ABR holds its state championships Sunday with the Wood Dale Criterium. The course is in the industrial park that hosted the masters and juniors criteriums over Memorial Day weekend. Note that a previous flier listed only a P/1/2/3 race, but there will indeed be a separate race for 3’s.

In Wisconsin we get one of our last road races of the year with the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater road race. It’s a new course this year so I can’t comment much, but the area is thick with rolling hills, and it appears there is at least one challenging climb on each of the 5.5-mile laps.

Saturday
UWW Road Race
USCF road race
Palmyra, Wis.
Distance from Chicago: 2 hours

Sunday
Wood Dale Criterium
ABR criterium
Wood Dale, Ill.
Distance from Chicago: .5 hours

It’s a busy weekend for crits with five within a three-hour drive. I don’t have experience with any of them, so I can’t tell you which ones will be worth your trip. The marquee race, however, will be Sunday’s state criterium championships in Peoria. The fast, 8-turn course determines who gets to wear championship jerseys to USCF races for the next year, and if you’re paying attention to the Illinois Cup, points are doubled. Registration is available online until tomorrow night, and note that day-of registration will cost an extra $6.

Note that there’s no flier posted for Sunday’s Fon du Lac Criterium. I’ve put in inquiries and will update this post once I have one. Sunday’s Fon du Lac Criterium is canceled.

Saturday
Elm Grove Criterium
USCF criterium
Elm Grove, Wis.
Distance from Chicago: 2 hours

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

Sunday
Illinois State Criterium Championships
USCF criterium
Peoria, Ill.
Distance from Chicago: 3 hours

Fon du Lac Criterium
USCF criterium
Fon du Lac, Wis.
Distance from Chicago: 3 hours

Zionsville Grand Prix
USCF criterium
Zionsville, Ind.
Distance from Chicago: 3 hours

With big races such as our state championship and Superweek right around the corner, this weekend is a good opportunity for some final fine-tuning. It’s also a good chance for beginning racers to maximize their Cat 5 experience before jumping into the 4/5 whirlwind of Superweek.

Saturday the South Chicago Wheelmen return to Kankakee for the Cobb Park Criterium. Pre-registration will save you $5. It’s a fast, flat three-corner course. The Wheelmen are also putting on a new-rider clinic at 10:30.  I highly recommend this for many of our Cat 5’s.

Put down that cheesecake if you plan to tackle Sunday’s Fox River Grove Cycling Challenge. It features a ski-jump climb (above) that may feel like the Alpe d’Huez by the end of the day. (I do not know if the recent flooding will impact the course. I’ll post if I find out anything definite. UPDATE: Ricard Otero (Team Mack) drove the course and reports there are no flood-related obstructions.)

Note that Illinois Cycling has brought its Illinois Cup standings to life. Both of these races earn points toward the seasonlong series.

To pursue the big money and big crowds -- and big competition -- head to Wisconsin for the Wisconsin Cycling Series. Both days feature more than $12,000 in prizes, and Saturday’s twilight pro race in Grafton should be particularly exciting. Be sure to pre-register, as entry fees go up $10 on Thursday.

Saturday
Cobb Park Criterium
USCF criterium
Kankakee, Ill.
Distance from Chicago: 1 hour

Giro d’Grafton
USCF criterium
Grafton, Wis.
Diistance from Chicago: 2 hours

Sunday
Fox River Grove Cycling Challenge
USCF criterium
Fox River Grove, Ill.
Distance from Chicago: 1 hour

Sheboygan Family Centre Bike Race
USCF criterium
Sheboygan, Ill.
Distance from Chicago: 3 hours

Who else is tired of driving so far to get to races? The gas, the time, the traffic -- it’s the pits. Fortunately, this weekend brings us a rare chance to stay home and race with the Sherman Park Criterium, put on by XXX Racing-AthletiCo.

The course is a milelong loop through a historic South Side park. There are no turns to speak of, nor any elevation changes. The most technical part of the course will be avoiding the occasional pothole, but those who train on Sheridan Road may not even notice. And dig those race lengths: Have the 3’s enjoyed a 60-minute criterium yet this year?

The Cat 5 race has reached capacity, but there is still room in the masters 4/5 field.

Primes are improved this year, including cash primes for the lower categories compliments of Chicago Bike Racing. XXX Racing-AthletiCo is also placing a premium on safety precautions. An EMT will be on site, and the team is doubling marshaling efforts to keep riders and neighbors safe.  (Your help is needed: Volunteer here.)

Naturally, this is an important race to me and to my team. Please consider this a personal invitation to come celebrate bike racing in Chicago. If you appreciate the work I put into this site, race Saturday and you can thank me in person.

Elsewhere, Wisconsin is having its state criterium championships in Ripon, and for a more informal road race experience, there is the 62-mile loop of the Great Carroll County Cycling Event, which this year starts in the town of Savanna.

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

Wisconsin State Criterium Championships
USCF criterium
Ripon, Wis.
Distance from Chicago: 3 hours

Great Carroll County Cycling Event
ABR road race
Savanna, Ill.
Distance from Chicago: 3 hours

Since it looks like we won’t have a state championship of our own this year, we might as well make the most of our neighboring states.

I’m most familiar with the Spring Prairie Road Race. It’s popular with Chicago riders, and I’m happy to see that out-of-state 4/5’s continue to outnumber cheeseheads 11 to 1.

The course is a rolling 6.5 miles with high exposure to the wind. Senior fields will do between four and nine laps. There’s a steep but short climb before the start/finish that will crack the legs of even the lightest riders (above). Each time up is liable to cut a field in half. Be sure to anticipate the climb by being in your small ring before you make Turn 4, then save something for the top, because there’s a long false flat up to the finish line.

Don’t forget the construction on 94 and give yourself extra time to get there.

Many people have written to ask about the Wheaton Criterium, which was originally scheduled for this weekend. I’m told Wheaton declined to give its blessings for a return, so that race is off. No doubt there were multiple concerns, but it’s something to think about next time you’re wondering whether that sticky gel wrapper should go back into your pocket or flutter into the breeze, or when you’re debating whether to wait in line for the potty or to drop trow behind the hydrangeas.

Saturday
Indiana State Road Race Championship
USCF road race
Fishers, Ind.
Distance from Chicago: 3.5 hours

Sunday
Spring Prairie Road Race
USCF road race
Spring Prairie, Wis.
Distance from Chicago: 2 hours

No organization puts on more races than long-time CBR supporter Athletes by Design, and this weekend’s races are the crown jewels of those efforts.

The action starts Saturday afternoon with the Winfield Twilight Criterium.  It’s an interesting course with a long, gradual climb on the backstretch. The residential course brings out the neighbors, often including a block party on the climb (above) that will call king-of-the-hill primes. Expect the lower-category races to shatter in the first few laps. Stay near the front from the gun so you don’t have to play catch-up. Meanwhile, the course is just difficult enough to facilitate breaks in the 2/3 and P/1/2 races.

The next day the action moves to a different part of Winfield for ABR’s national criterium championships. Jerseys are up for grabs in some categories, but good money and great racing are available to everyone. The milelong, rectangular course has a false flat on the backstretch and a nice kicker at Turn 3.  Recall the advice of Winfield veteran Reid Mumford (Kelly Benefit Strategies) from his CBR interview: “It’s good to notice that the the hill doesn’t end until sometime after Turn 3.  A lot of people race to Turn 3 and then think that the effort is over.  After Turn 3 is an excellent place to launch an attack.”

For USCF sticklers, there’s a criterium in Sussex, Wis., and there’s a new road race in downstate O’Fallon. Organizers promise a Hillsboro-like experience with windy roads and “short but formidable” climbs.

Saturday
Winfield Twilight Criterium
ABR criterium
Winfield, Ill.
Distance from Chicago: .5 hours

O’Fallon Grand Prix
USCF road race
O’Fallon, Ill.
Distance from Chicago: 5 hours

Sunday
ABR Criterium Championships
ABR criterium
Winfield, Ill.
Distance from Chicago: .5 hours

Sussex Criterium
USCF criterium
Sussex, Wis.
Distance from Chicago: 2 hours

One of the summer’s most exciting weekends is upon us with four great races near the Quad Cities, three days of masters racing in the suburbs and a two-race series in Indiana.

The weekend’s jewel is the legendary Snake Alley Criterium on Saturday. The course features a steep, famously crooked switchback paved with brick, followed by a steep, technical descent. As the day goes on, the hill becomes a spectacle as rowdy spectators badger and cajole riders struggling to navigate the climb. (Tradition in the Pro/1/2 race is for fans to hand cold beers to racers as they throw in the towel.)

The race plays out almost like cyclocross: The sprint comes at the beginning, not the end, and packs will immediately disintegrate into small clusters of riders. Success hinges on being among the first to the Snake on the first lap, lest you get bottlenecked behind the inevitable crashes. Get forced to dismount and you’ll be half a lap down by the time you get to the top.

Once the race starts, riders will be too fried from climbing the Snake to think straight, so it’s important to have a reliable routine for getting through the rest of the course. This turn-by-turn guide from Steve Thordarson (Smart Cycling) is essential pre-race reading. Read it. Memorize it. Tape it to your stem. Also be sure to consult last year’s reports.

The weekend stays hot with big criteriums in nearby Muscatine, Iowa, and Rock Island, Ill.

Locally, ABD is hosting not one, not two, but three days of masters racing in Wood Dale and Batavia. This year the categories start at 30+ for both men and women.

Also close is the Great Race in Elkhart, Ind., which features a crit on Sunday afternoon and a road race on Sunday. The road race route is new, but count on rolling hills and narrow roads.

Friday
Wapello-Burlington
Road Race
USCF road race
Burlington, Iowa
Distance from Chicago: 4.5 hours

Saturday
ABD Memorial Day Weekend Masters Race
ABR criterium
Wood Dale, Ill.
Distance from Chicago: .5 hours

Snake Alley Criterium
USCF criterium
Burlington, Iowa
Distance from Chicago: 4.5 hours

Sunday
ABD Memorial Day Weekend Masters Race
ABR criterium
Wood Dale, Ill.
Distance from Chicago: .5 hours

The Great Race: Elkhart Criterium
ABR criterium
Elkhart, Ind.
Distance from Chicago: 2.5 hours

Melon City Criterium
USCF criterium
Muscatine, Iowa
Distance from Chicago: 4 hours

Monday
ABD Memorial Day Weekend Masters Race
ABR criterium
Batavia, Ill.
Distance from Chicago: 1 hour

Quad Cities Criterium
USCF criterium
Rock Island, Ill.
Distance from Chicago: 3.5 hours

One of the spring’s biggest weekends is upon us.

Saturday brings us the first of only a few hometown races with Monsters of the Midway, held on the beautiful Midway Plaisance at University of Chicago.  The long rectangular course isn’t the most interesting, but it’s spectator friendly as it provides a clean view of all the action. The atmosphere is always festive and exciting. This year the UC Velo Club adds a women’s Cat 3 field, and I join them in hoping enough women show to justify making it a fixture.

Separations typically occur in the smaller fields, including women’s and masters races, but the long straightaways and unobstructed views make breaks nearly impossible in the large 3’s and 4’s races. Hold tight and get ready for a raucous sprint. About that sprint: Mind the wind. With a stiff breeze off the lake, you can launch yourself out of the final corner. With a headwind, however, you’ll want to wait another 100 meters or so.

Chicago Bike Racing is happy to sponsor three cash primes to the lower categories. Keep your ears peeled and your legs ready. And don’t forget Flatlandia’s Moustaches of the Midway competition: Best finisher with a moustache gets a prize, plus mass adoration.

It’s also a big weekend in Wisconsin. Saturday’s road race in Denzer is one of the best around, especially for the climbers. A mile and a half into each 11-mile lap the road pitches up to climb about 700 feet over the next mile. It’s a steady, unrelenting climb that will break legs and shatter fields.  A false flat follows the climb, and then there is a short descent with a sharp right turn and steep kicker at a bottom. Don’t be caught off guard. As soon as you see the marshal, be moving to a smaller gear.

Near Denzer on Sunday will be Wheels on Willy, a popular crit in Madison that brings out loads of neighbors and spectators. The kilometer-long course features a long, gradual climb into the start/finish.

But wait, there’s more! Le Tour de Lafayette makes its debut in Indiana, giving 3’s, 4’s and 5’s a chance to try stage racing under USA Cycling sanction. Saturday’s criterium looks like a fun, hilly course complete with King of the Mountain competitions. Sunday’s road races are only 20 and 32 miles, so I expect the weekend will be decided with Sunday afernoon’s 5.8 mile time trial.

Saturday
Monsters of the Midway
ABR criterium
Chicago
Distance from Chicago: 0 hours

Le Tour de Lafayette
USCF criterium
Lafayette, Ind.
Distance from Chicago: 2 hours

Denzer Delight (Leland Grand Prix)
USCF road race
Denzer, Wis.
Distance from Chicago: 3 hours

Sunday
Le Tour de Lafayette
USCF road race
Lafayette, Ind.
Distance from Chicago: 2 hours

Wheels on Willy
USCF criterium
Madison, Wis.
Distance from Chicago: 2.5 hours

Not a whole lot going on this weekend, but with a mess of great racing around the corner, perhaps a break is called for. In any case, both available crits promise uphill finishes, and Wisconsin’s criterium in Muskego is the third annual memorial for Matt Wittig (IS Corp).

Saturday
Matt Wittig Memorial Race
USCF criterium
Muskego, Wis.
Distance from Chicago: 2 hours

Eagle Creek Traditional Crit
ABR criterium
Indianapolis
Distance from Chicago: 3 hours

There’s a lot of good racing this weekend, which means some choices for Chicago racers not scared off by the price of gas.

Saturday brings us two road races. The closer one is an 8-mile circuit in Winona Lake, Ind., part of the Northern Indiana Fat & Skinny Tire Fest. The one I’m more familiar with is the Baraboo Road Race up north of Madison. It was my very first road race back in 2005 and I’ve been sweet on it ever since.

Each of Baraboo’s scenic, 15-mile laps throws two challenging climbs at us. They aren’t particularly long, but they are steep, especially for urban flatlanders such as ourselves, and they are more than capable of popping riders off the back. Here’s an elevation chart from the 2005 edition. (The course has changed slightly since then, but the main hills are the same.) The first climb, shown above, is harder because after a short reprieve the road continues to pitch upward. The second climb, on the other hand, is followed by a long, windy but safe descent that can give some riders a chance to catch back on if they’ve been dropped.

Two tips for these climbs: Switch to your small chainring before you start going up. Wait too long and you risk dropping your chain. Second, keep your head up and mind what the riders ahead of you are doing. Many will start to do the “paperboy weave” as they crack, and others will drift backward as they rise out of the saddle. This is not a time to worry about the draft. Find a lane and don’t let anyone disrupt your rhythm.

Baraboo races tend to be affairs of attrition. The sprint is tricky, as the finish line is much farther than you think. Be patient. Wait, wait, wait -- pounce. (I recommend hesitating two or three extra beats if you are in my Cat 3 race.) Indeed, this is a sprint that will exemplify Hennie Kuiper‘s maxim that racing “is licking your opponent’s plate clean before starting on your own.”

Sunday brings us four criteriums, and I’m afraid I don’t have experience with any of them. The closest is in Vernon Hills, but we also have an ABR crit at the business park in Kenosha, Wis., and the bike fest’s companion criterium in Winona Lake, Ind.

Saturday
Village of Winona Road Race
USCF road race
Winona Lake, Ind.
Distance from Chicago: 2.5 hours

Baraboo Road Race
USCF road race
Baraboo, Wis.
Distance from Chicago: 3 hours

Sunday
Vernon Hills Grand Prix
USCF criterium
Vernon Hills
Distance from Chicago: 1 hour

Kenosha Spring Criterium
ABR criterium
Kenosha, Wis.
Distance from Chicago: 1.5 hours

Village of Winona Criterium
USCF criterium
Winona Lake, Ind.
Distance from Chicago: 2.5 hours

After the Kenosha criteriums, the Super Criterium and this weekend’s Menomonee Park Criterium, we’ve hopefully all mastered the art of navigating flat courses with gentle corners. But what happens when the road pitches upward? We’ll find out Saturday at the Whitnall Park Criterium, a fun course in a scenic botanical garden near Milwaukee.

Each lap begins with a long descent with a sweeping right turn at the bottom. After enjoying the 1.1-mile course‘s only flat section, we turn right and head up three stairsteps that total 80 feet of climbing. (See photo.) At the top of the last step is the finish line, which will also be used to score King of the Hill contests, points being given to the top three finishers on three predetermined laps.

This is one of my favorite criterium courses, and it’s one that lends itself nicely to breaks, thanks to the difficulty of the climb and the potential to get out of sight.

Elsewhere, there’s a two-race event in Iowa City, Iowa, and Benga Sports returns with the Brown County Road Race in Nashville, Ind. The promoter down there seems to still be working out the kinks, and he has introduced a payout scheme that makes prizes wholly dependent on the number of entries, rather than an announced purse.

Saturday
Whitnall Park Criterium
USCF criterium
Hales Corner, Wis.
Distance from Chicago: 1.5 hours

Iowa City Road Race
USCF road race
Iowa City, Iowa
Distance from Chicago: 3.5 hours

Saturday
Old Capitol Criterium
USCF criterium
Iowa City, Iowa
Distance from Chicago: 3.5 hours

Brown County Road Race
USCF road race
Nashville, Ind.
Distance from Chicago: 4 hours

This weekend brings four more spring tuneups.

Fans of the Spring Super Criterium may enjoy Saturday’s Menomonee Park Criterium, which has a similar long, winding course profile. Then on Sunday the WCA schedule returns to Madison for Great Dane No. 2.

Farther from home there are ABR crits in Columbus and Mooresville, Ind., both of which are advertised as having the feel of a road race. Here is one team’s analysis of how to do well at Saturday’s Ceraland race.

Saturday
Menomonee Park Criterium
USCF Criterium
Menomonee Falls, Wis.
Distance from Chicago: 2 hours

Ceraland Classic
ABR Criterium
Columbus, Ind.
Distance from Chicago: 4 hours

Sunday
Great Dane No. 2
USCF Criterium
Madison, Wis.
Distance from Chicago: 2.5 hours

Mooresville Bike Race (REJ Memorial)
ABR Criterium
Mooresville, Ind.
Distance from Chicago: 3.5 hours

This weather doesn’t put me in a mood to race, but hardier souls have options Saturday Sunday, including what will be the opener of the Wisconsin Cycling Association schedule and the debut race from promoter Benga Sports in Indiana.

Sunday
Great Dane No. 1
USCF Criterium
Madison, Wis.
Distance from Chicago: 2.5

Victory Criterium
USCF Criterium
Auburn, Ind.
Distance from Chicago: 3 hours

Everybody’s favorite reason to call in sick returns this week when the Tuesday Night Criterium Series resumes in Matteson. From April 8 until September, races will start at 6 p.m. at the Ace Hardware paint factory, and with construction completed on the Dan Ryan, it should take less than an hour to get there from the city.

Opening night will be special: We will first pause to remember Pieter Ombregt (XXX Racing-AthletiCo), whom we lost in September. We’ll celebrate him with a few words, a moment of silence and a memorial lap. Our hosts the South Chicago Wheelmen ask that people arrive and take care of paperwork early so that the memorial -- and then the racing -- can start promptly.

(We won’t be the only ones honoring Pieter this week. His father, Ludwig Ombregt (XXX Racing-AthletiCo), will honor him by riding the Ronde van Vlaanderen route Saturday. “I plan to do about 180 km,” he says. “The whole trip as Pieter used to do will be a bit long.” God bless the Belgians, for whom 180 km is the “short” route.)

Just $7 gets you three races each night at Matteson. Lengths will be announced before each race and will largely depend on the available daylight. Racers are split into two fields: A for 1’s, 2’s, 3’s and ambitious 4’s and women, and B for 4’s, 5’s, juniors and women. The two groups race concurrently. Don’t be surprised if one group passes the other. Likewise, don’t do any surprising of your own: If your group is about to surpass another one, call it loud and clear, especially in the corners.

The course is a flat, .6-mile rectangle. The last corner is a bit over 100 meters from the finish. You’ll want to be out of the saddle as you exit the turn and launch yourself toward the finish line.

Have I ever mentioned how valuable these races are? I’ll mention it again: Making visits to Matteson part of a complete training plan will shave a year off the time it would otherwise take you to go from Cat 5 to Cat 3.

Ah, spring. Finally our weekends are again chock-full of racing opportunities. Goodbye, hours wasted sleeping in. Farewell, brunch and $12 omelets. Sunday New York Times? You’re canceled!

This weekend’s big event -- the super event, if you will -- will be Sunday’s debut Spring Super Criterium, hosted by Burnham Racing and Vitaminwater-Trek in South Beloit. I’m eager to see how the 1.9-mile course plays out. It might be curvy enough to help potential breaks get out of sight, but the lack of technicality will work to the chasers’ advantage. CBR prediction: Field sprints in the 3/4, 4/5 and masters 4/5 races, lead groups of 4-10 riders everywhere else.

Remember that beginning racers are encouraged to attend the 8 a.m. clinic put on by Randy Warren (XXX Racing-AthletiCo). Two bonus competitions of note: The World Bike Relief Team Challenge will honor the team with the best overall performance, and as noted when I announced the race, I’m offering a Clif Bar to the masters rider who does best in the Cat 3 trifecta (masters 1/2/3, 3/4 and 1/2/3).

Farther from home, there is a crit Saturday in Sheboygan, Wis., where the flier promises a 1-mile course with a steep hill before the start/finish. And the Indiana Race Series kicks off with the Mississinewa Reservoir Road Race in Peru, Ind., a 15-mile loop along rolling, windswept roads. (Reminder: Someone always forgets the time change on their first racing trip to Indiana. Don’t drive three hours just to be an hour late!)

Saturday
Evergreen Park Criterium
USCF criterium
Sheboygan, Wis.
Distance from Chicago: 2.5 hours

Mississinewa Reservoir Road Race
ABR road race
Peru, Ind.
Distance from Chicago: 3 hours

Sunday
Spring Super Criterium
USCF criterium
South Beloit, Ill.
Distance from Chicago: 2 hours

Its final climb is not the Bosberg. Its bricks lack the treachery of the Arenberg’s pavé. It’s a hair shorter than Milan-San Remo.

Nonetheless, Saturday’s Hillsboro-Roubaix, the Hell of Downstate, has earned its reputation as a spring classic in these parts, and it’s not a huge surprise that so many fields sold out on the first day of registration. In one race report, Mark Swartzendruber (Lucas Oil) described it as “86 miles of narrow back roads that would make the stoutest of Belgians feel right at home. Except for the deep piles of gravel dropped here and there the roads show no evidence of visits from a county maintenance crew in years.”

The course’s defining landmark is the circuit through town that closes each 22-mile lap. It starts with two short climbs. There are other short climbs on the course, but I don’t recall any having as much impact as these. The first bump contains the feedzone, which should be necessary only for those doing three or more laps. If you’re taking a bottle, move to the right; otherwise, stay the heck out of the way. (Etiquette says not to attack in the feed zone, and the promoter is calling that stretch neutral.) The second climb is steeper and just a few riders wide. Cones will mark the centerline, and weaving around them will risk disqualification.

Turning left off the climb, a steep, straight descent on dodgy pavement sends you screaming into the bricks -- uneven, jutting, deterioriating bricks. Stay loose and turn a big gear. A lot of riders position their hands near their stem to limit the vibrations.

After a few blocks of the bricks, a left turn puts you onto a slightly longer stretch of similar bricks, and finally another left turn puts you back on solid ground, about 100 meters from the start/finish.

Many of the roads are narrow; think MGA Proving Grounds. The larger races should expect congestion until the herd thins after a lap or so. Don’t even think about crossing the centerline to gain position, whether the line is painted or not. There will be moments when crossing the line is unavoidable, but to do it for tactical purposes is foolish and unsafe, and should elicit shame from the pack, if not disqualification from the officials.

There’s a fair amount of bumpy pavement and gravel. Don’t be surprised if people flat; the promoter recommends new tires. (There may be a follow vehicle with wheels, but good luck catching back on.)

There are more than 20 turns, and each one is a good opportunity to get dropped if you’re at the back and not paying attention, especially when turning into a headwind.  Wind is often a major factor, particularly as crosswinds whip across some of the unsheltered roads, but it’s pegged at only 10 mph out of the east. Temperature is forecast to be in the upper 40s to low 50s. Dress accordingly.

The morning will start with a parade lap through town at 10:40 a.m. The racing starts in waves at 11, with each field getting a neutral rollout out of town. Afterward, the top three riders in each field get a trophy fashioned from a brick.

Saturday
Hillsboro-Roubaix
USCF road race
Hillsboro, Ill.
Distance from Chicago: 3.5 hours

UPDATE: Because of the weather, Sunday’s race has been canceled, and an already-packed calendar makes a rescheduling unlikely.

ABR’s MAJOR series -- Masters And Juniors Only Racing -- opens Sunday with a criterium in Wood Dale. Racers under 18 or over 40 can burn some calories before hitting the Easter brunch buffet.

Sunday
MAJOR Wood Dale Criterium
ABR criterium
Wood Dale, Ill.
Distance from Chicago: .5 hours

Let’s get this season started, shall we?

Once again we head north for our first chance to show off new kits, new bikes and new legs. Kenosha Velosport will host two Sundays of racing, this time at a new venue, the Kenosha Industrial Park.

The finish for the four-corner, 1.1-mile course is on a long, gradual uphill, 300 meters from the final corner.  Official Carl Wilkins tells me the surface is not as smooth as the old Parkside course, but there will be cones to mark any trouble spots. Wilkins was out there yesterday with a pick and shovel. “There will be ice in the gutters,” he says, “but this course is twice as wide as the Parkside course.  It is two traffic lanes plus two regular parking lanes. Unless it snows, at least 3 1/2 lanes should be dry to race on.”

Registration will be in a tent near the entrance. Facilities will be limited to port-o-potties, but Wilkins points out an upside to winter: “They should not overheat or smell real bad.” On the other hand, the seat might be cold. He recommends the Kwik Trip at Highway 158 and Green Bay Road for coffee, snacks and bananas at 29 cents a pound. (A man after my own heart, he also notes a Culver’s across the street, truly the best part of racing in Wisconsin.)

With no indoor area to warm up in, bring plenty of clothes and layers, and keep in mind that water bottles may freeze. A high of 28 is forecast for Sunday.

These aren’t the best conditions, but I strongly recommend braving the elements. Race twice if you can. After months on our trainers and rollers, it’s important to get reacquainted with this whole racing thing. Our competitive instincts have been dormant since September, and handling may be rusty. (Yes, even yours.) Work the kinks out now while there’s nothing on the line.

Sunday, March 9 and 16
Kenosha Velosport Spring Training Series
ABR criterium
Kenosha, Wis.
Distance from Chicago: 1.5 hours

Both Fall Fling races this weekend are on courses we saw in September: Saturday’s road race is the same 8-mile rectangle as the ABR masters national road race championsip, and Sunday’s criterium is the same easy, office-park course as last week.

Saturday’s weather looks perfect: 80 degrees, sunny, 15 mph wind out of the south. That wind may be enough to let someone drill it down the gutter of the homestretch and relish the field flailing to keep up in their wake. Good times! If this forecast holds, anyone new to racing in the crosswind just needs to remember this: Ride near the gutter in the homestretch, ride near the yellow line (but not over it) on the backstretch.

There are plenty of other Chicago sports distractions on Sunday, including the Chicago Marathon and possibly a baseball game in the afternoon. But this will be the last race of the year, and anyone with a shot at the overall will be sure to be there. Official CBR recommendation: TiVo the game and go get your crit on in Lombard.

Saturday

Fall Fling Road Race

ABR road race

Westlake Village, Ill.

Distance from Chicago: 2 hours

Sunday
Fall Fling Criterium No. 2

ABR criterium

Lombard, Ill.

Distance from Chicago: .5 hour

With all the drama of the past few weeks, one can almost forget that there’s still racing going on.

This weekend kicks off ABD’s two-weekend Fall Fling stage race. As with most ABD and ABR events, there’s a festive, low-key vibe to these races. Mike Ebert and company are good hosts. I haven’t missed an event in the past two years, and I regret that I’m not going to be able to do them this year.

It’s a great series for just about everyone. There’s a citizens field, making it a good opportunity for new racers to give this racing thing a shot before diving into it full-steam next year. For riders who may have gotten a late start to their training, it’s a chance to shine at a time of year when many others have either burned out or moved on to cyclocross. Finally, it’s an opportunity to end the season on a good note. Doing so will go a long way toward motivating those three-hour trainer rides in January.

Saturday will be a 10-mile time trial. The course is mostly flat with one turnaround. Wind is often significant, and it’s one of those magic Chicago winds that’s always in your face. The finish line is not at the same spot as the start line. You’ll want to note its position so it doesn’t surprise you at the end.

Sunday is a criterium in Lombard. The oval, office-park course will be repeated the following Sunday. Corners are soft and easy. There’s a shallow descent between Turns 1 and 2, then a steeper climb between Turns 3 and 4. Successful sprints will start right before Turn 4, so on the final lap make sure you start the climb in good position and be ready to jump. I’ve never seen a break get off in a 4’s or citizens race, but the 1/2/3’s and masters races will be all over the place.

Sunday

Fall Fling Criterium No. 1

ABR criterium

Lombard, Ill.

Distance from Chicago: .5 hour

How about some good news for once: The ABR masters national road race championship is on! This Saturday, Sept. 22, near Rockford.

The course is a rolling, 8-mile rectangle. The hills are nothing to speak of, although there’s a long, straight descent that leads to a short hiccup of a climb right before the finish line, just enough to make the sprint interesting.

The biggest feature is likely to be the wind, which can be ferocious on these unsheltered roads. Echelon smartly. Figure out beforehand which way the wind is coming from so you can anticipate which side of the pack you want to be on on each side of the course. And if you’re feeling strong, drill it in the crosswinds and watch the carnage ensue.

I don’t expect the fields will be very big, but it’s a good chance to get in one last road race, and it’s the same course that the Fall Fling road race will be contested on two weeks later, so it could be a good chance to preview the conditions.

Photo by some neighborhood kid I lent my camera to

We’re all a bit gassed and maybe even burned out from a run of intense racing that started back with Superweek, but there’s still some great racing to do this summer. In fact, consider this weekend’s races a nice low-key antidote to the big-money, big-hype racing of the past two weeks. Sherman Park will have the history. Glencoe Grand Prix will have bigger prizes. Do both!

Saturday’s Sherman Park Criterium takes place in one of Chicago’s great parks, a hidden treasure of the South Side with a gymnasium designed by Daniel Burnham. The famous Olmsted brothers had bicycle races in mind when they designed the park. Apparently technical crits were not in vogue in 1905 as there’s not a single hard corner on the course. This makes it a perfect, manageable course for beginning cyclists, men and women alike. (Men should know that there’s a 50-rider limit in the Cat 5 race, and there currently are no provisions for a second field.)

Sight lines are limited, so it’s not unusual for breaks to get away. Otherwise it’s essentially flat. Did I mention that there are no hard corners?

Primes have improved over last year. In fact, I have it on good authority that a certain cycling Web site is donating cash primes for the lower categories.

The neighborhood around Sherman Park, well, let’s concede it’s not the North Shore. It’s still a safe, beautiful venue. Residents may not be accustomed to bicycle racing, but most are curious and accommodating. Just don’t be surprised if some need reminders not stroll down the course. (XXX Racing-AthletiCo will be throwing all available resources toward marshaling, but keep your head up and be alert.)

Your second race is $5 cheaper. Masters riders could potentially get in 90 minutes of racing for about the same price as the 20 minutes they got at Downers or Elk Grove.

And don’t miss the children’s races at 1 p.m. Watch as kids tear off from the start line not quite realizing how far a mile is. Ten minutes later they will limp across the finish, coughing up lungs and collapsing in the grass. Good times!

Note also that the women’s 1/2/3 race will include a special dedication for XXX Racing-AthletiCo’s teammate Beth Kobeszka, who lost her life racing in July.

Sunday brings us the inaugural Glencoe Grand Prix. This will be a nifty opportunity to race close to the roads where many of us train. Cat 5’s and juniors will use a slightly less technical version of the course than the rest of us. It’s great to have another race so close to home, and I hope a large turnout helps make it a success.

Farther away there’s the Indiana Stage Race, which includes a road race, time trial and criterium near Indianapolis.

As many of you know, I race for XXX Racing-AthletiCo, so I do not pretend to make an unbiased recommendation. However, allow me to make a personal pitch for Sherman Park.

I’ve appreciated all the people who have e-mailed or introduced themselves at races and said how grateful they are for this site. Many have offered to help. Others have hooked me up with potential advertisers. But here’s the best way you can thank me: Come race Saturday. Come show that you think bike racing in Chicago is important. Come show you support what I’m trying to do here. Come show how much you love what you do.

And of course, come to say hi. I’ll be helping out all day and racing the 3’s, masters 1/2/3’s and elite 1/2/3’s. This will be fun!

Saturday

Sherman Park Criterium

USCF criterium

Chicago, Ill.

Distance from Chicago: 0 hours

Ft. Ben Road Race

ABR road race

Indianapolis, Ind.

Distance from Chicago: 3 hours

Sunday

Glencoe Grand Prix

USCF criterium

Glencoe, Ill.

Distance from Chicago: .5 hours

Indiana State Fairgrounds Criterium

ABR criterium

Indianapolis, Ind.

Distance from Chicago: 3 hours

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

Photo by Luke Seemann

In a proper world, fans would line for all our races. High-value primes would shower down like candy from a piñata, and the prizes would come close to matching the prodigious expenses and risks we bear for our sport.

Alas, that’s not the world we live in -- except for this weekend.

I have no idea how they did it, but the Tour of Elk Grove organizers have returned with an even bigger pot of gold for the event’s second year. How long can this bounty last? I don’t know, but come out and enjoy it while you can.

That said, while the good promoters giveth, they also taketh away. Presumably to accommodate an extra 5’s race (a noble thing!), other amateur races are unusually short. Thus expect these races to be fast and active. In the men’s 3/4’s race it will be like Gallipoli out there: As soon as one attack gets reeled in, new ones will stubbornly launch, certain doom notwithstanding. That’s my prediction, for what it’s worth.

My advice to the 5’s here is no different than for at other races: There will be a wide range of skill level. Stay near the front from the start. Expect gaps to open early and often. Look for them and quickly skip around slower riders and on to the lead group. If you hesitate, the gaps will grow too big to jump across.

Each day’s courses are L-shaped, effectively flat on smooth roads. As I mentioned in my last post, the U-turns are guaranteed to cause trouble. We haven’t had a lot this season, and someone is bound to misjudge one in every race. (It’s partly for this reason that I’m opting out, but don’t let that dissuade you.) Riders at the fore will have an easier time, so get up front and stay there. (Easier said than done, granted.)

The further challenge of the U-turns will be re-accelerating out of each one as you try to go from a near standstill back up to 25 mph without losing any ground.

I forget whether free laps were given last year. With laps of 2.3 and 1.7 miles, I expect not.

Payouts go 20 deep, so sprint every last inch even if you’re mid-pack. Quitting early can cost you a nice dinner out.  You’ll be surprised how much riders ahead of you are fading, and you’ll be astonished how quickly the riders behind you are gaining. (Even the women’s 3/4’s go 20 deep, plus $500 in primes. Viva la egalitie!)

Once the amateurs are done, the real business starts with the pro races. Grab some lunch in town, replenish your carbohydrates with a cold beer and make a day of it. A complete start list has not been released, but known notables include Tour de France finishers Chris Horner (Predictor-Lotto) and Christian Vandevelde (CSC). Sunday’s 110k race at 2 p.m. should be dynamite, with $45,000 on the line plus another $60,000 for the overall, not to mention primes of $1,550, $2,500 and $3,000.

This should be a fantastic weekend. Race well, race safe and be sure to let Elk Grove know how happy you are to be there.

Saturday and Sunday
Tour of Elk Grove
USCF criteriums
Elk Grove, Ill.
Distance from Chicago: .5 hours

Superweek may be over, but the local racing is just getting started. This weekend kicks off four consecutive weekends of racing within an hour’s drive of the city. For anyone not burned out (or crashed out) from Superweek, these races will be a nice break from racing against the Midwest’s very best, and a nice pause before doing it all over again at Elk Grove and Downers Grove.

This is the second year for Saturday’s criterium in Grayslake, put on by our friends at North Branch Cycling. The U-shaped course winds through a housing development. I recall it getting positive reviews last year. There are two flights of Cat 5/citizens races, which should keep those fields manageable and make them excellent races for new riders.

A new course on Sunday cuts a figure-8 through downtown Elgin. Again there will be two flights of Cat 5’s, and there are some generous purses available in the other categories, including $2,500 for 3’s and $800 for 4’s. Register online by July 31 to avoid a $5 late fee.

Saturday
Grayslake Cycling Classic
USCF criterium
Grayslake, Ill.
Distance from Chicago: 1 hour

Sunday

Elgin Cycling Classic

USCF criterium

Elgin, Ill.

Distance from Chicago: .5 hour

Superweek returns to the Chicago area Sunday with the inaugural Evanston Northwestern Hospital Grand Prix, a race that many of us are extremely excited about. This was the first 4/5 field to fill up, and I expect the other fields to be bigger than usual as well. In addition, Cat 3 women who have missed out on the week’s fun will finally get a chance to race as the women’s races expand to P/1/2/3.

It’s a doozy of a course in Evanston, basically a modified figure-8. (Figure-6?) There’s a long straightaway down Sherman Avenue, so speeds should be high as racers barrel toward the start/finish at Sherman and Davis. The two turns on Clark street may be dicey. Traffic islands at each corner will funnel the packs through tight holes, and as sprinters anticipate the final tear down Sherman, these corners should yield plenty of mayhem on the final laps.

Because of the capacity field, organizers urge 4/5 racers to to check in at least 45 minutes before each race, lest their slots be turned over to wait-listed riders.

As for the rest of the races, the only course I’m familiar with is Monday’s Tour of Holy Hill. It’s been two years since I’ve been there, but I don’t remember the hills being that significant. More challenging was the wind. There is, however, a steep climb when the race exits the course and goes up Powderhill Road toward the finish line.  Just like Alpine Valley and the Proving Grounds, this is a finish that demands to be checked out beforehand. Ride it, drive it or walk it, just don’t be surprised by it.

Holy Hill, by the way, is the course where a rider was killed in 2006. Aaron Bieberitz (PCW) was off the back of the 4/5 race when a commercial driver stopped at an intersection but continued onto the course and into Bieberitz’s path. Without blaming either party, the incident is a reminder to keep your head up at all times, and not to assume any vehicle sees you or will yield for your behalf.

Full Superweek schedule.

Photo by luke seemann

It’s go time.

In 1969 Otto Wenz Jr. organized a bike race in Milwaukee as a companion to a new musical festival called Summerfest. As Summerfest grew beyond expectations, so did the bike racing, and the International Cycling Classic is now too super to be contained in one week alone. This year it features 19 venues across 17 days (four of them near Chicago), making it the biggest racing series in America and a bonanza for regional amateurs.

Action starts Friday with a fun, hilly course in Chicago’s Beverly neighborhood. Yes, hills! In Chicago! This is a P/1/2-only affair, but it’s worth the trip to come watch. Top-caliber racing is always thrilling to see up close, plus it’s a chance to experience a tidy, tranquil part of town that is a secret to most Chicago residents. Racing starts at 5:45 p.m., and there’s a Metra stop nearby (107th Street station on the Rock Island line; take the 5:05 p.m. from LaSalle Street).

Races will be longer and faster than we’re accustomed to, and the prizes will be bigger as well. Race a few days with the same, tough competitors and you’ll likely find yourself with new boundaries and new friends (and maybe a nemesis or two).

We have more hot weather coming next week, so pre-hydrate well and carry as much liquid as you can, especially if you don’t have anyone to offer hand-ups. Two bottles alone may not be enough. Note: Except in extreme heat, the criteriums will not have feed zones.

Red alert for 4/5’s: As of Tuesday morning the Evanston race is full and Bensenville and Blue Island are close to capacity. Register now!

Here’s a preview of the road races I’ve been to, and I invite readers to give the crit lowdown in the comments.

Read more ...

The only racing this weekend is a crit in Wisconsin and a road race near Iowa.

Thus let us take a deep breath. With Superweek around the corner and eight days of local criteriums to look forward to in August, only the truly compulsive will be turning the pedals in anger this weekend. The rest of us will be spending time deep in thought, painting that bathroom or reacquainting ourselves with our loved ones. It may be September, after all, before we can come up for air again.

The site may never return to normal, but I will have a traditional Proctor wrap-up later this week.

Be fast. Be safe.

Saturday

Wisconsin state criterium championships

USCF criterium

Elkhorn, Wis.

Distance from Chicago: 2 hours

Sunday

Mississippi Bluffs Cycling Road Race

Rapids City, Ill.

USCF road race

Distance from Chicago: 2.5 hours

Photo by Luke Seemann

It’s state championship time!

Jerseys are up for grabs at both Saturday’s road race and Sunday’s criterium of the Proctor Cycling Classic. I haven’t done the crit, but the road race is run on a rolling 17-mile course. Most races have a king- or queen-of-the-mountain contest, although I don’t remember the climb being significant enough damage the men’s fields.

Several rollers lead up to the finish area. Use these climbs to make up ground in the pack. Narrow roads make it hard to do so anywhere else. By the time the course flattens out for the run-up to the sprint, it will be too fast and congested to sprint. Last year’s Cat 4 sprint was particularly argy-bargy, with at least one rider (Hi, Joel!) bailing out into farmland. As always, scout the finish beforehand so it doesn’t catch you by surprise.

If anyone was planning to race in Indiana this weekend, the Hendricks Regional Health Fast Crit in Indianapolis has been moved a day earlier to Saturday, June 30. There’s also a crit in Elm Grove, Wis., about 2 hours from Chicago.

Saturday

Proctor Road Race

USCF road race

Brimfield, Ill.

Distance from Chicago: 3.5 hours

Elm Grove Criterium

USCF criterium

Elm Grove, Wis.

Distance from Chicago: 2 hours

Hendricks Regional Health Fast Crit

ABR criterium

Indianapolis, Ind.

Distance from Chicago: 3 hours

Sunday

Proctor Criterium

USCF criterium

Peoria, Ill.

Distance from Chicago: 3 hours

Photo by Luke Seemann

I did the UWW series last year, when a last-minute venue SNAFU had us racing the criterium in a tight parking lot. Between the treacherous corners and the intermittent rain, few races finished without a crash. This year, thankfully, the course will be on a park loop.

The UWW road race will be the same course as last year -- I remember it as being mostly rollers (above) through a pleasant lake area with one or two short out-of-saddle climbs -- except it will be run in reverse. If my memory is correct, this will put a moderate climb right before the start/finish. Fun! This could be an excellent tune-up for the following weekend’s Proctor Road Race, the Illinois state championships.

Then there are two crits closer to Chicago. Saturday’s Cobb Park Criterium, hosted by the South Chicago Wheelmen in Kankakee, will be on a flat three-corner course. Sunday’s Fox River Grove Criterium is decidedly un-flat: A steep climb right after the start/finish will split many a field. You won’t want to line up in the second row for this one. Ron Cook (ABR) has created this course map of Fox River Grove at MapMyRide, which provides satellite views and an elevation profile.

Saturday:

Cobb Park Criterium

USCF criterium

Kankakee, Ill.

Distance from Chicago: 1 hour

UWW Criterium

USCF criterium

Whitewater, Wis.

Distance from Chicago: 2 hours

Sunday:

Fox River Grove Criterium

USCF criterium

Fox River Grove, Ill.

Distance from Chicago: 1 hour

UWW Road Race

USCF road race

Whitewater, Wis.

Distance from Chicago: 2 hours

Pike’s Peak Road Race

ABR road race

Nashville, Ind.

Distance from Chicago: 4 hours

Giro d’Grafton organizer Bill Ochowicz will be on the radio Friday at 4 p.m. to discuss Saturday’s race. (You can listen online.) It looks to be a great inaugural event.
The course looks interesting: six corners with one wicked acute-angle turn. Note, however, that winners of the Cat 3 and masters races will receive Festina watches -- supposedly valued at $350 -- instead of cash, a structure that may encourage the fields to let a solo rider escape.

Also, Scott Van Maldegiam (Spin Doctor Cyclewerks) comments in my previous post with some extra details about Saturday’s Carrol County road race.

I’m not sure what to make of this Saturday’s road race, the Great Carrol County Cycling Event. If anyone has done it, please share in the comments.

The fact that it’s a 62-mile single-lap course is itself pretty nifty. It’s sanctioned by ABR and is included in the Tour of Illinois/Wisconsin, so it should attract the dozen or so riders who pay attention to that. But according to the results, last year’s fields were thin and spread out. That’s not necessarily reason to avoid the race, however. If nothing else it can be a good training ride, a chance for 4’s to tackle a long road race or an opportunity to improvise tactics on an unusual course.

I don’t know much about the weekend’s crits, either. I don’t even have a flier for Fon du Lac. Do you? The MAJORS race looks like a fun event for those who get a Father’s Day exemption from church and yardwork. The women’s 4’s get an unusually big payout at Fon du Lac ($300, 10 deep). The payouts are even more generous at Saturday’s Giro d’Grafton: $6,500 for the P/1/2 (to be raced under lights at 8 p.m.), $2,000 for the women’s open and $350 for the women’s 4’s. There’s even a $200 pool for the U-14 juniors.

In other calendar news, I have in my hand a flier for the Fox River Grove crit on June 24 and have added it to the race schedule, but I have not found a copy online. You? and I just found a version online.

Saturday

Great Carrol County Cycling Event

ABR road race

Chadwick, Ill.

Distance from Chicago: 2 hours

Giro d’Grafton

USCF criterium

Grafton, Wis.

Distance from Chicago: 2 hours

Sunday

MAJOR series (masters, juniors)

ABR criterium

Elgin, Wis.

Distance from Chicago: .5 hours

Fon du Lac criterium

USCF criterium

Fon du Lac, Wis.

Distance from Chicago: 2 hours

I’m sorry to be missing this Saturday’s Spring Prairie Road Race, Wisconsin’s state road race championship.

It’s a fun, challenging course. The flier promises “hellacious climbs,” but it’s really only one. Most of the 6.5 rectangle course consists of big-ring rollers, but a short, steep climb leading into the start/finish area will break more than a few legs.

4/5 men will do six laps, and each time up this hill will be an opportunity for separation. The final trip will be as close to a mountain-top finish as we get around here. The climb is short enough so that climbers won’t have an exclusive advantage, but it’s steep enough that the sprinters will have to adjust their timing. The prudent racer will pre-ride the approach to the hill so it doesn’t catch him by surprise during the race, and will use the first few laps to fine-tune his gear selection and timing for the endgame.

Registration is available online.

Sunday’s course is new: a flat rectangle in downtown Wheaton.

Saturday
Spring Prairie Road Race
USCF road race
Spring Prairie, Wis.
Distance from Chicago: 2 hours

Sunday
Wheaton Criterium
USCF criterium
Wheaton, Ill.
Distance from Chicago: .5 hours

This weekend brings two great days of racing to Chicago with the Winfield criteriums. Saturday will be the twilight criterium, run on a slightly different course than Sunday’s race, which serves as the ABR national criterium championship. ABD puts on these races and they’re always well run with generous primes.

Here are brief course descriptions. I’ve never done the twilight event, but Sunday’s course is a long milelong rectangle. The backstretch is a shallow incline with a short kicker at the end. You turn left into a short descent, and then turn left again and have about 300 meters to the start/finish area. It’s not very technical, but it’s not unheard for breaks to get off on this course.

I won’t be racing, but I may go just to see whether Marek Serafin (WDT) is beatable. With a jersey on the line, my guess is “probably not.”

Both days have citizen fields, and Sunday’s even is unusual in that there’s a 5-lap citizen women’s race. This is an excellent opportunity for women to try their first race and see if it hooks them, or for women who have until now been forced to ride in the open fields.

If crits aren’t your thing and you have a place to bunk near Indy, the Indiana Race Series has a road race about 4 hours away with the St. Crispian Junior Road Race. (Don’t be thrown by the name: It’s not just for juniors.) It’s a challenging course with a nice climb close to the finish. Personally, I’ve never regretted driving so far for the IRS races that Dan Daly puts on. They’re low-key, fun and good opportunities to nab some upgrade points.

Saturday

Winfield Twilight Criterium

ABR criterium

Winfield, Ill.

Distance from Chicago: 1 hour

Sunday
ABR National Criterium Championship

ABR criterium

Winfield, Ill.

Distance from Chicago: 1 hour

St. Crispian Junior Road Race

ABR road race

Nashville, Ind.

Distance from Chicago: 4 hours

One of the summer’s most exciting weekends is upon us with four great races near the Quad Cities: one road race on Friday followed by three days of crits.

The jewel of the weekend is the legendary Snake Alley Criterium on Saturday. The course features a treacherous, steep switchback paved with brick. Here are photos I took last year.

As the day goes on, the hill becomes more crowded with rowdy spectators who badger and cajole riders struggling to navigate the climb. Tradition in the Pro/1/2 race is for fans to hand cold beers to racers as they throw in the towel. In 2006, restaurateur Jack Piper dressed up as Duff Man to do so. What stunt will he pull in 2007?

Success hinges on being among the first to the Snake on the first lap, lest you get bottlenecked behind the inevitable crashes, so the race before the race is to register early to secure a good starting position. (The Editor is blessed to be in the first row of the 3’s race.) Once the race starts, riders will be too fried from climbing the Snake to think straight, so it’s important to have a reliable routine for getting through the rest of the course. Smart Cycling’s Steve Thordarson has an excellent turn-by-turn guide that is essential pre-race reading.

Friday

Wapello-Burlington
Road Race

USCF road race

Burlington, Iowa

Distance from Chicago: 4.5 hours

Saturday

Snake Alley Criterium

USCF criterium

Burlington, Iowa

Distance from Chicago: 4.5 hours

Sunday

The Great Race: Elkhart Criterium

ABR criterium

Elkhart, Ind.

Distance from Chicago: 2.5 hours

Melon City Criterium

USCF criterium

Muscatine, Iowa

Distance from Chicago: 4 hours

Monday

The Great Race: Bristol Road Race

ABR road race

Bristol, Ind.

Distance from Chicago: 2.5 hours

Quad Cities Criterium

USCF criterium

Rock Island, Ill.

Distance from Chicago: 3.5 hours

I’ve done both both of this weekend’s road races and it was tough to decide which to do this year. I’m opting for the Denzer Delight, which reprises the old Leland Grand Prix course. I love to support the Indiana Race Series, but Denzer’s topography is slightly more interesting than McCormick’s Creek: one long, gradual climb and several bare-knuckle descents.

Saturday

Denzer Delight

USCF road race

Denzer, Wis.

Distance from Chicago: 3.5 hours

McCormick’s Creek Road Race

ABR road race

Spencer, Ind.

Distance from Chicago: 4 hours

Sunday

Wheels on Willy

USCF criterium

Madison, Wis.

Distance from Chicago: 2.5 hours