th at the 2008 Chicago Criterium. Many fans regard it as an injustice that he won’t be sipping Champagne down the Champs-Élysées that day, so he’s sure to be warmly received here.

Update: Turin in Evanston will be hosting an autograph session with Horner on Friday, July 24. The 5 p.m. event will be free, with snacks.

And on Friday, July 17, Turin will have an event to promote SRAM’s 2010 Force, including members of Team Lip Smacker and some yet-unconfirmed men’s pro teams.

Chicago Criterium registration will open tomorrow. The inaugural race was a hit last year, and I expect both 5’s fields (50 riders each) and the masters 4/5’s (capped at 75) to fill quickly.

Update: I notice that the registration allows you to enter both Cat 5 heats. I discourage people from doing this. The intent of the second heat is to allow more people to race. Don’t hog the spots.

There also is confusion about the masters categories. I’m fairly certain it’s 35+, not 30+, but am working on getting confirmation. They are indeed 35+, not 30+.

• » FLASH! Hillsboro-Roubaix registration opens Feb. 15 Feb. 14 at 7 a.m.

• » Steve Hansen (North Branch), our Illinois Cycling Association president, has an important update on various endeavors. Also note that ICA races will be a hair more expensive to reflect increased USAC fees as well as charges associated with online pre-registration, which will now be absorbed by promoters and standardized.

• » Many times have people asked me to start a Chicago Bike Racing forum. Many times have I said, “Thanks, but no thanks.” Finally someone has decided to run with the idea on their own. Meet Chicago Cycling Forums, compliments of Waylon Janowiak (WDT-Allvoi).

• » I heard tales of good finds from Saturday’s bike swap in Madison. Our own Chicago Winter Bike Swap is this Saturday at Harper College.

• » CyclingNews takes a look at Tour de France revelation Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Slipstream).

• » Results from the first round of ABD’s indoor time trials are online. The series continues Feb. 1. Meanwhile, Vision Quest’s indoor series continues in Highland Park.

• » Miss summer yet? A YouTube user has posted several videos from the Chicago Criterium, just six short months away.

• » “We raised our hands in a gesture of resignation.” Oh, Mario.

Attention, holiday shoppers! Your 2009 Chicago Bike Racing calendar is now available.

Once again I’ve selected 12 of my favorite photos from the season, hoping to capture the gamut of our great sport. There’s some road, there’s some track, there’s some cross. (Sorry, Paolo. I didn’t hit any mountain bike races this year.)

Price: $17.50 plus shipping through CafePress. Cheap!

Super discount opportunity: I will have a limited number of copies in my possession, available for $15. E-mail me if you’d like to purchase in person, either at an upcoming cross race, a XXX Racing-AthletiCo function or at a meet-up in downtown Chicago. I can also arrange for discounted bulk orders of 10 or more.

Don’t be selfish by limiting yourself to only your home and office. Think also of all the people who help you get through the season:

• » Your significant others!

• » Your mechanics!

• » Your coach!

• » Your teammates!

• » Your massage therapist!

• » Your family!

What’s inside? Maybe you!

January:  Tristan Schouten (Planet Bike) leaps over a barrier at the 2007 Montrose Harbor state cyclocross championships.

February: A women’s field takes its neutral lap at the Northbrook Velodrome.

March: A Jittery Joe’s rider takes a corner at the Beverly Hills Cycling Classic.

April: Kayle Leogrande (Rock Racing) takes the line at the USPRO national criterium championships.

May: Shane Winn (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) wins a sprint against teammate John Tomlinson and Chris Mosora (Lucas Oil) at the Northbrook Velodrome.

June: Chris Kelley (Indiana Hand Center) screams down the descent at the Fox River Grove Cycling Challenge.

July: Theresa Cliff-Ryan (Verducci/Breakaway) sprints to her latest Superweek win, taking the Evanston Grand Prix and wrapping up the women’s overall.

August: Brooke Miller (Team Tibco) celebrates her national championship victory at Downers Grove.

September: Cat 3/4 racers take Turn 1 at the Downers Grove Criterium.

October: Cat 4 racers turn onto Michigan Avenue at the inaugural Chicago Criterium.

November: Newt Cole (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) braves the sand pit at Carpentersville Cyclocross.

December: Is it winter again already? Brian Boyle (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) cuts a solitary profile at the 2007 Montrose Harbor state cyclocross championships.

I’m not looking to make a huge profit here -- mostly it’s a vanity project and a fun souvenir to offer the friends who enjoy this sport as much as I do -- but your support will be appreciated. Thanks!

Following a 2008 National Racing Calendar that included no Chicago-area races, USA Cycling has published a 2009 calendar that for the men adds the Chicago Criterium and restores the Tour of Elk Grove. This is fabulous news, as these premier events deserve the best riders available.

Missing again are the USPRO national criterium championships of Downers Grove, a major disappointment. The 2008 edition, also off the NRC calendar, saw teams splitting themselves between Downers Grove and the Tour of Utah, which resulted in a smaller field and some say overly negative racing. (It also resulted in an American winning the race outright for the first time in several years.)

On the bright side, the calendar adds the Marion Classic Riveralk Criterium a few hours away in Marion, Ind.

Two notes on dates: The Chicago Criterium is listed as Sunday, July 26, which will again coincide with the final weekend of Superweek. Also, four days are listed for the Tour of Elk Grove -- July 31-Aug. 3 -- although the press release calls it a “three-day” event.

For more context on the NRC, read Mark Zalewski‘s excellent CyclingNews analysis from August.

Save for the first and last five laps of Sunday’s P/1/2 race at the inaugural Chicago Criterium, I could have sworn we were watching a training ride go through Grant Park.

But what a training ride it was!

About 20 minutes into the 80km race, an enormous, 20-strong group formed that included multiple representatives of all the major teams (above). Two from Toyota-United, two from Bissell, two from Texas roadhouse and four from Kelly Benefit Strategies, not to mention Frank Pipp (Health Net) and Chris Horner (Astana). Once this group came together, it was lights out for the field. Except for some large primes, including a big field prime where Ivan Dominguez (Toyota-United) pipped Freddie Rodriguez (Rock Racing) with a monster throw and a $1,000 prime won by Josh Carter (ABD/Geargrinder), the next hour was not exactly the most exciting racing we’ve ever seen.

Finally with 10 laps to go, fireworks started happening in the break, largely led by Graham Howard (Bissell) and Adam Bergman (Texas Roadhouse). With five to go, five riders separated for good, including Horner, who in his inimitable way appeared to be the only one not taxed by the effort. It was 2007 Evanston Grand Prix winner Bergman, however, who attacked on the backside and crossed the line with several bike lengths over Dominique Rollin (Toyota-United) in 2nd and David Veilleux (Kelly Benefit Strategies) in 3rd. The amateur Bergman also won the $1,000 halfway prize on top of his $5,000 for the win.

Team Tibco brough its heavy hitters to bear on the women’s P/1/2/3 race, including former Evanston resident and ace sprinter Brooke Miller. After several of her teammates had made some attempts off the front, Amber Rais finally broke free alone with about 20 minutes to go, quickly creating a 45-second lead for herself, and it became a race for 2nd place. Junior Samantha Schneider (Mesa Cycles) would win that race for 2nd, with Miller rounding out the podium in 3rd.

Earlier, the women’s 4’s race was dominated by Jeannie Kuhajek from New Zealand, who scooped up several primes on her way to winning the bunch sprint.

In a fast 3’s race, Ren-Jay Shei (Team Tortuga) shocked the field by slipping away by himself in the final laps and holding a slim lead all the way, followed by Tim Henry (Project 5 Racing) and Matt Smith (Vitaminwater-Trek) in the field sprint. After a rough Superweek for the 3’s, the race was thankfully incident-free, save for a hard crash on the final corner (I’m not aware of any injuries).

In the masters 4/5’s race, the first three through the final corner were the first three aross the finish line: Nate Iden (Spidermonkey Cycling), Newt Cole (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) and Ed Ekstrom (Tower Racing). Several breaks threatened in a loaded masters 1/2/3 race, but it came down to a sprint, where Derek Witte (Bissell) took it ahead of Dave Scherer (MetCycling) and Adam Lesniakowski (PACT/Dish Network).

Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus) had targeted this weekend and executed to perfection: After winning Saturday at Downer Avenue, he rode up front the entire 4’s race Sunday, attacking hard on the last lap and holding a large gap all the way to the line.

The juniors race appeared destined for a two-up sprint, but a hard-working chase caught the break in the final laps. Downers Grove’s Adam Kosela (Bikeline) then sprinted for the win in one of the day’s closest sprints, just ahead of Chazz Martin (Smart Cycling).

And in the morning’s very first races, XXX Racing-AthletiCo won both 5’s heats behind Tom Briney and Dave Moyer, not to mention a sizable contingent of teammates in support.

All in all, everyone seemed thrilled with the event. Great weather, perfect organization and fun racing -- let’s do this again!

Full results. (Note that Rodriguez and Kayle Leogrande (Rock Racing) are swapped.)

Race reports
Brian Boyle (Vitaminwater-Trek; P/1/2): “I rode up to some Toyota United guys, one of whom was Ivan Dominguez. I sat on his wheel coming out of the final turn as we were getting the bell.  I happily pointed this out to my teammates, literally, by happily pointing to Dominguez as we rode by them.”

Gary Chioda (Tower Racing; 30+ 4/5): “With three laps to go the pace bumps up a little and I can still see the Tower colors flying high at the front of the race.”

Ron Cook (Project 5; 3): “I asked Tim Henry to let me know when he wanted to move up. Before he even was able to respond he saw an opening and took it and left me there sitting mid pack.”

CyclingNews: “There were more attacks but with a smaller group the marking was much easier, especially when you are Horner or Rollin. But not as easy when you are a wild card in the group, as was Bergman.”

Jason Danvir (Sugar Cyles; 3): “I hit the last turn full-tilt and then it happened: Some morons decided to dive into the last turn and take me out from the side.”

Erik Didriksen (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “Several times I’d try to move up, but the 119 riders in the field managed to fill the spacious course and made moving up quite the chore.”

Debbie Dust (Team Kenda Tire; W-P/1/2/3): “Like any good team should, Tibco pretty much neutralized anything that tried to bridge to Amber which made it clear that we were at that point racing for 2nd place.”

Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; W-P/1/2/3): “Bike racing is humbling. I hadn’t forgotten that, I just haven’t been so thoroughly humbled in a while.”

Nick Gierman (Vitaminwater-Trek; 4): “The break is only as strong as the weakest rider and I was that rider today.”

Cory Hickman (Vitaminwater-Trek; P/1/2): “At the second to last corner I was fourth wheel and proud of myself.  What happened in the next 300 meters is a blur, save for the absolute insanity of people diving this way and that.”

Jeff Holland (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5): “Someone dives in front of me, stuffs their pedal into my front wheel and down I go.”

Aaron Hubbell (Nuvo Cultural Trail; P/1/2): “I was 5 meters off his wheel and starting to die. I looked at my computer: 58 kph! I immediately decided that was enough of that shit and sat up. The pack swallowed me and I went about 60 places back before I started to recover.”

Emir Jaganjac (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5): “The pack was really moving down Columbus and the second time down Jackson, the front 15 already gapped the rest of the field leaving the rest of us to try and form groups.”

Brooke Miller (Team Tibco; W-P/1/2/3): “17-year-old Sam Schneider most certainly made me pay for my bad finish focus!  She had a great sprint and I did not have enough time to grab her on the line.  Hat’s off to her for a great finish!”

Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5): “Not knowing if Jeff was OK -- he’d crashed hard at Evanston just a week earlier -- took all the fight out of me.”

Damon Nelson (Beverly Bike/VeePak; 30+ 4/5): “With just a few laps to go in the race Tony Rienks made a move on the backside of the course that I happened to catch on the Jumbotron just as he jumped.”

Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus; 4): “I knew I was not where I wanted or needed to be, but nothing to do about it now other than dish out the hurt to everyone else and see how it shakes out.”

Jared Rogers (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5): ”Dave Moyer livens things up for a lap to try and break the field.  It did some damage and strung us all out and as soon as they were done, some unattached rider countered to prolong the agony going into the kicker on Balbo.”

Mike Shea (Spidermonkey Cycling; 4): “It was long enough and somewhat technical enough to make it interesting. The turns and the bend at Congress forced me to plan my advances up the field.”

Ren-Jay Shei (Team Tortuga; 3): “With me being the only Tortuga rider there and with a few other teams having like five or more guys in, I figured I should play it smart. It worked out.”

Matt Smith (Vitaminwater-Trek; 30+ 1/2/3, 3): “On the last lap, Ren-Jay made a good move and people just watched. I watched too, but I was also yelling my fool head off in the hopes that someone would make it fast.”

Team Tati: (4, 5, 30+ 4/5, W-4): “Was this an omen of some sort? Should I advise our little elephant to sit this one out?”

Jeff Wat (Vitaminwater-Trek; 3): “ I moved up with him, but was pinched on the inside as riders from the right started to converge on the apex of the turn. It was an aggressive move and I was confident everyone would make it though OK. I was wrong and my hole closed on me and down I went.”

Andrew Yeoman (Team Pegasus; 5): “I was pedaling down harder and harder to get up to the front two. The rider in 2nd place was beginning to lose it. This was all the motivation I needed.”

Photos
Matt Dula
Carolyn Golz
Eric Goodwin
Jason Knauff: P/1/23, 4, 30+ 1/2/3, W-4
Melody Kramer
Jeff Lynch
Paul Matsushima
Cecile Redoble
Lee Sam
Second City Warehouse
Luke Seemann
Bob Segal
Tricia Smith
Don Sorsa

Adam Bergman (Texas Roadhouse) wins the inaugural Chicago Criterium after attacking out of a large break, above, that included teammate Paul Martin and Dominique Rollin (Toyota-United). Full report to come.

Just got an update on some of the pro stars registered for the Chicago Criterium.

Among those representing Kelly Benefit Strategies will be sprinter Alex Candelario and David Veilleux, winner of two stages and the overall at the Tour of Pennsylvania.

From Bissell we’ll see Benjamin Jacques-Maynes and Tom Zirbel, who recently placed 2nd at Italy’s famous Granfondo Pinarello.

And from Toyota-United we’ll have the Cuban Missile himself, Ivan Dominguez, winner of Stage 1 at the Tour of Georgia, and 2006 Downers Grove and Tour of Elk Grove champ Hilton Clarke.

This is just a partial list. Organizers are also still expecting Chris Horner (Astana), as well as some of the biggest names in women’s racing.

Finally, here is a story from today’s Sun-Times. [Insert rant about how with a Chicago rider sitting in 6th place in the Tour de Frickin’ France, you’d expect more coverage -- and better coverage -- from local media.]

In all the Superweek hoopla, I’ve neglected to preview the biggest Chicago race of the year: our Chicago Criterium.

I did a few circuits of the course this evening. It’s fantastic. This is unquestionably the finest criterium course in the Midwest and perhaps the entire United States. USA Cycling should move the national championships here.

It has everything: Technical corners. Climbs. A long stretch on which to wind up some wicked speed. And the views! In fact, this could be the course’s only drawback: Between the architecture, the sculptures and even Lake Michigan, it will be dangerously difficult to focus on the race. People will want to dismount and write postcards.

The stretch down Michigan Avenue and Congress Plaza is particularly amazing. Chicago hasn’t enjoyed a backside this perfect since Beyonce played the United Center. (By which I mean the B-side of “Dangerously in Love.” What did you think I meant?)

The money will be huge, the crowds will be enormous and some of the biggest names in domestic racing will bring their legs of great wattage to the City of Big Shoulders. Indeed, the final sprint Sunday could very well become the fastest a bicycle has ever gone within city limits since Major Taylor did a mile here in 1:19.

If that’s not enough, I have two words for you: “Jumbo” and “Tron.”

And lucky us, we amateurs get to race, too.

Depending on how the barriers are set up, Turn 2, a downhill left onto Michigan Avenue, may prove dicey. Keep your inside pedal up as you lean. Do not use this turn to advance positions. Find a wheel you trust and stay there. Advance up the inside and you will get pinched and yelled at. Advance on the outside and you will quickly run out of real estate and run up into one of our mayor’s beautiful concrete planters. Let’s not have to christen this corner the Art Institute Stacker.

Cat 4 and 5 riders should expect a lot of accordion effect at this corner. The first rider will go through at full speed, but the second will slow a smidgen. The third will slow two smidgens. And so on. By the 20th rider, you’re going through at 15 mph and already seeing the leaders go up Congress Plaza.

What do you do? Make your way to the front 10 riders and stay there. Failing that, be sure to shift down once or twice before the turn and be ready to sprint out of the corner to catch the rider ahead of you. The first time you let a gap open here may well be your last.

Consult the race bible for a list of the generous primes available. Primes are so generous, in fact -- $425 for the 3’s, an astounding $2,800 for the P/1/2’s -- that I’d be surprised if any breaks got off. If someone is foolhardy enough to try -- and especially if that someone is, say, a XXX Racing-AthletiCo rider who hasn’t gotten much sleep lately -- I recommend not wasting any energy in pursuit.

Team tents can be set up at Columbus and Balbo, Turn 4. It’s there that you’ll find Vitaminwater-Trek giving away World Bicycle Relief water bottles in return for a $6 donation.

If you’re dropping off bikes or other gear, do so on Columbus north of Jackson.

This will be fun!

• » Longtime cyclist and masters racer Paul Sorenson (The Bike Shop) of Aurora died Friday after an unexplained crash while training in Ohio. Visitation will be Thursday from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Frederich-Jones Funeral Home, 44 South Mill St., Naperville.

• » More sad news: ABD member Jon Flick was seriously injured in a car accident his month. ABD is organizing a July 30 ride to raise funds to help him out.

• » It’s been hard not to notice the Attack Cycles wheels the Rock Racing lads have sported during Superweek. This is a new venture from Rahsaan Bahati, who jokes in this CyclingNews profile that the “bling-bling” wheels are “for the people who like to spend money but don’t really go that fast.”

• » The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation will have a members-only viewing section at Sunday’s Chicago Criterium. Bring your member card for entry.

• » Rising gas prices confirm what we’ve known all along: Driving less saves lives.

• » Another suspicion confirmed: Bicycles are useful for chasing down evil-doers.

I received some Chicago Criterium updates from my source deep within the bowels of City Hall:

• » Fewer than 40 slots remain in the 125-man 4’s field. Register now or risk missing out on the race of the year.

• » Professional rosters are yet to be released, but you can expect to see fan-favorite Chris Horner (Astana). Horner has raced the past two years of the Tour of Elk Grove, and it’s never a mere celebrity appearance. He rides an animated race and races to win.

• » $40,000 in prize money not enough? Winners jerseys will also be up for grabs in all races. I’ll post an image as soon as I have one.

My source with the city tells me that there are only five spots left in the Chicago Criterium’s masters 4/5 field.

There remain 60 spots in the 4’s (125 capacity) and 150 spots in the 3’s (200 capacity).

Register here.

Only five spots remain in the Chicago Criterium Cat 5’s. Both Cat 5 heats of the Chicago Criterium have reached capacity. Other fields may still register.

Online registration is now available for Downers Grove and for your Chicago Criterium. Cat 5’s will want to register as soon as possible, especially for Chicago, which has only two heats.

Look who submitted a flier to USA Cycling!

We could guesstimate race lengths from the schedule that was released earlier this month, but this gives us more specifics. Check out those purses for the women -- nearly twice as much as is up grabs at the otherwise generous Tour of Elk Grove. And with that weekend's Tour de Toona scaled back to a single $15,000 criterium, perhaps the $25,000 purse for P/1/2's will be enough to lure the better domestic teams to this non-NRC extravaganza. Heck, we all know Astana won't be busy that weekend. Let Levi ride!

(Race lengths are in minutes plus laps.)

A reader writes:
Is it necessary to pre-register for races? Do they all tend to fill up?

Two related trends bode well for our sport: More and more races are providing online pre-registration, and more and more races are reaching capacity, especially in the Cat 5’s. (USA Cycling limits Cat 5 fields to 50 riders, and Cat 4/5 fields to 75.)

The risk of pre-registering is that it may rain, or something may come up to conflict with the race and you’ll be on the hook for your $25. (Curse those loved ones with the gall to wed at the height of racing season!) Promoters usually don’t often provide refunds, and few will go through the hassle of transferring registration to your teammates.

But the risk is worth it if it’s a race you have your heart set on and there’s a possibility it will fill. Alas, I know of no women’s races to have filled up, nor P/1/2’s or 3’s, but the Tour of Elk Grove, Downers Grove and the Chicago Criterium are all local races where we can expect the Cat 5 and Cat 4 fields to fill. Last the local Superweek races filled their 4/5 fields, starting with Evanston, and Wisconsin’s Spring Prairie Road Race has in the past filled its 4/5 fields.

Finally, Hillsboro-Roubaix will fill up the quickest of any race, as we discovered this year, and Snake Alley is a race for which it’s essential to pre-register, not because it will fill up but because start position is so crucial.

For most other races, however, one can safely count on registering on the day of, but you never know: Even this year’s Spring Super Criterium, an untested race two hours from the city with no money on the line, filled several of its fields, to its promoters’ credit. Better to be safe than to drive 100 miles to be a spectator.

The Chicago Criterium has announced its schedule and it looks fantastic.

Race lengths and detailed prize lists aren't out yet but I expect to have them soon. The total prize purse is $40,000, with $25,000 going to the P/1/2 race. Racing starts bright and early at 7 a.m. with two Cat 5 races. Women get two races, 4's and 1/2/3's. Men's 3's and 4's are separated, and there are two masters races, 4/5's and 1/2/3's. Race order is mixed up a bit, too, with 3's going off at 9:30 and the 4's racing as the immediate undercard to the main event.

Volunteers are also being sought for the July 27 event. Send e-mail to . The race is being managed by the Mayor's Office of Special Events and Special Events Management, which also promotes Downers Grove and the Tour of Elk Grove.

• » Ron Cook (Project 5 Racing) dug up some Sun-Times coverage from the 1987 Citi-Circuit, a weekend of criteriums in Downers Grove, Evanston and downtown Chicago.  Total purse for the weekend was $75,000, which back then was quite a bit of scratch. Downers Grove was on the same course we know today, and Evanston was similar to last year’s Evanston Grand Prix. The Chicago course was located near the spot of this year’s Chicago Criterium, but instead of ducking down to Michigan Avenue it included two 180-degree turns on Columbus, not unlike the Tour of Elk Grove course. Note also the snarky lede from reporter Kevin Williams, now a track sprinter for Alberto’s: “Memo to racers: Don’t fall asleep out there, as these aren’t the most exciting courses in the world.” This from a man who has spent most of his cycling life turning left.

• » There’s no sound more beautiful than an exciting race being called in Italian. “Un attacco! Un attacco! Vittoria storica! Eroica!”

• » Run a red -- allegedly -- go to jail. Welcome to the new Chicago. Elsewhere, the Lake County Sheriff’s Department recently had a word with the Judson Ride after it rolled through a stop sign on Everett, and this week the Glencoe police stopped a Met Cycling rider for going through a red light, with “no traffic and sleet falling from the sky at about 6:15 a.m.”

• » Coincidentally, a new study finds that 96 percent of Chicago drivers exceed the speed limit by 5 mph or more. CBF notes that when cars strike pedestrians at 40 mph, the victims stand a 20 percent chance of survival.

• » Psyche yourself up for Hillsboro with this trailer for an upcoming Paris-Roubaix documentary. ("Every day when I wake up, I see myself winning it.” Poor George. I know the feeling.)

• » The popular Turin ride resumes tonight at 5:30. It doesn’t move to 6 until Memorial Day, and lights are recommended during March.

Jason Mindeman (Vitaminwater-Trek) tips me to the Chicago Criterium Web site, which has posted a map of the course: North from Buckingham Fountain on Columbus, left onto Jackson above the Metra tracks, a downhill left onto Michigan Avenue -- Michigan Avenue! -- then a whoopsy-daisy up and over Congress Plaza and back onto Michigan, a left uphill onto Balbo and finally a left back onto Columbus.

Here’s a Map My Ride profile of the 1.1-mile course. This will be a fun, technical course and will feature one of the most beautiful landscapes on our calendar: the lake on one side, the Michigan Avenue streetwall on another and Grant Park in between.

Racing will start at 8 a.m. on Sunday, July 27. I’m told to expect a full day of full-length amateur races in addition to the main pro race, with generous purses to boot. Stay tuned for more information. You now have four months to practice your screaming-fast left turns.

Go ahead and file those time-off requests at work, as International Cycling has posted dates for the 2008 Superweek: July 11-27.

The third weekend conflicts with the announced date of the inaugural Chicago Criterium. No other details are available yet, including whether the series will be returning to new hosts Blue Island and Evanston. Both were among the highlights of 2007, so here’s hoping it does.

USA Cycling announced the 2008 National Racing Calendar today. Notable departures include the Tour of Elk Grove, Downers Grove and Superweek. The inaugural Chicago Criterium failed to make the cut, too, a disappointment but not surprising given that it’s an unknown quantity and falls on the last day of the Tour de ‘Toona.

The closest NRC racing to Chicago will be the Nature Valley Grand Prix in Minnesota, the Priority Health Grand Cycling Classic in Grand Rapids, Mich., and, for the women, the Tour de Leelanau in Traverse City, Mich.

According to the announcement, Downers Grove was dropped “primarily because of the advantage given to clubs and teams with a greater number of American riders on their rosters.” I’m not enough of an NRC wonk to understand what that means or predict the implications. Is this just meant to discourage another Canadian or Australian from winning? Is it that embarrassing for the Stars and Stripes to go to second place?

This morning I spoke with Anne Davis with the Mayor’s Office of Special Events. She and the rest of City Hall are swamped with the upcoming Taste of Chicago and other festivals, so there are still many details to be worked out regarding next year’s Chicago Criterium. However, she did confirm that there will be amateur racing. How long and in which categories will depend on how long the city allows streets to be closed. Keep in mind that even with streets shut down all day, promoters must either cut races extremely short (Elk Grove, Downers Grove) or limit the number of fields (Superweek).

She couldn’t release the course other than to say that it will be in Grant Park, but from what another source as told me, I can tell you it’s going to be challenging, fun and picturesque. (UPDATE: I defied doctor’s orders and rode it this morning, my first ride in almost a month. It’s even better in person than on paper. This could be the best race Chicago has seen since Jane Byrne beat Michael Bilandic.)

Davis is as excited about the race as we are, and she says the city’s goal is to make it an annual event and a national draw. Here’s hoping it lasts longer than previous efforts, both here and elsewhere.

The city this morning announced the inaugural Chicago Criterium, to be held in Grant Park July 27, 2008, and featuring “national and international cycling teams,” no doubt part of the mayor’s effort to establish the city’s Olympic credibility. (There were rumors of a major race on Memorial Day weekend this year, but it never came together.)

I had dinner with a CBF employee last night and she was stubbornly tight-lipped about the announcement. I’m going to try to flesh out some more details: Will it be on the National Race Calendar? Will it be part of Superweek? What exactly will the course be? Will there be amateur races?

And who will be the first to tell the city that “inaugural” has only one “n” about the missing apostrophe in the headline that it needs to hire a highly paid copy editor cum cycling consultant?

In any case, this could be a lot of fun. Spectators? A grandstand? Jumbotron? At a cycling race? Crazy!

(Thanks, Jason!)