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.

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.

Many of us whinged last year at the short races of Downers Grove -- 20 minutes for a combined 3/4 field? -- but it appears our pleas have been answered with this year’s schedule, which features longer races and adds several races to Sunday’s festivities.

Cat 3’s get two chances to race: 45 minutes with the 4’s on Saturday, and a Cat 3-only race for $1,500 on Sunday. Women get 3/4 and 1/2/3 races on Saturday, plus the elite national championship on Sunday. And by starting an hour earlier on Sunday and eliminating some dead time before the men’s national championship, organizers squeeze in a total of three Cat 5 races.

I also notice that Saturday’s 50K P/1/2 race doesn’t start until 7 p.m., an hour later than last year. With a 7:49 p.m. sunset on that day, I’m wondering whether artificial lighting will be necessary. You can see in this picture how dark it was for last year’s finish already, and here’s a good one from the post-race interview. Better bring your blinkies, gentlemen!

Mail-in registration is available.

Mail-in registration is also available at the Tour of Elk Grove with online registration promised April 20. Check out that $3,000 purse for masters 3/4’s!

Finally, I couldn’t help but notice that the flier has been released for Chicago’s own Sherman Park Criterium, and online registration for the June 14 event is open now.

• » 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.

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?

When I’m not on my bike at races, I’m usually on the sidelines taking photos. Thus as we wrap up the year’s racing, I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve taken 12 of my favorite photos from the 2007 season (and 2006 cross season) and put together a calendar for your enjoyment.

The calendar is for sale through Cafe Press for $17.50, plus shipping.

I’ve tried to capture the gamut of the Chicago bike racing season, from the indoor sprint contests of winter to the 90-degree hill climbs of July, from the grit of the individual racer to the brotherhood (and sisterhood!) of the competitive peloton.

Naturally you’ll want to get at least one for yourself -- one for the office, one for the bike room? -- but also remember that it’s never too early to start on your Christmas list. Consider a thank-you gift for all the people who make your season possible:

• » Your teammates!
  
• » Your coach!
  
• » Your team president!
  
• » Your physical therapist!
  
• » Your mechanic!
  
• » Your orthopedist!
  
• » Your significant other!
  
• » Your mother!

Use it as a training log. Use it as a race calendar. Shoot, maybe you make an appearance: For a month you can use it as a daily reminder of how awesome you look on a bike!

I’m not looking to make a profit here, but your support will be appreciated. Primarily it’s a vanity project and a fun souvenir to offer my friends and readers. If it works out I’ll explore more affordable options for 2009.

Interested in buying more than 10? Want to delight your entire team? Want to sell them in your shop? Significant bulk discounts are available. E-mail me for information.

Who’s included?

Read more ...

Lance Maylath (Project 5) reminds me that Comcast Sports Network is broadcasting an hourlong summary of the Tour of Elk Grove this week: Tuesday at 1 p.m. and again Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. A 30-minute recap of the national championships at Downers Grove will air Sunday, Sept. 2, at 4 p.m.

A couple of late race reports from Sunday’s pro races that ought not to be missed:

First, Brooke Miller (Tibco) gives us an inspiring account of competitiveness and grace. The day after she was crashed out of a good shot at the national championship, she was back in Ohio giving herself a beating on the trainer, getting ready for the next race.

Second, Rahsaan Bahati (Rock Racing) chronicles his one two three four crashes, the first of which sent him flying hard into a tree, separating his shoulder. How many of us would have the panache to jump back in after that? (Here’s an NPR story on Bahati from this week.)

Along those lines, I don’t think I mentioned how fun it was to watch Bahati’s teammate, 2006 elite champion Kayle Leogrande. Several laps he was at the front drilling it over Summit Street, and I’ve seen few things in a race more heartbreaking and gritty than the expression on his face as he dragged himself to the wheel pit following his crash with five to go. He’d make it back in and then make up enough position to sit next to Emilie Abraham (Priority Health), who like Bahati was far enough forward to caught up in the Menzies pileup, but Leogrande apparently broke his chain with two to go.

Photo by Luke Seemann

Final thoughts on Downers Grove:

• » Graham Fisk has some good pictures from the USPRO race, including a shot catching Karl Menzies (Health Net) yelling “Go! Go! Go!” into his radio, moments before a grisly pileup on the backstretch. It’s hard to tell what happens next. Is Brad Huff (Slipstream) the first to hit Menzies? It appears he and Alejandro Borrajo (Rite Aid) would have had enough room to get by, but anything could have happened on these roads. In fact, it almost looks like Borrajo is starting to lose control here. I’m hoping Huff updates his blog soon to give us the skinny.

• » Have you ever seen four guys so unhappy to have come in 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th place? Even new national champion Kirk O’Bee (Health Net) was mirthless. No doubt about it: These guys were in it to win it and resented having to settle for less.

• » I had fun hanging onto the coattails of freelance photographer Kurt Jambretz this weekend. You may recognize him as the dude with the knee pads and the lenses as long as your arm. He was very nice to this pretend photojournalist, and I think it’s admirable that despite the rain he spent the entire weekend shooting the amateur races. It wasn’t entirely out of altruism, of course: He sells prints at Action Images. But given that he lost some valuable equipment when a flailing masters rider clipped him on Saturday, consider getting something nice for your trophy wall.

• » As unsatisfying as our short races may have been, I still say it’s pretty cool we get to race on the same course as the national championships. Do people ever get to play two-hand touch the morning of the Super Bowl?

• » Did anyone crash in the 5’s? Could it be that these were the safest races of the weekend?

• » Matt Smith (Big Shark) and O’Bee go way back. (I had not realized O’Bee once rode for ABD.)

• » Speaking of ABD, Geneva’s Ben Raby (Kodak Gallery), a former member of the ABD elite team, dodged the homestretch pileup to come across the line in 6th.

Saturday race reports
Ron Cook (ABD; 3): “I’m already rethinking my August ‘08 schedule. I’ll probably skip the Elk Grove and Downers races.”

Ryan Cooper (ABD; 3/4): “When people would soft-pedal down the hill catching their breath, I was still hard charging, sprinting out of every turn.”

Jonathan Dugas (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5): “I glanced quickly at the bunch, saw everyone sitting there, and knew that was it: That was my chance and even though it was unplanned, I just had to hammer it 110% and see what happened.”

Nick Frey (HART; P/1/2): “Everyone was aggressive but knew how to ride, and the field was single-file the entire time. That is my kind of racing!”

Will Frischkorn (Slipstream; P): “Other than dodging the occasional local dude coming backwards like an advertisement for why the race shouldn’t have local riders taking part, things became a bit safer.”

Chris Gould (Racing Union; 3/4, 30+ 4/5): “During the last two laps, I decided it was ‘now or never.’”

Tim Keeley (ABD; 3/4, 30+ 4/5): “It was nice to have someone with the stones to throw his finish chances in the trash for the sake of bringing the field back.”

Brooke Miller (Tibco; W-P/1/2): “Once I am wet, I want the rain to come down hard and make life miserable for my competitors!  The kid in me still comes out and gets giddy with a good storm.”

Shelley Olds (Proman/Paradigm; W-P/1/2): “I couldn’t stand to miss the race and so I waited until the last rider passed and jumped on the course ahead of the follow vehicle.”

Christine Roettger (X Plane Team Revolution; W-3/4): “On the last lap, Kristen Meshberg of Flatlandia took a good pull and I attacked her just BEFORE the last turn. It worked! Until I freaked out about my speed heading into the corner.”

Chris Sherpitis (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5): “I have no interest in racing for second place while somebody from another team gets the glory of a solo victory. So it is with wolf grin and pure satisfaction that I drill the pace in pursuit of this guy.”

Neil Shirley (Jittery Joe’s; P/1/2): “By the end there were only about thirty of us in the main field with four of the original break staying clear by just two seconds. Maybe Colavita should have accepted my help after all.”

Matt Shriver (Jittery Joe’s; P/1/2): “Over 225 starters.  Mixing that many amateurs with the pros and adding some rain and cash means you are going to have some spectacular crashes.”

Matt Smith (Big Shark; 3/4, 30+ 4/5): “I was scared of cornering in the fresh rain and gapped myself every corner and had to sprint to catch up, slowly working my way to the back.”

Steve Tilford (VW/Trek; P/1/2): “I pretty much lost my bike handling confidence towards the end.”

Toyota-United (P/1/2): “‘This was one of the craziest races I have been in.’”

Lou Waugaman (All9Yards; P/1/2): “It is pretty humbling lining up amidst all of the who’s who of professionals.”

Bob Willems (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5): “A couple of guys lost either confidence, wheel traction or both going into Turn 7.”

The Editor (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3/4): “‘Pulling out! Pulling out! Pulling out!’”

Saturday photos
Action Images
Team Clif Bar Midwest
The Editor

Sunday race reports
Rahsaan Bahati (Rock Racing; P): “My shoulder was in so much pain that I could barely grab the bars, but I was so determined to give it everything. My bike was in pieces, too. “

Debbie Dust (Team Kenda Tire; W-P/1/2): “When I finally managed to get free of the spokes I realized that the spectators in the corner had taken my bike away and over the crowd control fence so that I couldn’t get back on to chase. Now THAT PISSED ME OFF. I had come this far and wanted so badly to at least finish.”

Nick Frey (HART; 1): “The race Sunday was harder because it was not as easy to carry speed through turns: one could not count on the guys around him to hold their lines or even stay upright.”

Will Frischkorn (Slipstream; P): “Good racing all day until about 10 to go when people decided it was time to kill one another.”

Chad Hartley (BMC; P): “First place ... in the ‘I suck’ competition. I won’t speculate on who won second and third.”

Daniel Holloway (VMG; 1): “I don’t exactly remember what all happened but I do know it felt amazing.”

Brad Huff (Slipstream; P): “I only remember a few fleeting moments where the pack was not in one long strung out paceline.”

Brooke Miller (Tibco; W-P/1/2): “Filled with furry and frustration, I chased and I chased hard.  They were only 200 meters or so up the road, and I was actually convincing myself that I would pull a Robbie McEwen.”

Tommy Nankervis (Jittery Joe’s; P): “Some crazy guy decided to crash in front of me with seven to go! I went straight over the hangers, onto my back, and landed in the gutter hard enough to skip up it, too.”

Shelley Olds (Proman/Paradigm; W-P/1/2): “It began raining again right around the same time I started cramping and it became very hard to see. It was really coming down hard and the race changed pace drastically as you could sense the fear in many of the other riders.”

Jake Rytlewski (Rite Aid; P): “I was looking and trying to hold Alejandro Borrajo‘s wheel towards the end, but that guy moves through the peloton in ways that nobody could follow. Not even a snake. “

Dan Schmatz (BMC; P): “My quick-release was wrapped in his shorts and I was almost dragging him down the road as the field went by. Once I realized what was happening and it was too late and the bunch was by.”

Neil Shirley (Jittery Joe’s; P): “The last ten laps were full of crashes but luckily I was able to avoid hitting the deck.”

Matt Shriver (Jittery Joe’s; P): “The race was a bit safer today, but there were still guys doing dumb shit of course and stacking it up in the corners.”

Steve Tilford (VW/Trek; 1): “I pretty much lost the race on my own. I wasn’t too upset. The VMG ‘kid’ Daniel Holloway (VMG) rode an almost perfect race.”

Toyota-United (P): “‘Guys were hitting the deck, so I kept moving up and moving up. I think I was one more crash away from being top five.’”

Sunday pictures
Action Images: Elite men, W-P/1/2, USPRO
CyclingNews
Darcy Cycling
Graham Fisk
The Editor

Orthopedists and mechanics should be busy this week.

Sports psychologists could expect a few calls, too. Looking through my photos from Sunday, I see few happy riders. Instead, most bear the stressed, drained expression of one who asks, “What am I doing here?” And as the crackle of carbon fiber and crushed components came to punctuate what seemed like every single lap, it became difficult just to watch this carnage.

The rain was even harder on Sunday than it had been Saturday, but with so much more on the line, racers doubled the intensity and halved the caution. Nothing stayed off all day, and sloppy conditions caused no end of violent crashes. I don’t know if any of the four races ended with half as many riders as they started with.

I overslept and missed the men’s Cat 2 race, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say that there were a lot of crashes and the top five riders heading into Turn 5 were also the top five riders across the finish line. This much I know: Mark Olson (Priority Health) took the victory, and it isn’t until lucky 13th that one finds the top local finisher, compliments of St. Charles’ Ara Oggoian (Bicycle Heaven).

As for the races I did see ...

Photos by Luke Seemann

Several riders were already in slings and street shoes by the time the rain started in earnest a little more than halfway through this 50K sufferfest.

Only a few riders tried getting off the front, but the field, led by four-time champion Tina Pic‘s Colavita squad, wasn’t letting anything get very far away.

As the pace quickened in the final laps, Turn 8 became especially treacherous. Two riders slid out with three to go, but an even bigger pileup with two to go started about 10 riders back and cascaded to take out a half-dozen well-positioned women, local Debbie Dust (Team Kenda Tire) among them. Star sprinters Brooke Miller (Tibco) or Kelly Benjamin (Cheerwine) soon limped past, Miller having tumbled over behind a crash on the climb, and neither would not be able to take part in the sprint. (Miller would fight hard in an unsuccessful bid to catch the group, sprinting her way past every last straggler, well after first place had been decided.)

Thanks largely to Allison Powers (Colavita), who led her away from danger the last few laps, Pic entered the final turn in third place but turned on the jets to close a gap and overcome Anna Lang (Karl Strauss) and Jen McRae (Advil-Chapstick). She’d be followed by teenager Samantha Schneider (Mesa Cycles) and last year’s champion Theresa Cliff-Ryan (Verducci).

From the very first lap the men’s elite race strung itself out across several city blocks. That wouldn’t last long, however, not because the pace let up but because crash after crash dwindled the pack to a sliver of its original size.

Abercrombie & Fitch in particular had a trying day. It would start with with by far the largest teams present, but only two would survive to the end of the day. When its riders weren’t crashing, however, they were attacking and animating the front of the race.

As was the case all weekend, the front was the safest place to be, and that’s where the eventual top five could be found nearly the entire race: attacking, covering and doing whatever necessary to defend their positions.

Kirk Albers (Texas Roadhouse) said he had intended to start a leadout for national elite road champion Paul Martin when he sped over Summit Street, but when he found himself with a gap, he had no choice but to go for it. The pack, led by downstate Illinois’ Josh Carter (ABD), would catch Albers in time to follow his wheel out of Turn 8, but then it was young Dan Holloway (VMG) who outsprinted Carter for the jersey.

Third- and fourth-place finishers Steve Tilford (HRRC/Trek Stores) and Tom Saladay (Kelly Benefit Strategies) both reported late mishaps. Saladay crashed with six to go, barely in time for a free lap and leaving him unsure about his bike. “I had to bend a few things back.” Then Tilford fishtailed in the final corners and hit the curb, but he kept it up. As for all the crashes, the 47-year-old veteran told CyclingNews: “It wasn’t really slick. People were falling from making stupid moves.”

Despite the mayhem, this may have been the most exciting race on the day. “Not so bad for a bunch of working guys,” as Albers put it from the podium.

It’s 4 a.m., and I don’t pretend to be able to match the reporting of the USPRO race done by VeloNews and CyclingNews. But a few quick notes:

• » Congratulations to local product Reid Mumford (Kelly Benefit Strategies) for being part of the six-man leadout that propelled Martin Gilbert to victory. The train made the last 10 laps look like a team time trial, and it no doubt will be talked about for years. It was a predictable strategy from team director Jonas Carney, but after 50 laps only Kelly Benefit Strategies still had the firepower in the race to pull it off. A good plan, well executed, and beautiful to watch.

• » Also amazing was the fact that Alex Candelario (Jelly Belly) and Tony Cruz (Discovery) were caught up in a crash just before they were shown five to go. Unsure of whether they were eligible for a free lap, they chased back on and despite the dangerously fast pace set by Kelly Benefit Strategies and Health Net were able to get 4th and 5th respecively.

• » Last year’s elite champion Kayle Leogrande (Rock Racing) went down hard in the same crash. There was some initial confusion, but since he had not yet seen the five-to-go mark, he and his banged-up shifters were given a free lap. Three laps later, however, it appears his chain came undone on the finishing stretch, thus ending his day, as captured by Matt Smith (Big Shark) from the sidelines.

• » Emilie Abraham (Priority Health), who joined us at the track this week (as did elite champ Holloway), won the day’s sprint challenge but was among the dozen or so who got caught up in the homestretch pileup. (Defending champion Brad Huff (Slipstream) went down in this as well.) In order to win the $1,000 prize he had to finish the race, so he did -- walking.

That’s all for now. As always, I’ll soon have blog and photo links galore.

Full results.

What a messy, messy day.

The first drops of rain fell just as the first race got under way and continued all day, with the juniors and women’s P/1/2’s getting the worst of it. The rain ceased occasionally but there was only about an hour where the roads approached being dry. Thus many people’s goals on the day shifted from “winning” to “staying upright,” and the pros in particular seemed to be taking it easy ahead of tomorrow’s action. But despite the weather -- which I’ll also note was about 30 degrees cooler than last weekend; armwarmers, already?!? -- some excellent, exciting racing transpired.

Photo by Ed Amstutz

Women’s 3/4: Teammates Jennifer Greenberg and Val Brostrom (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) each took a dig off the front, but this one came down to a sprint with Kristen Meshberg muscling past Christine Roettger (X Plane Team Revolution), a reversal of last week’s outcome at the Tour of Elk Grove. What will be the tie-breaker?

Photo by Luke Seemann

Men’s 3/4: Remember when I said Thursday that this race would be extended to a whopping 30 minutes? Apparently the promoters neglected to tell the officials, so we were back to 20 minutes on this one, despite the field’s protestations and attempts to stall in order to sort things out. “Don’t you believe what you read in the bible?" one wag yelled out.

Remember also how I said that a 30-minute race would be more safe and interesting? This race was neither, although I blame most of that on the rain.

The field was strung out most of the way, not necessarily because of speed but because of nervous cornering. But by the time you got a handle on the turns, one racer told me, the race was nearly over. Crashes were all too common: Matt O’Keefe (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) took it the hardest, breaking a collarbone about halfway through with a crash in Turn 1.

Young Adam Leibovitz (MOB Squad), who placed 2nd in the 15-16 time trial at junior nationals, stayed off for more than half the race -- an entire 12 minutes! A hard chase came close but would have needed about 10 more meters of contested road to catch him.

Chicago riders Jeffrey Whiteman (Northbrook/Garner) and James Holton (Team Get a Grip Cycles) gapped the rest of the field but had to settle for second and third, respectively.

Photo by Luke Seemann

Juniors 15-18: This was one of the more competitive juniors races I’ve seen around here. A group of nine came together after a few laps, with two out-of-staters getting a huge gap by the time they came around Turn 8 for the last time. Chris Brinkman (Saturn of Toledo) won ahead of Minnesotan Jens Brabbit (Bianchi/Grand Performance). Brandon Feehery (South Chicago Wheelmen) was the top local finisher with third.

Photo by Luke Seemann

Men’s 5: We may as well call the Cat 5 races at Downers Grove the Sandbagger’s Delight. You end up with guys who’ve been training hard all summer, but who haven’t quite raced enough to cat up, racing against curious cyclists turning pedals in anger for the very first time. Guys with Zipp wheels and Powertaps going against guys with down-tube shifters and vintage jerseys. Because of Downers Grove’s technicalities, the new guys don’t stand a chance, and I’m not sure either group has as much fun as they’d like.

But so it goes. Fortunately there’s an elegant solution: Race more! The slow people will get faster, and the fast people will become the 4’s problem.

But this is not to say the winners here don’t deserve kudos.

In Heat 1, Peter Strittmatter (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) and Mike Halsey (Unattached) rode the rest of the field off their wheels early in the race, but it was Strittmatter coming around in the sprint.

In Heat 2, Rob Ehrman (Vision Quest) was part of a six-man break that formed early. You may remember Ehrman from his CBR interview after winning the Spring Prairie Road Race. With the help of a teammate, Ehrman attacked with one to go and held a sizable gap the rest of the way. (Scott Claiborne (Apache) got a scare when he unclipped coming out of Turn 8, but he recovered nicely.)

Photo by Luke Seemann

Masters 1/2/3: Abercrombie and Fitch looked to be in control in the final laps of this fast one, but a group of three slipped away on the final turns, with victory going to Superweek champ Michael Heagney (PYOC), inches ahead of Pete Hanna (Bianchi/Grand Performance) and masters national champion Jason Snow (Cycle Science).

Photo by Luke Seemann

Masters 4/5: Jon Dugas (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) put in a valiant flier with three laps to go, but he would get caught in the final few turns. The burden of chasing was spread out, but it paid off most for ABD, which put Tim Keeley on the podium in first place ahead of Voytek Glinkowski (WDT) and Texan Jason Danvir (Sugar Cycles).

Photo by Luke Seemann

Women’s P/1/2/3: I went to get a sandwich and when I returned, a break of four was off, including Brooke Miller (Tibco), whom you read about last week. Miller and Alison Power (Colavita) had gone off the front after an early prime and had been joined then joined by Katharine Carroll (Aaron’s) and Laura Bowles (Team Advil).

With 20 minutes left to race, the break had more than a minute on the field and was gaining seconds every lap, but suddenly the foursome became a threesome when Carroll took a spill in Turn 7. Losing Carroll would have been costly for the break, not just for her own strength but for the excellent work her teammates were doing to keep the chase in control. Fortunately for the break, Carroll was able to make it to the pit, make her repairs and re-enter the break with no harm done.

Power, formerly an elite skier, attacked with half a lap to go but wasn’t able to get away. Miller followed her wheel out of Turn 8 and came around for the win.

I asked Miller whether she had saved anything for Sunday. “You bet,” she said. “This is just warming the legs up.”

Photo by Luke Seemann

Most of the major pros either sat this one out or bowed out after a few warm-up laps. I don’t think Rahsaan Bahati stayed long enough to slip out of his rain shell, and Tour of Elk Grove stage winner Ivan Dominguez was seen wearing a kilt.

There was still plenty of firepower left, and again a group formed early with representatives from Slipstream, Navigators, Kodak Gallery, Kelly Benefits, Nerac and BMC. They never got much more than 30 seconds and appeared destined to be caught. Colavita was the most interested in bringing them back, sending nearly all its riders to the fore.

With about 10 to go, chaos interrupted when a crash on the backside split the field in two. Suddenly about 50 riders showed up at the wheel pit. It was like the emergency room after a nuclear bomb. I believe that normally only riders who have crashed or have mechanical problems are allowed to take a free lap, but officials were too overwhelmed to sort things out. In fits and starts the fractured peloton helped itself back into the race, causing no end of confusion to both the break and the chasers.

Ever closer the pursuers came to the break, but never quite close enough. As Nerac and Kelly Benefit Strategies pulled up the uphill homestretch with one to go, the break dangled no more than 30 meters away from the chase. It appeared Darren Lill (Navigators) attacked on the backstretch: When the lead group came around Turn 5 with half a lap to go, they were without Nerac and Kelly Benefit Strategies and held a mere 7-second gap.

That was enough, however, and Ken Hanson (BMC) led the foursome over the tape with virtually no gap separating fourth place from the field, certainly the most exciting finish I’ve seen in any race at Downers Grove, and a most exciting cap to an otherwise dreary day.

Tomorrow should be even more exciting. Let’s just hope we have a chance to see what these men and women can do when it’s dry.

Full results.

Photo by Luke Seemann

As I was leaving today’s races in Downers Grove, I passed Antonio Cruz (Discovery), who won 1999’s edition and placed third here last year while racing for Toyota-United. I hadn’t heard anything about his racing this year until VeloNews’ Friday preview. (This week Cruz announced he had signed with BMC for 2008 and 2009.)

Cruz was cooling down after Saturday’s P/1/2 race. I was turning onto I-88. And here I present CBR’s very first rolling interview, and an exclusive at that.

You racing tomorrow, Tony?
Yeah.

Good luck!

• » UPDATE: VeloNews now has a preview. It mentions that sprinter Tony Cruz (Discovery) is a possible late entry. It also quotes Ivan Dominguez (Toyota-United) on the final corner: “You either crash and injure yourself or you win the race.” Dominguez says he wishes the finish line were elsewhere on the course, but I’m not sure where it could be positioned to allow for a bigger run-up. Between Turns 2 and 3? Closer to Turn 1?

• » We all loved seeing Chris Horner (Predictor-Lotto) at the Tour of Elk Grove last week. Cyclingnews’ Mark Zalewski wrote a profile that looks at Horner’s hopes for next year and expands on Horner’s disappointment with Lance Armstrong: “Because Lance wants to get out of the sport he is going to unemploy half of his team. Personal opinion again, but that has to be the biggest bullshit story I have ever read!”

• » Kurt Jambretz of Action Images has hundreds of great pictures from Elk Grove, both amateur and pro.

• » Ed White (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) took some nice pictures at the track last night, where Adam Bergman (Colavita), Emile Abraham (Priority Health) and Todd Yezefski (Nerac) put on quite a show. (The former USPRO champ I was promised was a no-show.)

• » Fliers for the Fall Fling are out. Looks like another great series. Men’s 3’s will race with the 1/2’s but will have separate payouts.

• » For those who need a program to tell the players apart, here’s Sunday’s start list for Downers Grove. Also, the race bible has a breakdown of the men’s USPRO sprint contest. Points will be awarded with 45, 40 and 35 to go: 7,5,3,2 and 1 for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th. Winner gets a grand. Also, Cyclingnews has a preview, citing a “possible leg problem” with last year’s elite champ, Kayle Leogrande (Rock Racing).

• » Eddie Van Guyse and the other announcers do a great job at Downers Grove, but when referring to the national championship jersey, they tend to call it the “stars and bars,” which is very different from the “stars and stripes.” So I propose a little game. Every time they do this, let’s all call back in unison, “I think you mean ‘stars and stripes!’”

Great news! The men’s 3/4’s race has been extended to 30 minutes plus 1.

It’s still no Superweek, but at least this won’t feel as abbreviated as a one-inning baseball game.

Our most compelling arguments for a longer race are that it will be safer and, given more time for things to develop, much more interesting. So, let’s prove ourselves right by keeping the paramedics bored and by putting on a really good show. This will be fun!

Speaking of fun, Tim Hayes (Grumpy’s) tells me to expect fireworks at the Northbrook Velodrome tonight. Pros getting in their pre-Downers kicks may include Adam Bergman (Colavita), who won the Evanston Grand Prix in July and demolished the field in Kenosha on Tuesday, and possibly a former USPRO champion. Tonight’s 1/2/3 75-lap scratch race is the state championship and a qualifier for nationals.

I was going to get a much-needed haircut tonight, but this settles it: I’m heading to Northbrook!

And now the race that many of us have been preparing all year for.

The money’s not as good as Elk Grove and the races are still short, but Downers Grove remains the most prestigious on the calendar, more so even than the state championships. Even though a national championship isn’t on the line for the lower categories, people will long remember who wins this Saturday. (For a few months, at any rate.)

Just like at Elk Grove, expect the races to be fast, wild and woolly on this figure-8 course. The 3/4’s race is capped at a hundred riders, so in theory it should be less congested, but with the added technicality, it will be especially important to be up front and out of danger. One can get through these turns without braking if you’re up front where it’s single-file, but if you’re in the bunch it can be a mess.

For God’s sake, do not bomb these corners, people. That hole you see on the inside is not really there.

Because of the turns and climbs, I expect the 5’s races will break up even more than at Elk Grove. If the lead groups are bigger than 15 riders I’ll eat my chamois. So, keep an eye on the gaps and always be ready to jump forward. And if you fall off the pace, don’t be surprised if officials pull you from the course.

If you haven’t seen it already, find a way this week to watch “Race Day,” a training video shot from within the 2005 masters race. It’s oh so very Robbie Ventura (Vision Quest), but it’s an unbeatable way to preview the course.

A few notes about the course:

Turn 1: The best way to do well is to get to the front and stay there. This means sprinting for the first corner like it was the end of the race and not the beginning. Fortunately you’ve been practicing your clip-in.

Between Turns 2 and 3: Here’s a long, shallow climb. If there’s room, it’s a good spot to make up some ground. Keep an eye out for people moving up the sides and grab them for a free ride. I’m told this section was paved this week. That will make for a very slick ride if it gets wet. “If it rains,” my source tells me, “bring Band-Aids.”

Between Turns 3 and 5: At Turn 4 there’s a short, steep kicker. If you’re going to attack, do it here. My admonitions against riding the inside notwithstanding, it’s sometimes safe to squeeze by there since the pack isn’t taking the corner at speed. Better, however, is to take it outside and come around everyone. You can advance a lot of positions on the wide, fast descent, but the trick is going to be getting back inside 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. If you see you can’t slide behind someone’s wheel by Turn 5, go ahead and eat the wind by going all the way to the front so you have the entire road at your disposal.

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. 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, and I recall there being some dodgy pavement on the far side of Curtiss Street, 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 prevent 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 be sure not to 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. Even the pros will wipe out here, as Ventura demonstrated in spectacular fashion on the last lap of the 2004 national championship.

And that’s how I read the course. As always, your mileage may vary. Have fun, ride safe and enjoy all the weekend’s races.

Saturday and Sunday
Downers Grove National Criterium Championships
USCF criteriums
Downers Grove, Ill.
Distance from Chicago: .5 hours

Well, this is very interesting.

The Alexian Brothers Tour of Elk Grove, returning for its second year in 2007, and the Downers Grove national criterium championships are both run by Chicago Special Events. They are, far and away, the most professionally run races in the midwest. Payouts and crowds are enormous, signage is great and the races themselves are fun and well-organized. For two entire weekends, cyclists get to enjoy the illusion that they participate in a sport that Americans actually care about.

But according to the Elk Grove schedule and the Downers Grove flier posted at USA Cycling, there will be no Cat 3-only races on either weekend this year.

Downers Grove on Aug. 18 will have a 3/4 field instead of separate 3’s and 4’s races. It appears this change was made to accommodate a second Cat 5 race. (Due to overwhelming demand last year, a second field was added on the fly but the races were only 15 minutes long, disappointing many racers.)

I cheer the move to improve the lot for beginning racers, but I have to think that this change will have a negative impact on both the 3’s and 4’s fields. Many 3’s will resent having to race with less experienced riders, and many 4’s will resent having to race up in a field where most of them will be severely outmatched. It’s a shame there wasn’t another way to expand the schedule.

The 3/4 field is capped at 100, so gentlemen will want to jump on registration as soon as it is open. (I know, I know. My kvetching brings to mind the joke from Annie Hall: “And the portions were so small!")

The rest of the schedule is the same, including a masters 4/5 race and a women’s 3/4 race that at 20 minutes sounds like half of a good warm-up for the female racers I know.

Elk Grove will have a 3/4 field on Saturday, Aug. 11, again to accommodate a second 5’s field. Although the prize pool is an astounding $5,000, the field limit is 175. With all due respect to my friends in the 4’s, the thought of taking those 180-degree turns with more than a hundred beginning riders gives me pause. (Then again, the thought of taking those 180-degree turns with me should give everyone pause.)

The next day, there will be no 3/4’s race as there was last year. The only Sunday racing opportunity for 3’s -- and 1’s and 2’s for that matter -- will be the masters 1/2/3 race.

On the bright side, the payout for Sunday’s 68-mile professional race is a mind-boggling $105,000, and the overall payout of $200,000 is 30 percent more than 2006. New this year for the pro’s is a three-event stage race, starting with a 4.5-mile time trial Saturday morning. I’m not sure if the overall will be scored by time or by omnium points.

Start lists are not yet available, but those purses will attract the best cyclists in the country. Last year David Zabriskie (CSC) made a cameo at the Saturday race before crashing out early and heading to the sidelines for a beer. He would be a favorite in the time trial if he returns. Other ProTour Americans racing last year included Chris Horner (Predictor-Lotto) and local native Christian Vande Velde (CSC).

Registration for Elk Grove is open but only through through the mail at this point online.