Pedals have turned in anger for the first time in 2010, although it’s hard to get too angry at a small ABR race where your primary objective is to stay warm.

Conditions warmed up by the afternoon but wind was the biggest factor at Sunday’s kick-off in Pleasant Prairie, Wis. A fierce headwind on the backstretch required concentration lest a gust turn a crossed wheel into a trip to the tarmac.

I heard more than one lower-category rider blame the wind for their inability to break away, but it didn’t stop Mark Swartzendruber (Verizon Wireless) from taking leave of both the 30+ and 40+ races. In the 40+, he lapped the field with Ricardo Otero (WDT-Allvoi) in tow and kept on going to win solo. In the ensuing 30+ he broke free again but couldn’t shake John Acker (Wheel & Sprocket) and settled for 2nd.

The 4’s and 5’s started separately but were a single group by the end of their race. Out of that scrum Bryan Witry (Spider Monkey Cycling) took 4th in the 4’s and Patryk Limanowicz (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) was 1st among the 5’s.

Continuing an ABR tradition of “call your own category,” Chris Padfield and some of his ReCycling mates lined up for the 3’s. After some early attacks, Padfield escaped and cruised to a win (photo above). A tangle in the chase brought a handful of riders down, including ReCycling’s Bryan McVey and Ben LaForce. Scott Knoepke (Psimet) caught the worst of it and left in an ambulance, but he’s already back on the bike.

Meanwhile, Mark Serafin (PACT/Dish Network) showed his usual stellar spring form by winning the field sprint for 2nd. I’ve lost count of how many Kenosha field sprints Serafin has won over the years, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s double digits.

Padfield doubled up with the 1/2’s race and finished 4th, having helped initiate the chase after two unattached Wisconsin riders slipped away from a small field.

No Chicago women made the trip, aside from Debbie Dust (PACT/Dish Network), who threw down with the masters men, finishing 8th in the 40+ and 3rd in the 50+. Interesting to see Sam Schneider (Tibco) of West Allis, Wis., make an appearance in the women’s race: She’s one of three women with Midwestern roots to join that top pro team this year.

Racing continues the next two Sundays, weather permitting.

Full results.

Race reports
Stephen Butler (Wheel Fast; 4): “The field never strings out, which is both a good and a bad thing.”

Debbie Dust (PACT/Dish Network; 40+, 50+): “I decided to just roll off the front and was surprised to see that I had a gap.”

Ed Hernandez (North Branch; 30+): “Within two laps, the attacks had begun and the hammerfest was underway.”

Chris Padfield (ReCycling; 3, 1/2): “Extra Belgian-style training points for the wind.”

Luke Seemann (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 1/2): “Having a teammate — especially incognito — could make or break the race.”

Mark Swartzendruber (Verizon Wireless; 30+, 40+): “I cajoled the Spanish sprinter to take a pull or two, to which he indicated he could (would) not and suggested that he was more than happy with 2nd place so long as I did not attack him.”

Andrew Zens (Spider Monkey Cycling; 3, 4): “All attacks had the same result: They died on the back stretch as they went straight into the 20 mph wind.”

Photos
Katie Cook
John Wilke

Sunday
Kenosha Velopsort Spring Training Series
ABR Criterium
Pleasant Prairie, Wis.
Distance from Chicago: 1.5 hours
2009 wrap-ups: I, II

And so ends another road season.

I don’t know where ABD’s Ryan Freund and John Meyers went Saturday night to celebrate their boffo time trials, but they may want to avoid it in the future: Both called in sick with food poisoning Sunday, forfeiting their shot at the 1/2 overall and missing out on a fun, wind-blown circuit race in West Chicago.

To kick of the 1/2/3’s race, Northwestern’s Will Nowak (Alderfer-Bergen) set off by himself in what seemed like a fool’s errand. Solo breakaway in gale winds? Crazy! Several bridge attempts failed until once-and-future pro Chad Hartley (Geargrinder) bridged by himself. That sparked a few rounds of attacks and counterattacks until finally a group of six made it across. In the final two laps, Nowak, Hartley and Nathan Moorhouse (WDT-Allvoi) split off, with Hartley taking the sprint victory. Moorhouse earned enough points to move into 2nd overall ahead of teammate David Polin, but it was a sweep of the mass-start races for champ Hartley. In fact, we have to go back to mid-August to find an Illinois 1/2 race not won by Geargrinder.

Ricardo Otero (WDT-Allvoi) had himself a profitable afternoon. After winning out of a seven-man break in the 40+, he immediately jumped into the 1/2/3’s and again got himself in the break, taking a second win as the only rider in the break registered as a 3. Riding in the first chase group, juniors Scott Rosenfield (IS Corp) and James Bird (IS Corp) had a lock on the 3’s overall, finishing 1-2 thanks to solid time trial efforts.

Bird, it should be noted, placed 3rd among 3’s in the time trial despite racing in sneakers and clips, having forgotten his cycling shoes, and missing his start time by 20 seconds. Meanwhile, Joel Friedman (Bicycle Heaven) flagrantly violated ABR Rule K against false-flagging by racing the time trial in a skinsuit for a club other than his own. Protests to have him relegated were denied.

(That last bit is a joke.)

I regret missing it, but Sunday’s 4’s race may have been the most interesting on the day with Tim Speciale (Bicycle Heaven) and John Whipple (Unattached) entering the day tied in the overall. Things couldn’t have been any closer as Speciale and Whipple went a close 1-2 in the bunch sprint, thus finishing 1-2 overall. (Also included in the action was what may have been cycling’s first cake prime, above, a nice nod to last week’s contentious wrap-up. The prestigious prize was won by Mario Starr (Team Mack).)

Tom Doughty (Amgen/Giant Masters) won the combined 50+/55+ circuit race to secure a series sweep in the 55+. John Fleckenstein (Team Mack) finished 3rd of the 50+ to fend off Fabio Orlandi (PYOC) and Mike Jones (PACT/Dish Network) in that overall. Gary Doering (Team Mack) finished 1st, with Bisi Tubic (Unattached) in 2nd, an impressive result for our favorite Phonak fan.

Joe Berenyi (Endure It!) finished solidly both days to wrap-up the citizens overall after sweeping last weekend’s races. I missed the citizens races, so until it was mentioned to me Saturday I was unaware that Berenyi has only one arm -- and does not ride with a prosthetic.

In the women’s races, Debbie Dust (PACT/Dish Network) and Stacy Applewick (Endure It!) each earned 39 out of a possible 40 points to win the women’s open and women’s 4’s, respectively.

Full circuit race results. Full omnium results.

Race reports
Rob Curtis (Bicycle Heaven; 4): “All were in agreement it was the most fun crit we have ever raced.”

Debbie Dust (PACT/Dish Network; W-open): “Because bike racing is far from being ‘a perfect world,’ things didn’t quite turn out the way we would have liked.”

Scott Rosenfield (IS Corp; 3): “The Fall Fling is maybe a brownie that was left over from last weekend’s party and is now a bit stale and hard with some random powdered sugar sprinkled on top.”

Mark Swartzendruber (Verizon Wireless; 40+): “The break included two of my longtime heroes, Tom Doughty and Fabio Orlandi.  The break was a blast.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Criterium photos
Surviving in America

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Full results.

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

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

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

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

Photos
Nikki Cyp
Luke Seemann

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Full results.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photos
Gavin Gould
Luke Seemann

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

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

Full wrap-up to come.

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

Fortunately there are dozens of rider and spectator accounts, so part of the enjoyment is later piecing together all the fragments of what -- and who -- went down.

I spent the final laps of Sunday’s men’s championship down in Turn 8, waiting for what I knew would be a crucial final turn. The amazing crash of Rahsaan Bahati (Rock Racing) would be the only one I would see firsthand, but on just about every lap riders would limp through with torn kits and bloodied bodies. One of those was Matt Rice (Jelly Belly), who got the worst of a large pileup in Turn 7 inside of 10 laps but who judging from this photo appeared set to jump back into the fray, as dozens of riders would do over the day, some more than once. Here’s a shot of Ivan Dominguez (Rock Racing) going down; I’ve read it wasn’t his only trip to the ground.

Writing for VeloNews, Mark Zalewski speculates that Kelly Benefit Strategies may have been trying trying the “Saturn sit-up” on the penultimate trip through Turn 1, and this is what led to the lap-long split of four KBS and two Team OUCH. Jeff Chen of Chicago Personal Photographers captured the maneuver nicely.

As heart-breaking as Bahati’s fall was, one must also feel for Kelly Benefit Strategies, whose Alex Candelario and Jake Keough had to take evasive measures while sitting second and third wheels. Candelario had his nose in the wind for much of the frantic final few laps. Last year, of course, he led out of the corner only to have Bahati outsprint him, and he finished 4th in the similarly rain-soaked 2007 edition. (Judging from Bahati’s Twitter, the teams won’t be exchanging condolence cards this week.)

All this attention to the men shouldn’t discount the conclusion of the women’s race, which was just as exciting. Team Tibco put the field on defense much of the race, but just like last year it boiled down to mano-a-mano between Brooke Miller (Team Tibco) and Tina Pic (Colavita). This time, however, the veteran Pic took the inside line and came out of Turn 8 with victory in her eyes and a giant smile on her face. This was Pic’s sixth national championship -- and her last, per her retirement announcement. She goes out on top.

Local amateurs Debbie Dust (PACT/Dish Network) and Devon Haskell (Team BH USA) both cracked the top 20, in 13th and 19th, respectively.

The men’s elite national championship got the worst of the weather with rain and wind sweeping across the course. Attrition and chaos were high, and the Mavic pit busy. In the final laps a five-man group formed, and in it were some local ties: Riding for ABD, Colorado’s Zach Watson would finish 4th, and Northwestern product Michael Margarite (CRCA/Empire) finished 3rd, both missing out on the national championship to Justin England (Cal Giant), who attacked atop Summit Street to earn the second consecutive stars-and-stripes jersey for the California squad.

First out of the corner, first to the line: That’s how it worked for Adam Lesniakowski (PACT/Dish Network) in the 2’s, above, who flew up Main Street to take one of the biggest wins of his career. In tight formation behind him were John Coyle (Wolverine Sports Club) in 3rd and recent Cat 2 upgrades Peter Strittmatter (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) and Keith McMahon (Van Wagner/Yojimbo’s) in 4th and 6th. Lesniakowski also placed 5th in Saturday’d 35+ 1/2/3 race.

The 3’s races at Downers are stingy with breaks, but it’s not uncommon for last-lap fliers to stick if a rider can catch the pack sleeping. After 45 minutes of racing, that was the card played by Joel Friedman (Bicycle Heaven) in only his third Cat 3 race. He attacked hard halfway up Lane Place and had just enough of a gap to hold off the sprint, led by Saturday’s winner Brent Mahan (NashvilleCycling.com). Henry Loud (Team Pegasus) has twice crashed out of good bell-lap positions in big races this summer, but he kept it upright to come in 4th. Others weren’t so skilled, with several riders sliding out into Turn 5. (One of Mahan’s teammates captured the last lap on video.)

Did I at one time suggest that another race could possibly be the best criterium the Midwest has to offer? I take it all back. Downers Grove is king.

Full results. See also my Saturday report and my preliminary Sunday report.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The race started an hour late after a serious thunderstorm whipped through shortly after the big-wheel race. The pavement stayed wet for the duration and caused no shortage of mayhem, particularly in the final laps.

Fewer than 30 riders remained with two to go, dominated as usual by a large Kelly Benefit Strategies train, followed by a well-organized Team OUCH. Defending champion Rahsaan Bahati (Rock Racing) was completely isolated, as was favorite Tony Cruz (BMC), who rode the entire race without teammates.

With one to go, the race was reduced to two small groups. Kelly had four and Team OUCH had two in the lead group of six. A mish-mosh of teams composed the 10-strong chasing group a few seconds back.

After the second group regained contact, Tasmanian Karl Menzies (Team OUCH) was putting together a leadout for Murphy when he wiped out into Turn 5, with Murphy barely dodging the wreckage.  Bahati then surged out of Turn 7 and led into fateful Turn 8 with victory in his grasp. At the apex of the turn, however, his wheels went out from under him and he slid into the hay in a devastating conclusion to a hard-fought race.

Sitting on Bahati’s wheel, Alex Candelario (Kelly Benefit Strategies) was forced to clip out. That opened the door for Ben Kersten (Fly V Australia) and Murphy to fly up the 150-meter homestretch, both raising their arms in victory: Kersten for the win, Murphy for the stars-and-stripes jersey. (Murphy may have been able to win, but he celebrated prematurely while Kersten threw for the line.)

Cruz, a national champion here in 1999, finished 3rd, 2nd American, and was visibly disappointed as he took his latest Downers Grove podium.

Jake Keough (Kelly Benefit Strategies) and Soldier Field star Adam Myerson (Mountain Khakis) rounded out the podium in 4th and 5th.

Bahati lay motionless for several worrisome moments but eventually remounted his bike and, bloodied and in tears, crossed the line to large applause. He would place 22nd.

Full men’s USPRO results.

Full wrap-up to come. More photos here, and Peloton-Pix has a good photo race summary.

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

National champion Rahsaan Bahati (Rock Racing) was busy at the front but called it a day early, saving himself for tomorrow’s title defense.

Team Tibco won its third consecutive Downers Grove women’s race, thanks to Katharine Carroll, who dropped her companion in a late two-woman break to solo for the final few laps, finishing just seconds ahead of a chase led by Tina Pic (Colavita).

A 3/4’s field of more than 150 was crowded but surprisingly safe and smooth through the corners. WDT-Allvoi was positioned perfectly out of the final corner with Waylon Janowiak leading out Ricardo Otero, but they could have used a sweeper: Otero lost Janowiak’s wheel after the corner and when he found it again, Brent Mahan (NashvilleCyclist.com) swung past both of them to take the win, with Otero and Janowiak settling for 2nd and 4th.

The day’s closest win may have belonged to Pascale Petro (Project 5 Racing), who led out of the corner and then timed a perfect throw to barely beat a hard-charging Aubree Dock (KCOI Boulevard) in the women’s 3/4’s.

Another impressive win came from David Jaggi (Flatlandia), who sprinted around Ben-Jamin Widoff (Team PoweBar) in the 35+ 4/5, followed closely by Bob Bryant (Unattached).

Full results.

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

Some highlights:

• » With its sweeping turns, Grayslake isn’t a technical course, but poor Sean Metz (Apache) had an unfortunate run-in with a mailbox in the P/1/2 race, this after lapping the field with three others. He scrambled to a replacement bike but lost the lap he’d gained. Meanwhile, fellow break mates Ryan Freund (ABD) and Scott Pearson (Comcast) set off the front a second time, with Freund sprinting and posting up for a nice win -- with one lap to go. Fortunately for Freund, he was still able to collect himself and sprint for the win a lap later, this time for keeps.

• » Bad luck also fell on XXX Racing-AthletiCo, which managed to get two riders in the break of the 3’s race, only to have both flat in the final laps, and it was ICA Cup leader Justin Armstead (Team Mack) taking the win in the sprint.

• » Team BH USA very nearly swept both day’s of women’s P/1/2/3 podiums. Kristen Meshberg single-handedly lapped the field Saturday while teammate Devon Haskell, in her first race back from another stint racing in Europe, also went off the front to solo into 2nd place. After going up a lap, Meshberg set to work leading out Madeleine Puissant to a sprint for 3rd. The next day, in a race shortened to 20 minutes after pausing for lightning to pass, it was defending champion Haskell’s turn to be off the front by herself (above). Meshberg then got to enjoy a free ride on the wheel of Jeannie Kuhajek (Team Mack), who valiantly pursued, only to have Meshberg come around in the homestretch for 2nd.

• » Burnham Racing made well-timed escapes in two races Sunday. In the 30+ 1/2/3 race, Jason Knauff and Andrew Rizzo (Comcast) slipped away a little more than midway through. They held a 20-second gap the rest of the way, with Knauff taking the win. An hour later, Julian Baumgartner did the same trick, but he lost his companion early and had to go solo for the last six laps. Meanwhile, teammate Nate Iden took the sprint for 2nd, a nice example of what can happen when you force the other teams to chase. And thanks to spending so much time off the front, Knauff and Baumgartner gobbled enough sprint points to win their respective sprint contests, contests that electrified the racing all day.

• » Team MS Racing also had a blockbuster day. It was active in all the lower-category races and showed its depth by sweeping the podium after a bunch sprint in the 30+ 4/5’s behind Erik Wiebe, Dan Cooper and Sam Schaefer. Later, Schaefer created a four-man break late in the 4’s race and won the sprint despite being outnumbered by two ABD riders.

• » Glencoe’s P/1/2 race stayed together with New Zealand pros Josh England (Subway-Avanti) and Hayden Godfrey (Subway-Avanti) going 1-2 in the sprint. Brian Cornelius (Landis/Trek) reeled off the day’s fastest circuit, a factoid for which we can thank chip timing, averaging 30.8 mph on the final lap to take 3rd. Mike Sherer (Alderfer Bergen) in 4th was the top local finisher.

• » Sherer had a successful Saturday, too, going 1-2 with teammate and Northwestern University student Will Nowak at the Warsaw Downtown Criterium in Indiana.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Grayslake photos
Andrew Rizzo

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• » Each race featured primes bigger than most of the winner’s purses we’re accustomed to. This turned the races into two contests: The dash for cash, with riders going solo and hoping to stay off long enough to scoop up Benjamins, and then a twitchy, congested bunch sprint for the overall. Occasionally the prime hunters would nab a double payday with solo escapees staying away for good: Tim Yuska (Iron Cycles) survived a four-man break in Saturday’s 4’s race to stay off by himself, and then Alex Pavlov (Vision Quest) put in a brave ride to solo to victory in Sunday’s 35+ 3/4 race.

• » Elk Grove has more than its share of crashes, most occurring at low speed in Turn 1, the U-turn where brake pads go to die. Indeed, several riders wiped out, jumped back in and still got good results. Brandon Diffenderfer (Unattached) crashed in the first 5’s race but still won by such a margin that he was originally mistaken for a lapped rider. In Sunday’s women’s P/1/2/3, Jeannie Kuhajek took a spill in the U-turn but later sprinted to 4th, and in the pro criterium Ken Hanson (Team Type 1) bounced back from a crash to sprint to 2nd.

• » Saturday’s 3’s race both started and ended with crashes, and in between, wipeouts on the wet tarmac punctuated the entire race. Most were minor, but the sprint crash sent two XXX Racing-AthletiCo riders to the hospital; both checked out fine -- or as mentally fine as you can be to have dared a Cat 3 race in the rain.

• » Junior Waylon Janowiak (WDT-Allvoi) made a smart move in Saturday’s 3’s race, jumping from about 700 meters as a flier was caught and holding off the sprinters. Chicago Criterium winner Paul Wood (MOB Squad) was the first of those sprinters, followed by Team Pegasus heartthrob Henry Loud.

• » Wood also won the field sprint in Sunday’s 35+ 3/4 race. (Before my Indiana readers e-mail me again, yes, I am aware that Wood was given a mandatory upgrade to the 2’s. Officials have allowed him to ride out the 3’s races he pre-registered for.) Other consistent sprinters: Nate Iden (Burnham Racing), Keith McMahon (Van Wagner/Yojimbo’s) and Ricardo Otero (WDT-Allvoi) all hit the top 8 in both races.

• » Kristen Meshberg (Team BH USA) had a great weekend, sprinting to 4th in Saturday’s women’s P/1/2/3 and then improving that by one with a 3rd on Sunday. Pascale Petro (Project 5) has had a dynamite season, and she picked up her biggest win to date with Saturday’s 3/4 race.

• » Light rain made for a slippy, slidey Saturday afternoon, but Sunday brought perfect racing weather: Warm and sunny with low humidity and a slight breeze.

• » In Saturday’s pro road race, Phil Gaimon (Jelly Belly) got a gap of more than a minute all by himself, but wiped out in a wet corner. Chicago Personal Photographers was right there.

• » The criterium course changed slightly this year, taking a slight jog through the neighborhood and eliminating one of the U-turn, and riders approved of this revision. The other U-turn, however, remains unpopular for its frequent mishaps and repeated accelerations. The Tour of Elk Grove improves every year, and major sponsors Alexian Brothers and Gullo International have committed to three more years of the race -- might we hope for further course refinement in 2010?

Full results.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sunday reports
ABD: “Carter told Schroetlin ‘keep them within 100 yards and I can catch them.’”

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

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

Daily Herald: “‘This race is here to stay for a long time to come.’”

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

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

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

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

VeloNews: “‘The race was very, very fast and very crazy!’”

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

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

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

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

The Cuban Missile fired prematurely with 2007 winner Ivan Dominguez (Rock Racing) losing ground in the last 200 meters to finish 16th. Chris Horner (Astana) finished safely in 12th to move into 5th overall. (Officials scored a split in the finishing group, costing Zach Bell (BMC) and Ben Jacques-Mayne (Bissell) 5 seconds each and expensive spots in the overall.)

Featuring domestique work from Floyd Landis, Team OUCH was the day’s big winner, controlling the race well enough for Karl Menzies to maintain the overall and take home the $25,000 novelty check. Brent Brookwalter (BMC) scored enough sprint points in Sunday’s criterium to earn 2 seconds toward the overall and sneak past time trial winner Tom Zirbel (Bissell) for 2nd overall.

Sunday’s $5,000 women’s pro-am was a near-repeat of last week’s Chicago Criterium, with Joelle Numainville (Kenda) beating veteran Laura Van Gilder (Mellow Mushroom) in a bunch sprint after Kenda scooped up big-money prme after prime. Locals went 3-4 behind them, thanks to Kristen Meshberg (Team BH USA) and Jeannie Kuhajek (Team Mack).

In addition to top pros, the weekend drew some of the country’s best amateur teams, and ABD came out on top. With 10 laps to go in Sunday’s $12,000 1/2 race, an already heavily attrited peloton split in half. ABD’s Josh Carter and state champion Jeff Schroetlin made the forward group of about 25. At one to go, Schroetlin animated a breakaway of four that was eventually caught, but he saved enough gas to help set up Carter to take the win. Carter came around Heath Blackgrove (Hotel San Jose) at 200 meters and outkicked Frank Travieso (Champion Porsche), this just 24 hours after Travieso and Schroetlin had gone 1-2 out of a five-man break in Saturday’s elite race.

Full wrap-up to come.

Full results.

Jessi Prinner (ABD) placed 2nd Wednesday at the girls 17-18 national championship road race in Bend, Ore.

Prinner and two others went up the road early. In the final kilometers 24-time national champion Coryn Rivera (Proman Hit Squad) attacked and got clear, but Prinner was able to win the two-up sprint for 2nd.

It’s Prinner’s fourth podium trip in five years, having placed 3rd in 2007 and 2005 and 2nd in 2006. She and Rivera are both Moscow-bound for the junior world championships in two weeks.

Junior and elite national championships continue with time trials today and criteriums over the weekend.

Update: Prinner on Friday won the girls 17-18 time trial national championship, blazing through the 24-km course in 40:43, a remarkable 55 seconds ahead of Rivera.

The 41st International Cycling Classic, better known as Superweek, is in the books. The phrase I heard most over the past two weeks was “better than last year,” and indeed I believe it was. The races were closer to running on time, fewer had to be cut short and nothing turned into a fiasco. The best improvements were the additions of the Elgin and Lakefront road races. I will always miss the Tour of Alpine Valley, but these help make up for it.

Size and caliber of fields did seem to be down up and down the board, despite a good collection of international riders. Part of that could be because of 2008’s problems, but I chalk most of it to the economy and the high costs of travel and registration.

All that said, read this note if you earned any checks.

Finally, if you didn’t get enough of the ever mellifluous Eddie van Guyse, here are his daily audio recaps.

Local highlights from the final four days of racing:

• » Team Get a Grip Cycles didn’t contest many races, but it made the most of its entry fees. Ben LaForce won twice in the 3’s, and Chris Padfield picked up a win Thursday, going solo for most of a rainy 3’s race in Racine. I expect it won’t be long before his victory post-up, shown above, makes its way into the pro peloton.

• » Christian Zauner (Verdigris) won the 40+ 1/2/3 in Kenosha on Friday and Robert Kron (Team Mack) was consistently near the top, but they finished 3rd and 2nd in the overall to Wisconsin’s Chris Halverson (IS Corp), who has been having a tremendous summer. He swept the weekend races, and Brent Emery (Emerys.com/Team Life Cyclists) nipped Kron by one point.

• » Pascale Petro (Project 5) won the women’s 3/4’s race Racine but placing 5th the next three days -- Project 5, indeed -- wasn’t enough to get the top spot in the overall, and she finished 2nd by four points. Champaign’s Anona Whitley (Wild Card Cycling) finished in 4th.

• » Chicago-area riders took the final 4/5’s races behind Ben-Jamin Widoff (Team Powerbar) in Racine, Joel Friedman (Bicycle Heaven) in Kenosha and Humboldt Park and Rob Karlow (Verdigris) in Whitefish Bay, his third of the series. Karl Schult (Guiness) picked up two more 2nd’s, and in 5th he was our highest placement in the overall.

• » For more complete reports of the elite races, check out Lyne Lamoureux‘s excellent Podium Insight. And once again John Wilke did yeoman’s work over at Peloton Pix, working harder than any of us to shoot most of the races and provide entertaining reports.

Full Racine results. Full Kenosha results. Full Humboldt Park/Downer Avenue results. Full Whitefish Bay results.

Racine reports
Peter Beels (Leadout Racing; 3): “Throughout the rain many people got gapped and dropped in the corners and abandoned.”

Hub Racing (W-P/1/2/3): “There’s still work to do here to maintain these positions and possibly move up.”

Chris Padfield (Team Get a Grip Cycles; 3): “I took a quick glance back and no one wanted to come along and suffer with me, but that’s cool, less to worry about.”

Racine photos
John Rowland: P/1/2, W-P/1/2/3, 3
John Wilke

Kenosha reports
Hub Racing (W-P/1/2/3): “Racers down in general classification want those last couple of stage wins, and there was no patience in the peleton.”

Geoff Kuyler (Leadout Racing; 3): “I was worried about riders coming out of drafts but never saw anyone in my peripheral vision and took my second win of the week.”

Podium Insight: “As usual the last lap were chaotic and according to Hayden Godfrey (Subway-Avanti), ‘there were guys going all over the show as usual.’”

Steve Tilford (Tradewind Energy/Trek Stores; P/1/2): “Obviously, from the photo below, the race yesterday could have gone better.”

Kenosha photos
Extreme Photography
John Rowland: P/1/2, W-P/1/2/3, 3, W-3/4
John Wilke

Humboldt Park reports
Hub Racing (W-P/1/2/3): ”Josie Giddens tried to make the bridge for hub racing, and almost had her until the rain started down.”

Humboldt Park photos
Nikki Cyp
Extreme Photography
John Wilke

Downer Avenue reports
John Meyers (ABD; P/1/2): “Freaking Blue Angel jets buzzing us mid-race? Wow, that was sweet.”

Podium Insight: “The Kelly Benefit squad controlled the front as the lap cards were flipped with primes still being announced until the final big daddy of them all, the crowd prime of almost $1,200 with one lap to go.”

Downer Avenue photos
Extreme Photography
John Wilke

Whitefish Bay reports
Hub Racing (W-P/1/2/3): “When she came off, everyone in the field went for the attack, and the result was an extreme acceleration. No attack was going if everyone went.”

Julia LaFranchise (Team VRC; W-P/1/2/3): “Perhaps everyone was a little jittery because in the third corner of the VERY first lap, half the peloton went down.”

Podium Insight: “The duo along with two other teammates earlier in the series defended the lead from day one, a new feat for Superweek.”

Michael van Eerd (Team VRC; P/1/2): ”Eric Bennett got taken out by crashing against a little kid. Both are fine though.”

Whitefish Bay photos
Extreme Photography
John Wilke

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Full results.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Full wrap-up to come.

• » When Wednesday’s morning races started 30 minutes late after a delay in road closing, the 40+ 1/2/3 field registered its displeasure by briefly standing still on the whistle, disgusting the Superweek staff, not to mention the 4/5’s waiting to start behind them. The racing itself was more positive and dramatic: Wayne Simon (Verdigris) and Bryan Rheude (MS Racing) attacked after the second kicker and worked together to stay away over the last mile and a half. Simon dropped Rheude to take the win, but Rheude hung on for 2nd ahead of a charging sprint. With four days to go it’s a tight race for the overall, currently led by Robert Kron (Team Mack).

• » Sean Piper (Depaul) has had a breakout Superweek, making well-timed moves to get away and then well-timed attacks to close the deal. He won out of a late two-man break at Monday’s Whitnall Park Road Race and finished 2nd at Wednesday’s Lakefront Road Race (long course). Ben LaForce (Team Get a Grip Cycles) is also making the most of his Superweek races, winning again Tuesday out of a 7-man break at the Whitnall Park Criterium.

• » World championship-bound Greta Neimanas (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) motored away in the last kilometer of the Whitnall Park Criterium to win the women’s 3/4 race. The next day she held her own in the sprint, placing 4th. Pascale Petro also is enjoying a good week, placing in the top 10 in all three races and now sits in 2nd overall.

• » Lakewood’s Karl Schult (Guiness) won the masters 4/5’s race in Elgin and repeated the feat at the Whitnall Park Criterium, taking the 4/5’s ahead of Ernie Ciccolini (Van Wagner/Yojimbo’s) in 2nd.

• » Curtis Gunn (Fly V Australia), the rider who T-boned a children’s bike at Richton Park and wound up in Cook County Hospital with a punctured lung and broken rib, was racing again Monday in Whitnall Park.

• » The P/1/2 field has gotten extra firepower this week with a bigger squad of Kelly Benefit Strategies riders (above, Alex Candelario gets nipped by Juan Van Heerden (Team MTN) at the Whitnall Park Road Race) and a few Team OUCH riders. Rock Racing has lit up the racing the past two years and registered eight spots for this year’s series, but Superweek tells me the team left riders on the hook for their own transportation. Only Sergio Hernandez made the three-day drive to take part. Here is a letter national champion Rahsaan Bahati wrote to team owner Michael Ball on the matter.

Full Whitnall Park Road Race results. Full Whitnall Park Criterium/Cedarburg results. Full Lakefront Road Race (long course) results.

Whitnall Park Road Race reports
Geoff Kuyper (Leadout Racing; 3): “No one thought they had a chance as it all happened at low speeds, but no one chased and the gap grew.”

Lauren Liscinski (Team VRC; W-P/1/2/3): “I tried to keep the pace quick and on the last little hill before the finishing climb someone attacked left and it was all I could do to slot back in and not lose any more places.”

Whitnall Park Road Race photos
Nikki Cyp
John Wilke

Whitnall Park Criterium reports
Brian Batke (Carbon Racing; 40+ 1/2/3): “Eventually I got caught with about seven to go, then I just kept following the attacks.”

Hub Racing (W-P/1/2/3): “Following the last sprint, attacks began to fly.”

Geoff Kuyper (Leadout Racing; 3): “The last lap didn’t go as planned as no one in the field would work with us and I got stuck on the front for too long.”

Greta Neimanas (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; W-3/4): “I moved up the outside before the last corner and like Jens Voigt (Saxo Bank) rolled off the front. I just put my head down and went into pursuit mode.”

Cedarburg photos
John Wilke

Lakefront (long) reports
Chad Bishop (Harper’s Cycling; 3): “All of the sudden I hear all of the guys in the field start hooting and hollering.”

Mark Hotchkin (Leadout Racing; 3): “Going up the hill right after two laps to go, I got a gap on him, and decided to go alone.”

Brad Huff (Jelly Belly; P/1/2): “This course is by far one of the best I have ridden in the Superweek series although I am completely shelled. I need sleepy and no more pedaly.”

Journal Sentinel: ”Jonathan Cantwell (Fly V Australia), who won the Superweek crown in 2008, has used his veteran wiles to guide Bernie Sulzberger throughout the series.”

Team OUCH (P/1/2): “‘The race had a strange dynamic. A big group would get off the front and come back, then another would go. It was hard to figure out which would be the one that stuck.’”

James Pradun (GDVC; 3): “I knew this was my last chance.”

Lakefront (long) photos
John Wilke

Rock Racing has yet to make an appearance, but pros Karl Menzies (OUCH) and Mike Friedman (Garmin-Slipstream) both made big impressions on Sunday’s’s Evanston Grand Prix despite riding without teammates.

Early in the P/1/2 race Menzies created a break with Ronnie Strange (Hotel San Jose ) and James Stemper (Geargrinder). The three ran a disciplined rotation, conceding to Stemper the maximum sprint points, but after 48 laps out front they were caught and quickly replaced by a six-man group that included Friedman.

That group became five, then four and then with about five laps to go, just three, with Ryan Freund (ABD) losing the pace. Friedman put in one big dig to get away, but the other two matched him, and coming down Sherman Avenue it was South African Christoff Van Heerden (Team MTN) handily taking the sprint for his second win of Superweek.

Meanwhile, Freund, who just a year ago was finishing 2nd in the 4’s race here, put in a courageous effort to stay off in no-man’s land, but a $200 gamblers prime nailed his coffin shut for good, and he limped in at the back of the pack.

The BK Stacker continued to claim its share of flesh and treasure -- including some mayhem on the final lap of the 3’s race -- but although I missed most of the day, I’m told that overall there was less carnage than previous editions, and unlike last year, the P/1/2 race never had to be neutralized to tend to injured riders.

Having spent the past few days on vacation, my finger has been off the Superweek pulse. Nontheless, here are some highlights since the last wrap-up:

• » Riders are raving about Thursday’s return to the Milwaukee lakefront, and I’m looking forward to Wednesday’s long course there. Our top result comes from Ben La Force (Team Get a Grip Cycles), who bridged to an early break in the 3’s and saved enough to sprint for the win.

• » Thursday’s P/1/2 race in Shorewood, Wis., got to a late start because a small residential fire on the course. The race was shortened, meaning sprints for points every five laps, including one for a $1,664 crowd prime. “The announcers cranked up the sound system and really got the crowd rocking,” reports ace photographer John Wilke. “That fed the racers and they were hammering. The Euros were going nuts, attacking everybody. It was just crazy.”

• » Former local amateur Reid Mumford (Kelly Benefit Strategies) made an appearance at Friday’s Tour of Holy HIll along with teammate and Superweek veteran Alex Candelario.  Mumford made the final selection of four, but came in last in his group. (My kind of ride!) Meanwhile, Tim Yuska of the new Iron Cycles squad picked up 3rd in the 4/5’s.

• » Brewers Hill on Saturday’s Schlitz Park criterium course took a toll on most fields. Notable local survivors include Chris Padfield (Team Get a Grip Cycles) winning his chase group for 2nd in the 3’s and state champion Liam Donoghue (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) winning the 4/5’s.

• » Ben Jamin-Widoff (Team Powerbar) had a successful day in Evanston. First he came in 2nd to Rob Karlow (Verdigris) in the 4/5’s, and then he hung on for 5th after his three-man break -- which happened to include 2009 phenom Joel Friedman (Bicycle Heaven), brother of the Garmin-Slipstream rider -- was reeled in on the last lap of the 4’s race, won by Blue Island’s hero Ernie Ciccolini (Van Wagner/Yojimbo’s). WDT-Allvoi had a good day in the 3’s, staying out of trouble and going 3-4 with Ricardo Otero and Waylon Janowiak, who have been a potent twosome lately. No local winners in the masters races, but Streamwood sprinter John Coyle (Wolverine Sports Club) grabbed 3rd in both the 30+ and 40+, and Paul Swinand (Comcast) finished 2nd in the 40+, his second 2nd of of the week after doing the same at Elgin. Evanston gave women 3/4’s their first chance to race, and Pascale Petro (Project 5) was the top local, getting 4th.

Full Lakefront/Shorewood results. Full Tour of Holy HIll results. Full Schlitz Park results. Full Evanston results.

Lakefront (short) reports
Ben La Force (Team Get a Grip Cycles; 3): “The peloton got close at one point and after that effort the gap started growing again up to almost two minutes.”

Mike Shea (Spidermonkey Cycling; 4/5): “My diabetes has been great at every race. Today was the terrible exception.”

Jake Teitelbaum (Spidermonkey Cycling; 4/5): “There are only a few people willing to do anything. Everybody else wants to hang out and get pulled along through most of the race.”

Lakefront (short) photos
John Wilke

Shorewood reports
CyclingNews: “The primes and red jersey sprint points were hotly contested, and this kept the pace very high and strung out.”

Hub Racing (W-P/1/2/3): “A tour can be fickle and to win it you have to make it through every day. Safely.”

Julia LaFranchise (W-P/1/2/3): “I heard something behind me and the next thing I know I’m getting eaten alive by a very angry peloton that decided I’d spent enough time off the front. Bummer.”

Adam Mills (Mercy; P/1/2): “Fun, fast and rough like a good Superweek race should be.”

Dale Tye (Altarum Cycling; W-P/1/2/3): “My legs are smashed and I felt like I was pulling a truck and trailer unit behind me by the end of the race today.”

Kristin Wentworth (Kenda; W-P/1/2/3): “I was impressed with the aggressive racing after hearing that in prior days things were a little negative and slow. Money will do that to a field of poor racers!”

Shorewood photos
Greg Smith
John Wilke
Runaway Wind

Tour of Holy Hill reports
CyclingNews: “According to MTN this move was done ‘to entice racing in the main field, but no one responded.’”

Bryan McVey (Vision Quest; P/1/2): “They both beat me in the sprint but at least we didn’t get sucked up by the field.”

Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5): “I was really moving, and as I watched the gap close, I began to entertain glorious visions in my head as time slowed to a standstill.”

Avi Neurohr (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew; 4/5): “I don’t want to get stuck in a packlet of droppees, so I bury it and go from 40th to 30th. Over the top, again, I’m waiting for the blitz, but it’s pretty limp. Everyone’s dead.”

William Pankonin (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5): “I had been racing really smart, but when we hit the last hill before the run into the finish, my legs fell off.”

James Pradun (GDVC; 3): “Everyone decided to stop working, so on the last lap, I attacked twice.”

Tour of Holy Hill photos
John Wilke

Schlitz Park reports
Julia LaFranchise (Team VRC; W-P/1/2/3): “When a rider went up the road in the first lap I powered up the climb and joined her. Turns out this was the winning break!”

Hub Racing (W-P/1/2/3): “"With groups spread all over the 1-mile course, it was hard for the racers to tell what they were sprinting for at the finish.”

Chris Padfield (Team Get a Grip Cycles; 3): “It was a race for second at this point and i just kept my own pace until I caught the lone chaser, a tiny junior.”

Kristin Wentworth (Kenda; W-P/1/2/3): “The wet roads are pretty nasty and trying to draft often results in a face full of gritty water.”


Schlitz Park photos
John Rowland: P/1/2, W-P/1/2/3, 3
Greg Smith
John Wilke

Evanston reports
John Coyle (Wolverine Sports Club; 30+ 1/2/3, 40+ 1/2/3): “Some days you just seem to know exactly what to do.”

Hub Racing (W-P/1/2/3): ”Josie Giddens responded to the capture with a counter of her own. From two laps out she flew for the line, head down, through 5,000 spectators fueling her on.”

Geoff Kuyper (Leadout Racing; 3): “I flew into the last corner and jumped shortly afterward, about 300 meters from the line. Somehow no one was able to come around me and I was able to hang on for the win!”

Henry Loud (Team Pegasus; 3): “Had Peter not gone down, the sprint would have been stacked!”

Kristen Meshberg (Team BH USA; W-P/1/2/3): “It’s always fun racing when you have a huge crowd and tons of people cheering for you.”

Avi Neurohr (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew; 4, 4/5): “Sure enough, the last lap through turn five, all hell.”

Steve Ohlhaber (Dolce Vita; 4/5): “No one would pull through when you came off the front. Instead they would attack the chase group or surge up on both sides.”

Joe Schubert (Half Acre Cycling; 4): “I corner like the devil and prefer the inside line.”

Jeremiah Smith (Half Acre Cycling; 4/5): “s my group rounds the bend and heads into the finish line we have 5 laps to go, there seems to be some jostling for position and right behind me I hear a rider go down”

Evanston photos
Carolyn Golz
Luke Seemann
Tim Speciale
Ed White
John Wilke

Superweek packs up today and heads north to Wisconsin for the balance of the series, save for Sunday’s Evanston Grand Prix.

Some local highlights from the past three days of racing:

• » Between Ryan Freund‘s locomotive engine and Josh Carter‘s sprint, ABD has had a formidable 1-2 punch at its disposal, and they’ve been the top locals in the P/1/2 races. After several attacks lit up Tuesday’s race in Arlington Heights, Freund made the winning break of five, coming in 3rd. Carter meanwhile picked up two more top 10’s -- 9th at Richton Park on Monday, 6th in Bensenville on Wednesday -- and sits in 6th overall.

• » Tomasz Boba (WDT-Allvoi) has his own private podium, placing 1st, 2nd and 3rd on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, in the 30+ 1/2/3. Teammate James Londono has also had a successful week, winning the 30+ 4/5 in both Richton Park and Arlington Heights and securing a good lead in the overall.

• » Hogan Sills (Verizon Wireless) immediately picked up where he left off in Champaign, winning the 3’s race in Richton Park and placing 2nd in Arlington Heights. Sunday’s winner Joe Bippus (South Chicago Wheelmen) has been consistently in the top 10 and now leads the overall.

• » Marshaling and course management has been satisfactory thus far, but a young girl on a bicycle rolled onto the Richton Park course during the P/1/2 course. Curtis Gunn (Fly V Australia) was buried in an attack and struck her bike in a violent collision, and the race was suspended while he was taken away in an ambulance. CyclingNews reports that he punctured a lung and broke ribs. The girl was unharmed.

Full Richton Park results. Full Arlington Heights results. Full Bensenville results.

Richton Park reports
Eric Bennett (Team VRC; P/1/2): “With a very short lap, the pace was going to be high, and there was a strong chance that a breakaway could lap the field.”

CyclingNews: “The bunching up of riders through some of the tight turns, coupled with sketchy riding made for some hair-raising experiences for a number of riders.”

Stephen Butler (Wheelfast; 30+ 4/5): “Through squinted eyes and clenched teeth I eyeballed about 10 riders in front of me.”

Hub Racing (W-P/1/2/3): “With six total up the road, Colavita was split apart for the first time this week and could only put one rider into the top five.”

Julia LaFranchise (Team VRC; W-P/1/2/3): “There was a small gap on the field so I got to the front and did my best to make the break stick.”

Dale Tye (Altarum Cycling; W-P/1/2/3): “Normally things come back together after a sprint as the sprinters recover from their efforts, but this time they had a reasonable gap and they kept on going!”

Chris Uberti (Panther/RGF; P/1/2): “If you’re scared of bumping shoulders and chopping fields in a sprint, Superweek is not for you.”

Andrew Zens (Spidermonkey Cycling; 4/5): “One guy yelled, ‘You gotta hold your line, or you are gonna kill all of us,’ and he couldn’t have been more dead on: This guy was gonna hurt one of us unless we dropped him off the back quick!”

Arlington Heights reports
Stephen Butler (Wheelfast; 30+ 4/5): “We bunched-up riders at the back lost a lot of momentum in the turn and had to accelerate extra hard to maintain contact with the front riders.”

Rob Curtis (Bicycle Heaven; 4/5, 30+ 4/5): “I’m tired. I suck. I’m too fat for this sport.”

Debbie Dust (PACT/Dish Network; W-P/1/2/3): “Hammer up the bumpy gutter between turns 7 and 8, pick through the holes and sprint my guts out as soon as I saw daylight.”

Adam Mills (Mercy; P/1/2): “Just being able to finish a Superweek race is an accomplishment.”

Avi Neurohr (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew; 4/5, 30+4/5): “I had a fantastic Italian beef sandwich and lemon ice from Johnnie’s.”

James Pradun (GDVC; 3): “I couldn’t even sprint because everyone was blocking after bonking.”

Mike Shea (Spidermonkey Cycling; 4/5): “I felt the effort but I actually felt good! But I didn’t go to the front. Why? Because I’m a dunce.”

Dale Tye (Altarum Cycling; W-P/1/2/3): “There were many riders keen to breakaway so the race was very active.”

Arlington Heights photos
John Wilke

Bensenville reports
Hub Racing (W-P/1/2/3): “The peloton took some of its hardest shots at Colavita today and for the first time, the leaders could’t win the race, and the peloton made them work.”

Chris Koster (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5): “We stretched it out and had the room to go into the tricky Turn 4 fast with a nice safe line.”

Adam Mills (Mercy; P/1/2): “We started as all the races have started thus far. Too fast. Maybe I should warm up? Nah, what’s the fun there?”

William Pankonin (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5): “Spin, breathe, spin, breathe, turn, hammer.”

Tom Panton (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5): “It’s a huge sense of accomplishment when you help a teammate do well.”

Dale Tye (Altarum Cycling; W-P/1/2/3): “Everyone was just really tired and that made the whole race a bit of a non-event.”

I’m hearing nothing but positive reports from those who headed south for the debut Tour de Champaign. The only hitch appears to have been a thunderstorm in Saturday’s 4’s race, above, which briefly suspended that race and made crosswalk paint slick and dicey.

Unlike most of our local crits, the P/1/2 fields were much larger than the lower-category races, and some ace teams and riders came out to play, including Panther/RGF, Amgen/Giant Masters and Texas Roadhouse. Jeff Schroetlin (ABD) had a good weekend, coming in 3rd in Saturday’s P/1/2 and then winning Sunday.

It would be hard to top the weekend of young Hogan Sills of host Verizon Wireless. He got in small breaks in both 3’s races and won them both. (With a number of crashes in the 3’s, off the front was no doubt the best place to be.)

Host Wild Card Cycling also did well, sweeping Sunday’s 4’s podium and winning both women’s 3/4’s races. The weekend’s never-say-die award, however, goes to Liam Donoghue (XXX Racing-AthletiCo), who crashed twice in Saturday’s wet 4’s race, then went off solo after the lightning intermission and won handily.

The best result of all may be this from Mark Swartzendruber (Verizon Wireless): “This race is a definite GO for 2010.”

Full Saturday results.  Full Sunday results.

Saturday race reports
Newt Cole (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “Menacing pace and insane surges until the bell lap.”

Liam Donoghue (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “I wait a couple laps, attack into the wind, and, blood dripping down both legs, stay off for the rest of the race. Bingo.”

Joey Iuliano (Purdue; P/1/2): “Nothing special, but I didn’t get dropped nor did I psych myself out, both good signs.”

Ryan Knapp (Panther/RGF; P/1/2): “I had my back wheel locked up and was in full Tokyo drift to avoid the bike and bodies that were flying.”

James Pradun (GDVC; 3): “After a bunch of people crashed in front of me and behind me, I decided to call it quits.”

Chris Uberti (Panther/RGF; P/1/2): “My personal favorite: ‘You two shouldn’t have been going so slow in the sprint.’”

WICD: “‘Crashes happen. Wins happen, too.’”

Saturday photos
Liz Brunson
Nikki Cyp
Delay_ewm
Nick Mann
Pixel_nation
Brad Trankina

Sunday race reports
Newt Cole (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “The wheel in front of me pukes all over himself and sits up. I nearly rear end him. I have to sit and avoid, breaking my vibe. I re-engage turbos and in front of me and its like a trail of dead.”

Joey Iuliano (Purdue; P/1/2): “The Jelly Belly guys were laying down some hard moves but everybody in the field had the same idea: ‘Gee, these guys are pro. Probably should follow that.’”

James Pradun (GDVC; 3): “Caught behind two people who almost crashed out in the final sprint.”

Chris Uberti (Panther/RGF; P/1/2): “After we got down to five seconds they started riding away again, so I jumped away from my breakaway companion to try to go it alone.”

Sunday photos
Liz Brunson
Nikki Cyp
Delay_ewm

The Superweek buzz is thus far cautiously optimistic. One can’t yet set their watch by start times, but delays haven’t been outrageous, and most riders I’ve talked to are happier with the way things are going this year.

The most positive change has been the addition of the Elgin Cycling Classic course. It was much more technical than the road races we’re accustomed to, but it was a great stretch of residential road. The best part was that it was a closed-road course, which felt very pro, and the intersections were all well-marshaled. (I confess I flinched when I saw police cars at the intersections. I fully expected the klaxons to light up so we could be scolded for not riding single-file. Such is riding in the northwest suburbs.)

Pavement was excellent except for the final three turns, which caused some trouble in some races, including a violent crash at the end of the 4/5’s race. A hush fell as one rider walked through the crowd with what was once a bike but had become no more than a collection of parts, with tires peeled from crushed rims and chainring taco’d.

Highlights from the weekend’s racing:

• » After getting shut out of Friday’s action, local riders fared better in the Blue Island P/1/2 race. Ryan Freund (ABD) was in a break long enough to pick up some sprint points, and then sprinter Josh Carter (ABD) won the race with a bike throw.

• » Nobody I’ve talked to can remember a 3’s break lapping the field, but that’s what happened Saturday when seven riders made it all the way around. XXX Racing-AthletiCo and WDT-Allvoi each had two riders in the break, but once the field was lapped, XXX Racing-AthletiCo was able to tap its other teammates for leadouts, leading to Peter Strittmatter winning the sprint and the race and Jacques Cartier to come in 3rd. WDT-Allvoi settled for 2nd and 4th from Ricardo Otero and Waylon Janowiak, the same pair that made the break a week before in Wood Dale.

• » Ernie Ciccolini (Van Wagner/Yojimbo’s) has been campaigning for an upgrade all year. Surely he sealed the deal Saturday by winning both the 4/5’s and the 30+ 4/5’s. In the photo above he looks remarkably casual as the Cat 2 trackie sprints to win the latter.

• » La Grange Park’s Matt Silvia (King Keyser) has an impressive dirt pedigree, but we’ve not seen much of him on the road. His Superweek has been notable, having placed 4th and 2nd in the 4/5’s and 30+ 4/5’s at Blue Island, and then 6th in Elgin.

• » Elgin’s P/1/2 finish had an international flair, with only one American in the top 8. The rest hailed from South Africa, Australia, Holland and Taiwan. Saturday’s winner Carter finished 9th and starts the week in 7th overall.

• » Colavita/Sutter Home is thus far having its way with the women’s P/1/2/3 series. None of its three riders have finished outside the top five, and Nicky Wansgard sits atop the overall. Local rider Jeannie Kuhajek (Team Mack) is holding her own, picking up some sprint points at Blue Island and coming in 8th at Elgin.

• » Burnham Racing and XXX Racing-Athletico made up about a third of the 3’s field Sunday, so once an acceptable five-man break came together as the 3’s passed the women’s peloton, it came together for good, building up a two-minute gap. It was Joe Bippus (South Chicago Wheelmen) who got the biggest benefit, however, launching an early sprint to drop what was left of the break, ahead of state criterium champion Jeff Wat (Burnham Racing) in 2nd.

In other Superweek news, Andy Garrison tells me he expects Rock Racing to show up Wednesday with eight riders, and he expects Mike Friedman (Garmin-Slipstream) soon too. Former national criterium champion Brad Huff (Jelly Belly) also is joining us this week after racing the Tour de Champaign. Garrison also reports that official Dave Fowkes has designed some barrier improvements at Evanston to reduce the annual crash-fests in Turns 4 and 5.

Full Blue Island results. Full Elgin results.

Blue Island reports
Stephen Butler (Wheelfast; 30+ 4/5): “A rush of adrenaline took control over my tongue and I screamed, ‘Gosh darn it, Endure It!’”

Jacques Cartier (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “Someone in our break jumped to the pack.  That was when chaos took over.”

CyclingNews: “Carter got in to prime position with the help of teammate Ryan Freund and launched his jump coming out of the final corner.”

Elvis Falbo (Beverly Bike/Vee-Pak): “It was unintentional and totally not my style.”

Hub Racing (W-P/1/2/3): “The Hub train came apart around the final turn as the hard charging colavita bunch came to
the front.”

Chris Kinonen (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 1/2/3): “What’s the number one rule in a break? Don’t get dropped from it.  This is what I kept telling myself.”

Tim Yuska (Iron Cycles; 4/5): “A South Chicago Wheelmen rider was on point and did an awesome job setting a good tempo. Usually there are people swarming to the front and then hitting the brakes, not wanting to do any work once they get there.”

Andrew Zens (Spidermonkey Cycling; 4/5): “Boom, another crash in front of me in the last turn. I stayed up and then I attempted to sprint to the finish.”

zMotion Racing (P/1/2): “On the last lap Juan and Hector were perfectly placed for the sprint when on the second to last corner were cut off and forced them to scramble back towards the front of the peloton”

Blue Island photos
Kevin Curtis
John Wilke

Elgin reports
John Coyle (Wolverine Sports Club; 30+ 1/2/3): “It was a race that was pretty technically and strategically sound.”

Daily Herald: “‘I’m really a wuss, if you want to know the truth.’”

Jim Hamman (Tower Racing; 4/5): “I wanted to make certain to be first into the first dangerous turn first and set up Ed and Don for a sprint finish. It was perfectly scripted.”

Hub Racing (W-P/1/2/3): “Can Colavita sprint like this for two weeks or can Hub push them into eventual submission?”

Dave Jagee (Flatlandia; 4/5): “I decided it was all or nothing. Work my way through the crash, put my head down and start to hammer.”

Adam Mills (Mercy; P/1/2): “I cramped to the point of seeing striations in my quads, then decided to be a cheerleader for the remainder.”

William Pankonin (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5): “I lost my nerve as the swarm came and when I saw racers taking big risks all around me, and I gave up precious positions until I found myself in the middle of the pack.”

Francisco Torralba (Team Tati; 30+ 4/5): “I joined a small group of other laggards, which always makes the penitence easier. In those situations I like to fantasize that I am in a breakaway group, escaping from an imaginary pack barely two corners behind.”

John Wolters (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5): “I could hear the tires of another rider to my right so I put my head down and sprinted it out for 4th place.”

Tim Yuska (Iron Cycles; 4/5): “I had a bad feeling about that turn before the race, and now I know why. I ass- and elbow-skidded until running into the curb.”

Elgin photos
Mark Keller

With a fan’s large Australian flag flapping over the finish line, two Aussies hit the podium Firday at Superweek’s opener in Beverly.

Australian national criterium champion Bernie Sulzberger (Fly V Australia) won out of a 12-man break, followed by teammate and 2008 overall winner Jonathan Cantwell in 3rd. In 2nd was Chad Burdzilauskas (Kenda), shown above launching a bridge to an early move.

Attacks started on the first lap. Eventually a 13-man break formed and lapped the field less than halfway through the 62-mile criterium. After several primes and an intermediate sprint, a second break of 12 formed, including 10 from the original break, and it built about a minute on what was left of the field. Fly V Australia had three in this second break and used its numbers to its advantage.

Of the approximately 80 riders who started, no more than 35 finished. I could be wrong, but although Wisconsin riders Rob White (Geargrinder), James Stemper (Geargrinder) and Andy Crater made both breaks, I didn’t spot any Chicago riders among the finishers.

Rock Racing was not present, but other elite teams included Garmin-Slipstream, which sent two Dutch riders, Ricardo Van der Velde and Hans Dekkers, the latter of whom earned the red points jersey.

Full results.

Update: Elgin’s Douglas Street Bar and Grill will be hosting OpenSprints fixed-fork roller races Sunday. These races are fun, and could be a good way to spin the post-race pain out of your legs. The restraurant is at 231 Douglas Ave., close to the start/finish.

Race reports
Adam Mills (Mercy; P/1/2): “Superweek is a place where time has a different meaning, where the only time that matters is the race start time and when Noodles or Chipotle close”

Photos
Luke Seemann
John Wilke

Some highlights from the weekend:

• » We picked up one last medal from masters national championships thanks to Debbie Dust (PACT/Dish Network), who placed 3rd in the women’s 35-39 criterium Thursday at Churchill Downs in Lousiville, Ky.

• » Top results from Saturday’s UWW Road Race include Alex Rams (Colavita) and Romeo Oros (Team MS Racing) going 2-3 in the 4/5’s and David Jaggi (Flatlandia) 4th in the 30+ 4/5’s. Jannette Rho (Bouledogue Tout Noir) earned her latest podium with a 3rd in the women’s 4’s.

• » There were bad pileups in the lower categories at Sunday’s Wood Dale Criterium, ending at least one season, that of Mike Kelly (South Chicago Wheelmen).

• » WDT-Allvoi pushed two riders into the 3’s break at Wood Dale and managed to get both across the line first, with Ricardo Otero in 1st and Waylon Janowiak in 2nd. Otero then placed 3rd in the 40+.

• » Some Spidermonkeys went to the Tour of Lawrence in Kansas and reeled off some great results. Andrew Zens won Saturday’s 5’s criterium, Jake Teitelbaum won Sunday’s circuit race in the 4’s, and Brian Witry placed 3rd in both day’s 5’s races.

• » Some great track news to report: John Tomlinson (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) earned his first stars-and-stripes jersey Saturday by winning the 17-18 scratch race at junior track national championships in Carson, Calif. He attacked with 10 laps to go and held his gap to the finish. Chazz Martin (IS Corp) was also out there and picked up a pair of medals: 2nd in the 15-16 scratch and 3rd in the sprint. And Val Brostrom (Bouledogue Tout Noir) spent the week at the Alpenrose Velodrome in Portland, Ore., and she and her partner won FIAC’s national six-day championships.

Full UWW results. Full Wood Dale results.

UWW reports
Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; W-P/1/2/3): “My legs simply didn’t move fast enough. I couldn’t make them.”

Matt Nichols (Project 5; 4/5): “I had to do a little bushwhacking off-road on the right side to avoid the crash.”

William Pankonin (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5): “I was desperate for more gears coming down the little hump.”

Ted Ramos (Get a Grip Off Road; 4/5): “We’re riding over 35 mph and get to about 200 meters when everything falls apart horribly.”

Francisco Torralba (Tati; 4/5): “The last half lap, for me, was an encounter with the Spanish Inquisition.”

Kyle Wiberg (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “I collected a couple of cherry bombs.  On my elbow and knee that is.”

Wood Dale reports
Ron Cook (Project 5; 3): “I almost just sat up and waited for the field but thankfully common sense took over and made the effort to stay with the break.”

Debbie Dust (PACT/Dish Network; 50+): “You know the guys I’m talking about, the slackers, the ones who say, ‘I’m not fat, I’m a sprinter.’”

Greg Nash (Project 5; 4): “A couple guys went and I kicked it and was riding fast, third or fourth wheel.”

Andy Powell (Project 5; 3): “I started to let a gap go but still kept up the pace to prevent anyone from coming around too quickly.  That did it. “

I’ve yet to come across much negative reaction to last week’s Tour of America’s Dairyland -- gripes have been limited to the low fee-to-payout ratio -- so I’m still surprised so few Chicago riders headed up. Now that it’s an established event, I hope the series is even bigger and better in 2010.

We had a good showing at Saturday’s criterium on the famed Downer Avenue course. Adam Leibman (ABD) has been riding well and won the 4/5’s. Ricardo Otero (WDT-Allvoi) picked up his first 3’s win, followed by James Bird (IS Corps) in 2nd and Joe Bippus (South Chicago Wheelmen) in 6th. Henry Loud (Team Pegasus) didn’t climb the 3’s podium over the weekend, but still found nice profit, picking up a $100 prime Saturday and $75 on Sunday in Waukesha.

Devon Haskell (Team BH USA) spent the weekend locked in a tight battle for the overall, but Verducci Breakaway was aggressive in defending its jersey. In the series’ final race Sunday, two Verducci riders broke free, including overall leader Jessie MacLean. Haskell finished the series in 2nd, eight points down, with Jessi Prinner (ABD) in 6th.

Full results.

Downer Avenue reports
John Coyle (Wolverine Sports Club; 35+ 1/2/3): “Too long a sprint with a slight incline -- not the best sort of finish for me.”

James Pradun (GDVC; 3): “I spent the whole 50 minutes wishing I had pulled out the lap before.”

Kristin Wentworth (Team Kenda; W-P/1/2/3): “A buddy of mine shouted out to me that I had won! I was shocked and didn’t believe him.”

Downer Avenue photos
Extreme Photography
John Wilke

Waukesha reports
Team BH USA (W-P/1/2/3): “Hopefully the good word gets out about this series so that the numbers grow in years to come.”

Chad Hartley (Geargrinder; P/1/2): “I have had a few requests as to how my leg is doing.  Awesome.”

James Pradun (GDVC; 3): “Three crashes happened and all were because of retarded reasons.”

Kristin Wentworth (Team Kenda; W-P/1/2/3): “I was in good position and took an inside line on the last corner and charged toward the line.”

Waukesha photos
Extreme Photography

Some medals are coming home from yesterday’s masters national time trial championships: Debbie Dust (PACT-Dish Network), silver in the women’s 35-39; Wayne Simon (Verdigris), bronze in the 50-54; and Tom Doughty (Amgen/Giant), silver in the 55-59. Doughty also teamed with Jim Host (PACT-Dish Network) to win the 110+ tandem time trial.

Highlights from Sunday’s state criterium championships:

• » Jeff Schroetlin (ABD) defended his P/1/2 title in similar fashion to his 2008 championship. This time, however, he was able to win outright, coming around Indiana’s Erik Hamilton (NUVO Cultural Trail) on a windy afternoon in Peoria. The two had been off early on top of a move from Kyle Jacobson (IS Corps). In the photo above, the threesome hits Turn 5 as the peloton still makes its way down the homestretch. After dropping Jacobson, Hamilton and Schroetlin lapped the field, leading to some bell-lap confusion as riders saw the lap counter skip from three to one. Meanwhile, Scott Pearson (Comcast/Higher Gear) once again slipped away to finish in no-man’s land for 3rd while Josh Carter (ABD) won the sprint in what was left of a splintered field.

• » Burnham Racing employed some of the same late-flier tactics that secured a win in 2008 to win again, this time behind Jeff Wat while teammate Nate Iden swept in for 2nd.

• » XXX Racing-AthletiCo was aggressive in the lower categories, leading to a sprint win from Mike Seguin in the 30+ 4/5’s and a solo win from Liam Donoghue in the 4’s. Seguin was able to put an exclamation point on the latter by winning the field sprint for 2nd.

• » Team Mack was a triple champion, getting jerseys from Michael Ozment in the 60+, Gary Doering in the 50+ and Gina Champion in the women’s 4’s. Robert Kron (Team Mack) came up short in the masters 1/2/3, losing to Michael Zellman (Verizon Wireless) in a two-man sprint that settled the 40+ crown. Behind them, Mike Heagney (Vision Quest) edged out Chris Mosora (Verizon Wirelesss) to take the field sprint and 30+ title.

• » In addition to Schroetlin, ABD earned titles from Konrad Witt in the 10-14, Dani Witt in the junior girls and Marilyn Powell in the women’s 45+.

• » Host Proctor got titles from two of its women: Vanessa McKenzie in the women’s 3’s and Marsha Ray in the women’s 55+.

• » Our sport’s troubles with women’s retention was highlighted by the complete absence of women to contest the P/1/2 championship. The Tour of America’s Dairyland drew our top talent instead and was a reasonable alibi, but it’s still discouraging.

Full results.

Reports
Julian Baumgartner (Burnham Racing; 3): “Frustrations rose and language went south as riders on the rivet cursed others for not helping them win.”

Liam Donoghue (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “You wanted to know what happens when you set a goal, bust your ass, and stick to your plan?”

Steve Driscoll (Team Mack; 30+ 1/2/3, 3): “Both fast and furious, as usual, although really windy.”

Colm Flannery (Proctor; 30+ 4/5): “For shame, ladies!”

Chris Koster (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “I knew that I was not strong enough to hold it till the end, so I was just hoping that when I got reeled back in another xXx’er would take a turn.”

Seth Meyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; P/1/2): “Tactics became really simple at that point: Every man for himself, just ride like hell.”

Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5, 4): “The train of riders who went wide to the left were all caught with their bib shorts around their ankles as Mike motored from the corner to the line through 250 meters of open air.”

Peoria Star: “‘I let him do most of the pulling the last two laps, and I was pretty fresh.’”

Leah Sanda (Flatlandia; W-35+, W-4): “Despite being a small field it was a lively race with lots of attacks.”

Mike Seguin (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5, 4): “As I accelerate up the small rise to get back to the pack of swarming sprinters, there is a calmness that settles over me.”

Mike Shea (Spidermonkey Cycling; 4): “No one willing to do much work. A perfect time to separate from the field.”

Tim Speciale (Bicycle Heaven; 5): “With my bike violently shaking back and forth, I heard nothing and saw only the bikes in front of me and the white strip on the road 100 meters away.”

Mark Swartzendruber (Verizon Wireless; 30+ 1/2/3, P/1/2): “The race was very cut throat in nature. So it goes.”

Jeff Wat (Burnham Racing; 3): “I tried to refrain from letting on how badly I wanted to win so as to lessen the pressure on myself.”

John Wolters (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5, 4): “Liam and Mike were talking about keeping it fast, and that they did.”

Photos
Nikki Cyp: 5, 3, P/1/2, 30+ 4/5, 30+ 1/2/3, 50+, W-P/1/2/3, W-4, W-35+
Liam Donoghue
Mark Keller
Seth Meyer (video)
Matt Smith: 4, 3, P/1/2, W-4

The Chicago area picked up one national championship at this week’s masters road races in Louisville, Ky., thanks to Naperville’s Tom Weil (ABD), who in the 65-69 group was first up the final kilometer-long climb.

Defending champion Wayne Simon (Verdigris) found himself a marked man in the 50-54 field as it navigated a fast, twisting and hilly course. He had to settle for 3rd in the field sprint, 6th overall. Meanwhile, Aurora’s Tom Doughty (Amgen/Giant) placed 3rd in the 55-59, joined on the podium by Bloomington’s Stan Watkins (Vision Quest) in 5th.

Other quality showings from Chicago include Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo), 13th in the women’s 40-44; Stathy Touloumis (Alberto’s) and Jacques Cartier (XXX Racing-AthletiCo), 14th and 22nd in the 35-39; and Randy Warren (XXX Racing-AthletiCo), 16th in the 45-49.

Masters national championships continue this week with time trials and criteriums.

Wisconsin turned on the heat this week with heat indices well above 100 at the Tour of America’s Dairyland. The conditions may have taken more of a toll at Tuesday’s Fond du Lac Road Race than the notorious climbs of the Blue Mounds course.

Keeping her cool, however, was Chicago’s Devon Haskell (Team BH USA), who won out of small breaks at both Fond du Lac and at Friday’s Greenbush Road Race. She’s just a few points out of the top overall spot. Meanwhile, Jessi Prinner (ABD) sits in 5th, and Jeannie Zuhajek (Team Mack) has several top 10’s to her name.

Full results.

Fond du Lac Road Race reports
Devon Haskell (Team BH USA; W-P/1/2/3): “I think we were all a little intimidated by the sizzling sun.”

James Pradun (GDVC; 3): “Today was the second hardest day of my life.”

Kristin Wentworth (Team Kenda; W-P/1/2/3): “The last two laps I felt like my head was in the clouds.”

Fond du Lac Road Race photos
Extreme Photography
John Wilke

Fond du Lac Criterium reports
James Pradun (GDVC; 3): “It doesn’t help that I’m now battling some saddle sores.”

Fond du Lac Criterium photos
Extreme Photography

Sheboygan reports
Avi Neurohr (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew; 4/5, 30+ 4/5): “Some ‘sconnie ladies were screaming ‘Cuttin’ Crew’ and the announcer mangled my name 17 different ways.”

James Pradun (GDVC; 3): “Coming into the final turn, miraculously no one crashed.”

Sheboygan photos
Extreme Photography
John Wilke

Greenbush reports
Seth Meyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; P/1/2): “I promised myself to do nothing stupid or crazy aggressive.”

James Pradun (GDVC; 3): “We slaughtered the field in the process.”

Greenbush photos
Extreme Photography
John Wilke

Some highlights from this weekend’s racing, including the memorable Fox River Grove climb (above):

• » Sometimes it’s hard to be an impartial observer. I cannot help but lead with the performance of XXX Racing-AthletiCo, which swept nearly every men’s elite category between the two Illinois Cup Races. At Cobb Park it was Tom Briney in the 4’s, Curtis Eldridge in the 30+ 4/5 and Peter Strittmatter in the 3’s. Briney and Eldridge won in bunch sprints, while Strittmatter won out of a late two-man break with Jason Knauff (Burnham Racing). At Fox River Grove, wins came from Briney again in the 4/5’s, David Moyer in the 3’s and Ed Amstutz in the P/1/2’s.

• » Speaking of clean sweeps, New Zealand import Jeannie Kuhajek (Team Mack) won all four of her races this weekend, taking the women’s open and masters races at both Cobb Park and Fox River Grove.

• » Three members of regional powerhouse Texas Roadhouse stopped by Cobb Park and put a veritable beatdown on the locals in the P/1/2 race, sweeping the podium behind Kevin Attkisson (2008 masters criterium national champion), John Grant and John Puffer.

• » Tomasz Boba (WDT-Allvoi) raced well. At Cobb Park he finished 5th in the P/1/2’s (2nd, non-Texas Roadhouse division). At Fox River Grove he outsprinted Amstutz to win the masters 1/2/3, then traded positions for a 2nd in the P/1/2.

• » Post-up of the weekend goes to Doug Braun (Tower Racing), who with two to go in Fox River Grove’s 30+ 4/5 made a three-man selection, then with one to go unleashed an unanswerable attack that let him zip up and cross the line in style. This is a repeat victory for Braun: He won here the masters 4/5 in 2008, too.

• » Kudos to promoter Robert DiSilvestro and Fox River Grove for patching the road at crest of the hill. The surface was smooth as butter, a significant imporovement over just a week earlier. This race gets bigger and better every year, and even many people who DNF’d have vowed to return in 2010.

Full Cobb Park results. Full Fox River Grove results.

Cobb Park reports
Newt Cole (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “I slide up to Kyle’s wheel and tell him, ‘I’m on, brother. Let’s do this.’”

Jared Rogers (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4, 30+ 4/5): “From that point on I tell myself that I’m not giving up any more wheels.”

Luke Seemann (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “It was early, but if a group was out of sight, anything could happen. Better do something about it.”

Mike Shea (Spidermonkey Cycling; 4, 30+ 4/5): “In the final 20 meters, Davy Jones (Team Get a Grip Cycles) and I bumped shoulders and I badly threw the bike somewhere near the line. It was an exciting finish.”

Cobb Park photos
Carolyn Golz
Mark Keller
Video: Rob Ragfield

Fox River Grove reports
Doug Braun (Tower Racing; 30+ 4/5): “Over the top and down the hill at 35 into the corners, I take a quick look behind and no one is in sight.”

Newt Cole (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “For me, this is the race. I did my job and will not be denied two days in a row.”

Seth Meyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; P/1/2): “DFL > DNF > DNS.”

Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5, 30+ 4/5): “Two shifts and out of my saddle, I passed out of mere tunnel vision and into Dr. Dave Bowman hallucination-worm hole territory. “

Dave Moyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “I got a gap and motored down the final flatish portion of the descent.”

Tom Panton (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5): “I don’t think I ever suffered so much in only 20 minutes.”

Rob Roop (North Branch; 4/5, 30+ 4/5): “In this race if you weren’t going forward you were going backwards, and I didn’t find anyone to work with.”

Tim Speciale (Bicycle Heaven; 4/5): “He hammered it up the hill, the pack followed and I had no choice.”

Michael Young (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5, 30+ 4/5): “Wow.  That hill is making my legs burn.  This is great.”

Fox River Grove photos
Nikki Cyp
Carolyn Golz
Mark Keller

I haven’t seen any of the action firsthand, but perusing the results, it appears that in both size and caliber, the fields at the Tour of Dairyland are down half a notch from what we typically find at rival summer series Superweek. I’m surprised at how few Illinois riders are heading north, and outside of the elite races, there are hardly any national or international riders. That’s too bad: All reports are that the races have been run very well, and turnout hasn’t stopped the racing from being fast -- and at times downright furious.

• » Blue Mounds lived up to its billing as a ridiculously hard, hilly course with a long, steep final stretch. Of the 88 P/1/2’s who started, only 26 finished. In 12th place, Will Nowak (Alderfer Bergen) was the top Chicago-area rider. Other fields saw similar attrition and detonation. Devon Haskell (Team BH USA) had a great day, making the break and getting 2nd in the women’s P/1/2/3. A large group of 3’s hit the final climb, and Jacques Cartier (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) outclimbed all but one to get 2nd.  Jake Teitelbaum (Spidermonkey Cycling) also hit the podium, getting 3rd in the 4/5’s.

• » WDT-Allvoi hasn’t gotten a win yet but has done very well in the 3’s. Waylon Janowiak placed 5th at Blue Mounds and got 2nd at the Giro d’Grafton. Then on Sunday, Ricardo Otero and Chris Gola went 2-3 in Manitowoc.

• » It was a good weekend for the juniors: Chazz Martin (IS Corps) won the 4/5’s races at both Grafton and Manitowoc, and Jessi Prinner (ABD) finished 4th in Manitowoc.

• » Haskell wore the women’s leader’s jersey Sunday, but she got pipped in the field sprint to lose it for the time being. She ends the weekend tied in first overall, sandwiched between two Verducci/Breakaway riders. Prinner sits in 4th, while Janowiak holds 3rd in the 3’s.

• » Veteran Steve Tilford (Tradewind Energy/Trek Stores) documents a contentious sprint and subsequent exchange of words between himself and Frank Pipp (Bissell) at Saturday’s Giro d’Grafton. The two of them went 2-3 Sunday and are now a tight 1-2 at the top of the men’s overall.

Monday is a rest day. Racing continues Tuesday with the Fond du Lac Road Race.

Full results.

Blue Mounds race reports
Jacques Cartier (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “I tried to ride within myself and give a couple more efforts but it was a no-go to win.”

Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; W-P/1/2/3): “I gutted it out to the last climb, swallowed my last gel, and then tried to remember to make circles instead of squares.”

Avi Neurohr (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew; 4/5): “We hit the hill and hell begins in earnest.”

Andy Powell (Project 5; 3): “For some reason, on that last climb of the lap, I had a horrible time turning over the pedals.”

James Pradun (GDVC; 3): “Pinnacle was a huge attack that split the 21 guys in half again.”

Jake Teitelbaum (Spidermonkey Cycling; 4/5): “The rest of the race is fear of being caught by the guy behind me and hope of catching the two guys in front of me.”

Steve Tilford (Tradewind Energy/Trek Stores; P/1/2): “The remainder of the finishers came in one at a time. Pretty epic. Pretty much a death march.”

Blue Mounds photos
Extreme Photography
John Wilke

Waterloo reports
James Pradun (GDVC; 3): “Two riders came in flying on my left side with clearly not enough room, as the road quickly narrowed.”

Waterloo photos
Extreme Photography
John Wilke

Giro d’Grafton reports
Derek Laan (Panther/RGF; P/1/2): “It is definitely a tougher field up here than we would have faced at Tour of Ohio.”

Chris Padfield (Team Get a Grip Cycles; 3): “About a half hour into the race I started to unravel due to the heat.”

James Pradun (GDVC; 3): “I’m just being a pansy and not suffering.”

Steve Tilford (Tradewind Energy/Trek Stores; P/1/2): “he was slamming me and everyone else into the far left curb.  He was nearly T-boning me, trying to squeeze into a hole that wasn’t there.”

Giro d’Grafton photos
Extreme Photography
John Wilke

Manitowoc reports
Derek Laan (Panger/RGF; P/1/2): “We were all really stoked to finally produce a few top 10 results and score a little bit of money.”

Steve Tilford (Tradewind Energy/Trek Stores; P/1/2): “Leaving the podium for the last time, I slipped on the aluminum steps and twisted my knee and scuffed up my shin. Bike racing is a dangerous sport.”

Manitowoc photos
John Wilke

Early reports from Wednesday’s debut of the Soldier Field Cycling Series are very positive. Riders loved the high production values -- Pepsi Max podium gals! -- and say the course was better than what one would expect in a parking lot, although I’m told a narrow turn caused some problems for the crowded, sold-out 4/5’s field.

Women’s fields were tiny and the P/1/2/3’s race wasn’t enormous either, but I expect many people sat this one out to see how the first night played out. Here’s hoping for larger fields come the next round on July 1, and 4/5’s would be wise to pre-register to guarantee their spot.

Full results.

Race reports
Erik Didriksen (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5): “It was sketchy at times, but no more so than most 75-rider 4/5 criteriums.”

Seth Meyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; P/1/2/3): “Suddenly my man Jason Knauff (Burnham Racing) and I were reeling in this break that had been off the front for most of the hour.”

Martin Michalowicz (MS Racing; 4/5): “With three laps to go, I grabbed Dan’s wheel and started an MS train into the final lap.”

Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5): “Out of saddle to the line, with what feels like a bag of cinderblocks on my back, I throw just before I get pipped out of the top three.”

Spidermonkey Cycling (4/5): “I was able to gain position on the beck stretch but then lost it in the last two turns before the finish.”

Photos
Kevin Keeley
Soldier Field Cycling

Once the rain stopped, Saturday turned out to be a nice day for racing.

In the morning’s cold drizzle, however, the suck factor was high and flat tires rampant at Chicago’s Sherman Park Criterium. Get a Grip Cycles provided neutral support and turned wheels around as fast as they came in. So fast, in fact, that one rider who flatted twice was surprised to receive his original wheel on his second trip to the pit.

Despite the weather, racing was crash-free for the most part, save for a nasty pileup late in the 4’s. I don’t think the weather caused it, but poor visibility and bad traction certainly made it worse, with about a dozen riders sliding out. Casualties included one broken clavicle and one shattered frame.

Bicycle Heaven lit up the early races, winning both the morning 5’s and 4’s races behind Tim Speciale and Joel Friedman, respectively, both winning bunch sprints by large margins.

All day host XXX Racing-AthletiCo tried to use its large numbers to create breaks, but its three wins came from bunch sprints: Natalie Evans in the women’s 4’s, Michael Young in the second 5’s race, and Peter Strittmatter in the 3’s. At one point the team had four riders in a six-man selection in the masters 1/2/3’s, but in the sprint it was Adam Lesniakowski (PACT-Dish Network) and Marc Zionts (Alberto’s) repeating their 1-2 placing of 2008.

In the women’s open, Jessi Prinner (ABD) outsprinted Jeannie Kuhajek (Team Mack), the latter’s second 2nd place on the day.

A large field turned out for the P/1/2/3 race. Comcast/Higher Gear, XXX Racing-AthletiCo and others were active off the front for the first hour, but with 20 minutes to go, David Sachs (Vision Quest) and Greg Springborn (Proctor) quietly slipped away and held a 30-second lead to the finish, won by Sachs.

Full results.

Race reports
Rob Curtis (Bicycle Heaven; 4): “I couldn’t see crap. At times you were riding by feel. You could sense where the other riders were and just tried to maintain your position with respect to them.”

Elvis Falbo (Beverly Bike/Vee-Pak; 30+ 4/5): “I really dug deep, and when I passed the finish line I heard the announcer call my number and Beverly Bike. I was very pleased.”

Steve Dennis (Unattached; 4): [Picture worth a thousand words.]

Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; W-35+): “For a moment I quailed, but I wanted to give it everything I had, Jens-style. I told myself to just HTFU and keep pushing.”

Greg Heck (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “What happened next reconfirmed my thoughts on crits.”

Chris Kinonen (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 1/2/3): “It seemed like every time I looked around, our group consisted of different people”

Seth Meyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; P/1/2): “Maybe we shouldn’t have fired all of our bullets too soon, but we made a plan based on the previous years’ races, and we stuck to it.”

Will Nowak (Alderfer Bergen; P/1/2): “I was feeling good and confident that we could take a lap, especially once our gap reached a minute.”

Mike Shea (Spidermonkey Cycling; 4): “I kept spinning and jumped around him in the same gear and accelerated easily. I shifted once more for the long haul, then once more. I stood and tried to overtake the leader.”

Photos
Chicago Personal Photo
Mark Keller

Some highlights from the rest of the weekend:

• » ABD defended its ABR national championship by winning Sunday’s 1/2 criterium in Winfield, this time behind Saturday’s winner Josh Carter, who previously held the title in 2007. He, Chris Uberti (Panther/RFG) and Mike Sherer (Alderfer Bergen) formed a break early and built more than a minute lead.

• » A small women’s field came down to practically a match sprint between three riders, with Michigan’s Christy Keely (Team Kenda) beating locals Debbie Dust (PACT/Dish Network) and Jessi Prinner (ABD).

• » Waylon Janowiak (WDT-Allvoi) and Hogan Sills (Verizon Wireless) both showed their Saturday podiums were no flukes, coming in 3rd and 4th in the 3’s, but it was Indiana’s Eric Young (Morris Trucking) taking the top step.

• » Chicago once again invaded and pillaged the Wisconsin state road race championships. Check out Vision Quest laying waste to the 30+ race, sweeping the podium behind Alex Pavlov, Robbie Ventura and Mike Heagney.  We also got winners in Devon Haskell (Team BH USA), who outkicked an eight-woman 1/2/3 break; Wisconsin resident Caroline Haebig (WDT-Allvoi) in the women’s 4’s; and Luke Seemann (XXX Racing-AthletiCo), who escaped late in the 3’s. The out-of-state 4/5’s race came down to a bunch sprint, insofar as one can sprint on a 14 percent grade, and Jake Teitelbaum (Spidermonkey Cycling) conquered it with a huge gap.

Full Winfield results.  Full Spring Prairie results.

Winfield reports
Rob Curtis (Bicycle Heaven; 4): “If you aren’t moving up then you’re being passed. It’s that simple. It becomes a self-feeding frenzy where the pace picks up as a result.”

Debbie Dust (PACT/Dish Network; W-1/2/3): “My back wheel skipped me along to a very close first-loser finish. Boo. But that’s racing and it just comes with the territory.”

Ed Hernandez (North Branch Cycling; 3): “It was almost as if everyone had rockets strapped to their chainstays, but my rockets were installed backwards.”

Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3, 4): “I’m gaining, gaining, gaining, and finally throw hard for what I swear to God is 3rd.”

Chris Uberti (Panther/RGF; 1/2): “I just followed Mike Sherer‘s (Alderfer Bergen) attack to cover some stuff, and before I knew it Josh Carter (ABD), Mike and I were drilling it for an hour.”

Winfield photos
Andy Daley
Brian Morrissey
Jim Whitmer

Spring Prairie reports
Danny Beissinger (Cycle Smithy; 3): “By the 6th lap, I began an unfortunate spiral into dehydration.”

Team BH Racing (W-P/1/2/3): “We all started the last brutal slog up the climb. Devon was flying and was able to come around Kristen to take the WIN!”

Doug Braun (Tower Racing; Non-WI 4/5): “I drilled it as hard as I could all the way up. At the crest of the hill one guy passes me with a huge burst of speed and goes ahead. I look behind and the next guy is 20 yards back. I try to catch the guy but the tank is empty.”

Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; W-35+): “I wanted to get on the front and drill it, but everyone was trying to get up front and I got blocked in.”

Chris Padfield (Team Get a Grip Cycles; 3): “I thought of trying to take off as well, but didn’t foresee myself lasting until the finish if there were more than two laps to go.”

James Pradun (Great Dane Velo Club; 3): “Everyone in the field looked at each other like they had just heard a duck’s quack echo or something because there were a mass of confusing stares over who the hell was going to chase.”

Mike Shea (Spidermonkey Cycling; Non-WI 4/5): “It’s ironic that suffering up such hills is so glorious in retrospect.”

Adrian Silva (Half Acre Cycling; Non-WI 4/5): “With the desperate knowledge that if we didn’t close the gap our race would be over, I put my head down and got aero on the hoods.”

Katy Steudel (Team Pegasus; W-4): “I was tenaciously climbing my way to the top, picking my way through the women that seemed to be almost standing still.”

Jake Teitelbaum (Spidermonkey Cycling; Non-WI 4/5): “After a few quick spins, I had the diesel engine going and within five pedal strokes, I had passed all of the 10 or 12 people in front of me.”

Zach Thomas (Half Acre Cycling; Non-WI 4/5): “The pack, where I really wanted to be, was going up the road faster than I could muster.”

Kristen Wentworth (Team Kenda; W-P/1/2/3): “I shifted to the big ring over the top and tried to catch her wheel but she was too strong.”

Spring Prairie photos
Katy Steudel
John Wilke

The threat of rain proved empty, and with temps in the low 50s it was perfect March weather Saturday for the Winfield Twilight.

This course demands patience. Let the suckers attack early, for it’s usually the late attacks, after the hill has worn everyone down, that prove effective. This was the case in the 2/3’s, where Ryan Freund was a quiet presence until going off the front with five to go. He held off Waylon Janowiak (WDT-Allvoi) and Hogan Sills (Verizon Wireless) for the convincing win. (He was not, however, able to lap your correspondent, who’d been doing some investigative reporting off the back, so he’s still got that to work on.)

An hour later Freund, who won here as a 5 in 2008, was in the 1/2 race and not only surviving but playing an active role, going on the attack and reeling in primes. Plenty of dangerous moves formed late that included enough of the the major teams -- ABD, Geargrinder, Vision Quest and Panther/RGF among them -- to seem viable, but nothing lasted much more than a lap. It came down to a sprint, with Josh Carter (ABD) winning three bikelengths ahead of Chris Uberti (Panther/RGF) and a depleted field.

Carter has a knack for this course. He finished 2nd in 2007 and 2008 and won in 2006.

PACT/Dish Network had a good day, or at least a good hour, as the women and men’s 50+ raced concurrently. In the women’s race, a selection of four formed early, out of which Debbie Dust (PACT/Dish Network) got the jump on Kristen Meshberg (Team BH USA) for the win (above). Meanwhile, Mike Jones (PACT/Dish Network) went solo early and cruised to victory.

Earlier, Tim Speciale (Bicycle Heaven) won the 5’s and junior Chazz Martin (ISCorps) continued his good showings in the senior ranks by showing good patience and then sprinting to the 4’s win.

Full results.

Race reports
Rob Curtis (Bicycle Heaven; 4): “It was like everyone went the speed of a normal Chicago style crit but they put some sort of Wisconsin hill in there and we were too stupid to slow down on it like the cheeseheads do.”

Debbie Dust (PACT/Dish Network; W-open): “I kept looking under my arm, just waiting for her wheel to come by, but in the end I was able to cross the line first.”

Ben LaForce (Team Get a Grip Cycles; 2/3): “I think this course is what my body was built for: a crit, technical and with a repetitive annoying hill thrown in for good measure.”

Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “I should’ve been going faster, not to mention taken a more aggressive and shallower turn.  Right there my podium was gone. “

Joe Schubert (Half Acre Cycling; 4): “About two seconds after this pic was taken I puked up about 1 1/2 cups worth of mucus.”

Luke Seemann (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 2/3): “It’s not a good sign when your ‘attack’ is complimented as a ‘pull.’”

Chris Uberti (Panther/RGF; 1/2): “It was a great venue because people who were not cyclists cared about the race.”

Photos
Luke Seemann

Turnout was light this weekend, and I suspect several reasons. Relatively unknown races. Costs of travel and entry. Riders still pooped from Memorial Day. It’s too bad, because I’m hearing nothing but praise for the O’Fallon Grand Prix and the new Wonder Lake Lakeside Criterium: good courses, good organization. I hope we get another chance at them in 2010.

Some highlights:

• » Few of us race as week-in, week-out as the boys at Burnham Racing. This weekend two of them finally picked up what I believe are their first road wins: Julian Baumgartner wore down a break and soloed to a 3’s win in O’Fallon, and at Wonder Lake Jason Knauff took an early leave from the 3’s and crossed the line well ahead of a chasing pack (above).

• » WDT-Allvoi had a productive weekend, too. Nathan Moorehouse and Tomasz Boba went 1-2 in the P/1/2 race a Wonder Lake, and James Londono won the 5’s race. Meanwhile, Chris Gola was in Sussex, Wis., getting 2nd in the masters 3/4’s at the Sussex Criterium. The previous day, Boba won the masters 1/2/3’s and Caroline Haebig won the women’s 4’s at the Chiropractic Criterium in Brookfield, Wis., a course that featured a significant climb.

• » Other local results from downstate: Kyle Hilgendorf (Unattached) finished 2nd in the 5’s, and William Pankonin (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) made the 4’s break to finish 5th.

• » And from Wisconsin: Chris Padfield sprinted to a 2nd place in the 3’s Saturday. In Sussex, Dave Moyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) grabbed 3rd in the 3’s followed by Julio Jacobo (PYOC) in 4th, and Lagrange’s Cathy Frampton (Unattached) won the women’s 4’s.

Saturday results
Chiropractic Criterium
O’Fallon Grand Prix

Sunday results
Sussex Criterium
Wonder Lake

O’Fallon Grand Prix reports
Julian Baumgartner (Burnham Racing; 3): “I again called upon the magic mojo from my Zipp 404’s and bridged up to a still-solidifying break and went right to the front, put my head down and went to work.”

Colm Flannery (Proctor; 4/5): “I got in a race with 35 sprinters and 1 diesel.”

William Pankonin (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “No mercy, and we didn’t look back until we passed the field that started before us.”

Tony Rienks (Beverly Bike/Vee-Pak; 4): “Wave after wave of attacks were going on. Of course I caught all of them except for the one that stuck.”

Chiropractic Criterium reports
Danny Beissinger (Cycle Smithy; 3, P/1/2/3): “All of a sudden, I ain’ts got me no more matches.”

Chris Padfield (Team Get a Grip Cycles; 3): “They started to peel to the right with the stereotypical ‘No you do the work!’ move, which I recognized as my perfect opportunity to jump.”

Wonder Lake reports
Danny Beissinger (Cycle Smithy; 3): “I knew that Burnham and South Chicago would try to put someone into the break. I didn’t think it would happen on the second lap.”

Julian Baumgartner (Burnham Racing; 3): “Maybe he just had to blow his nose and wanted some space.”

Erik Didriksen (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “I pedaled HARD through turn one to distance myself from that lunacy.”

Kristen Meshberg (Team BH USA; W-P/1/2/3, P/1/2): “A couple times there were some hard accelerations where I blew up and thought, ‘OK, I’m dropped,’ but then I would look up and see the field slowing and think, ‘Oh $%*&, now I have to keep going.’”

Wonder Lake photos
Matt Smith

Sussex photos
John Wilke

Some highlights from this weekend’s ABD masters criteriums in Wood Dale:

• » Verizon Wireless saved its best for last. In Monday’s 40+ 1/2/3, Mark Swartzendruber soloed away, enabling teammate Dave Stone to sprint for 2nd out of the first of many chase groups. As a light rain started ahead of the 30+ race, Swartzendruber was quickly in street clothes, meaning Michael Zellman was on his own. No matter: A group of three formed about halfway through, and Zellman wound up a long sprint from the final corner to win.

• » Break specialist Scott Pearson (Comcast/Higher Gear) picked up the overall in the 30+. Although he missed Monday’s break, his 2nd and 1st the previous days had pretty much secured the win by then.

• » David Hudson (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) raced six times over the weekend and never finished outside the top 10, winning the 30+ 5’s overall and placing 5th in the overall for 40+ 5’s. The top 40+ 4 was Bob Karlow (Verdigris), who won two of the three races.

• » There was minor scandal in that 40+ 4’s field when it turned out that one of the top finishers was a few years shy of 40. Upon discovery, ABD struck his results and adjusted the tables accordingly.

• » The 50+ was as competitive as expected, with the usual suspects near the top. Masters national champion Wayne Simon (Verdigris) didn’t get a win, but accrued enough omnium points to nip Tom Doughty (Amgen/Masters) in the overall. Teammate Christian Zauner picked up the 40+, giving Verdigris three overall victories.

Full Saturday results. Full Sunday results. Full Monday results. Full overall results.

Saturday race reports
Andy Daley (Burnham Racing; 30+ 1/2/3): “It was simply attack, break gets off, break gets chased down, someone counters, another break gets away, break gets chased down, etc.”

Debbie Dust (PACT/Dish Network; 50+): “Lots of them are very strong, smart racers -- some current and former national and state champions -- so it was definitely going to be hard. (Fine with me!)”

Ed Hernandez (North Branch; 30+ 1/2/3): “Forget EPO, I had me some DPO -- Druber Potential Optimization. I have come to play, fellas!”

Mark Swartzendruber (Verizon Wireless; 40+ 1/2/3, 30+ 1/2/3): “My faith has been fully restored in masters racing.”

Monday race reports
Debbie Dust (PACT/Dish Network; 50+): “My favorite quote of the day? Tom Doughty, making an observation as Fabio Orlandi attacks and opens a sizable gap, ’That’s not good...’”

Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; W-40+): “She tried to exploit my my weakness in the corners, but these corners were so gentle, and the roads so wide, that I didn’t have even a moment of panic.”

I love reading the annual reports from Snake Alley rookies. An invariable theme is: “I’ve never experienced so much pain. Can’t wait for next year!” Indeed, no less than Steve Tilford (Tradewind Energy/Trek Stores) called this year’s edition an “epic rain criterium.”

And combined with the Burlington Road Race, Sunday’s Melon City Criterium and Monday’s Quad Cities Criterium, it’s an epic weekend. Some highlights from Chicago riders:

• » We’re seeing some great racing this year from Jim Flora (South Chicago Wheelmen). In Friday’s Burlington Road Race he placed 4th in the P/1/2 bunch sprint after a break was caught in the final miles.

• » Chicago laid waste to the Snake Alley 5’s race, placing seven into the top 10: Andrew Haala (Team Beer’d) in 3rd (celebrating above); from Spidermonkey Cycling, Dan Pollard in 4th and Bryan Witry in 10th; and from XXX Racing-AthletiCo, Chris Koster in 5th, Ryan Fay in 6th, Michael Young in 8th 7th and Matt Dawley in 9th. (Koster and teammate John Wolters also placed 3-4 in Friday’s Wapello-Burlington Road Race.)

• » Jacques Cartier (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) had elite company on the podium in the 30+, placing 3rd behind Snake Alley experts Cam Kirkpatrick (Rasmussen Bike Shop) and Dewey Dickey (Mercy/Specialized).

• » Rain made for slick bricks in the 3’s and P/1/2’s races. Chicago’s top finisher in the 3’s was Al Urbanski (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew), who overcame a disadvantageous starting position to place 12th. In the $10,000 P/1/2’s, Adam Bergman (Texas Roadhouse) closed the door early, leading to lots of early pulls, and I don’t see any local names in the results until Ryan Freund (ABD) in 28th and Bryan McVey (Vision Quest) in 30th.

• » As usual, the Chicago Cuttin’ Crew brought the party with it. Start around 4:45 and 6:15 in John Wilke’s video if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like for an entire hillside to chant “Avi! Avi!” like something out of “Rudy.”

• » Melon City saw good results from Leah Sanda (Flatlandia) and Jannette Rho (Bouledogue Tout Noir), 3-4 in the women’s 4’s. In the 3’s, Team Get a Grip Cycles’ Aspen Gorry and David Reyes went 2-4. And Brandon Feehery (South Chicago Wheelmen) picked up 4th in what looks to have been a very competitive 15-18 field.

• » As expected, Kristen Meshberg and Devon Haskell are quickly making a name for Team BH USA. Haskell finished 3rd in in the women’s P/1/2/3 at Snake Alley, behind two pros, and at Quad Cities Meshberg made the break and finished 2nd. (And this weekend they finally donned their new kits!)

• » Also finishing 2nd in a break at Quad Cities was Peter Strittmatter (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) in the 3’s, who explains in this video interview that escaping was just his way to take the corners more safely.  Juniors James Bird (ISCorps) and Wayon Janowiak did well in a wet field sprint to pick up 5th and 6th.

• » Winning races at Quad Cities were Chazz Martin (ISCorps), winning out of a late break in the 4’s, and, thanks to a nice leadout from teammate Brian Morrissey, Mike Seguin (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) in the masters 4/5’s.

• » Chicago’s 5’s again did well at Quad Cities, including Koster, Fay and Wolters going 2-4-6 and Scott Knoepke (Elmhurst Masters) in 3rd.

• » With $5,000 on the P/1/2 line and a stacked field taking its 8 corners, Quad Cities earns its reputation as a cage match. Our top finisher was Sean Metz (Team Apache) in 13th.

Full Burlington Road Race and Snake Alley results. Full Melon City results. Full Quad Cities results.

Snake Alley race reports
Team BH USA (W-P/1/2): “Several of us have a love-hate relationship with ‘the snake’ but we were all determined to finish it!”

Chad Bishop (Harper’s Cycling & Fitness; 3): “Each time up the snake was a new challenge as riders were still dumping their bikes from time to time, mainly due to the loss of traction.”

Carson Christen (HBA; 3): “With two laps to go, we were catching Sam and so I punched it up the Snake and caught him by the top.”

Matt Dawley (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5): “I think I climbed OK, but I can’t say the same for my descending and cornering.”

Liam Donoghue (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “I really like shooting to the inside or sweeping to the outside and passing people when they hit their brakes, so that worked out in my favor.”

Ryan Fay (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5): “The race was pure hell.  It was anguish.  It was punishing.  It was the most difficult thing I have ever physically done.  Yet I can’t wait to do it again.”

Carlos Flanders (Unattached; 4): “Nothing can prepare you for the shock to the system that is the opening two laps of this race.”

Andrew Haala (Team Beer’d; 5): “Lap after lap I reach the top of Snake Alley out of fear, lungs on fire, legs refusing to move, overheating from the bright sun, trying to stay focused enough to catch the slips and jumps of my wheels on the descent.”

The Hawkeye: “When the riders who came with him did not want to work, he dropped them going up Snake Alley.”

Bryan McVey (Vision Quest; P/1/2): “I will look forward to doing this race again in dry conditions, or when I learn to have no fear in the descending in the rain, whichever comes first.”

Seth Meyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; P/1/2): “Gods were mean to us.”

Mike Morell (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew; 4): “As I rounded the bend I could hear the roar of my teammates as they realized I’d made my way to the front of the race.”

Avi Neurohr (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew; 4, 30+): “Best day of racing ever. Teams are good for a lot of things, but when they are inciting a near riot on your behalf… Well, you just don’t get that anywhere.”

Dan Pollard (Spidermonkey Cycling; 5): “By the fifth lap, I was standing on th epedals the whole way up, my legs experiencing an entirely new kind of burning.”

Steve Tilford (Tradewind Energy/Trek Stores; P/1/2): “I started fast and was gone immediately. At the bottom of the descent I couldn’t see anyone behind me. “

Snake Alley photos
Adam Herndon
Iowa Pix
Brian Morrissey
John Wilke, plus video

Melon City reports
Team BH USA (W-P/1/2): “HOT HOT HOT at Weed Park.”

Ryan Fay (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5): “I did my best to remember to ride smart and find a wheel whenever one was available.”

Bryan McVey (Vision Quest; P/1/2): “The hill each lap took enough out of people to make it a tough race, but not enough to allow a break to stay away.”

Seth Meyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; P/1/2): “Started getting mini-dropped about thirty laps in, chasing back on on the back side, but got definitively unlatched and pulled over the next five laps.”

Steve Tilford (Tradewind Energy/Trek STores; P/1/2): “The race seemed kind of destined to be a field sprint from the gun. Too many pretty fit guys.”

Quad Cities reports
Team BH USA (W-P/1/2): “Devon attacked with five to go and with Madeleine and Anne covering any attacks drove it home for 7th.”

Matt Dawley (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5): ”Mike Seguin was apparently yelling at me from the sidelines to smarten up and ease up, but I think my oxygen-deprived brain heard ‘Go, go, go!’”

Elvis Falbo (Beverly Bike/Vee-Pak; 30+ 4/5): “With one lap to go attacks were everywhere. I made sure I kept close to all the action.”

Ryan Fay (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5): “Teamwork was the name of the game today.”

Tom MacNeill-Zimmerman (Half Acre Cycling; 30+ 4/5): “My core and balance training kept me on the bike.”

Bryan McVey (Vision Quest; P/1/2): “I kept reading how this race was being described as a cage match, and I didn’t quite get it until I arrived at the course to see much of it enclosed by chicken-wire fencing.”

Seth Meyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; P/1/2): “I’m going to credit my gypsy skillet for breakfast for making this performance happen.”

Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-Athletico; 30+ 4/5, 4): “All the frustration and anger and bitterness came rushing out of me in two huge barbaric yawps that echoed off the river town’s brick downtown buildings.”

Quad Cities Times: “Team Texas Roadhouse used overwhelming numbers and constant attacks to secure the victory.”

Quad Cities photos
Brian Morrissey
Ken Urban

Chicago riders did extremely well at all the races this long weekend, from Wood Dale to the Quad Cities. It’s going to take a bit to take it all in.

Our first wrap-up, however, comes from Duluth, Minn., where a handful of Chicagoans headed for the four-day Duluth Classic Stage Race. In the 3/4’s, Chris Padfield (Team Get a Grip Cycles), pictured above, and Brian Hill (Team Get a Grip Off Road) got to a great start with a 1-2 finish in Friday’s 16.2-mile time trial. Time bonuses over the next two days of road racing reduced Padfield’s grip on 1st to a precious 1 second -- and Hill would lose 30 seconds to a centerline violation, falling to 5th -- but thanks to sacrifices from Hill and teammate Ben LaForce, Padfield made the lead stick through Monday’s criterium to take the overall general classification.

Meanwhile, junior Chris Wiatr (WDT-Allvoi) placed 8th in the 4/5’s time trial, then, racing solo, picked up 5th and 2nd in the road races, moving up to 3rd overall.

Full Duluth Classic results.

Race reports
Ben LaForce (Team Get a Grip Cycles; 3/4): “I jumped on Brones’ wheel as he broke and followed him around for a lap. Immediately Brian then went to the front of the pack and gave it everything to close the gap.”

Clipped pedals. Wind. Road debris. Squirrelly riders. Overcooked corners. Wrong turns. Panic.

All have been cited as reasons for crashes at Saturday’s Monsters of the Midway, which was marred by numerous falls and multiple ambulance visits. And although I’ve always been a fan of Monsters’ loose enforcement of categories, perhaps fields were also disrupted by riders racing a hair over their heads?

Whatever the causes, it’s a shame: Monsters is typically a safe course. What kind of carnage will we see once we throw in descents, technical turns and significant purses? (As I write this, I recall I wondered the same thing last spring.)

Results are not posted yet -- I expect our ABR friends are preoccupied with Tuesday’s tragedy in Kenosha -- so this will be an abbreviated wrap-up. What I glean from the reports, however, is that with a stiff tailwind on the homestretch, jumping early proved effective more times than not.

Juniors, women and masters results.

Race reports
Ed Amstutz (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+, 1/2/3): “I knew we wanted a long sprint with a heavy tailwind, so I called for Randy Warren to ramp it up earlier than normal.”

Charles Biro (Team Get a Grip Cycles; 30+, 3): “I just couldn’t close the last 50 meters -- which, of course, was about how far from the front of the field I was when I launched my attack.”

Danny Beissinger (IIT; 3, 1/2/3): “I settled for 15th, but at least I stayed up.”

Kevin Butler (Wheel Fast Racing; 4): “The riders in front of me stacked it up and suddenly the rider directly in front went airborne. I had nowhere to go.”

Rob Curtis (Bicycle Heaven; 4): “The field was OK but there were some weird moves.”

Liam Donoghue (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “I launch back into the drops and grab his wheel, unsure if there’s a group chomping at my bits right behind. I will not be denied, kind sir.”

Devon Haskell (Team BH Racing; W-P/1/2/3): “It was fun crossing the line 1-2 in our first race back together and in front of the great UofC crowd.”

Ed Hernandez (North Branch; 3): “I’m no sprint specialist or breakaway-guru, but I do know a thing or two about leveling out the exertion highs and lows during the course of a crit.”

Chris Kinonen (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+, 3): “Riders repeatedly and dramatically swerved in random directions, causing someone else to do the same, and thus a mini chain reaction of swerving and braking.”

Sophia Lee (Tati Cycles; W-4, W-3/4): “I probably could have tucked behind someone for a while, but what I ended up doing was madly charge past them instead, screaming on the top of my lungs, kendo style.”

Henry Loud (Team Pegasus; 3): “I clicked up again and again. Then I had no more gears to move up. I was in my 53x12 and spinning it as hard as I could.”

Joe Schubert (Half Acre Cycling; 4): “I see two or three guys collide, bikes flopping every which way and that hollow ping of carbon rumbling toward me.”

Mike Shea (Spidermonkey Cycling; 30+): “Once the break was established and the rhythm hadn’t made my legs fall off, I even felt pretty good about competing with guys stronger than me.”

Shane Winn (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 1/2/3): “With about four laps remaining I started playing the team card a little.”

Photos:
Carolyn Golz
Gavin Gould
Waylon Janowiak
Matt Smith: 3, 1/2/3

I’m going to come out and say it: La Rue-Denzer-La Rue is the best road race in the Midwest.

Yes, better than Hillsboro-Roubaix.

It’s more challenging, more interesting and safer. Saturday’s edition was better than ever, with an extension that added a series of killer stairstep climbs. Fields that did the 2.5-lap course endured more than 7,500 feet of climbing. Plus, any race that begins and ends at a tavern gets bonus points -- doubly so for a tavern with Spotted Cow on tap.

I’m baffled, then, at the turnout. The P/1/2’s may have attracted an ace field -- legends like Dewey Dickey (Mercy/Specialized) and Adam Bergman (Texas Roadhouse) among them -- but all other races were sorely underattended, with fewer than 30 in the 4’s and barely 20 in the 3’s.

Yes, it’s a long drive. Yes, Monsters is a very attractive alternative. And yes, I can almost understand the Cheeseheads who want to save their delicate legs for Sunday’s popular Wheels on Willy. But come on: This is as good as it gets around here.

Happily there were plenty of Chicagoans not intimidated by the tough climbing. Jannette Rho (Bouledogue Tout Noir) won the women’s 4’s, and in the masters 4/5’s, Tower Racing teammates Doug Braun and Pat Dillon formed a lead group early and then used excellent teamwork to secure Braun the win. Brian Hill (Get a Grip Off Road Racing), fresh off a 3rd-place GC at the Joe Martin Stage Race, finished 2nd in the 4/5’s, and XXX Racing-AthletiCo asserted a strong team presence in the 3’s, missing out on the win but putting three into the top five.

We had more excellent performances Sunday at Wheels on Willy, which took place around the Madison capitol. Rho hit the podium again with 3rd in the women’s 4’s, and Team BH USA put two on the steps, with Kristen Meshberg winning the women’s P/1/2/3 and Devon Haskell taking 3rd in her first domestic race since her trip to France and Belgium. And Kyle Wiberg (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) had one for the ages by attacking early in the masters 3/4 and masters 4/5 races -- both fields more than 60 strong -- to take the double victory.

And then we have poor Waylon Janowiak (WDT-Allvoi), who successfully created a two-man break in the 3’s, then won a difficult sprint. Unfortunately, the 18-year-old had neglected to change to junior gearing, so officials relegated him after he failed rollout. It’s an important reminder for juniors: Mind your gearing, even in the senior races, and don’t forget to go to rollout.

Full La Rue-Denzer-La Rue results. Full Wheels on Willy results.

I’ll wrap up Monsters of the Midway in a separate post.

La Rue-Denzer-La Rue reports
Doug Braun (Tower Racing; 30+ 4/5): “The finish is after a very fast downhill, so I made sure I was on the right wheel well before we hit the sprint.”

Seth Meyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; P/1/2): “Going up that hill, I started to pass lots of great riders. I went by Paul Ellis (SPBRC) and I thought, ‘Hey! An ex-pro! I must be riding well!’”

Luke Seemann (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “Time to go for broke. Again I wait for the climb to settle into a rhythm, then shift up a few cogs and spring forward.”

La Rue-Denzer-La Rue photos
John Wilke

Wheels on Willy reports
Devon Haskell (Team BH Racing; W-P/1/2/3): “Kristen was on my wheel yelling ‘Allez allez’ with one lap left. I tried to keep the pace high and pulled hard to the final straight, where Kristen called on her ‘go-go gadget sprinter legs.’”

Tom Theisen (ISCorps; 3, P/1/2/3): “It was a big field. Well, at the start anyway.”

Kyle Wiberg (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5, 30+ 3/4): “Took off between turn 1 and 2 and they didn’t catch me on my HED wheels this time either.”

Wheels on Willy photos
Patratacus
Clint Thayer
John Wilke

It was another soggy affair in Wisconsin for Saturday’s Matt Wittig Memorial Bicycle Race in Muskego, but a few Chicagoans nonetheless headed up for some hilly crit action. Joel Friedman (Bicycle Heaven) continued good form with a 2nd in the 4/5’s, and Waylon Janowiak (WDT-Allvoi) placed 3rd in the 3’s.

Much farther away, Chicago repped well at the Joe Martin Stage Race in Fayetteville, Ark. In the 4’s, Liam Donoghue (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) and Brian Hill (Get a Grip Off Road Racing) cracked off stellar times in a difficult uphill time trial, then broke away in Sunday’s criterium to finish 2-3 in the crit and 2-3 in the general classification. The 3’s saw three Chicagoans in the top 20 GC, including James Bird (ISCorp) in 17th, Peter Strittmatter (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) in 15th and your humble correspondent in 7th.

The most impressive result was in the 1/2’s, where Ryan Freund (ABD) never finished outside the top 10 over his four days of hard racing. In the end that was good for 11th in the GC.

Full Muskego results.

Muskego race reports
Rob Curtis (Bicycle Heaven; 30+ 4/5): “Everyone took the corner slow and then accelerated out of the corner then into the hill. It got old quick.”

Seth Meyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; P/1/2): “Attacked for scraps and got huge 20-second gap with three laps to go, but died and couldn’t hold it.”

William Pankonin (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5, 30+ 3/4): “Our largest gap grew to 12 seconds, which looks promising when you can’t see them because of the hills and turns.”

Muskego photos
Waylon Janowiak
John Wilke

I’m sorry to have missed out on Sunday’s Vernon Hills Grand Prix. Looks like it was a good day of racing under excellent weather. I haven’t seen all the results yet so there’s not much commentary I can add, other than to congratulate Mike Heagney (Vision Quest) and Ben-Jamin Widoff (PowerBar) for winning the masters races, 1/2/3 and 4/5 respectively, with Widoff doubling up with a win in the 4’s. Kudos also to Nate Iden (Burnham Racing) for winning the 3’s race in a bunch sprint nicely captured in a series of photos starting here. Each frame makes it look like it’ll be a different winner. And Carolyn Golz captured a nice shot of Joel Friedman (Bicycle Heaven) winning exuberantly off the front of the 5’s.

There was action in Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin, too. Notable local results include Kristen Meshberg (Team BH USA) winning the women’s P/1/2/3 in Lacrosse, Wis., and a certain representative of the cycling media riding to a solo win in the Circuit of Sauk masters 3/4.

Update: Some hot podium action at Indiana’s Winona Fat & Skinny Tire Festival compliments of Will Nowak (Alderfer-Bergen), 2nd in the P/1/2 road race, and Aspen Gorry (Team Get a Grip Cycles), 3rd in the 3’s road race. And Chicago swept the women’s 4’s races, with Jeannette Schrand (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) winning the road race and Alexandra Navas (Northwestern) winning the criterium.

Saturday results
Circuit of Sauk
Winona Lake Road Race

Sunday results
Kenosha Criterium
Vernon Hills Grand Prix
Winona Lake Criterium

Circuit of Sauk race reports
Ryan Fay (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5): “A most untimely failure of my front derailleur kept me from getting out of my big chain ring after the first climb.”

Kristen Meshberg (Team BH USA; W-P/1/2/3): “I was holding out hope that someone would get popped from the break and we could race for 3rd or 4th, but it was not to be.”

Seth Meyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; P/1/2): “Pain, pain, pain!”

Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 3/4, 4/5): “I just hoped that the first time up the hill wasn’t a fluke.”

Luke Seemann (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 3/4, 3): “I leaped up the right. After a few strokes, I looked back. He was still in his saddle. Perfect.”

Circuit of Sauk photos
Luke Seemann
John Wilke

Vernon Hills race reports
Julian Baumgartner (Burnham Racing; 3): “Nate is all like, ‘Word.’”

Val Brostrom (Bouledogue Tout Noir; W-P/1/2/3): “I caught on and we proceeded to hammer it, each taking short pulls.”

Kevin Clark (Half Acre Cycling; 4): “The pack now seemed much smaller than the field did at the line.”

Steve Driscoll (Team Mack; 30+ 1/2/3, 3): “Some guy gets excited in front of me and at 32+ mph comes straight into my front wheel. I hit the deck, taking the guy behind me with.”

Ryan Fay (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5): “The pace was pretty hot, but I stayed at near the front of the group.”

Waylon Janowiak (WDT-Allvoi; 3): “Prom was the night before so I was up a lot later than I would have liked to be.”

Joe Kallo (Team Tati, 5): “I looked over my shoulder and realized I had a pretty big gap on the field. When this sunk into my somewhat oxygen-deprived brain, I have to say it was a pretty awesome feeling.”

Seth Meyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; P/1/2): “I myself was quite happy just to be active and going for the breaks and bridge attempts.”

John Meyers (ABD; P/1/2): “That’s how breakaways work: They hurt.”

Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “Hmmmmm, what’s this? Four black jerseys all in a line.”

Mike Seguin (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5, 4): “With three laps to go it got interesting.”

Joe Schubert (Half Acre Cycling; 4): “We pushed it 100 percent and never thought of quitting after being dropped.”

Eric Shivvers (Half Acre Cycling; 5): “I was there to shake it up and let others know our team had some strong riders.”

Vernon Hills photos
Carolyn Golz
Matt Smith

The crits of August can have their blue skies and dry roads. It’s spring, and no spring campaign is complete without a few races held in what meteorologists refer to as “the suck.”

Take Saturday’s Leland Kermesse. Host Flatlandia promised Belgian-like conditions, but mostly that was in reference to a milelong stretch of gravel. Little did they know that mother nature would visit with Merckx-ian fury.

Indeed, the much-ballyhooed gravel was the easiest stretch of the course. Road bikes had no trouble navigating the two smooth, packed-down lines left by years of cars and tractors. The limited line made it difficult to come around cracked riders, but not impossible. And riding straight into the headwind was almost a reprieve from the vicious crosswinds. Save for the absence of thousands of screaming fans, it was easy to pretend you were barreling through the Arenberg.

The crosswinds. A steady 20 mph breeze from the south -- with gusts to 30 -- slammed riders into the gutter for the first 4 miles of the course. You had to lean at what felt like a 45-degree angle just to stay upright. Few fields made it through intact.

In a combined 1/2 and 3 race, a suspiciously tan Mark Swartzendruber (Verizen Wireless) can be blamed for a tempo that reduced his race to 10 riders by the first turn north. He’d drill it again over the gravel, reducing the lead group again to just six riders. This group would stick for the balance of the race. In it were two 3’s: Ben-Jamin Widoff (Team Powerbar) and Al Urbanski (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew). If it were me in their shoes, I’d have sat in and enjoyed the ride, but Swartzendruber tells me they took more than their share of pulls.

And then the sky darkened. The wind picked up, hail strafed the riders and furious bolts of lightning struck what felt like mere meters from the road. With just a few miles left, Widoff attacked. Urbanski followed. The remaining 1/2’s gave them the ol’ “Not our field” shrug and they were off. Urbanski created a gap on the now slick and muddy gravel stretch (shown above) and held it all the way to the line to take an impressive overall victory. Behind them, Swartzendruber again drilled it over the gravel, but he was unable to shake the others, and Jim Flora (South Chicago Wheelmen) sprinted for the 1/2 win.

Earlier races had their share of wetness, too, and broke up in similar fashion. In the 30+/40+ open, Matt Smith (Burnham Racing) and Jeff Wat (Burnham Racing) thought they were on easy street after they successfully made the first selection and noticed that they were the only youngsters there, giving them an inside line on the 30+. Unbeknown to them, 56-year-old former Olympian Tom Doughty (Amgen/Giant Masters) had cheekily registered as a 30+. Doughty was able to break off with 40+ winner Dan Verner (PACT/Dish Network) to start the final lap to take the 30+ win.

Other results of note: Roselle’s Alex Bolivar (Venezuela) soloed away for the 4’s win, having whittled the race down to just him and cyclocross specialist Ben Popper (Killjoy), who no doubt was right at home in the dirt. XXX Racing-AthletiCo took five of the top 10 spots in the 5’s behind a win from Chris Koster Fay. XXX Racing-AthletiCo also constituted three of the four women’s open riders, finishing 1-2-3 with Jeanette Schrand in 1st. The women’s 4’s field was not much larger, with Janette Rho (Bouledogue Tout Noir) taking the win.

Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. We’re lucky to have a course like this so close to the city, and I hope it returns next year with even bigger fields. I do worry about the width of the roads: The fracturing of fields kept things safe, but it would be a different story if, say, a field of 80 were to stick together. Fortunately there was good visibility and little traffic, and none of the blind corners or rollers that we get at Hillsboro.

In other action this weekend, a few locals traveled to Iowa City, Iowa, to race. In Saturday’s road race, Chris Padfield (Team Get a Grip Cycles) picked up 8th in the 3’s and Jessi Prinner (ABD) got 2nd in the women’s open. Sunday saw Padfield’s teammates Aspen Gorry and Ben LaForce go 2-4 in the 3’s bunch sprint.

In Wisconsin, Ricardo Otero (WDT-Allvoi) finally got that elusive win, picking up the 30+ 3/4 in Muskego. Mike Heagney (Vision Quest) placed 2nd in the 30+ 1/2/3. Brian Haas (Alberto’s) got 5th in that race, and Francine Haas (Alberto’s) placed 2nd in the women’s open. Not too many Chicagoans made it to Sheboygan for its rain-soaked crit on Sunday, but you will not want to miss John Wilke’s photos

Full Saturday results
Muskego Spring Criterium
Iowa City Road Race

Full Sunday results
Fon du Lac & Oshkosh Cyclery Criterium
Old Capitol Criterium

Leland Kermesse race reports
Ted Burger (Flatlandia): “Now the goose bumps set in. The rain is pouring down, mud is everywhere, and Al is putting down the hammer. I scramble to find my camera to record this moment of beauty.”

Kevin Butler (Wheel Fast Racing; 4): “It was the 2001 stage to Pla d’Adet all over again.”

Carlos Flanders (Unattached; 4): “The exceptionally high winds and threatening conditions made life exceptionally hard, but there was some indefinable charm about the race.”

Jeff Holland (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “I’d occasionally catch someone, or get caught, work together, but never was able to work for more than 3/4 of a lap with someone. I suffered in the wind mostly alone.”

Joe Kallo (Team Tati; 5): “I jumped out of the line into the headwind and heard two people shout ‘TATI left!’ Ah, now that sounded nice.”

Bob Murray (Beverly Bike/Vee-Pak; 5): “I was headed into the wind doing 13-14 just dying.”

Ben Popper (Killjoy; 4): “I sped up into the corner, took it fast and stood up with the wind, hammer down.”

Julie Popper (Half Acre Cycling; W-4): “I looked around me at the lightening striking the nearby fields and the rain driving in the blustery winds. Now this is a spring classic.”

Luke Seemann (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “Lightning struck to the west. I crouched as aero as possible so I wouldn’t be the tallest rider out there. “

Ben Van Couvering (Team Pegasus; 4): “There was no way I was going to let my brain end my race when my body could still keep going.”

Mike Shea (Spider Monkey Cycling; 4): “Because everyone wanted to be out of the wind, no one would create an echelon.”

James Slauson (Bicycle Heaven, 1/2): “The 1,2,3 fields were combined for into a five-lap race. That was plenty, I promise you.”

Al Urbanski (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew; 3): “That shit was tailor made.”

Leland Kermesse photos
Ted Burger
Amy Dykema
Project 5 Racing

Fon fu Lac & Oshkosh Cyclery Criterium race reports
William Pankonin (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5, 30+ 4/5): “A pool of over rim-high water flooded the back stretch of the course, and water streamed down Evergreen Park’s elevation and across the road.”

Matt Stevenson (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5, 4/5): “My legs were like frozen hams that refused to move.”

I understand it was a good weekend of racing at the Greg Bednorski Memorial Criteriums in Madison, Wis., if you could avoid the rain and a few harrowing final-turn crashes.

RIcardo Otero (WDT-Allvoi) has uncannily picked up just where he left off last season by coming in 2nd in both the weekend’s masters 3/4 races.

Hillsboro winner Danny Robertson (Team Mack) continued his tear, winning the 3’s Saturday in a bunch sprint.

Molly Godlewski (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew) won the women’s 4’s Sunday, her second win of the year. Meanwhile, teammate Mike Morell hit the top 10 both days in the 4’s: 3rd on Saturday and 9th Sunday.

Chicago’s juniors represented well, with Chazz Martin (IS Corps) winning the 4’s on Saturday and Brandon Feehery (South Chicago Wheelmen) coming in 5th in the 3’s, this after Kaleb Koch (IS Corps) and Feehery went 1-2 in the 15-18. On Sunday, Adam Kosela (PACT-Dish Network) got 3rd in the 15-18 and 4th in the 3’s.

Full Saturday results. Full Sunday results.

Race reports
Chicago Cuttin’ Crew (W-4, 4): “Wits always help, but Molly also has the ability to back them skills with sheer strength.”

Rob Curtis (Bicycle Heaven; 4, 30+ 4/5): “I made a joke about the race going into the toilet. No one laughed. No one got it.”

Aspen Gorry (Team Get a Grip Cycles; 3): “Standing on the line in the freezing rain for the few minutes before the sent us off was enough to get soaked and chilled to the bone.”

Martin Michalowicz (Team MS Racing; 5, 30+ 4/5): “I stood up sprinted away with not one person to follow me. Obviously, I didn’t have a target on my jersey. Nobody seemed to care.”

Some notes from another exciting edition of Hillsboro-Roubaix, which on Saturday saw record numbers tackle the rough roads and rougher bricks:

• » I never bother with spare wheels in road races. At our level, what maniac honestly thinks he can catch back on after changing a wheel? Meet two such maniacs: The first was Al Urbanski (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew), who flatted out of the 3’s break and, with 10 miles to go, chased solo into the headwind to regain contact. He still had enough gas to throw down some attacks and would hold on for an impressive fourth. Then in the P/1/2 race, three-time runner-up Brian Jensen (Tradewind Energy/Trek Stores) flatted in the final few miles and not only caught back on to the remaining break but came around to win by a healthy 7 seconds (above). Truly, two heroic performances.

• » Chicago native Rebecca Much (Webcor Builders) paid us a visit and walked away with a victory in the women’s P/1/2/3 race, attacking on the final climb out of a five-woman break. Among her breakmates was junior Jessi Prinner (ABD). Meanwhile, Kristen Meshberg (Team BH USA) won the field sprint for 6th.

• » Young Danny Robertson (Team Mack) of Rolling Meadows is showing good form. After two top-10 finishes at the Spring Super Crit, he won out of the break in said 3’s race, then won the 3/4’s race Sunday in the Tilles Park Criterium in St. Louis.

• » The complexion of the 3’s race changed when, with riders strewn from gutter to gutter, an official neutralized the pack just as a group of about 10 was coming together off the front. His scolding was brief and I’m not sure anyone came to a complete stop, but it was just enough to enable the break to get out of sight. The field would lose momentum three more times: Twice for cars in its path, and once for a confusing pass of some masters riders.

• » Something needs to give on the centerline. Enforcement is too spotty to be effective, and there are many stretches where it simply is not tenable to use less than half the road. Surely I’m a dreamer, but how impossible would it be to close traffic between Miles 2 and 11? It’s those 9 miles that are the dodgiest. At the very least, would it be practical to close that stretch to oncoming traffic?

• » How big were these packs? Big. 121 started the P/1/2 race. (54 finished.) At 97, this was the biggest 3’s field I’d ever been a part of. Here’s video of the P/1/2 field on the first lap. (I understand some crashes followed not long after.) Here are the 3’s starting their second lap.

• » Chicago riders went 2-3-4 in the 50+ race: Wayne Simon (Verdigris), Stuart Grinell (ISCorp) and Tom Doughty (Amgen/Giant Masters), respectively, all members of a five-man break that finished 3 minutes up on the chase group and an astounding 11 minutes up on the field. In the 40+, our top finishers were Michael Zellman (Verizon Wireless) in 1st and Brian Haas (Alberto’s) in 3rd.

• » In the womens’ 4’s race, Chicago riders took home two bricks: Jeanette Schrand (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) in 2nd and Leah Sanda (Flatlandia) in 3rd, and Elgin’s Josh Crane (ABD) took the juniors U15, with Samuel Bianchi (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) in 2nd.

• » In the run-up to April 4, more than one person said to me, “Just so long as we beat St. Louis.” By my accounting, St. Louis riders won only one race: Kristin Moore (Big Shark) in the women’s 4’s.  Mission accomplished!

• » Hooray for perfect weather!

• » And three cheers for for the chip timing, a pleasant and well-run surprise. Sprints still needed to be decided by the human observers and cameras, but it sure was nice to have the next 100 placings posted -- with acceptable accuracy -- within a few minutes, instead of waiting all afternoon as officials squinted at video in order to pick 47th from 48th place.

Photos
John Bennett
Bill Cahill
Dennis Fickinger
Rachel Pomberg
Matt Smith

Race reports
Jim Brady (Pony Shop; 40+): “I started just counting down the miles… one… at… a… time.”

Doug Braun (Tower Racing; 40+): “I was in a really good position when my rear wheel exploded.”

Erik Didriksen (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “As we hit the feed zone my arch nemesis Gravity started to tug at my seatpost.”

Elvis Falbo (Beverly Bike/Vee-Pak; 4): “On my way up the final climb I saw one racer walking his bike up inch by inch with the bike between his legs.”

Ryan Fay (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5): “I kept my composure down the hill and over the brick.  I got back on the other rider’s wheel at the final turn and with about 200M to go, I hit the gas as hard as I could.”

Steve Driscoll (Team Mack; 3): “Screaming downhill on the bricks and rough pavement, the hardware in my legs could not take all of the jarring.”

Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; W-P/1/2/3): “take the corner hot and sneak a look behind me--I still have a good gap!”

Waylon Janowiak (WDT-Allvoi; 3): “No excuses but I felt like hell that last lap.”

Chris Kinonen (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “Why is half the field on the left side of the road?”

Rich Kisseloff (Dogfish; 3): “Ride, turn, accelerate, catch up, turn, accelerate, turn, hit afterburners, recover, turn, bridge gap, fight headwind, recover.”

Ryan Knapp (Panther/RGF; P/1/2): “The rubber band was thoroughly stretched in the front, but we couldn’t seem to get another group to break off and catch the six just up the road.”

Ben LaForce (Team Get a Grip Cycles; 3): “The one time a year when the midwesterner gets to try their hand at a spring classic of their own.”

John Meyers (ABD; P/1/2): “About 4-5 minutes passed before I got my wheel change, and I said screw it.”

Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “First-race jitters kept me from going out on my own, like I’d told myself I would at least try.”

Rebecca Much (Webcor Builders; W-P/1/2/3): “You never know how races are going to play out in a local fied, but this race was probably one of the most fun and aggressive races I’ve ever witnessed, which was delighting!”

Avi Neurohr (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew; 4): “Uh, plenty of room up here if you want to show us how it’s done.”

Madeleine Puissant (Team BH USA; W-P/1/2/3): “I tried a few more attacks but Kenda and Mercy were quick to react.”

Rob Ragfield-Schofield (Wild Card Cycling; 4): “Midway up I had to slow way down. I just got stuck behind the wrong people.”

Joe Schubert (Half Acre Cycling; 4): “I’m riding all-out trying to make up lost ground and tuning out the unholy chatter of carbon on brick.”

Luke Seemann (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “As we headed down the final 400 meters, my mind did a quick catalog of all the sprints I’d lost. This is an extensive catalog.”

Mike Sherer (Alderfer Bergen; P/1/2): “I was cramping in places I didn’t know I could even cramp.”

Team Tati (4, W-4): “Undaunted, our long-limbed theologian shouldered his bike ‘cross style and remounted only on the descent.”

Steve Tilford (Tradewind Energy/Trek Stores; P/1/2): “I was riding up the hill and somehow a cone ended up in my front wheel and I instantly went over the bars.”

Al Urbanski (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew; 3): “I flatted right at the same part I attacked last year. Am I doomed to torture by the final 8 miles of merciless crosswinds every year?”

Kristen Wentworth (Team Kenda; W-P/1/2/3): “With a small hill approaching and the crosswinds blowing, I attacked hard and hammered up the hill.”

Hillsboro enjoyed its best weather in years, and Chicago area riders came home with enough bricks to pave a small patio. Winners included Rebecca Much (Webcor Builders) in the women’s open, Michael Zellman (Verizon Wireless) in the 40+ and Danny Robertson (Team Mack) in the 3’s.

Full wrap-up to come. Thanks to chip timing, results are already posted: men’s, women and juniors.

Saturday was a good day to be a base-layer salesman, and the Craft rep who set up shop at the Spring Super Criterium in South Beloit did brisk business. As cold as it was, the weather was 85 percent less apocalyptic than forecast, and most of the day passed without a drop of precipitation. The woolly mice who stayed home missed out on some fine racing indeed.

Two teams in particular had outstanding performances. Tower Racing started the day by riding aggressively in the first of two 4/5’s races and getting Doug Braun off the front with a few other riders. Once that break was down to two, Patrick Dillon bridged a sizable gap to join him. They stayed off, with Braun outsprinting Andrew Otte (Purdue) for the win. In the field sprint, more Tower riders emerged from the pack like clowns from a clown car: 4th! 5th! 6th! 7th! 8th! 10th! Outside of a team time trial, have eight teammates ever finished in such close proximity?

XXX Racing-AthletiCo also took advantage of its numbers. Mountain-bike specialists Kyle Wiberg and Mike Seguin outkicked the field for 1st and 2nd in the 30+ 4/5. In the day’s second 4/5’s race, Dave Moyer launched a mammoth leadout out of the corner for Tom Briney, then held on for a comfortable 2nd. (See John Wilke’s photo of Briney’s barbaric victory yawp. It’s an early contender for photo of the year.)

Moyer wasn’t done: In the 3/4’s race, he and Julian Baumgartner (Burnham Racing) bridged to a break that would ultimately be reduced to them and Otte. From my perspective it looked like Baumgartner had a superior jump, but Moyer dug it out to come around just before the line. (Marek Serafin (Cracovia-Poland) won the field sprint for 4th. Surprise!)

The question now is, Who will win the World Bicycle Relief Team Challenge? Burnham Racing is no doubt at this very moment furiously crunching numbers.

And then the sleet.

Unpleasant wet stuff -- colder than rain, harder and more annoying than snow -- started to fall just as the P/1/2/3’s took to their start. Chief official Dave Fowkes heard no complaints when he knocked 20 minutes off their time. Fifty-five minutes later, anyone hardy enough to finish would find the folds of their clothing frozen hard and icicles hanging from their bikes. It was like something out of the 1988 Giro. If ever there were a race that called for hot showers, this was it, and many would take advantage of the opportunity.

As for the racing, I always like to see riders race above their category and succeed. In this race we saw it from Al Urbanski (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew), clad in zebra-stripe leggings and the Crew’s new Tron-inspired kit. He clearly was not intimidated by the 1’s and 2’s he was racing with, successfully atacking early in the race. Once he was joined by Andy Daley (Burnham Racing) and Chris Kelley (Team Get a Grip Cycles), it was lights out, especially as the cold chilled any motivation to chase. The three worked well together, staying together until the final sprint, shown above, which Daley, apparently not fatigued from a long, valiant but fruitless effort off the front of the earlier masters 1/2/3 race, took for the win. Eventually the splintered remnants of the field trickled in and sprinted for warm clothes.

Other local wins: Leah Sanda (Flatlandia) and Jessi Prinner (ABD) both sprinted out of small groups to win the women’s 4’s and women’s open, respectively. Kaleb Koch (ISCorp) soloed away from the juniors race, while Trevor Rolette (South Chicago Wheelmen) was tops among U15’s. And Adam Herndon (Team Beer’d) capped a successful week by winning the 5’s.

Full results.

Photos
Burnham Racing
Peloton Pix
Rachel Pomberg (With video.)

Race reports
Chicago Cuttin’ Crew (W-4, 30+ 4/5, 4/5, 3/4, P/1/2/3): “The bus was last seen heading to the aftermath of the Milwaukee Messenger Invitational.”

Elvis Falbo (Beverly Bike/Vee-Pak; 30+ 4/5): “ In a nutshell: Too much too soon!”

Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; W-open): “Time to start racing like Jens.”

Adam Herndon (Team Beer’d; 5, 4/5): “I have never sprinted that hard in any race. As I am coming to the line I know I have over taken him and I raise a fist in victory.”

Chris Kinonen (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 1/2/3): “I love the breakaway.  I think it is one of the best parts of bike racing, and it was fun while it lasted, despite my ultimate undoing.”

Bob Murray (Beverly Bike/Vee-Pak; 5): “It was a smart Idea at the time, but it didn’t work out.”

Avi Neurohr (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew; 4/5, 30+ 4/5, 4/5, 3/4): “I chase them hard, everyone lets me, but they stay away.”

Pascale Petro (Project 5 Racing; W-open): “With Jessi in the break and Kenda, I knew from the start that it would stick and I felt my stomach almost turn over at the prospect.”

Ted Ramos (Get a Grip Off Road; 30+ 4/5, 4/5): “That’s it for me. You won’t see me out there on the road for the rest of the summer.”

Leah Sanda (Flatlandia; W-4, W-open): “I let her go a little then I jumped and put in a super hard 20-second effort that overtook her as she faded. Win!”

Mike Shea (Spidermonkey Cycling; 4/5, 3/4): “I stayed tucked in, just happy to be along for a nice and smooth ride with riders that are confident and competent using their bikes to accomplish a goal.”

Zach Thomas (Half Acre Cycling; 3/4): “I was out there by myself, hurting myself and looking brave and foolish.”

Kyle Wiberg (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5, 3/4): “Ka Bam.”

Michael Young (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5, 30+ 4/5, 5): “Three races on five hours of sleep after racing the night before proved to be a little much for my body, and I had nothing left for the sprint at the end of my last race.”

Yes, it was cold. Yes, it got wet. But there was racing, and it was good. Full wrap-up to come.

Preliminary results here. Burnham Racing and the officials are in the crime lab with the video -- “Freeze! Enlarge!” -- to flesh out the remaining placements.

Any account of the best performances at this week’s Kevin’s Criterium Series in Calumet Park must begin with the host team, Half Acre Cycling. In a matter of weeks they threw this together, managing to conquer Chicago bureaucracy and fully staff a week’s worth of races with officials and volunteers. They even had enough clout to turn on some street lights that reportedly hadn’t cast a lumen in years. On top of all that, they kept it fun: On the night I went there was raucous cheering, post-race cake and, continuing a hallowed Belgian race tradition, robot costumes.

Best of all, I heard a lot of sentences start with, “When we do this next year ...”

Other outstanding work:

• » Track star Ernie Ciccolini (Van Wagner/Yojimbo’s) dipped his toes into the road and pulled off three of the five wins.

• » Jeanette Rho (Bouledogue tout noir) raced only three times but won twice and placed 2nd once.

• » Adam Herndon (Team Beer’d) hit the top 5 on four of the five nights, including two 2nd places.

• » Team Tati took Friday off but otherwise placed two riders in the top 10 each night.

• » Molly Godlewski (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew) won the women’s race Thursday, and her male teammates cracked the top 10 numerous times over the week.

Full results.

Photos
Amy Dykema
gospastic
Ed White

Tuesday race reports
Joe Kallo (UCVC; 4/5): “When you go off the front of your group and nobody follows, they don’t think you’re gonna make it.”

Martin Michalowicz (Team MS Racing; 4/5): “At one point, while trying to position myself away from the wind, I cut another rider off and felt really bad about it. Hope my hand wave was suffient of an apology.”

Avi Neurohr (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew; 4/5): “The sweetest words I’ve ever heard: ‘They made the break.’ I sit up and coast in the field.”

Vanessa Schilling (Spidermonkey Cycling; W-4): “Every time, one of the girls got pissed and tried to ride away from us. The rest of us would feel bad and ultimately chase after her to calm her down.”

Joe Schubert (Half Acre Cycling; 4/5): “From the get go the wind just starts shredding everyone to pieces.”

Team Tati (W-4, 4/5): “With 30 meters to go, they were neck and neck, but Sophia Lee had the momentum, slingshotting just right and taking the win by a couple of bike lengths.”

Wednesday race reports
Joe Kallo (UCVC; 4/5): “Field sprints are nuts.”

Martin Michalowicz (Team MS Racing; 4/5): “Not knowing really how I was to react to this, I just followed him. Probably a bastard move but hey I’ll chalk it up to ignorance.”

Dave Moyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5): “I decided to sit in the pack and talk to the guys I thought would be good break-mates to try and orchestrate something.”

Mike Shea (Spidermonkey Cycling; 4/5): “As we closed in on the final corner I was in perfect position just on the inside of Ernie Ciccolini, and we surged.”

Team Tati (W-4, 4/5): “Bouledogues Val Brostrom and Josh Ryan were needling me about how they’d prepped Jannette Rho for today’s one-two TATI punch and how no matter what type of silly tactics I’d in store, their girl was ready for it. So it was ON.”

Thursday race reports
Chicago Cuttin’ Crew (W-4, 4/5): “No finish line camera, no primes, few prizes, just racing, and that’s a hell of a way to break in the season.”

Joe Kallo (UCVC; 4/5): “Mental note: When you’re getting your push-start back post free lap, you probably don’t want to be in the same gearing you were at when you flatted.”

Martin Michalowicz (Team MS Racing; 4/5): “With 8 laps to go, got a nasty right calf cramp. Lucky, everyone was slowing down for a couple laps to recover for the final sprint.”

Avi Neurohr (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew; 4/5): “If only I could race three nights a week all the time, I might get somewhere. Possibly keeled over.”

Dan Pollard (Spidermonkey Cycling; 4/5): “As soon as we started the bell lap the pace picked up and the pack started to get strung out heading into the second-to-last corner.”

Joe Schubert (Half Acre Cycling; 4/5): “I figured I didn’t want to pull theses bastards and with absolutely no surprise to anyone I just launched off the front.”

Bill Seliger (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5): “The group did eventually ramp up to speed, likely from the multiple attacks that Matt and Sean were laying on at the front of the pack.”

Friday race reports
Dave Bowers (Half Acre Cycling; 4/5): “I settled into the groove, and my mind went blank.”

Joe Kallo (UCVC; 4/5): “The field strung out and then splintered into several lead dudes who were causing the harm, two chase groups and people shelled off the back.”

Martin Michalowicz (Team MS Racing; 4/5): “Hell of a week. I met and surpassed my goal.”

Ted Ramos (Get a Grip Off Road; 4/5): “Damn, I got suckered again. These roadies are a crafty bunch.”

Andy Daley (Burnham Racing) appears to have been Chicago’s hero at the Kenosha crits on Sunday. (I should have predicted as much given the hurt he put on me and others during a training ride on Saturday.) His first feat was getting in a break of four in the 30+ race. Sensing the pack closing in, he attacked the break and soloed to victory, barely holding off ace sprinters like teammate Matt Smith and Ansgar Graw (PACT-Dish Network), who finished 2nd and 3rd. Later in the afternoon he again got in a break, this time lapping the field in the 1/2’s with two of Wisconsin’s better riders, and finished 2nd overall. (The field sprint is shown above.)

Chris Kelley (Team Get a Grip Cycles) also doubled up nicely, riding aggressively and winning the 3’s out of a break, and then getting 4th in the 1/2’s by staying away in a three-man chase group. Meanwhile in the 3’s, Marek Serafin (Cracovia-Poland) won yet another field sprint. Although it was only for 7th, it was more evidence that he’s back and on form.

Verdigris also represented Chicago well in the combined 40+ and 50+ race, with Christian Zauner getting 2nd in a break for 2nd in the 40+, and Wayne Simon winning the field sprint for 4th and 2nd 50+.

Other local results include Michael Vail winning the 4’s, with James Londono (Unattached) the top Cat 5 in that race.

Full results.

Race reports
Ed Hernandez (North Branch; 3): “Get a Grip just schooled the field on how to control the race.”

Kristen Meshberg (Team BH USA; 3): “I didn’t really care about final placing but I was hoping to ride near the front and possibly get in a break. The race was dominated by Get a Grip.”

Half Acre Cycling’s Kevin’s Crit Series got to a safe and successful start Monday night. Six women and 46 men raced, including seven walk-ups. I suspect Monday benefited from an opening-night boost, so moving forward there should be ample room for anyone who didn’t pre-register.

It was a good night for new squads: Jannette Rho (Bouledogue tout noir) won the women’s race, and Adam Herndon (Team Beer’d) placed 3rd in the men’s. Track specialists had their way in the sprint, however, with Ernie Ciccolini (Van Wagner/Yojimbo’s) coming around Jeff Perkins (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew) for the win. Team Tati enjoyed a home-field advantage and wound up with Adam Kaye, Francisco Torralba and Jesse Williams and Liam Bradshaw in 4th, 5th and 6th.

A last-minute change sent the race to the shorter southern loop of Calumet Park, and that’s where the race will continue this week. Half Acre says you should enter at 95th and Ewing and park along Grilly Avenue.

Weather is look dodgy this afternoon, but Half Acre says it will attempt to race rain or shine. Should that change, expect a post here as soon as a call is made.

Full results.

Race reports
Bouledogue tout noir (W-4): “As Janette dragged the lead group of three around the course, concern grew that she might be burning the candle wax at every end. But those thoughts were incorrect.”

Avi Neurohr (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew; 4/5): “Nnot a bad plan, considering we had no plan: Jeff was rested and ready for the sprint, and he lit it up.”

Keil Seiz (Spidermonkey Cycling; 4/5): “The race started fast, and I had to go full steam from the whistle to keep up with what I knew was going to be a pretty quick split in the field.”

Stan Sterlinski (Half Acre Cycling; 4/5): “It was an intense, fast race, but there was some banter going on about being just a training ride at one point.”

Team Tati (W-4, 4/5): “Two hard laps dropped a few more riders, winnowing the field now to fewer than 20.”

I regret that work will keep me from the Kenosha Velosport Criterium Series this year. Traditionally it’s always a pleasant reunion and a good way to kick off the season.

Part of that tradition of late has been a strong showing from WDT-Allvoi and Sunday’s opener was no exception. Rookie Monika Peszek won the women’s 4/5, Alex Bolivar won the men’s 4/5 and in the 30+ Tomasz Boba, shown above, outkicked formidable sprinters Andy Crater (Team Wheel & Sprocket) and Tim Henry (Project 5 Racing) to win out of an 11-man break.

I understand WDT-Allvoi was also instrumental in chasing down a dangerous late break in the 3’s, but this was won by Marek Serafin (Cracovia-Poland) and WDT-Allvoi had to settle for 2nd and 3rd from Ricardo Otero and Chicago Cycling Forums proprietor Waylon Janowiak. I’m happy to see Serafin return to racing: He’s been sidelined with a back injury since July 2007. Until then he’d been an unbeatable sprinter, and although I’m sure it will come at my expense any time I race against him, it’s great to see him pick up exactly where he left off.

Other notable Chicago results include Dan Robertson (Team Mack) getting 3rd in the 1/2’s and Dan Verner in the 40+ earning his first outdoor win under the colors of PACT-Dish Network.

I’ve come across no complaints about the new course, and if it stays dry the weather should again be very raceable. The series continues Sunday and the 29th.

Full results.

Race reports
Craig Erbach (Project 5 Racing; 3, 1/2): “The attacks kept coming. That’s one thing about the 1/2’s: The accelerations are nuts.”

Kevin Krakovsky (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3, 30+): “The goal is to boost fitness as much as possible.  Results?  Not important.”

Photos
WDT-Allvoi
John Wilke

Devon Haskell (Pony Shop) earned her latest stars-and-stripes jersey Sunday by winning the Div. II cyclocross race in Kansas City. Riding on behalf of the University of Chicago, this is her second national championship after winning on the road in May. Later in the day Haskell placed 14th in the elite women’s race.

Other riders who hit the top 10 this weekend: Wayne Simon (Verdigris) posted a 4th in the 50-54 race, Debbie Pielet (Alberto’s) placed 3rd in the women’s 50-54, Scott McLaughlin (SRAM) placed 4th in single-speed, Mike Sherer (Pony Shop) placed 5th in men’s Div. I, and Leah Sanda (Flatlandia) placed 7th in the women’s 40-44.

Racing in the Chicago Cuttin’ Crew’s first national championship, Adam Clark placed 21st in single-speed and 32nd in the 30-34, not far behind Mike hemme (Killjoy) in 25th. In the 35-39, state champion McLaughlin placed 11th. And finally in the 40-44, Brian Conant (Pony Shop) and Tim Boundy (Verdigris) were your top local finishers in 23rd and 28th, respectively, impressive given the enormous size of some of those fields: 115 in the 40-44 alone!

Update: Simon writes to note some other local results: David Lombardo (Verdigris) finished 18th in the 13-14 while Chris Lombardo (Verdigris) overcame a starting position of 95th to finish 15th in the 45-49. In that same race, Scott Arrigoni (Verdigris) finished 29th.

He adds: “Devon rocks. She will win this thing in the elites some year.

Update to the update: I should also tip the hat to Aspen Gorrey (Pony Shop), who also represented the University of Chicago to finish 14th in Div. II men after placing 19th in the U29 B race. And in the 17-18, Brandon Feehery (South Chicago Wheelmen) placed 29th.

Final udpate: How could I neglect our biggest cross enthusiast, Ben Popper (HRS/Rock Lobster)? He was Chicago’s top representative in the men’s elite race, finishing 38th. I’ll be looking forward to a race report at his blog. (Pony Shop’s Sherer was in the same race but crashed and hit his head ... or at least he thinks he did.)

Who remembers this happening before? In Sunday’s Fall Fling criterium, Brian Hague (Team Tati) lapped the 4’s field -- by himself.

I can’t remember it happening in the 3’s or 4’s. I’ve seen P/1/2 breaks go up a lap, but usually when one team has a huge numerical advantage, and never solo.  Shoot, I’ve never even seen someone do this at Matteson or on the track. I can barely catch my nephew chasing him around the kitchen table.

I’m told that after lapping the field, Hague went straight to the front and pulled for several laps. This memorable performance from the reformed triathlete and cross-country runner -- he put in a 5-mile run between the citizens and 4’s races -- comes after two weekends of dominance during which he won three of the four citizens stages. It’s a shame the season is ending now, but I’m eager to see how he does in 2009.

That wasn’t the only success for Team Tati. In the women’s 4’s, Elena Dorr placed 2nd but more important put enough spots between her and GC rival Morgan Moon (Team Kenda Tire) to climb into the top spot overall.

Jessi Prinner (ABD) won the women’s open criterium Sunday to wrap up her third overall title in as many years. Of the nine mass-start Fall Fling races going back to 2006, she’s won eight. Dynasty, anyone?

A threesome got away in a wet 1/2/3’s race. Ryan White (ABD/Geargrinder) attacked to rejoin the field and go up a lap for the win. Meanwhile, GC contenders John Meyers (ABD/Geargrinder) and Greg Christian (Turin) were marking one another before slipping away themselves in the final moments. Meyers couldn’t shake Christian, however, allowing Christian to take the 1/2 title, an impressive feat given ABD/Geargrinder’s dominating numbers.

In the 3’s, Ryan Freund (IIT) swept the weekend to claim the overall ahead of Nathan Moorhouse (United South Shore) and Ricardo Otero (Team Mack). It should also be noted that Freund’s time trial was the second fastest on the day, just 16 seconds behind Meyers.

WDT-Allvoi had a successful weekend. In addition to strong 1/2 performances from professional duathlete David Polin and Tomasz Boba, Jayson Torres won the 4’s overall title, thanks largely to his consistency: He was the only rider to have placed in the top 10 in all four races, a sign of remarkable end-of-season parity in the 4’s.

The Fling’s tightest competition was in the 50+, where Tom Doughty (Amgen/Giant) and Jon Fleckenstein (Team Mack) duked it out only to finish tied. Fleckenstein took the title based on the tie-breaker of Sunday’s criterium finish, this after finishing 2nd in the 40+ overall to Delfino Parra (PYOC).

Time trial results. Overall results.

Race reports:
Patrick Brock (Team Extreme; 4): “I struggled to move up and kept sliding back further and further and finally within the last two laps the accordian effect took its toll and I was done.”

Robert Curtis (Bicycle Heaven; citizens): “When I came around the front I was out of the saddle nailing it. I looked over at the first guy in line and let out a primal scream.”

Ed Ekstrom (Tower Racing; 4): “He actually bumps me this time. I push back. Fortunately, he backs off this time and drifts back. I don’t like it when this kind of stuff happens.”

Seth Meyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 1/2): “I did about fifteen minutes until I was convinced my constant shivering was not conducive to bike racing.”

Project 5 Racing (4): “With some heroic efforts Greg Nash and Scott Ouimette worked their plan to perfection with Scott winning the field sprint and moving into second overall in the final GC.”

Jared Rogers (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “Blew up with two laps to go, but I hung in there in what would be one of the fastest races I was in all season.”

Team Tati (4, 5, W-4): “The pack chased and chased and chased, but instead Brian put six seconds per lap on the field. And before you knew it, like Yertle the Turtle Brian made it all the way around the circuit.”

Photos
Team Tati
WDT-Allvoi

You don’t see this every race.

In the midst of position jockeying at the end of Saturday’s Fall Fling road race, Ryan White (ABD/Geargrinder) had an opponent’s skewer make its way into his derailleur. His break had been out of sight for most of the afternoon, but now his bike was disabled, and he had no choice but to shed his shoes and make a desperate run for the finish.

Meanwhile, his teammates Rob White and John Meyers were sprinting for 1st and 3rd, after which Rob, the Tomax to Ryan’s Xamot, perhaps psychically alerted to identical twin Ryan’s distress, doubled back to provide his bike. Ryan quickly mounted and, as shown above, barely held off the main peloton -- in stocking feet -- to salvage a 7th among the 1/2’s.

ABD/Geargrinder had stacked numbers on Sunday, too, but Greg Christian (Turin) was able to take the win, with Meyers, Rob White and Josh Carter (ABD/Geargrinder) coming in 2-3-4. That puts Meyers and Christian in a tie for the overall, with Rob White just one point down.

Nathan Moorhouse and junior Waylon Jankowiak of the new United South Shore Racing squad both had a good weekend: They were among the four 3’s to make the break in Saturday’s road race, and then they went 1-2 in the criterium. That puts them in good standing for the overall, which looks to be a tight race between them, Ryan Freund (IIT) and Ricardo Otero (Team Mack).

One race wasn’t enough for John Fleckenstein (Team Mack) on Saturday. After winning the 50+ race, he immediately jumped into the 40+, where he broke away late to solo to his second victory on the day.

Team Tati had a good weekend in the lower categories, with Liam Bradshaw winning the 4’s road race and Brian Hague winning both citizens races. In women’s 4’s racing, Elena Dorr followed a 2nd in the road race with a first in the criterium.

Jessi Prinner (ABD) swept the women’s open, giving her five consecutive Fall Fling wins.

Because of egregious centerline violations in the 4’s road race, omnium points were halved, an imperfect but important sanction.

Road race results. Criterium results. Omnium standings.

Road race reports
Patrick Brock (Team Extreme; 4): “About 15 riders decided they needed a better position for the sprint and not only crossed the center line by a little bit, they were on the opposite shoulder of the roadway. The official on the motor was all over it.”

Robert Curtis (Bicycle Heaven; citizens): “I heard a guy sprinting by. Started calling out ‘Left side!’ Then I looked and saw it wasn’t just one or two or three guys, but a train -- and it was trucking.”

Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; W-40+): “A moment of inattention, a bit of nerves, and there you are.”

Don Hanke (Tower Racing; 4): “We were by far the most active team. It didn’t work out but we had a blast trying to make it happen.”

Seth Meyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 1/2): “The field mostly shut down as of Lap 3 (of 6), but it was fun anyway.”

Avi Neurohr (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew; 4): “The road was narrow, the centerline rule was keeping us three abreast and slow, and a combine 30 feet wide took up the entire road for a mile, keeping us all even slower.”

Team Tati (4, beginners, W-4): “Everyone raced safely, and with style.”

Joe Tortorelli (C-U Racing; 3): “I had some fun bluffing some cramps before the start of the final lap, which caused my fellow Cat 3 to put in an attack and cramp himself out a bit.”

Criterium race reports
Patrick Brock (Team Extreme; 4): “I tried some different lines but the field was too big to get the best lines and move up at the same time.”

Robert Curtis (Bicycle Heaven; citizens): “From then it was like a time warp. I think I had visions. The surge came. I knew it would. It hurt.”

Ed Ekstrom (Tower Racing; citizens): “I am about even with the rear wheel of the new leader now and gaining. I am feeling fresh and there is no way I am losing to this guy.”

Avi Neurohr (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew; 4, citizens): “Seven of us separated from the bunch to contest the sprint, and though I thought I’d saved enough through the last climb into the wind, everyone else did, too.”

ABR warmed up the Westlake Village road race course this weekend with its masters national championships. The biggest field appears to have been the 50+, where Andy Kerr (Redline) narrowly took a sprint ahead of John Fleckenstein (Team Mack). In the 40+, on the other hand, it was all Mack, with Jeff Williams, Ricardo Otero, Robert Kron and Mark Tank going 1-2-3-4 in a bunch sprint. Mack also claimed the 65+ jersey behind Bob Burns.

ABD/Geargrinder took control of a small 30+ field, with Wisconsin’s White brothers riding all challengers off their wheels. Of special note in this race is the return of Marek Serafin, who after starting 2007 on a tear has been battling an injury every since. He apparently still has the stuff, winning the field sprint to take 5th.

Full results.

Race reports
Cory Hickman (Vitaminwater-Trek; 30+): “Some attacks led to a break of seven, then six, then five, then four, which was Andy, me and los hermanos Blancos.”

Oak Brook wasn’t the only racing this weekend. A few of us chose to visit our neighboring states for some criterium action.

In Wisconsin, Chip Gray (Team Get a Grip Cycles) closed out the Wisconsin season Saturday by placing 4th in the 3’s at the Chiropractic Criterium in Brookfield, and Ricardo Otero (Team Mack) placed 2nd in the 30+ 3/4, his third time to be passed right before the line in the 2008 WCA series. How’s that for motivation heading into the off-season?

Otero points out Greg Cullen (Unattached) won three races on the day: 30+ 4/5, 30+ 3/4 and elite 4/5s. Yikes!

A couple of Chicago expats represented well at Saturday’s criterium in Warsaw, Ind. Andrew Truemper (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) placed 3rd in the 4/5’s, and Mike Sherer (Alderfer Bergen), having lapped the field along with four Bissell riders, won the P/1/2 race in a photo finish. Truemper then got 2nd in Sunday’s Rum Village Criterium in South Bend, Ind.

Warsaw results. Chiropractic Criterium results. Rum Village results.

Warsaw race reports
Mike Sherer (Alderfer Bergen; P/1/2): “After chasing the ‘W’ all season it finally happened. I’ts been almost 60 races but all the hard work has paid off.”

Rum Village race reports
Brian Smith (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3/4): “The highest point of the race was watching my teammate and friend ride like an animal and sacrifice himself for me.  That is what a true teammate is.”

Anyone who didn’t experience it firsthand has by now learned of the meltdown that was morning registration at Saturday’s Tour of Oak Brook. It’s too bad. Despite much preparation and the best intentions, a perfect storm of rookie mistakes led to massive waits. We’re talking Superweek-like delays and frustrations, with riders queued up for more than an hour and races cut short. By the afternoon, however, the system had been scrapped, races were running close to on schedule and Tower Racing leaders I spoke to were all contrite and humble.

Registration wasn’t the only problem, unfortunately. A masters rider tells me his primes weren’t recorded correctly, and the shortness of the course caused problems of its own. Some fields were overcome and neutralized -- I’m told some riders were out of sorts after such neutralizations afforded second chances to dropped riders -- and riders off the back were pulled much earlier than they otherwise would have been.

But for a race that didn’t exist a mere two months ago, run by a team that did not exist a mere year ago, I think we have a lot to celebrate. (And I don’t say this just because the organizers have good taste in blogs.)

I was particularly impressed by the volunteers Tower Racing was able to raise. The proximity to so much traffic alarmed me, but I was comforted to see so many yellow shirts and orange flags dispatched around the course. Oak Brook residents and police were generous in accommodating us. Tower Racing even had the foresight to coordinate with mail carriers to give them access to the roads during the children’s races. This, on top of a blockbuster effort in raising sponsorship and creating a fun, festive racing atmosphere.

We would all be well served if Tower Racing took on this challenge again in 2009.

As for the course, I liked it more than I expected, although in the future I’d prefer something longer and more remote. The riders I chatted with afterward agreed that even though it was short, it still felt like a road race. The climbs weren’t monsters, but with less than 9 minutes of recovery in between, they seemed to grow on every lap, especially in the crippling humidity we experienced. And the long, wide runway down 31st Street made for some fast, exciting sprints. (In contrast, Spring Road lent itself to congestion and the occasional wheel rubbing, which in the lower categories spelled occasional doom. That’s racing.)

Enough Tuesday-morning quarterbacking. Let’s talk about the racing.

And let’s congratulate our new state champions. Pictured above are our elite men’s and women’s winners, Kristen Meshberg (Flatlandia) and Scott Pearson (Comcast/Higher Gear) . Meshberg earned her jersey by winning a sprint amongst the remnants of her field, coming in ahead of junior phenom Jessi Prinner (ABD). Meanwhile, Pearson looks utterly tapped and incapable of posting up: He’d attacked two miles earlier, solo’ing away from eight-rider group that included notables like Bryce Mead (Jelly Belly) and Chad Hartley (Jittery Joe’s). 

As I have done multiple times this season, I selflessly withdrew from the 3’s race with one to go so that I could watch the sprint, all in the name of good journalism. (And by “withdrew” I mean “cracked like an egg.") This let me see teammates Mark Swartzendruber and Dave Stone (Lucas Oil) cross the line holding hands and giggling like a couple of Care Bears in the masters 1/2/3 race. With one to go Druber had been nursing a 20-second lead on a four-person chase group, from which Stone bridged on the final lap. What’s more, Swartzendruber was crafty enough to register as a 30+, meaning he took one state championship while Stone took the 40+.

A masters field sprint won by Keith McMahon (Van Wagner/Yojimbo’s) was closely followed by the 3’s bunch sprint, which had Tim Henry (Project 5) and Matt Smith (Vitaminwater-Trek) going 1-2, a familiar pairing this summer. They each owed their teammates a win: They had buried themselves in pursuit of Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus), who attempted his usual disappearing act with five to go and almost got away with it.

Full results.

Race reports
Brian Boyle (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “I went off the front and thought I was competing for a snazzy coffee maker prime lap or something. I guess that I had visions of being the next Henry Rollins.”

Jeff Holland (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “My back wheel fishtailed around the 180 degree corner. That’s it, I’m out.”

Emir Jaganjac (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5): “The guy in front of me started jerking his bike around as we rode up the incline and coming down on the descent, when the gap was forming, I seriously thought he was gonna pass out and crash.”

Bryan McVey (Vision Quest; P/1/2): “We decided to take turns being aggressive, which we were right from the gun.”

John Meyers (ABD/Geargrinder; P/1/2): “I got the pity-podium spot. It’s OK: It’s easier for the podium girls to give me kisses from that lower step.”

Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5): “I then woke up with a start and began screaming at Nathan Gayeski (XXX Racing-AthletiCo), in front and to the right, to move his ass.”

Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus; 3): “I just signed a half hour lease for my own personal pain cave.”

William Pankonin (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5): “I rode in tight spaces with my elbows out to prevent people from squeezing in stupid spaces.”

Adrian Silva (Half Acre Cycling; 5): “The killer instinct kicked in. As we cleared the tight switch back I launched an attack knowing the majority of the pack was still cautiously turning.”

Matt Smith (Vitaminwater-Trek; 3): “What came next was the most awesome display of strength and organization I’ve ever seen in a 3’s race. My whole team, less me, went to the front and chased Chris Padfield down CSC-style.”

Kevin Stephens (Project 5; 3): “The speed was crazy fast and a small group with Tim Henry (Project 5) comes past me on the finishing straight, which is probably about a mile long.  I am thinking good thoughts and get in behind them.”

Team Tati (5, 4, W-4, W-P/1/2/3): “I noticed Suzanne rubbing her chest and asked if anything was wrong. ‘I’m warming my heart chakra,’ she said, looking surprisingly blissful.”

June Upshaw (Verdigris; W-P/1/2/3): “Getting put into an officially neutralized slow pace for 5-10 minutes every 4-5 laps (for safety reasons) is enough to let anyone recover and get back into the game. No attrition. No test of strength. In short, it was not a race at all. “

Photos
Mike Kelsall
Jeff Krich
Professional Personal Photography
Julie Pusateri
Team Tati

More notes from the national championship weekend in Downers Grove:

• » Out-of-state riders kicked our butts in many of the amateur races, including the women’s 3/4 race, where Sarah Maguire (Bissell) and Tara Tasma (Team Giant), both of Grand Rapids, Mich., went 1-2 and quickly congratulated each other afterward. (Either that or they’re doing a Madison throw.)

• » We did better in the 3’s. Chip “Cover boy” Gray (Team Get a Grip Cycles) employed an old trick Sunday, jumping as the leaders hesitated on the final descent down Main Street. He was passed coming into Turn 7, but that let him recover enough to jump again coming into Turn 8. Three Chicagoans followed him in 2nd through 4th: Bryan Rheude (Team MS Racing), Keith McMahon (Van Wagner/Yojimbo’s) and Matt O’Keefe (XXX Racing-AthletiCo). I believe this is the first road podium for Van Wagner/Yojimbo’s, a micro-team that formed earlier this summer.

• » The closest race of the weekend may have been the final 5’s heat on Sunday, where Alex Rams (Colavita) surged in the final meters to pip Adam Lund (ce::four). Lund may be OK with that: He had already won once, in Saturday’s first 5’s heat.

• » XXX Racing-AthletiCo showed off some of its up-and-coming talent: Kyle Wiberg soloed away from the masters 4/5 race after several attacks from his teammates had softened the field, and Tom Briney won the first Cat 5 race on Sunday in a sprint.

• » I wasn’t there to see it, but Hogan Sills (C-U Racing) took a hard fall in the juniors race and still managed to come in 5th.

• » There were some hard crashes over the weekend, but it was nothing like last year, thankfully. From Sunday’s men’s championship, Julie Pusateri got a series of Kyle Gritters (Health Net) wiping out in Turn 7 on the last lap. The podium can be seen riding away in the background.

• » VeloNews reported that 2006 national champion Brad Huff (Jelly Belly) had unclipped in the final sprint, but he says on his blog that his chain dropped. (I’m told the VeloNews reporter sought comment after the race but was rebuffed.)

• » What’s it like to be a national champion? Brooke Miller (Team Tibco) has a great report about what went into her win. (Her celebration is pictured above.) You can read more about Miller in her CBR interview, and you can learn more about men’s champion Rahsaan Bahati (Rock Racing) in this interview, conducted by students at Naperville Central High School when Bahati flew into town to give a talk on Major Taylor.

• » Some big primes were awarded in the women’s championship, compliments of “More money for women’s racing.” Brilliant. I love clever advocacy, especially when it literally puts its money where its mouth is. But I never heard who was behind it. Anyone know?

• » With Justin Williams (Rock Racing) having won the U-23 criterium championship in Anaheim, Calif., Rock Racing says Bahati’s win makes this the first time two African-Americans have earned national cycling titles in the same discipline in the same season.

Full results.

Saturday race reports
Newt Cole (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5): “I was too far back to contest for the podium, but I wasn’t gonna shut it down, even though my eyes were bleeding. I came through the last corner about 10th wheel and threaded the needle between the wobbly blown-out carnage Kyle had left behind in his jetstream of destruction.”

John Coyle (Wolverine Sports Club; 30+ 1/2/3): “30 more feet to the race I might have been able to take it home.”

Sarah Derer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; W-3/4): “I pulled out once the bile started coming up into my mouth at the top of Main Street.”

Karla Kingsley (Easton/ Sugar CRM/ Specialized; W-P/1/2/3): “Hello? I thought this was a warm-up race?”

Sterling Magnell (Rock Racing; Pro): “I owe this one to Rahsaan. I’m hoping I can return the favor to him today in the race for the jersey.”

Brooke Miller (Team Tibco; W-P/1/2/3): “It is a great relaxation to have your teammate up the road- that let me just sit in and enjoy the race.”

Mike Seguin (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5): “I like to take some of the turns at an all out pace to see if those lines actual work, and what better time than on a prime lap.”

Sue Semaszczuk (ABD; W-3/4): “I made sure I was at the front at the start and my goal was to lead out the first lap.”

Chris Sherpitis (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5): “I was so much in oxygen debt I don’t really have a clear picture of the sprint finish.”

Steve Tilford (HRRC/Trek Stores; P/1/2): “I woke up in Chicago early Saturday morning feeling like shit.  Super achey, flu symptoms. Didn’t eat anything, but the $55 entry fee for the Saturday night race.”

Kyle Wiberg (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5, 5): “The men must have passed out pillows and sang some lullabies to put the whole field to sleep for me.  I got a huge gap down the hill and made the pace car hit the turbo. Surreal when you’re thinking about how to pass the pace car. Maybe, it was a messenger’s reaction.”

Saturday photos
Jason Knauff
Eric Schmuttenmaer
Luke Seemann: 30+ 4/5, 30+ 1/2/3, 5, 3/4
Bob Willems
John Wilke

Sunday race reports
Rahsaan Bahati (Rock Racing; Pro): “Once I came out the last turn and noticed whom I was sprinting against and the celebration had already started in my heart and head I just needed to physically cross the line.”

Ryan Baumann (Sakonnet; 1): “My rear tire flatted and I practically ate it in a downhill corner. Sweet.”

David Dokko (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5): “I sprinted for all it was worth and did not lose/gain any spots and finished for my first top 5 of the year.  After going through the finish I immediately pull over and start dry heaving from the effort.”

Debbie Dust (Kenda Tire; W-P/1/2): “I was happy with my place in the field on the final lap, until someone skipped her back wheel in Turn 7 and someone else scraped a pedal in Turn 8.”

Brad Huff (Jelly Belly; Pro): “Less than 200 meters to go and my chain falls to the outside?  Bad luck for sure.  Great Criterium Championshits for me.”

Karla Kingsley (Easton/ Sugar CRM/ Specialized; W-P/1/2): “I’ve been wanting to try out the SRAM Double Tap shifting for a while, but during the last four laps of the national championship criterium was not the timing I had envisioned.”

Bryan McVey (Vision Quest; 1): “Today went well.  Until three laps to go when some dude wiped out in front of me causing a giant traffic jam and ruining my race.”

Sterling Magnell (Rock Racing; Pro): “The boys and I busted our asses and he cleaned up beautifully. It feels a lot like the days when we were juniors. Now we’re all pro and shit so there’s more at stake, but it’s still just as fun.”

Brooke Miller (Team Tibco; W-P/1/2): “I KNEW that I could take that corner full speed and I knew that I would hold it up.  I trusted my equipment and trusted my bike handling.  I was not nervous.  Not at all.”

Avi Neurohr (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew; 5): “I poured it on and tried to keep it on, but didn’t get much help, at least not when it could’ve counted.”

Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus; 3): “The first ten minutes or so were the typical faster than normal pace and moving up to improve my position just wasn’t happening.”

Steve Tilford (HRRC/Trek Stores; 1): ”Ken Hanson (California Giant) smeared everyone, so the race probably wasn’t winable.”

Kristen Wentworth (Kenda Tire; W-P/1/2): “I was just happy to avoid the couple of crashes and finish off the season safe. The racing was top notch though and I had a lot of fun.”

Sunday photos
Karl Crapse
Jason Knauff: Pro, 1, W-P/1/2
Clark Maxwell
Mark Novack
Julie Pusateri
John Rowland
Runaway Wind
Luke Seemann
Velogrrl
John Wilke

Your new national criterium champion? You’re looking at him: Rahsaan Bahati (Rock Racing) rocketed out of the final corner to take the win and give his team a sweep on the weekend. Former Evanston resident Brooke Miller (Team Tibco) also goes home with a new stars-and-stripes jersey after sprinting to a win in the women’s race.

VeloNews was first with the story.

Full results are online. I’ll have an amateur report late Monday night.

Fliers were the Saturday special in Downers Grove, with late attacks working out in both masters races and in the 3/4’s race, above, where Ryan Freund (IIT) and Julian Baumgartner (Vitaminwater-Trek) kept rolling after a prime with two to go and held a monster gap all the way to the line, where Freund took a close two-up sprint.

Team Tibco has often found success in Chicago. It won last year’s pro-am and the inaugural Chicago Criterium three weeks ago. Saturday its Lauren Franges won a four-up sprint out of a break that started early in the women’s P/1/2/3, a race that typically has most of the favorites keeping their powder dry ahead of Sunday’s championship.

The men’s pro-am finished in near darkness, which may or may not have contributed to a crash with two to go. By that point, Kelly Benefit Strategies had yanked all its riders from the fray, leaving Rock Racing, Colavita and Jelly Belly as the major players in a field about half as big as the roughly 170 who started. Rahsaan Bahati (Rock Racing) lead it out coming out of Turn 4, but coming out of Turn 8 it was his teammate and Superweek revelation Sterling Magnell bounding up Main Street for the win.

The real action starts today, culminating with the USPRO national championship at 3 p.m. CyclingNews has a good preview.

FYI: Although CBR is always first in my heart, I’m going to be on the clock today for an out-of-town publication, so expect my wrap-up here to be delayed.

I’m still digging out from vacation, so this will be an abbreviated wrap-up.

I’m happy to hear that Grayslake was, as I had predicted, largely crash-free. But as I had also predicted, Turn 4 at Glencoe -- Amen Corner -- was not. At least one incident was caused by riders getting greedy on the inside. Friends, when I tell you not to bomb the corner, Do not. Bomb. The Corner.

I’m not yet completely sold on chip timing, but it allows for some fun numbers crunching. It lets us know, for example, that in the women’s P/1/2/3 race won by Devon Haskell (Team Get a Grip Cycles), the fastest of the 22 laps was the 6th one -- perhaps that was the first sprint for earrings? And we learn that Jonathan Sanchez (Alberto’s) reeled off a blazing 29.053 mph final lap before sprinting to victory in the masters 4/5 race. By comparison, defending champ Rob White (ABD/Geargrinder) rode the fastest lap of the day, a 29.808 mph final trip on the afternoon’s long course. Unfortunately for White, our sport does not reward speed alone. What matters is who crosses the finish line first, and in a P/1/2 field stacked with heavy hitters it was David Gutteplan (Time Pro Cycling) crossing first by a hair (photo above), after the two of them had lapped the field, leaving them to duke it out in middle of the field sprint. Meanwhile, their former breakmates Chad Hartley (Jittery Joe’s) and Jeff Schroetlin (ABD/Geargrinder) hung on in no-man’s land for 3rd and 4th.

And on top of all that, Team MS Racing, nee MetCycling, made its debut at Glencoe. More on them later.

Full Glencoe results: morning, afternoon.

Grayslake race reports
Eric Goodwin (Vitaminwater-Trek; 3): “There was a headwind and we struggled down the stretch at 34 mph. I had the advantage for a brief second, but I could see Ryan Freund‘s front wheel move past from the corner of my eye. Somewhere, the Reaper was smiling.”

Jeff Holland (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5): “Overall, a nice safe race with no crashes and the three of us walked home with either cash or gift certificates.”

Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5): “For whatever reason -- maybe the vomit rising in my throat -- I thought I had one lap less to go than we did.”

Andy Skeen (ABD/Geargrinder; P/1/2): “Over the course of the next lap, I dragged the field around while the break dangled, and I do mean it dangled, not 10 seconds up the road.”

Glencoe race reports
Julian Baumgartner (Vitaminwater-Trek; 3): “Two-hundredths of a second, by that much I lost. Was pulling so hard the ultimate cost? But second place out of a break ain’t so bad. A long time it’s been since this much fun I’ve had.”

Emanuelle Bianchi (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5): “In Italian we say ‘Dalle stelle alle stalle,’ from the stars to the stables.”

Kevin Clark (Half Acre Cycling; 5): “The plan of action was twofold: not crash and get a workout.”

Jonathan Dugas (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5): “Come on, people, don’t hold a grudge in the bunch.”

Liam Donoghue (Unattached; 4): “At 200 meters I looked back again because surely someone had to be there, but still no one. At 100 meters, arms in the arm, couple of fist pumps, and I won. Holy fucking shit. How I didn’t throw myself off my bike during the post-up baffles me.”

Debbie Dust (Team Kenda Tire; W-P/1/2/3): “I made the error of coming out of the last turn sitting 5th behind a bunch of good sprinters. D’oh!”

Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; W-3/4): “A racer ahead of me took the last corner before the finishing sprint too hot and hit the curb, taking out the two women behind her.”

Monique Hanley (Team Type 1; W-P/1/2/3): “Leading out wasn’t was I had in mind, but I turned around to see Jen Greenberg (Punk Rock Cycling) give me a big smile. I returned it. It was one of those ‘Yee haw, lets race!’-type looks.”

Tim Strege (Half Acre Cycling; 5): “I was off the bike for three weeks, so I had a good excuse.”

Glencoe photos
Carolyn Golz
Julie Pusateri
John Rowland
Tim Strege
Ed White

One great thing about ABR races is that there’s always, how shall I put it, flexibility with racing categories. One can usually race above one’s USCF category -- or below it, natch -- to test the waters with faster riders. Sometimes this yields a revelation, and that was the case Sunday at the Elgin Cycling Classic.

Ryan Freund (IIT) has had an auspicious season as a 4 but he raced the 3’s Sunday. In the penultimate lap, he bridged to Julian Baumgartner (Vitaminwater-Trek) and Chip Gray (Team Get a Grip Cycles), who had been off the front for 30 minutes but were fading, giving them just the juice they needed to hold off the pack. Freund then outsprinted both of them for the win. But he wasn’t done: Fruend then jumped into the P/1/2 race, where he finished an impressive 3rd in the field sprint, 5th overall. Something tells me there will be a number of squads vying for Freund’s services in 2009.

The other great thing about ABR races is that the results sheets often include commentary from all the races, so instead of trying to reconstruct the races myself I’ll just refer you to the full Elgin results and go back to enjoying my vacation.

Race reports
Courier News: “In a wild finish, Frank Dierking of Madison, Wis., caught his second wind just in time to win the men’s P/1/2 race.”

Debbie Dust (Team Kenda Tire; 40+): “I love to race with the 40+ masters men for a lot of reasons:  they’re pretty much all nice guys, they race hard, they’re aggressive, they race (mostly) smart and the majority know how to race.”

Chip Gray (Team Get a Grip Cycles; 3): “When the pack started to close in, the adrenaline rose. They came dangerously close at least twice before the wheel pit closed.”

Bryan McVey (Vision Quest; P/1/2): “I came into the corner second wheel, and my front tire lost traction and turned sideways on me, hurling me into a front flip over my handlebars, landing on my side and back.”

Jared Rogers (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5): “At one point I saw something up the road that I’ve personally never seen in my two seasons of racing -- lapped riders!”

June Upshaw (Verdigris; W-1/2): “We all tried twice or three times to attack. It was fast and lots of change-ups. Primes and prime attacks. Really amazing with just a small pack, but a good bunch of fun. “

Photos
Jason Knauff
Julie Pusateri

I’ve been off the grid for a few days and am only now catching up with the Tour of Elk Grove. I’m sorry I missed all the excitement.

Friday night I’d predicted that Saturday’s road race would either be won out of a break or come down to a field sprint. I was not wrong.

Action was fast and aggressive, with the pack splitting up and time trial winner Tom Zirbel (Bissell) forced to chase once he found more than half the field up the road. After 150 kilometers of circuits in Schaumburg and Elk Grove, 35 riders were barreling toward the finish line when Alex Candelario (Kelly Benefit Strategies) hit a curb coming out of the final corner, causing a major stack-up. Hilton Clarke (Toyota-United) avoided the mayhem and sprinted for the win and the yellow jersey.

Sunday saw a serious break get away, but it was brought back in the final laps. Again Kelly Benefit Strategies put together a leadout, but after Saturday’s wreck, the major contenders were leary of getting on board. That apparently worked to Kelly’s favor, enabling its GC man David Veilleux to get a big gap in the final meters (photo above). He would get caught by former national criterium champion Brad Huff (Jelly Belly), but he would hold on for 2nd. That time bonus, plus the time bonus for 2nd on Saturday, would give the 20-year-old Veilleux the overall, 10 seconds up on Clarke, who finished a bonus-empty fifth.

And you thought the 3’s and 4’s were riding like crash monkeys lately? The pros got acquainted with the tarmac, too, including one in the break on Sunday. More serious and heart-breaking was Saturday’s final-turn crash, which broke the collarbone of the domestique’s domestique, Chris Horner (Astana). VeloNews reports that this will take him out of the Vuelta a España. But let us again praise the class act that is Chris Horner. Upon breaking a collarbone, your typical pro is going to throw his helmet in disgust and go pout. Instead, Horner was photographed smiling with the medics, and he returned Sunday to put in some time as announcer.

Other riders were less forgiving. Hilton Clarke (Toyota-United) accused Kelly Benefit Strategies, always a major presence at the front of a sprint, of having dodgy handling, telling CyclingNews: “Those guys always ride dangerous in the last corners of races. They are watching everyone else and not watching the corner.” And Freddie Rodriguez (Rock Racing) told CyclingNews he wanted nothing to do with the Kelly Benefit Strategies leadout train: “We all gave them a big buffer, but they need to learn when they take control in a corner they don’t need to own the corner -- just get through it. If you slow the corner it causes problems.”

Notes from the amateur races:

• » With the money cut and no NRC points available, the women’s fields were light. So light, in fact, that the two races were combined into a single open field. Nonetheless, many of the region’s top female amateurs still showed up, and Kristen Meshberg (Flatlandia) continued her dynamite season with another win. Coming in 2nd was Jeannie Kuhajek (NZ Tasman Team), a recent arrival from New Zealand who burst on the scene last week by winning the Chicago Criterium 4’s race.

• » UPDATE: Understandably, some women are upset about their weekend in Elk Grove, between the unequal payouts and the combined fields, plus being told afterward that there will be no women’s events at all in 2009. Here’s one take, from Kristen Wentworth (Team Kenda Tire). For historical reference, recall the discussion started by December’s interview with Mayor Craig Johnson, where we first learned about the changed women’s lineup, and this post from the St. Louis Revolution squad.

• » Decatur’s Jeff Schroetlin (ABD/Geargrinder) won Saturday’s 1/2 race, then finished near the back of Sunday’s stage, but his same-time result was good enough to give him the $3,000 overall prize, on top of $2,000 for the previous win. Not a bad payday for an amateur.

• » I’ve come across two references to a fist fight in connection with the 1/2 race. True? Is there any better way to say “Thanks for all the dough and the JumboTron, but we’d rather you cancel this race” than a fight? It’s bad enough when we yell at each other and piss in the bushes. But a fight? Really? (Besides, everyone knows that a fight between cyclists is about the most pathetic thing in the world, what with the spaghetti arms and the slip-and-slide cleats.)

• » If you haven’t added Wolverine Sports Club’s John Coyle to your RSS feed, you should. He the best writer in Midwestern racing, and he often has videos from his sprints. (Unlike some of us who take videos, who require telephoto lenses to capture any sprint action, Coyle can be counted on to be right in the thick of the closing action.) His Elk Grove post includes one such video.

• » I don’t think organizers created three 5’s fields with the intent of people racing multiple times, but double- and triple-up they did. One of them was Liam Bradshaw (Team Tati), who upon having his 4’s upgrade denied went out and placed 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the 5’s heats.

• » Tomasz Boba (WDT-Allvoi) frustrated the 3’s field once again, breaking free in the last corner in the $5,000 3’s race, thanks in part to a crash. We won’t have Boba to kick us around any more, however, as I’m told he was issued a mandatory upgrade later that day. Tim Henry (Project 5) continues to show good form, too. He placed 5th in the 3’s race, then won Sunday’s masters 3/4’s race.

• » Congrats to Ryan Baumann (Sakonnet), who won Friday’s amateur time trial with a time of 9:16, 1 second ahead of masters national champion Wayne Simon (Verdigris), and a time that would have been good for 42nd among the pros. Check out this photo of Horner signing the handsome trophies. Amateur ride organizer Voytek Glinkowski (WDT-Allvoi) says the special event raised $3,000 for charity.

Full results.

Race reports
Beverly Bike/Vee-Pak (4/5): “Brakes were locking up all over the place sending bicycle sideways. This was evident after one of the leaders got pinched on the last lap, which by itself had three seperate crashes.”

Tom Briney (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5): “With the 200 meter sign in sight, I get tired of the cat-and-mouse game.  I take off and create a gap that is building slowly.  At 50 meters to the finish, I can just barely see his shadow fading off and I knew I had it.”

Newt Cole (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4, 30+ 3/4): “The moral: Ride with people better, faster and stronger than you and learn, learn, learn.”

Fran Connelly (Tower Racing; 30+ 5): “The effort is so hard. And yet now I’m passing guys. The passing almost feels effortless. It’s like I’m watching from above offering commentary in my out-of-body-experience.”

Ron Cook (Project 5; 30+ 3/4): “I heard the race announcer saying ‘Project 5’ and i knew Tim had won. I clapped and pumped my fist as I crossed the line in 52nd place. 52nd never felt so good.”

John Coyle (Wolverine Sports Club; 1/2): “I’m in the back about 70th place and after the corner manage to move to first over the next mile -- directly through the innards of the pack for the most part.”

CyclingNews (Stage 1): “‘I am absolutely awful at taking the correct line on 180s and then accelerating out of them! I’m just a big diesel -- and with a trailer on the back!’

CyclingNews (Stage 2): “The racing on the main seven-mile loop was a little unconventional, as the terrain was almost completely flat and with a lot of hard turns. As well, the entire starting peloton was only 57 riders. All these elements ended up making the racing fast and aggressive from the first kilometer.”

CyclingNews (Stage 3): “When Kelly Benefit Strategies jumped on the outside heading for the final turn, everyone in the crowd watching the jumbotron held their collective breath.”

Erik Didriksen (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5): “Elk Grove’s L-shaped course features 180-degree turns that create a nightmarish accordion crashfest if you’re in the back of the pack.”

Craig Erbach (Project 5; 3): “There were about 7-8 guys up the road who actually seemed like they were working together and might stay away. Whoa!”

Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; W-open): “I had chances to move up and didn’t take them -- which I’m furious with myself about -- and when the elastic broke, I was on the wrong side of it.”

Don Hanke (Tower Racing; 30+ 5): “I wish I had a helmet camstart yelling encouragement: ‘Go, Fran, go!!! Come on, Fran GO, GO, GO!”

Chard Hartley (Jittery Joe’s; P): “I’m happy to report that i finally made it past the third lap! Without crashing! It only took three years to get those pesky 180’s down.”

Cory Hickman (Vitaminwater-Trek; 1/2): “ I tried but did not reach the days’ goal, and lost track of the fact that this is supposed to be fun.”

Jeff Holland (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4, 30+ 3/4): “25 minutes of sketchy riding, unnecessary surging and of course, crashes.”

Emir Jganjac (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5): “I guess my lack of warm-up finally kicked me in the ass and I couldn’t accelerate to move up.”

Andrews Quiros (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5): “Hello, pavement. My name is Andres. Nice to meet you.”

Jared Rogers (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5): “After about a half-mile we made it lungs on fire and all -- my first successful bridge in a race!”

June Upshaw (Verdigris; W-open): “A local gal won, Kirsten Meshburg. She rocks!”

Kristen Wentworth (Team Kenda Tire; W-open): “I desperately wanted to maneuver up the right side and attack for the line but I couldn’t get through traffic.”

Photos
eddy58
Lee Sam
Julie Pusateri
Ben Ross/Action Images
John Rowland
Matt Smith
John Wilke: Saturday, Sunday

And here’s the rest of the known reports and photos from the last seven days of Superweek. Reports are still trickling in, so I’ll update this post as needed.

There’s not much more I can add in regards to the racing, other than to congratulate the Chicago-area riders who won their series: Voytek Glinkowski (WDT-Allvoi) earned twice as many points as his nearest competitor in the masters 4/5’s, Alex Smetana (Spidermonkey Cycling) took the 4/5’s, and as previously mentioned, junior Jessi Prinner (ABD) won the women’s 3/4’s. I think she might have a future in this sport.

Tour of Holy Hill race reports
Clint Carter (Ski Utah; 3): “There needs to be a lake at the finish of every hot bike race.”

Aram Dellalian (Bearclaw; P/1/2): “Got pinched on the right side, and lots of swearing with Australian accents were thrust at the rider responsible for the pinch.”

Sterling Magnell (Rock Racing; P/1/2): “The race got shortened to 65 miles, totally reshaping what is typically a long race of attrition into a glorified circuit race. Adding to that the finish was unmarked from any distance until you happened upon it at the crest of a hill.”

Joey Rosskopf (Kudzu; P/1/2): “It actually kind of felt like my brakes were rubbing the whole race. They weren’t actually, but that’s how sluggish I felt.”

Adrian Silva (Half Acre Cycling; 4/5): “Soon the gaps grew, my body redlined and before I knew it there was a big one, right in front of me.”

Cedarburg race reports
Clint Carter (Ski Utah; 3): “The speed is up, then it’s down, and everybody is riding their brakes through the turns. It makes harder.”

Jason Danvir (Sugar Cycles; 3): “Coming out of the last turn I was sitting about 10 back (where I wanted for an uphill sprint) and making ground quick when my rear derailleur pulley threw my chain.”

Aram Dellalian (Bearclaw; P/1/2): ”Alors, apres de rien de courer avance pour long temps, avec 10 tours avant de arrive, un petit group de quatre courers gagne une minute sur le peleton.”

Alex Smetana (Spidermonkey Cycling; 4/5): “He clipped his pedal coming out of the turn and with some nervous grace, I slipped through the 6 or so inches between his head and the curb.”

Cedarburg photos
Clint Carter
Extreme Photography
John Wilke

Whitnall Park race reports
Jason Danvir (Sugar Cycles; 3): “I felt good about my legs and managed a good move up the last climb but got pinched and was forced to give way (not crash) only to accelerate again and hold on for 13th.”

Aram Dellalian (Bearclaw; P/1/2): “Slowly moved up, and kept it near the jersey for the final few laps. He’s a good draft, and you know he’s obligated to be at the finish mix, so it works out well.”

James Pradun (Endeavour; 3): “I covered more attacks than I probably should have. I finally got sick of it near the end, and the next attack that went wound up sticking. Damn.”

Mike Shea (Spidermonkey Cycling; 4/5): “I really didn’t actively race this one. It felt like no one really did. I sat in. I played it safe. There were no attacks, few surges. Everyone pedaled along with an understanding.”

Whitnall Park photos
Extreme Photography
Dana Melanz
John Wilke

Racine race reports
Jonathan Cantwell (Jittery Joe’s; P/1/2): “Rock Racing were out to brake the field apart from the gun and to have Magnell Sterling try and form a breakaway without me in it. Again the boys did a great job and we did not let anything dangerous go up the road.”

Jason Danvir (Sugar Cycles; 3): “We snaked the entire field and I was able to hold out for 3rd across the line in the field sprint. Good day!”

Aram Dellalian (Bearclaw; P/1/2): “I see an opening on the inside and, chop or not, dove into it. Normal stuff. BUT! The big former jersey wearer went even further inside and I had to slam the brakes or take us both down. Dicey, at best.”

Racine phoos
Judith Pannozo
John Rowland
John Wilke

Kenosha race reports
Jason Danvir (Sugar Cycles; 3): “Wreck after wreck, people cutting corners, cutting wheels, coming unclipped (cause of 2 separate wrecks) and just being ignorant. To add insult to injury they were going to the wheel pit, taking their free lap and jumping back in to cause more damage.”

Aram Dellalian (Bearclaw; P/1/2): “I rolled in probably with a top 10 in the field sprint, but too many breakaway mates were in the mix as well. 48 km/h. Most probably the fastest crit I’ve ever done/seen.”

Angelo DiGiovine (Active Athlete/Squadra Ovest; 3): “I think I did some kind of Superman flying move into the metal barriers.”

Sterling Magnell (Rock Racing; P/1/2): “If I run second overall in the race, I’m going to do it in style. I’m very proud of the riding I’ve been doing from the beginning. No one else has had more challenges come their way. I’ve had a target on my back the entire time and I’m stilling putting it to them every time I line up.”

Matt Smith (Vitaminwater-Trek; 3): “I had plenty of spark left, and was simply waiting for a hole, waiting, waiting. Finally I had daylight to the line and I shot through.”

Kenosha photos
Dana Melanz
John Rowland
John Wilke

Downer Avenue race reports
Denny Yunk (CZ Velo; 3): “Playing it safe through the corners put me at the back of the field pretty quickly. I stayed there until guys started popping off the back, requiring me to accelerate around them.”

Aram Dellalian (Bearclaw; P/1/2): “Wyoming’s finest, Adrian Geritts (La Grange), hit the deck hard. I was twowheels back, on the inside, and luckily he fell to the outside. I saw sparks, and jussst missed his rear wheel. Had legs, but lost the nerve to make the jump, and followed wheels to finish 11th.”

Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “Just as I cracked, Chris Padfield joined the spearhead of it and off he went. I just got spit out the back like shit through a goose.”

Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus; 4/5): “I was hurting, as I should be, as I accelerated out of the second turn and snapped a quick glance back. It didn’t look good.”

Scott Peterson (Team Wheaton; 3): “I assumed I could determine who was or wasn’t going to be a problem so I threw down my money like a deep-in-the-hole drunk at a Vegas roulette table.”

Downer Avenue photos
Paul Matsushima
Julie Pusateri
John Rowland
Brooks Taggert
John Wilke

Whitefish Bay race reports
Chad Hartley (Jittery Joe’s; P/1/2): “Don’t get between an Aussie and his beer!”

Sterling Magnell (Rock Racing; P/1/2): “I’m happy and disspointed at the same time. It gives me a lot of motivation to go home and work hard to improve my riding.”

Whitefish Bay photos
John Rowland
John Wilke
Runaway Wind

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

But what a training ride it was!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

No details yet, but Superweek has already updated the results to reflect Sunday’s action.

Jairo Perez Suarez (Colombia) won, his second of the series after winning the second day of Bensenville. Jonathan Cantwell (Jittery Joe’s) finished well ahead of Sterling Magnell (Rock Racing) to secure the overall title. Meanwhile, Rahsaan Bahati appears to have been a no-show for the fourth consecutive day came up empty in the sprints after a break got away and devoured most of the available points, enabling Chad Hartley (Jittery Joe’s) to run away with the sprints title.

Alex Voitik (Turin) finished 4th to wrap up the 3’s overall title, and Jessi Prinner (ABD) came in 3rd in the final women’s 3/4’s race, giving the South Elgin junior the overall title.

Full wrap-up to come.

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

Rock Racing let its legs do the talking at Downer Avenue on Saturday with Justin Williams winning the $7,000 prime -- the largest prime in American racing -- and then Sterling Magnell winning the race to get within 3 points of Jonathan Cantwell (Jittery Joe’s) for the overall. Rahsaan Bahati (Rock Racing) took another day off and it now looks doubtful that he can win the sprints competition, with Chad Hartley (Jittery Joe’s) leading by 18 points.

Update: CyclingNews has a full report.

Chicago’s Chris Padfield won the 4’s race, and Alex Voitik (Turin) and Matt Hebard (GS Boulder) went 1-2 in the 3’s, which is also where they stand in the overall.  Jessi Prinner (ABD) won the women’s 3/4’s and now leads by 4 points.

With two days of Superweek left, things are getting tense up in Wisconsin.

Yet another Colombian won in Kenosha Friday -- Juan Pablo Forero Carreno, the fourth from the squad to do so this Superweek -- but the real action is for the overall, where current leader Jonathan Cantwell (Jittery Joe’s) and Sterling Magnell (Rock Racing) have stopped being polite and started being real. Check out this CyclingNews report or this race report from Aram Dellalian (Bearclaw) for all the drama.

Sprints leader Rahsaan Bahati (Rock Racing) took two days off for a wedding and has now lost the red jersey again to Chad Hartley (Jittery Joe’s), who leads by 4 points. The CyclingNews story reports a clever tactical move, in which with a large break up the road Friday, Jittery Joe’s intentionally slowed the field so that the break would lap, thus giving Hartley a chance to pick up points.

Same old, same old in the 3’s: A horrendous crash took down several riders in the final sprint Friday. My eyes on the ground, John Wilke of Peloton Pix, says three ambulances were required. Meanwhile, Chicago’s Matt Smith (Vitaminwater-Trek) won just inches ahead of Turin’s Alex Voitik (above). It’s now a three-man race for the overall, with Voitik leading by 4 points over Matt Hebard (GS Boulder) and Tomasz Boba (WDT-Allvoi).

(Myself, I was registered for what should be a thrilling day on Downer Avenue today, but with the way the 3’s have been riding, I’m not confident about getting through those tight corners without major incident. I’ll be taking the day off.)

In women’s 3/4 racing, South Elgin’s Jessi Prinner hasn’t won since Evanston, but she’s been racking up the points and now leads the overall by 1 point.

I don’t have time to write a full wrap-up, but the news from Wisconsin is that the Colombians have won two in a row. Carlos Alzate won out of a four-man break Tuesday in Cedarburg, and then last night at Whitnall Park, Juan Esteban Caruzjul took a two-lap flier and held it for the win.

The major development, however, is that Jonathan Cantwell (Jittery Joe’s) came in 2nd, giving him a one-point lead in the overall and the yellow jersey that Sterling Magnell (Rock Racing) has worn since winning two weeks ago in Beverly.

“I can only imagine what Rock has in store for me in the next few days,” Cantwell writes in his blog, “but they better realize that I’m an Aussie and we are built tough!”

Magnell’s rejoinder: a picture of a dollar bill on a toilet seat.

The next few days should be exciting.

The only other result I’m aware of comes from the 3’s race in Whitnall Park, where Robert Quinn (Unattached) picked up his second victory of Superweek won the field sprint behind a solo flier from Paul Beyer (WWVC).

OK, fellow report dorks, I’ve populated the Evanston wrap-up with all the reports and photo galleries I’m aware of. Go crazy.

The Cat 3 crash video is proving to be an Internet sensation. Its star -- the Bikes To You rider who hits the deck, gets up and is then slammed from behind -- has raced both days since Evanston and seems to be enjoying his new celebrity.

Quick updates from up north: A long delay shaved a few laps from Cat 3 and P/1/2 road races at Holy Hill, but otherwise people seemed happy to be away from the crit courses. If ever there were a race to scout the finish, this was it, as the .4-mile, uphill finishing stretch caught both amateur and pro riders by surprise. In the pro race, a small group slipped away late. It included representatives from both Kelly Benefit Strategies and Rock Racing as well as Frank Pipp (Health Net), making his Superweek debut, but it was Ryan Roth (Team Race) who held a gap from the corner all the way to the line to take the win.

The Cedarburg course was also a welcome one: safe, hilly and fun. It even ran mostly on schedule. The 3’s were scheduled to do 35 miles but did 38 -- serving your correspondent right for only packing one energy gel. Chicago-area riders doing well included Alex Smetana (Spidermonkey Cycling), who won the 4/5’s race in a sprint, and Alex Voitik (Turin), one of this Superweek’s revelations, who halfway through the race was somehow able to form a break faster than you can say, “Dude, that’s a dangerous move.” He and fellow tough guy Matt Hebard (GS Boulder) rode two others off their wheels before Hebard took the win in the two-up sprint.

Crashes were again the main story Sunday when Superweek returned to the Chicago area in Evanston.

With the exception of the masters race and the women’s P/1/2/3, every race on the day was suspended at least once while medics tended to fallen riders, and all races were abbreviated.  Is it any wonder this race is sponsored by a hospital?

In the P/1/2, Turn 4 proved to be the trouble spot. The first serious crash took out Proctor winner Matt Busche (IS Corp), sending him to the hospital with deep cuts on his face. The second happened with five laps to go with Tuesday’s masters winner Daniel Carruthers (Hansaton Hearing Systems) hitting the deck hard. It was a scary crash, but he would eventually jump back in to finish the race and even finish in the money.

Racing was suspended each time. During the pauses, I noticed series leader Sterling Magnell (Rock Racing), clad in custom yellow shorts to match his jersey and knee warmers to cover his bandages, roll up to check on the injured riders and offer supportive words. Classy move, I say.

After the final crash, the race was reset with 10 laps to go in order to give riders a chance to warm back up before going for some big primes. Soon a three-man break formed that included Wednesday’s solo winner Jairo Perez Suarez (Colombia), Tommy Nankervis (DLP) and Friday’s winner Peter Dawson (Rock Racing), who finished 5th out of a break here in 2007. Dawson must be getting some sprinting lessons from his new teammates because he easily took both the $600 crowd prime and the final sprint for the win.

Rock Racing would thus go home with all three jerseys: white for the stage, yellow for Magnell’s overall lead and red for Rahsaan Bahati, who continued to pad his lead in the sprints competition.

Magnell and Bahati are positioned well to take the $1,500 prize for top overall and the $2,000 prize for sprint points. However, the pro race announcement states that riders must race on July 27 in order to be eligible for these prizes. Many of us have been expecting Rock Racing to be racing the $25,000 Chicago Criterium that day. Will Bahati and Magnell have to forfeit their prizes in order to show up on Chicago’s JumboTrons? Or will they be compelled to stay in Wisconsin and race in Whitefish Bay instead?

As for the women, the P/1/2/3 series wrapped up with Verducci/Breakaway taking home both the stage and the overall behind sprinter Theresa Cliff-Ryan, who ended the week as she started it, winning a bunch sprint. Debbie Dust (Team Kenda Tire) and Devon Haskell (Team Get a Grip Cycles) were your top Chicago finishers, getting 5th and 9th respectively.

Back to the crashing.

As far as I know, the women P/1/2/3’s was the only race without a crash. The women’s 3/4’s were not as lucky. Jessi Prinner (ABD) was well off the front when Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) took a hard spill in Turn 4. Prinner was allowed to take the win uncontested, and the rest of the women raced two laps for 2nd place.

The 4/5’s and 4’s races were surprisingly clean in their early trips through Turn 5, the notorious BK Stacker. About halfway through the 4/5’s race, the day’s first race, two riders off the back became its first victims. One of them continued to lie there as the pace car came around followed by a five-man break that had formed in the first few laps. Its leader at the time, Nick Gierman (Vitaminwater-Trek) plowed into the downed Northwestern rider, who now had a chainring-shaped gash across his back to complement his road rash.

The race was then halted. When it resumed, Gierman jumped back in and the break was awarded its estimated gap. Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus) and Ryan Freund (IIT) snuck away from the break. They did so so sneakily, they apparently escaped the attention of the officials, who failed to give them a bell with one to go. Thus, on what should have been their final lap, they rolled through casually, confusing anyone who was paying attention. If this were indeed the final lap, Freund would have had an uncontested victory. Instead, they continued to roll for one more lap, and this time they sprinted for it, with Padfield crossing the line first.

Freund would have had a good case for a protest, but he did the sporting thing and instead jumped straight into the 4’s race. This race would be unlucky for him again as he would bloody his nose getting caught up in one of that race’s crashes at the Stacker.

They day’s most violent crash may have come in the 3’s race. Two riders tangled about 50 meters from the finish line. High-speed pileups ensued with bikes, wheels and bodies flying through the air and down the road, as captured here in video form and here in still photography. Meanwhile, Tomasz Boba (WDT-Allvoi) escaped the carnage and won his fourth race of the series. Just about anyone who finished behind him was just happy to have gotten through the minefield unscathed.

But aside from the crashes, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the racing? Fast and fun, and Evanston was again a fantastic host. After two years of mayhem in Turns 4 and 5, however, it may well be time to rethink this course. Turn 7 at Downers Grove is the only other corner I can think of that causes this much trouble. Downtown Evanston is the perfect spot for a bicycle race, but perhaps there can be a different route that’s just as exciting and spectator-friendly but safer for everyone.

Backing up a day, it was a wet one up in Waukesha. Only about 30 finished the P/1/2 race, finishing a day that got started after a long delay after a set-up truck had to be towed from the course. CyclingNews credits a late $1,000 prime with setting the table for Spencer Beamer (DLP), who attacked out of a break as the sprinters stood up with three to go. (If that name rings a bell, it may mean you’ve been perusing my Flickr photos. Here’s a photo of Beamer demolishing the juniors field in 2005 at the beloved Tour of Alpine Valley.)

Waukesha race reports
CyclingNews: “A $1,000 cash prime resulted in disorganization and hesitation in the large breakaway group, allowing opportunist Spencer Beamon (DLP Racing) to get one of the biggest wins of his career with a brave solo move.”

Sterling Magnell (Rock Racing; P/1/2): “I woke up feeling like I’d been hit by a Mack truck. I’ve never really messed my face up before like this and it’s oh so strange.”

James Pradun (Endeavour; 3): “The guy in front of me sat up from complete exhaustion and opened up a huge gap. By the time I closed it, I had 2 seconds to recover for the sprint.”

Waukesha photos
CycleSage
John Wilke

Evanston race reports
ABD/Geargrinder (P/1/2): “The officials restarted Jeff Schroetlin with a small gap but didn’t give one to the other riders. With a fresh field behind him, his solo move lasted approximately two blocks.”

Charles Biro (Team Get a Grip Cycles; 3): “I narrowly squeaked by the carnage, improving three places from people crashing out in front of me.”

Brian Boyle (Vitaminwater-Trek; P/1/2): “I did something I’ve never done in any criterium at any level after being dropped:  I chased back on.  I couldn’t believe I actually made it back into the field.”

Clint Carter (Ski Utah; 3): “A rider hit the deck close to my line and a bike was flying through the air right at me. I didn’t know if I was going to make it or not.”

Gary Chioda (Tower Racing; 4): “Sure enough guys to my inside go down. I can feel the breeze from the rider next to me as he hits. I manage to keep cool and not overcorrect. I made it through.”

Newt Cole (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “All around me was absolute carnage. I felt like I was in the eye of a Hurricane as a clinic of bad bike handling was on display.”

Jason Danvir (Sugar Cycles; 3): “We went from 18 to go to 14 to go after the restart. This caused a large portion of the field to lose their minds!”

Aram Dellalian (Bearclaw; P/1/2): “Midway between Turns 4 and 5 there was a bit of a lull in the pace, and I attacked. Hard. Went into Turn 5 almost too fast, but I had a gap! Rounded the final turn first. Just me, thousands of people, and massive noise from all angles. I didn’t dare look back. What a feeling.”

Debbie Dust (Team Kenda Tire; W-P/1/2/3): “Things were fast but safe. I only had someone’s shift lever shoved into my ass once, so that’s pretty good.”

Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “When another racer swung across my line in a corner, I touched my brake -- my front brake -- probably harder than I needed to. D’oh! I went over the handlebars and landed on my chin and chest.”

Nick Gierman (Vitamanwater-Trek; 4/5, 4): “I got to send a huge thanks out to the medial crew as they were definitely on top of their game today.

Jeff Holland (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “My body actually goes inside the barrier, shoulder first, and I come to a screeching halt and fall on the curb.”

Damon Nelson (Beverly Bike/Vee-Pak; 4/5, 4): “The team was really starting to steamroll the course and were picking up plenty of places until the race was stopped with eight to go. After the riders were peeled off the pavement in the infamous BK Stacker, the race was lined up for a third time.”

Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus; 4/5, 4): “Another wreck or three after this I mentally called it quits. Enough.  I no longer had the legs to make it back up to the front nor the will.”

Jason Ludtke (Team Pegasus; 4/5): “Holy cripes, this was ridiculous! I stuck with the group for a while but got nerves and fell off the rear at the end of lap five.”

Sterling Magnell (Rock Racing; P/1/2): “Made for an odd outing but we maintained and are focusing on tomorrow now.”

Seth Meyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; P/1/2): “I enter the turn and I see 10 guys on the ground in front of me. I brake hard and swerve to make my way around.”

Joey Rosskopf (Kudzu; P/1/2): “I was on the wheel of the guy who wrecked. He took the corner too wide and might have been blinded by the bright setting sun and ended up running into the outside curb/barrier, which sent his bike flying up and back out onto the road right in front of me! I kind of ducked and swerved to avoid the back half of his bike.”

Mike Shea (Spidermonkey Cycling; 4/5): “Instant frustration. And the chase group? I guess we didn’t exist. Chase eliminated.”

Mike Sherer (Alderfer Berger; P/1/2): “It was a blast getting to race 100 feet from my condo. The race went great for me. I felt amazing and was probably the best I have ever felt on my bike.”

Tom Thiesen (Endeavour; 3): “If you find that you are not physically capable of ducking and covering, whatever you do, do not stand up and start walking around without looking what’s coming.”

Tati Cycles (4/5, W-3/4): ”Jesse Williams is off the front, leading Liam Bradshaw out. The field is now completely strung out. Jesse dumps Liam off at the BK Stacker, who takes two hot corners and a long sprint solo and just edges out an xXx rider for the win.”

Jeff Wat (Vitaminwater-Trek; 3): “I worked really hard to get to where I was on the last lap and throughout the race and a bit of poor bike handling at 30+ mph did me in along with a few other riders.”

Evanston photos
Carolyn Golz: 3, 4, 4/5, 30+ and 40+, W-3/4
Eric Harper
Jason Knauff
Paul Matsushima
Julie Pusateri
Luke Seemann
Pupila Quadrada
Matt Smith
Ed White
John Wilke

Bensenville residents went to a concert Wednesday night and a bicycle race broke out.

And what a race it was. Announcers cajoled dozens of music fans out of their lawn chairs to come watch Jairo Perez Suarez (Colombia) wrap up an amazing solo break from the men’s P/1/2 field. He was off by himself for about 25 of the race’s 80 laps. Several tried to bridge, including hard efforts from ABD/Geargrinder, but none got more than halfway across. This wasn’t Suarez’ only solo effort: He successfully stayed off the front of the field on Tuesday to capture 9th place after the break had lapped the field.

Rahsaan Bahati (Rock Racing) won out of that break after attacking early and lapping the field with seven others. Wednesday his team’s attentions seemed to be on the points competition and defending its overall lead. Bahati had had his sprints leader jersey taken from him before the race because of what had been discovered to be a misallocation of points. The jersey thus passed to Chad Hartley (Jittery Joe’s). During the race, Hartley and Bahati were always close, shadowing each other like sumo wrestlers before a grapple, but it was Rock Racing, operating with a full squad, that manhandled most of the points sprints, and the points leadership passed back to Bahati. Sterling Magnell (Rock Racing) finished 3rd on the day to retain the overall lead.

Other highlights from the rest of this week’s Chicago races:

• » As cyclists we talk a lot about courage. Usually it involves an improbable attack or a difficult time trial. We have so much courage, we like to think, that we carry it around in suitcases. No more will I hold this delusion. Tuesday we witnessed true courage when trained spectators leapt into action to save the life of Jim Scott. There was no hesitation. Thinking was quick, actions swift.

• » Firefighter Tony Rienks (Beverly Bike/Vee-Pak) was one of the heroes who gave first aid. Wednesday, he showed his mettle on the bike, getting a well-deserved victory in the 4/5’s race.

• » Richton Park was a well-received course, aside from an egging in the 3’s race. Bensenville? Not so much. Technical is one thing. Unnecessarily dangerous is another. Uneven pavement in Turn 3 caused multiple accidents on Tuesday; to our relief it was paved overnight. (Thank you, Bensenville.) An off-camber turn on the chicane struck me as dodgy, and I was surprised to see only one rider wipe out there. The biggest problem, however, was the finish, which was positioned on the snaking stretch of new pavement in order to be near the park’s bandshell. USA Cycling’s rulebook gives these specifications for road races: “The finishing area should be at least eight meters wide and be adequately protected so as to prevent spectators from running into the street. The last 200 meters should be free of turns and curves.” Assuming that this applies to criteriums as well (which it apparently does not; the national championships in Downers Grove finish a mere 150 meters from the final corner, after all): 1. Promoters have said the path is 25 feet. If that’s accurate, that’s less than 8 meters. 2. The last 200 meters was decidedly not free of turns or curves. 3. It seems painfully obvious that the chute out of the finish should be free of curves, too. Cyclists are utterly exhausted at the end of our sprints, and if we throw, it’s difficult to steer safely. Only one crash occurred at the finish line, but it was catastrophic, and there were many more close calls.

• » All that said, Bensenville was once again a cordial host. And knowing the generous and expensive work the village did in order to construct this course, I don’t mean to be ungrateful when I make these observations. I hope Superweek can return for years and years to come.

• » Not many pros have shown up for the women’s pro tour, but many of the country’s top amateur squads are here. Three locals to root for are Jessi Prinner (ABD), Debbie Dust (Team Kenda Tire) and Kristen Meshberg (Flatlandia).  Meshberg is easy to spot: Just look for her omnipresent grin.

• » Between sprinting and time trialing, most of us have to choose but one. At Blue Island, Tomasz Boba (WDT-Allvoi) showed the 3’s that he can hold his own in a field sprint, getting 2nd in the field. Sunday in Olympia Fields, he proved he can time-trial, single-handedly holding off the field for the final 10 laps. On Wednesday in Bensenville, he proved that he can do both in the same Herculean effort. With just a few laps to go, he easily jumped across to a dangerous three-man break. Just as that break got absorbed at the final turn, Boba launched a ferocious sprint and held off a charging Robert Quinn (Unattached), who himself has proven this week that neither his time trial nor his sprint are to be trifled with. He sprinted to win a three-up sprint Tuesday in Bensenville, and he came in third out of the break on Saturday.

• » Kiwi Daniel Carruthers (Hansaton Hearing Systems) rode to a long solo victory in Wednesday’s 30+ 1/2/3 race. If he does it again, be sure to wave your hands rather than clap to show your appreciation: Carruthers is deaf. (He depends on a flag to know when the bell lap is.)

• » Joe Bippus (South Chicago Wheelmen) is off to a great start: In the first four races of Superweek, he landed two 4ths, a 2nd and a victory in the 4’s.

• » Forgive me for being braggy, but I’m proud of my teammates in the lower categories. Both Monday and Tuesday saw XXX Racing-AthletiCo riders going on successful solo attacks late in the 4/5’s races: Sean Piper in Richton Park, Dave Moyer in Bensenville. Then on Wednesday in Bensenville’s 30+ 4/5’s, Jeff Holland outsprinted the formidable Voytek Glinkowski (WDT-Allvoi), who had come in 1st and 2nd the previous two days.

• » Chicago’s Spidermonkey squad should feel good about themselves, too. They’ve accumulated 11 top-five finishes in the lower-category races.

• » Many people have noticed the smaller fields in the 4’s, 4/5’s and 30+ 4/5’s. I don’t think attendance is necessarily down. Keep in mind that in previous years there has only been a 4/5’s field with the occasional masters race. Last year, most of the Chicago-area 4/5’s races, which were all held on weekends, filled up. So now instead of a crowded 75-man field, we have three fields of 20 to 30 riders. I don’t think it’s a bad thing. This has kept these races safer, and with the 4/5’s races serving as proxy 5’s races, more riders have a chance to be competitive within their own ability levels. My only surprise is that more riders aren’t doubling up, either because the races are scheduled back-to-back or because they are scheduled to be longer than we’re used to.

Full Superweek results.

Richton Park race reports
ABD/Geargrinder (P/1/2): “With only three riders it was difficult to cover every move and a couple of times it looked like the team would only have stories about the one that got away, but then Zach Watson bridged across to a large group.”

Rahsaan Bahati (Rock Racing; P/1/2): “After a number of attacks, a group of eight guys slipped away and we had the youngster Justin Williams there.”

Taggert Brooks (CZ Velo; 30+ 1/2/3): “tTey had better numbers when the field was together. Why would they block for one teammate in a break of 10 when they had nearly 20 percent of the remaining field?”

CyclingNews: “With one lap to go it was all green and gold of Kelly Benefit on the front -- but not far behind were the Texas Roadhouse riders waiting to crash the party.”

Aram Dellalian (Bearclaw; P/1/2): “Major props to perennial ‘sit in and sprint’ guy Justin Williams (Rock Racing) for getting up the road and lapping the field. Never seen him attack, let alone lap the field. Bravo, guy.”

Kudzu (P/1/2): “The race started off faster than a blitzkrieg as we averaged 412 watts for the first 15 minutes.”

Sterling Magnell (Rock Racing; P/1/2): “I’m on this like you wouldn’t believe. I’m scared, I’m nervous. I’ve been getting support from every angle and I feel like I’m on a razors edge. It feels good. I feel compelled. This is big for me.”

John Meyers (ABD/Geargrinder; P/1/2): “Superweek races are way better than 9 out of 10 regional races. Fast people show up. The races are hard, and hard men do well.”

James Pradun (Endeavour; 3): “Someone started throwing eggs at the riders in the Cat 3 field. Two guys got hit in the head and shoulder. WTF?”

Joey Rosskopf (Kudzu; P/1/2): “Having already made the mistake of letting one break slip away today, no one in the bunch wanted to let it happen again.”

Richton Park photos
CyclingNews

Bensenville Tuesday race reports
ABD/Geargrinder (P/1/2): “Although this was the fifth day in a now of racing for many riders, the attacks started once again from the gun.”

Rahsaan Bahati (Rock Racing; P/1/2): “Back to business and with a very technical course, I did what Justin did the day before and lapped the field very, very early in the race.”

Beverly Bike/Vee-Pak (30+ 4/5): “In the 4/5 with seven laps to go around an easy left turn half the lead pack went down.”

CyclingNews: “All looked set for a two-up sprint when a moment of inattention over a dodgy corner by Katie Weber (WebCor) sent her to the ground with 10 laps to go.”

Debbie Dust (Team Kenda Tire; W-P/1/2/3): “It was definitely a good race: difficult, sometimes twitchy, but that’s just part of criterium racing.”

Jeff Holland (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5): ”Brian Morrissey and I were ready for a breakaway when the time presented itself, but nothing really stuck in the wind.”

Nate Iden (Spidermonkey Cycling; 4): “Why did they have to change the Superweek course n Bensenville? Last year’s course was kick’ass, and it was right in the village next to the greatest deli in the Chicagoland area, Mario’s.”

Karla Kingsley (Easton/ Sugar CRM/ Specialized; W-P/1/2/3): “I was grateful to have my break companion back with me, and we got down to business working together again.”

Kudzu (P/1/2): “The slightest gap on this course could spell disaster, as the pace stayed high on the long straights and especially out of the turns.”

Sterling Magnell (Rock Racing; P/1/2): “[Bahati] cleaned up like a formality with a little trackie split to the right while everybody was looking at their shoes. He won by four bike lengths. Ha.”

Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5): “The last thing I remember before realizing that I was on the grass with a torn skinsuit was thinking, as I was hurtling towards a barrier, ‘Oh, shit.’”

James Pradun (Endeavour; 3): “I was probably 8th position as someone a few bikes ahead of me took the turn too hot and slid out. The guy on my inside panicked to avoid the crash, swung right, and rode me right into a rock garden.”

Joey Rosskopf (Kudzu; P/1/2): “With expert timing, as soon as Oscar saw me surrender to the charging field, he jumped off the front, and within the next lap or two he joined the group already off the front.”

Jeff Schroetlin (ABD/Geargrinder; P/1/2): “Hence, a semi-gianormous bunch of impatient over-achievers pedaling faster than the rest of us, went on ahead and, apparently missing the security of the general population, ended up pedaling all the way around to the tail end of the main mob from which they pedaled so feverishly to escape. Nice work, geniuses.”

Team Tati (4/5): “Early attacks meant that the speed was very high for a one hour, lower-category crit.”

Bensenville Tuesday photos
Luke Seemann

Bensenville Wednesday race reports
Beverly Bike/Vee-Pak (30+ 4/5): “Tony attacked and was able to hang on for the victory in front of the gentelmanly Nate Gayesky from xXx by four bike lengths.”

CyclingNews: “The Colombians are always floating on the front of the field, looking for cash primes and any opportunity they can use.”

Aram Dellalian (Bearclaw; P/1/2): “The course was an odd one, but didn’t worry me too much. When the legs are good, minor things like course type, pavement, hills, etc. are just interchangeable variables that don’t mean much in crit racing.”

Kudzu (P/1/2): “When a rider in front of you pulls off at 30 mph it makes it very difficult to close the gap, thus it usually means you are in a spot of bother.”

Jeff Holland (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5): “I’ve never seen such unselfish and committed teamwork as I did today from my teammates Chris Sherpitis and William Pankonin.”

Sterling Magnell (Rock Racing; P/1/2): “The only thing we couldn’t control was this one Colombian who is riding otherwordly.”

James Pradun (Endeavour; 3): “Losing positions sucked, but luckily there was no crash this time and the long sprint started from the last turn.”

Joey Rosskopf (Kudzu; P/1/2): “Attacks had started once again, and I was only jumping on the stuff that had Rock guys in it.”

Chris Sherpitis (XXX Racing-AlthetiCo; 4/5): “My vainglorious hope was that I could lift the pace even higher on the backstretch of the last lap so that nobody could attack or at least not with great speed.”

Matt Smith (Vitaminwater-Trek; 3): “We weren’t flying, but it was fast enough for that muggy day. With six or seven to go, I started checking the lap counter. Not a good sign.”

Bensenville Wednesday photos
Chris Carter: W-P/1/2/3, P/1/2, 3
Luke Seemann

There’s been some outstanding early racing at Superweek, but the biggest story so far has been the course for Sunday’s Olympia Club Criterium.

A protruding manhole cover was unable to be patched safely, so the course was shortened from the planned 6-corner .6 mile to a 4-corner .5 mile through a development of mostly vacant monster homes.  In addition, a raised lip of concrete lined the gutters of the unfinished streets: deep enough to take you out, but shallow enough so that you forget it’s there. Andy Daley (Vitaminwater-Trek) likened it to a giant game of Operation: Touch the sides, game over.

These gutters, a tricky Turn 3 and a strong, swirling wind -- and no doubt some dodgy handling -- resulted in a series of hard, bone-breaking crashes in the closing laps of the Cat 3 race.

That field started with 60 riders. Officials and organizers were thus wary of unleashing more than a hundred P/1/2’s on the course. A chaotic riders meeting was convened at 5:15 p.m., a half-hour before the scheduled start. The issues were presented, and various solutions were proposed, including splitting the field into two heats, running a shorter race or canceling the race altogether. (More than one wag suggested a miss-and-out for what was essentially a 800m velodrome. Match sprints and madisons were also mentioned.)

At one point, announcer Eddie van Guyse took a straw poll of who wanted to cancel the race. The photo above shows Rahsaan Bahati (Rock Racing) registering his vote.

Guyse: “Is that your hand, Rahsaan?”

Bahati: “That’s both my hands -- and my bike!”

It was a tense yet almost comical 20 minutes.  In the end, riders who wanted to bow out were offered credits or refunds. Most local amateurs took advantage of the offer, reducing the field by about a third.

I couldn’t stay for the entire race, but I watched as the first few laps passed without incident. The riders lined out at a scorching pace but took the corners smoothly. And it resembled a miss-and-out after all, with about one rider getting popped and pulled on each lap.

Later, multiple crashes would take place in Turn 3, a fast, sharp and bumpy corner. With about 30 of the 80 laps to go, a group of four had formed, including ABD/Geargrinder riders Zach Watson and Josh Carter, who counterattacked following an intermediate sprint.  With 16 to go, however, a serious crash suspended the race while an ambulance was brought in. The break was restarted with a half-lap lead, and then Watson, an expat member of the squad living in Boulder, Colo., led out Carter for the win.

Other notes from the first weekend of Superweek, with the caveat that my commentary is somewhat hamstrung by the fact that few results have been posted:

• » Rock Racing took another bite out of Superweek Saturday with Bahati winning and Friday’s winner Sterling Magnell taking 3rd and keeping the lead in the overall.

• » Team Tati picked up the first victory in its short history with Liam Bradshaw sprinting to win Saturday’s 4/5’s in Blue Island after a late Wild Card flier was reeled in with one to go. The downstate Wild Card squad, another new team in orange, still managed to put riders in 2nd and 3rd. Many have wondered how Team Tati’s retro wool jerseys are holding up in the heat: “The Ibex wool is great,” Patrick Myers reports. “Really no problem at all. I did a 200k brevet in it.” So there you have it.

• » Nothing like creating a secret alliance with another team, getting them to promise to lead you out -- and then losing the wheel and finishing 2nd to your co-conspirator. That’s what happened to Nick Gierman (Vitaminwater-Trek) in Saturday’s 4’s race. He’d lose to Nate Iden (Spidermonkey Cycling), and then Sunday would finish 2nd again, this time in a two-up sprint against Dan Damotte (Proctor) after the field disintegrated in their wake.

• » XXX Racing-AthletiCo had a banner day at Olympia Fields. First Dave Moyer won out of a three-man break in the 4/5’s. Then Jonathan Dugas and Brian Morrissey took an early leave from the masters 4/5’s race, creating a break with Brian Kavanaugh (2CC) that nearly lapped the field. Dugas won and Morrissey getting 3rd, and then Newt Cole and Jeff Holland went 5-6, giving the squad four of the top six.

• » There were attempts to get away but nobody got a very long leash in the Cat 3 race. With 10 laps to go, however, Tomasz Boba (WDT-Allvoi) counterattacked a move and quickly built a quarter-lap lead. From my perspective on the sidelines -- I had exited the race in order to get a better view of the sprint; the things I do for you people -- Vitaminwater-Trek appeared to be the only team willing to commit bodies to the chase. That lack of commitment, plus disruptions from the aforementioned crashes, let a fading Boba hold the narrowest of margins all the way to the line. Just one second behind him an argy-bargy sprint barreled to the line, sending James Pradun (Endeavour) into 2nd and Chris Hurst (Baraboo Sharks) into 5th but also into the barriers, out of his pedal and then down the tarmac.

Full Superweek results.

Blue Island reports
ABD/Geargrinder (P/1/2): “‘One of the Canadian guys totally chopped me in the turn [for Rahsaan Bahati’s wheel], and then what really killed me was that he couldn’t even hold Rahsaan’s wheel!’”

Rahsaan Bahati (Rock Racing; P/1/2): “On this course you could come out of the corner sixth or seventh and take your time because it was so long to the finish.”

Brian Boyle (Vitaminwater-Trek; P/1/2): “Out of the last turn I was able to drill it and pick up many places over the apathetic riders at the back who were just looking to finish.”

John Coyle (Wolverine Sports Club; P/1/2): “The Colombian team continued to push breakaways and the field was unwilling to let them go, so the peloton resumed the strung out two abreast or single-file for dozens of laps and I began to tire.”

Eric Goodwin (Vitaminwater-Trek; 3): “I missed a turn at the front and started to draw a little unwelcome attention from my companions. I said something about seven teammates blocking and indicated that it would be my only comment on the subject (using fewer and more colorful syllables).”

Nick Gierman (Vitaminwater-Trek; 4): “Nate was right ahead of me and I was closing on him.  However, the line was closing on both of us.”

Don Hanke (Tower Racing; 30+ 4/5): “About 24 years ago I finished 2nd at the Moline Quad City race. That had been eating away at me for a long time, but not any more!”

Jeff Holland (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5): “I sprint, start to fade, sprint again, fade again, and then sprint again as I see people moving up to left and right. I cross the line 7th.”

Nate Iden (Spidermonkey Cycling; 4, 30+ 4/5): “I passed the taco stand and still had the lead, still grinding, just waiting to be over taken, but it never happened.”

Kudzu (P/1/2): “In the final three laps the field was pretty sketchy as it stretched more than 15 wide through the corners when only about 10 riders should have gone through.”

Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus; 4): “I never thought I would describe a crit as ‘mellow,’ but this was downright relaxed.”

James Pradun (Endeavour; 3): “I held onto his wheel, pulled out with about 100m to go, put my head down and gunned it.”

Mike Shea (Spidermonkey Cycling; 4/5): “The plan changed to a simple one: keep an eye on the stronger riders from each team and mark their position. I didn’t have extra juice to spare and it was still a hard race.”

Team Tati (4/5): “Meanwhile, the other teams ignored and overlooked us as usual, and fought it out over a series of futile breaks.”

Tom Thiesen (Endeavour; 3): “Despite being almost twice as long as most crits in the rest of the calendar, competition for positions was fierce from lap one.”

Tim Yuska (Get a Grip Off Road; 4, 4/5): “A rider tried to squeeze through a quickly closing gap directly ahead of me. Of course the slight contact caused a meeting with the pavement for the poor fellow.”

Blue Island photos
Carolyn Golz
Jason Knauff: 3, 30+ 4/5, 4/5, 4
Matt Smith
Team Tati
Team Tati (II)

Olympia Fields race reports
ABD/Geargrinder (P/1/2): ”Josh Carter scored ABD/Geargrinder’s first win of Superweek, winning out of a break of four that had also been powered along by pseudo-teammate Zach Watson.”

Rahsaan Bahati (Rock Racing; P/1/2): “I won more points in the red jersey and Sterling Magnell finished 6th, and that allowed him to stay in yellow.”

Newt Cole (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5): “‘Sorry, bro, nothin’ personal. Those are my boys up there.’”

Aram Dellalian (Bearclaw; P/1/2): “It was a nice course. Turn 3 was a bit of an odd one, but nothing we hadn’t done 2,049 times before.”

Nick Gierman (Vitaminwater-Trek; 4): “I get to the front and started pulling. Next thing I look back and I have opened up a pretty big gap.”

Jeff Holland (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5): “We used strong team tactics to keep our guys in the break and also get our blockers a top-10 finish. Does it get any better than that? “

Nate Iden (Spidermonkey Cycling; 4): “None of us crashed, Alex came in 5th, me 3rd and Nick 2nd. That is all I can say about a 12-mile race.”

Kudzu (P/1/2): “Countless wrecks occurred as everyone battled for the wheel in front, only to run out of real estate.”

Sterling Magnell (Rock Racing; P/1/2): “Then came a crash that the officials stopped the race for, then restarted us, giving the break a dubiously generous head start.”

Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5): “I learned a hard lesson in tactics this afternoon, and that I am entitled to nothing until I cross that line.”

Dave Moyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5): “As we’re halfway up the hill before my pull I attack, which for some reason really surprised the other two.  I didn’t look back until two corners later and saw I had a pretty solid gap.”

James Pradun (Endeavour; 3): “With three to go the pace picked up again and didn’t slow down, stretching almost single file the whole way.”

Joey Rosskopf (Team Kudzu; P/1/2): “It turned into a very sane race for the amount of deliberation and worry that went on before hand.”

Matt Smith (Vitaminwater-Trek; 3): “A blue shirt had the audacity to tell the assembled riders’ that all the crashing wasn’t because of the course.”

Tom Thiesen (Endeavour; 3): “With 3 laps to go, the carnage started. Apparently everyone realized it was their last chance and simultaneously tried to move to the front.”

Tim Yuska (Get a Grip Off Road; 4, 4/5): “I was always getting gapped on the 120-degree turn that had already claimed several other riders’ skin.”

Olympia Fields photos
Carolyn Golz
Luke Seemann
Matt Smith

And we’re off!

Superweek kicked off hot and humid tonight with the Beverly HIlls Cycling Classic, a challenging but thrilling course on Chicago’s far south side. Gaps opened up all over the place early and many locals got a rude welcome to Superweek P/1/2 racing when they found themselves blown off the back before they’d even gotten to their first energy gel.

Kelly Benefit Strategies had a large crew and was aggressive from the get-go. Eventually a 10-man break came together about 30 miles into the 60-mile race. Familiar faces included Rob White and John Meyer (ABD/Geargrinder), Hinsdale native Chad Hartley (Jittery Joe’s), former UCVC star Todd Yezefski (Fitness Together/IF) and Reid Mumford (Kelly Benefit Strategies). Thousands of dollars in primes later, the pack lapped what little was left of the field with about 10 laps to go. ABD/Geargrinder had good numbers at the front, but it was a green-and-black sprinting clinic that a large, raucous crowd got to enjoy: First Rahsaan Bahati (Rock Racing) won out of a chase group to take 11th, and then Sterling Magnell (Rock Racing) beat Hartley by inches (above) for the first win of Superweek 2008.

I’ll update this post as more photos and reports roll in. Tomorrow we have what may be a rainy day in Blue Island, and then a debut course in Olympia Fields on Sunday.

Partial results.

Race reports
ABD/Geargrinder (P/1/2): “The team started off racing aggressively and just 20 laps in Rob White joined three other riders off the front, and shortly thereafter Ryan White buried himself to help get both he and John Meyers into the group as well.”

Rahsaan Bahati (Rock Racing; P/1/2): “When the rest of the boys get here next week, we should have some good times.”

Aram Dellalian (Bearclaw; P/1/2): “My shorts totally got caught in my saddle. The midwest humidity ... gahhhh.”

Chad Hartley (Jittery Joe’s; P/1/2): “First loser. But it was close.”

Sterling Magnell (Rock Racing; P/1/2): “Cramping, nauseous, the whole bit, then somehow I won.”

Mike Sherer (Alderfer Berger; P/1/2): “A break went early with about nine guys. Of course I missed it like I always do.”

Photos
Luke Seemann
Matt Smith
John Wilke

Some belated highlights from the holiday racing:

• » ABD/Geargrinder’s White Bros. did it again, with Ryan and Rob going 1-2 at Saturday’s University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Road Race. On Sunday, their teammate Jeff Schroetlin mistook the Wood Dale Criterium for a velodrome and lapped the field not once but twice, taking the victory and leading out Josh Carter (ABD/Geargrinder) into 2nd place.

• » Matt Smith (Vitaminwater-Trek) proved his Proctor state championship was no fluke by repeating the feat at ABR’s state championship in Wood Dale. His gap was so wide that when I first saw the photos of the sprint, I thought he was being lapped. Sorry, Matt. I’ll never doubt you again. But I think it’s time for a new post-up. The one-arm “hailing of the cab” just isn’t working any more. Have you considered a crucifixion? (Complete with stigmata cycling gloves!)

• » Thanks to some lap counting confusion, the Chicago Cuttin’ Crew had the ignominy of sprinting for 2nd -- twice. Newly attached Avi Neurohr did it on the bell lap of the 4/5’s race, and then Brean Shea did it when it counted.

• » I’m dying to see the UWW results so that I can identify the women in this photo series from the women’s 4’s race. I’m curious whether the woman on the left made it to the line in time. It appears she either flatted or her broke her chain and had to dash for the finish. Or perhaps she just wanted an early jump on some cyclocross drills. Update: I bumped into a heavily bandaged Lindsay Jones (Unattached) at the junior state track championships, where she was coaching Yojimbo’s Track Cats. She said had been engaged in some cat and mouse about a quarter-mile from the finish when she got tangled up and went down. Despite having done quite a number to the right side of her body, she picked up her inoperable bike and ran to the line, barely missing out on 6th place to Liz So (Team Tati) riding from behind.

• » Attention, masters riders: Your races just got a little more challenging. Mike Jones (MetCycling) has returned to racing after breaking several bones over Memorial Day weekend. Jones is one of the nicest guys in the peloton, but when he turns the pedals in anger, he turns them fast and he turns them hard.

Full Wood Dale results.

Whitewater photos
Carolyn Golz
Team Tati
John Wilke

Wood Dale photos
Carolyn Golz
Vitaminwater-Trek

Whitewater race reports
Doug Braun (Tower Racing; 30+ 4/5): “Having a milelong leadout at full gas was a new experience.”

Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; W-4): “When we crested the little rise before the finishing stretch, I popped up to a big gear, stood up and mashed gamely.”

Ari Neurohr (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew; 4/5): “I’m not a total idiot. There were a bunch of us that got screwed and left flat in the final lap.”

Brean Shea (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew; 4/5): “It was hard. Like when you come home late at night and your keys don’t work because your landlord is too cheap to replace the lock and you have been in your sweaty chamois for hours and your ankle hurts and you are wearing racing shoes and trying to climb into your window and you are poor and your credit is bad. That kind of hard.”

Team Tati (W-4, 4/5): “Tommy cramped up on this, his inaugural road race, so more bananas next time.”

Tom Theisen (Endeavor; 3): “If you’re not too concerned about your own result, it can be fun to frustrate a chase effort.”

Wood Dale race reports
Brian Boyle (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+, 3): “Helped with tempo. Chased.”

Gary Chioda (Tower Racing; 40+): “There were several occasions when the hammer was down that the entire 40-man field was strung out in a single file. I only noticed maybe two times when the pace actually eased up a bit.”

Fran Connelly (Tower Racing; 50+): “It became a little dicey as suddenly about 5 riders all at once, rounded the final turn into the straightaway.”

Ron Cook (Project 5; 3): “They called a prime of a box of Powergels that I ended up winning but that seemed to kill off the rest of my break partners.”

John Coyle (Wolverine Sports Club; 30+, 40+): “I put on the afterburners and re-accelerate into the corner in 6th, with a lock on 3rd coming out of the corner -- that is until the rider in 5th suddenly gets out of his saddle and swings 3 feet left, hitting my front wheel, bending half my spokes and almost taking me down.”

Debbie Dust (MetCycling; 40+): “I even got in on the action a couple of times, just for kicks and to hear Kenny Labbe call my name as we crossed the start/finish.”

Seth Meyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; P/1/2/3): “At least this time I didn’t have any trouble sticking in. Heck, I even had some promising bridge attempts.”

James Pradun (Endeavor; 3): “I threw up a little in my mouth. I got some water, sucked it up and kept close to the front. “

Matt Smith (Vitaminwater-Trek; 3, P/1/2/3): “I jumped hard from the front of the pack at the bottom of the hill, caught him at the top, and kept going for the win.”

Vitaminwater-Trek (30+, 3): ”Corey Hickman and Jeff Schroetlin (ABD/Geargrinder) clung to the front of the pack and found enough power to explode out of the penultimate turn of the bell lap.”

I missed a great result in my early round-up of the masters time trial national championships. Pictured above is Winnetka’s Leigh Thompson (Vision Quest), whose 58:15 38km was almost a minute better than 2nd place among women 45-49.

A weekend of criteriums didn’t yield any new champions for for Chicago, but in Sunday’s men’s 35-39 race, Michael Heagney (PYOC) and Ed Amstutz (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) were part of a break that lapped the field. They finished 3rd and 7th respectively.

Lake Barrington’s Wayne Simon (Verdigris) followed up his time trial silver by winning Tuesday’s road race in the men’s 50-54 national championshp.

Aurora’s Tom Doughty (Amgen/Giant) also had a good day, getting 5th in the men’s 55-59, with teammates placing 1st and 3rd.

Road races conclude today with criteriums starting tomorrow.

Pip me once, shame on you. Pip me twice, shame on me?

That’s what Ricardo Otero (Team Mack) may be thinking this week. At Saturday’s Elm Grove Criterium he lost the masters 3/4 sprint to David Greenblatt (Brazen Dropouts) -- for the second week in a row. And once again we have photographic evidence of how slim the margin was.

Full results.

A lot of Chicago riders picked up some new laundry Sunday at the state criterium championships in Peoria.

I was pleased to see championships go to two of our newer, scrappier teams. In the women’s 4’s race, Brynn Schwaba (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew) got on the good side of an early split. After her two break mates had a mishap, she was able to ride home solo for the win. Also going solo was -- surprise, surprise -- Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus). He attacked with six laps to go in the men’s 4’s, and the field was never able to commit to a chase until it was too late. He dipped into his suitcase of courage, his carry-on of mettle and finally his portmanteau of pluck to barely hang on in dramatic fashion.

With several unfamiliar teams in the 3’s pack, including squads from Iowa, Missouri and even Texas, nobody was given a long leash, and the pace stayed hot the entire race. With a few laps to go, Vitaminwater-Trek started firing off fliers like artillery shells ahead of a beach landing. None held, but they wore down and stretched the field, thus setting up Matt Smith (Vitaminwater-Trek) for a narrow sprint win over junior John Tomlinson (XXX Racing-AthletiCo). Despite last week’s blunder, Smith again raised his arm before the line, but this time he held on (photo above).

Many races this year have come down to Devon Haskell (Team Get a Grip Cycles) and Kristen Meshberg (Flatlandia) at the finish line, but I was astonished to see the women’s P/1/2 race reduced to them at the start line. Despite a $1,000 purse that paid 10 deep, Haskell and Meshberg were the only Illinois residents coming to play in Peoria. They quickly took their leave from the other 1/2’s and the 3’s and stayed together until the final corner, where Haskell took a lead and held it all the way to the line to add to her collection of championship jerseys. Meshberg would have to wait until the afternoon to get her victory, this time in the women’s 35+.

Kyle Jacobson (IS Corp) made an audacious move in the P/1/2 race, getting a 20-second gap within the first two laps. He dropped his Bissell companion but kept plugging away by himself. Within a few laps later four others had joined him, including teammate Matt Busche, and it wasn’t long before their lead grew to an insurmountable minute and a half. Jeff Schroetlin (ABD/Geargrinder) was the only Illinois resident in this bunch so he had a lock on the championship, but it was Busche who made a move on the final backstretch and took the race. Meanwhile, Scott Pearson (Comcast/Higher Gear) once again was able to slip away from the field to finish in 6th overall, 2nd in the state.

Other local champs: James Bird (IS Corp) in the boys 15-18, Kaleb Koch (Smart Cycling) in the boys 10-14, Dani Witt (ABD) in the girls 10-14, Andy Kerr (Village Cyclesport) in the 50+, Voytek Glinkowski (WDT-Allvoi) in the 30+ 4/5’s, Jessi Prinner (ABD) in the women’s 3’s and girls 15-18, and Kathleen Corbett in the women’s 55+.

Full results.

Photos
Steve Daggs
Fick’s Photos
Matt Smith: P/1/2, 4, 3
Snapshots by Stacy
XXX Racing-AthletiCo

Race reports
Erik Didriksen (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5): “While sliding across the pavement (whee) I somehow kept my hands on the bars and managed to make myself as small as possible so I wouldn’t be run over.”

Nick Gierman (Vitaminwater-Trek; 4): “I could have sworn Chris was behind me. I never saw him come up to the front. “

Tim Henry (Project 5; 3): “JD and I were cutting the corners elbow to elbow with speed north of 30 mph, just flowing through the field. It was just flawless: the power, the fluidity. This race was perfect: fast, aggressive but safe.”

Seth Meyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; P/1/2): “It wasn’t that awful I-feel-my-muscle-fiber-being-torn-to-shreds pain, but just a slow, general, embarrassing I’m-running-out-of-steam kind of thing.”

Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “I could complain about how strong I felt but didn’t really apply myself, HTFU, and sling my own pair around with a counter-attack into that wind, but I won’t.”

Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus; 4): “I struggled to keep my anaerobic eyes open and kept coasting through the hay bales that separated turns one and five, pulled over, got off my bike and collapsed into a mess of heavy breathing, the clouds, and disbelief.”

Rob Raguet-Schofield (Wild Card Racing; 5): “It kind of sucked to watch the leaders pull farther ahead of me each lap, but at the same time it was a bit of relief to not have to worry about other riders in the turns.”

Brynn Schwaba (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew; W-4): “A couple of crashes at the last few turns caused the tactics in place to not go as well as we hoped but, hey, that’s what happens sometimes.”

Mike Shea (Spider Monkey Cycling; 4): “Less than 100 meters after the finish he fumbled off his bike and sat on the curb, spent.”

Matt Smith (Vitaminwater-Trek; 3): ”John Tomlinson (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) was moving very very fast, and I inched my way even with him, then inched my way ahead of him.”

Bob Willems (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5): “Do I have enough in the tank? Is that headwind too much to go? Can I really commit to this?”

Some highlights from a full weekend of great racing:

• » I’m told the P/1/2 race at Saturday’s big-money Giro d’ Grafton was wicked fast, but Josh Carter (ABD/Geargrinder) was fastest of them all, outsprinting pros Garrett Peltonen (Bissell) and Chad Hartley (Jittery Joe’s). Steve Holeczy (North Branch) placed 6th in a large field that attracted all the Midwest’s strongest teams. Carter would double up, coming out on top of another stacked field in Sheboygan on Saturday.

• » I love their kits, but I haven’t seen much of America’s Team Dairyland this year. They showed up Saturday to win the women’s P/1/2/3 at Grafton, followed by Chicago regulars Devon Haskell (Team Get a Grip Cycles) in 2nd and Kristen Meshberg in 3rd. They’d improve on that the next day, with Meshberg getting 1st and Haskell 2nd. Quite a rivalry that’s shaping up there.

• » Chip Gray (Get a Grip) snagged a ton of primes and the final victory in a 3’s race that had five other Chicago-area riders in the top eight.

• » Nate Iden (Spider Monkey Cycling) doubled up nicely in Grafton, getting 4th in the 4/5’s and 3rd in the 30+ 4/5’s.

• » Matt Smith felt the sting of premature jubilation when he pumped his fist shy of the line in the masters 3/4 race at Grafton, enabling Tim Henry (Project 5) to scream by for the win. Careful, Matt. Tom Boonen (Quick Step) pulled this stunt and was doing lines of blow within three months.

• » There was a photo finish in Sunday’s masters 3/4’s race, too, this time in Sheboygan. Ricardo Otero (Team Mack) bridged to the winning break and just barely missed out on the win (photo above) to David Greenblatt (Brazen Dropouts).

• » The notorious climb at Sunday’s Fox River Grove Cycling Challenge splintered most fields, but the men’s P/1/2 race was mostly intact when, for the second weekend in a row, Mike Heagney (PYOC) got the jump on Ed Amstutz (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) to win the sprint.

• » I avoid cheering from the press box, but I must note the blockbuster weekend XXX Racing-AthletiCo had: five wins -- Peter Strittmatter in the 4’s at Saturday’s Cobb Park, then Jeanette Schrand (women’s 35+), Tamara Fraser (women’s 4’s), Amstuz (30+ 1/2/3’s) and your humble editor (3’s) at Fox River Grove on Sunday -- plus 20 other top fives over the weekend.

• » Attendance was light at Cobb Park, so light that the P/1/2 and 3 fields were combined. No doubt the big money and festivities offered in Grafton had something to do with that. That’s too bad. It’s a good course, and the South Chicago Wheelmen are good hosts. I’m also surprised at the small fields at Fox River Grove. Color me biased for being a climber, but this is a fantastic, unique course with excellent community support. We should be flocking to this event. Besides, who else but RDS Cycling provides winners with trophies, flowers and tidings from Miss Fox River Grove? Circle this one as soon as next year’s calendar comes out.

Saturday results
Cobb Park Criterium
Giro d’ Grafton

Sunday results
Fox River Grove Cycling Challenge
Sheboygan Criterium

Cobb Park photos
Carolyn Golz

Giro d’ Grafton photos
Matt Smith: 30+ 3/4, 3, 30+ 4/5, W-4
Katy Steudel
John Wilke

Fox River Grove photos
Team Tati
XXX Racing-AthletiCo

Cobb Park race reports
Brian Boyle (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3, 30+ 1/2/3): “We race for Mike Kelly’s soundtrack of 1980’s blazing rock and roll hit songs “

Jeff Holland (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5, 4): “It was all about being in front and taking a nice line through the corner where the course funneled and the fast, final corner.”

Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus; 4): “The usual characters were there. We all know each other and it was if we were all just marking one another for the whole race.”

Jessi Prinner (ABD; W-3/4, W-open): “The announcer called prime after prime and I took every single one of them, including the waterbottles, because I really had nothing else to do.”

Rich Smott (Alberto’s; 30+ 1/2/3, P/1/2/3): “I was smug seeing the carnage behind as the accordion was in full effect from my effort.”

Calvin Smythe (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “It was the run-of-the-mill criterium: Go fast and hurt for 45 minutes then hurt more at the sprint.”

Grafton race reports
John Coyle (Wolverine Sports Club; P/1/2): “Bicycling is an ever humbling sport, but in this case, I was completely and systematically crushed.”

Team Get a Grip Cycles: (W-1/2/3, 3, P/1/2): “Three of the four Cat 2 riders survived multiple crashes, barking dogs, beer bottles, and herculean 37 mile per hour re-entries into the peloton in order to finish the professional race.”

Shawn Small (Team Pegasus; 4/5): “I didn’t go down and dodged a few bodies and bikes on the ground.”

Matt Smith (Vitaminwater-Trek; 30+ 3/4, 3): “I got cocky and thought I had more room than I did. I sat up and put my arm up. I didn’t see Tim Henry (Project 5) coming like a bat out of hell.”

Katy Steudel (Team Pegasus; W-4): “I got down into the drops and pushed as hard a gear as I could. My thighs were burning with the effort, but it felt good.”

Steve Tilford (HRRC/Trek Stores; P/1/2): ”Garrett Peltonen (Bissell) was the strongest of the day by miles. He never missed a move and could bridge to anything that looked dangerous.”

Fox River Grove race reports
Doug Braun (Tower Racing; 30+ 4/5, 4/5): “We crested the hill with a good gap and drilled it. One quick look behind and I know we are gone.”

Ron Cook (Project 5; 3): “It would be awesome to see more people out there. If i can get my 200-pound carcass up there, you can too!”

Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; W-4): “I again sat third wheel, looking for the spot to jump. I went on a small uphill before the last turn, hit the turn hot and then stood and sprinted and threw across the line -- for FIRST!”

Nick Gierman (Vitaminwater-Trek; 4/5): “He slams on his brakes, swerves way out, nearly running off the road.  With no where to go but to follow him, I almost hit a mail box.”

Eric Goodwin (Vitaminwater-Trek; 3): “I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who realized that the front of the field would have a sudden and distinct advantage if the officials rang the bell early.”

Jeff Holland (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5, 4/5): “The three of us started working up front, taking probably 65-70% of the pulls during the race.”

Seth Meyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; P/1/2): “My wobbling back wheel dragged itself against both my rear brake pads to slow me off the back just as free laps expired.”

Mark Misicko (Tower Racing; 30+ 4/5, 4/5): “We all know Doug Braun is a great climber, but he laid down the law, and won this race in a contested field sprint.”

Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus; 4/5): “Damn, what a fun frickin’ course. Bomb the descent, slam the corners, it’s like I’m back riding in California.”

Jessi Prinner (ABD; W-P/1/2/3): “After being profusely yelled at by the cop standing at the corner I pulled a quick U-turn and took the correct left turn (now a right turn) when WHAM! I found myself on this really big hill.”

Luke Seemann (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 1/2/3, 3): “I finally cracked the riddle of how to win a 200-meter sprint. Step 1: Start with a 50-meter lead.”

Results are up for the Great Carroll Cycling Event, a quirky road race held in northwest Ilinois. All fields do the same hilly, at-times gravelly 58-mile course, staggered in four waves, and for the second year in a row there was at least one group of riders that took a wrong turn.

The day’s fastest times came out of the 50+ field, where Stan Watkins (Vision Quest), Dan Hill (Proctor) and James Sauls (Vision Quest) did the course in less than 2.5 hours, with Watkins winning with a 30-second gap. At 27 riders the 4’s field was the largest of the day. Thirteen riders remained in the lead bunch, but Tom Wallace (2CC) somehow slipped out of it to win with a 30-second advantage of his own.  And in the 3’s, Kris Kuttler (WDT-Allvoi) won in a small sprint to take what I believe is the first win of his comeback tour.

I should also note the local women who headed to Minnesota for the prestigious Nature Valley Grand Prix stage race. Kristen Meshberg (Flatlandia), Debbie Dust (Team Kenda Tire) and Devon Haskell (Team Get a Grip Cycles) all lined up in the 145-women field, the largest and arguably toughest field of the year. Dust placed 20th in the Thursday’s road race, and Haskell, representing the Ryan Collegiate All-Stars for the second consecutive year, finished 47th overall out of 82 finishers, 11th among the amateurs.

Carroll County race reports
Jessi Prinner (ABD; W-1/2): “How is it possible to completely lose the field in just a matter of seconds? Well, it’s actually quite simple. We missed a turn.”

Nature Valley Grand Prix race reports
Debbie Dust, Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, Stage 4, Stage 5 (Team Kenda Tire; W-P/1/2): “I just drilled it and bombed the dirt stretch, then rode the right side gutter (with cascading water and potholes) down the hill to the right hand turn, flats and crashes be damned! My thought at that very second? ‘God, it’s like cyclocross. Ick.’”

Devon Haskell, Stage 1, Stages 2-6 (Team Get a Grip Cycles; W-P/1/2): “Being in the back meant that I was constantly getting shed off the back as gaps opened and as we slowed for crashes.”

Before each lower-category race at Saturday’s Sherman Park Criterium, coach Randy Warren (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) reminded riders that although the course was peppered with bumps and cracks, there was nothing that should have required riders to alter their paths. Nonetheless, some riders felt these imperfections had to be avoided at all costs, and often that cost was rubbing wheels and/or hitting the tarmac. Too bad. As far as I know none of the injuries were too serious, although Barry Tauerbaum (Alberto’s) suffered a shiner and cut that may long remain as racing mementos.

The day’s chutzpah award goes to Peter Strittmatter and Leonard Hatcher of XXX Racing-AthletiCo, who attacked from the first stroke of the 4’s race. Hatcher pulled off after helping establish the break and was replaced by teammates Newt Cole and pro triathlete Chris Riekert. Riekert led the 12-man group to a blistering 27 mph pace -- quite possibly the fastest race on the day. Unfortunately for him, he would experience one of bike racing hard truths: Ours is not a contest to see who goes the fastest. It’s a contest to see who can cross the line first, and in this case it was Eric Young (Morris Trucking) taking a tight sprint.

Host XXX Racing-AthletiCo had the numbers to rabbit-punch their way to victory in two races. With Tamara Fraser and Emily MacDonald part of a four-woman break well off the front of the women’s masters/4’s race, four lady XXXers team-time-trialed their way to bridge with reinforcements. That freed Fraser up to attack and stay off solo to win. This after the men in black had rattled off attack after attack in a fast 5’s race, wearing down the field and setting up Kyle Wiberg, Grant Davis and Erik Didriksen to go 1-2-3.

There were plenty of attacks in the 3’s race, many of them featuring Team Get a Grip Cycles and Vitaminwater-Trek. When the winning break finally stuck, it was Alex Voitik (Turin) enjoying the benefits of the other two teams’ blocking, attacking Aspen Gorry (Get a Grip) with one to go to ride home solo.

Adam Lesniakowski (PACT-Dish Network) drove a four-man break that lasted more than half of the masters 1/2/3 race, yet had enough in the tank to take a sprint over Marc Zionts (Alberto’s). In the masters 4/5’s race, 5’s winner Wiberg gave a blistering leadout to set up Newt Cole (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) for the win.

The women’s open race featured a guest appearance from newly named Paralympian Greta Neimanas (XXX Racing-AthletiCo), who will be representing her county in Beijing this summer. It didn’t take long for her and teammate Fraser to form a break with Francine Haas (Alberto’s). As soon as they were off, they’d lapped the field. As soon as they’d lapped the field, Haas and Neimanas had broken free again, with Haas taking a lead out of Turn 4 for the win.

The P/1/2/3 race was as confusing as a 100-lap Madison race with two groups lapping the field. (The first of these groups comes together in the photo above.) Twelve riders eventually made it across with about 30 minutes left to race. Isolated riders attempted to break free again, but Get a Grip, Vitaminwater-Trek and XXX Racing-AthletiCo marked each attempt in order to protect the teammates who still had a shot at winning. In the end Michael Heagney (PYOC), a member of the initial eight, won the sprint without the benefit of a leadout, spreading his arms wide as he won a few meters ahead of Ed Amstutz (XXX Racing-AthletiCo).

Full results.

Photos
Daniel Bliss
Carolyn Golz
Luke Seemann
Vitaminwater-Trek
Ed White

Race reports
Donovan Braud (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5): “All of our attacking efforts led to a full XXX podium at race’s end.”

John Coyle (Wolverine Sports Club; P/1/2): “We were in a reverse breakaway. 20 riders up the road and for whatever reason or discipline, teams were still blocking. I took over the front again and led. and led some more. I suck at leading, but I probably led 4 or 5 laps before I completely gave up the ghost. “

Grant Davis (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5): “The two of us went for the line bumping shoulders and giving it our all.”

Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; W-35+, W-open): “I rode the lap as hard as I could manage and crossed the line in first place! And this year I raised an arm in victory.”

Nick Gierman (Vitaminwater-Trek; 4): “I felt gassed and wasn’t sure I would be able to hold on and keep the pace up, but I dug deep and pushed myself a little harder.”

Jim Hamman (Tower Racing; 30+ 4/5): “I have no recollection of hitting the pavement or how I got there.”

Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5, 4): “With the speed ramping up on the last lap, I suddenly found my handlebars locked with another rider. “

Ella Neurohr (Unattached; 10-12): “A guy behind me was yelling ‘You’re getting beat by a girl, and she’s half you’re age!’ at one of the boys I passed.”

Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus; 4): “By the time I realized I was getting screwed my day was over.”

Brian Parker (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5, 4): “On the back stretch there is a decent bump that has a tendency to make some people go all clown shoes and do ridiculous things they maybe know they should not do, but they do it anyways. Ride over the bump and take it and end of story; swerve to miss it, CARNAGE ensues.”

Chris Riekert (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “Just like in a Schwarzenegger movie there was a lot of pointless collateral damage and absolutely no tactics whatsoever. Just brute force from square one.”

Luke Seemann (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 1/2/3, 3, P/1/2/3): “I was merely hoping to hang on long enough for a break to get off so I could settle in for a leisurely ride in the caboose.”

Sue Semaszczuk (ABD; W-open): “As soon as i caught the end of that break, my stomach was in my throat. I felt lightheaded and like I was vibrating. I swear, I was about to throw up on my bike.”

Mike Shea (Spider Monkey Cycling; 5): “The winning move came from a XXX rider who jumped at 200m and pulled away so damn strong and smooth that even as the race was happening I couldn’t help but admire it.”

Andy Skeen (ABD; P/1/2/3): “I took a couple of good digs, and got rid of some people who weren’t pulling their share of the load.”

Matt Smith (Vitaminwater-Trek; 30+ 1/2/3, 3, P/1/2/3): “No breakaway in the races I was in was the result of huge efforts or selections; they were manufactured selections, of which I admittedly played a part.”

Calvin Smythe (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “I jump on his wheel and sit there, legs aching, eyes hurting, ears throbbing.”

Paolo Urizar (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5): “I did what I’ve always wanted to do in a road race and that is be the guy up in front pulling the entire field.”

Kyle Wiberg (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5, 30+ 4/5): “Tension behind is building.  Subconscious takes over. I hear Eric say ‘Go.’”

Violent thunderstorms interrupted the early races and delayed and shortened the rest, but it turned out to be a fantastic day for racing in Spring Prairie for Wisconsin’s state road race championships, and lots of Chicago riders headed up to create some sound and fury of their own.

Two Chicago women had big days: Kristen Meshberg (Flatlandia) once again took on the IS Corp army to win the women’s open, and Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) slipped away with some masters riders to win her 4’s race.

Four riders made early leave of the out-of-state 4/5’s race, attacking at the beginning of the second lap. Thanks to the blocking efforts of Chicago Cuttin’ Crew and XXX Racing-AthletiCo, the move stayed off and together for the rest of the race, with Al Urbanski (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew) taking the win -- stuck in his small ring! -- and proving that his great job at Hillsboro-Roubaix was no fluke. Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus) put in another herculean solo effort attempting to bridge, spending the final two laps in no-man’s land and barely holding off the charging pack for 5th. And Tower Racing again impressed: Jim Hamman got 3rd in the break while Doug Braun was first up the hill in the field for 6th.

XXX Racing-AthletiCo had good numbers in the 3’s race but couldn’t close on the win there either, settling for three in the top 10, including junior John Tomlinson in 5th and Jacques Cartier, making his Cat 3 debut, in 7th. (It’s always nice when an upgrade is validated like that in the first time out.)

Chicago riders were isolated in a P/1/2 race dominated by IS Corps, but Northwestern’s Will Nowak (Targetraining), in his last race before heading east for the summer, won the field sprint/climb for 6th. And in masters racing, Michael Heagney (PYOC) took 3rd in the 30+.

Full results.

Photos
Peter Strittmatter

Race reports
Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; W-4): “I realized the other three were masters racers. If we could stay away, I would win the cat 4 race!”

Jim Hamman (Tower Racing; 4/5): “A smile started to creep over my face as I realized that we would not be caught and was finally part of a breakaway that succeeded!”

Donald Hanke (Tower Racing; 4/5): “It was tough, but what a great course.”

Jeff Holland (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5): “I got halfway there, and then the crit racer in me said, ‘No, conserve your energy, stay with the pack.’ Dumb, just dumb.”

Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5): “I was forced to make a choice to bridge to Chris or get back in the pack, and the pack was closer, so in I went.

Avi Neurohr (Unattached; 4/5): “If only I’d shaved my legs and carried a couple of water bottles!”

Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus; 4/5): “Cuttin’ Crew was absolutely dominating the front, blocking for their man in the break. Major respect to them for their teamwork and execution there.”

Brian Parker (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5): “It was just like Big Brown’s jockey said about trying to get Big Brown to sprint: When he tried to whip the horse, there was just no horse underneath to whip.”

William Pankonin (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5): “I raced over the top and somehow kept the legs spinning until the line.”

Tristan Schouten (Planet Bike; P/1/2): “It was fun to get out there and go fast for a few hours while ISCorp did all the work and shut everything down.”

Luke Seemann (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “They caught me again. Argh! They weren’t supposed to do that!”

Al Urbanski (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew; 4/5): “I don’t just let people box me in. I shouldered my way out to the left, finally got some open road, and my frustration powered me up that hill.”

Perhaps stung by its loss Saturday, ABD/Geargrinder put on a tactics seminar Sunday at the ABR national criterium championships in Winfield. Both White brothers got in a nine-man break that lapped the P/1/2 field. Once it did, ABD/Geargrinder kept up an intense tempo to prevent any other escapes, and it was Rob White (ABD/Geargrinder) barreling down the homestretch for the win (above).

Clark Priebe (Team Mack) impressed by not only getting in the P/1/2 break, but racing back-to-back he also got in the winning two-man break in the 30+ race, although he would lose to Dave Stone (Lucas Oil).

Kristen Meshberg (Flatlandia) also doubled up nicely, taking home jerseys for both the women’s 30+ and the women’s 1/2/3 and going 3-for-3 over the weekend.

The Whites weren’t the only brothers to kick butt. Check out those Zionts boys from Alberto’s: Jacob and Zachary went 1-2 in the juniors 10-12.

Team Get a Grip Cycles had a productive day, with Devon Haskell getting 2nd in the women’s 1/2/3 and Chip Gray and Aspen Gorry hitting the podium in the 3’s behind winner Gabe Looker (ABD).

I should also note XXX Racing-AthletiCo: Peter Strittmatter and Jacques Cartier hit 3rd and 8th in the 4’s. Beth Christiansen repeated as women’s 40+ champ, and rookie Anna Loney won the women’s 4’s.

Elsewhere, the few Chicago riders who went to the Sussex Criterium in Wisconsin all had success. Jeff Holland (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) took home two top 10’s: 2nd in the masters 4/5’s and 5th in the 4’s. In the 4’s he was joined by Alex Smetana (Spider Monkey Cycling) in 6th and Calvin Smythe (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) in 9th. And the 3’s were once again ruled by local juniors: Chris Hurst (Baraboo Sharks) in 1st, James Bird (IS Corp) in 2nd.

Winfield results. Sussex results.

Winfield photos
ABD
Team Get a Grip Cycles
Vitaminwater-Trek
Ellen Wight
John Wilke (plus video)

Winfield race reports
Gary Chioda (Tower Racing; 4): “There is only one winner in these races. For everyone else it is personal victories, accomplishing goals and looking back and feeling proud of what you attempted.”

Pat Dillon (Tower Racing; 4): “I felt like I had a 200-pound weight on my back.”

Nick Gierman (Vitaminwater-Trek; 4, 3): “It was nice to be up at the front as you didn’t have to worry about the yo-yo effect near the back with slowing down in the turns.”

Aspen Gorry (Team Get a Grip Cycles; 3): “The last time up the hill I drilled it to stay in the top 10 with Chip right on my wheel.”

Terry O’Grady (Tower Racing; 4): “I found a seam on the right and hit the gas and was able to get about 15 positions back to my favor, until a rider blew up in front of me and sent me into the gravel coming out of Turn 3.”

Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus; 4): “I was no longer anonymous in the peloton and people were recognizing me, chatting with me about the race, and it really threw me off.”

Phil Painter (Tower Racing; 50+): “Took everything I had to hang on.”

Jared Rogers (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5): “I keep forgetting that I sometimes descend like ‘The Juggernaut’ without trying to.  What this means is that with three to go I found myself crossing the line secnd wheel and then pulling the field in first wheel toward the Stairmaster down the backstretch.”

Luke Seemann (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3, 30+): “She showed a picture of me. I was sticking my tongue out and fluffing my mullet.”

Mike Shea (Spider Monkey Cycling; 5): “I took Turn 4 hot and then began to kill it to the finish.”

Mike Sherer (Alderfer Bergen; P/1/2): “I messed the sprint up and was too far up and went to early. Story of my life recently.”

Mark Swartzendruber (Lucas Oil; 30+): “We had three guys with us as well who begged us to slow down, promised not to sprint and otherwise generally bogged the break down. It was only about 15 minutes into the race at this point and talk of conceding the sprint was in my mind a bit premature.”

Andy Skeen (ABD/Geargrinder: P/1/2): “Together we pull our dudes up to the front and get to work keeping the pace high enough to discourage any would-be last lap heroics.”

Scott Van Maldegiam (Spin Doctor Cyclewerks; 4): “I found it easy to move up on the home stretch as the field would take a break.”

Kyle Wiberg (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+): “I got one of those might-as-well-have-some-fun itches and gassed it up the hill.”

Sussex race reports
Jeff Holland (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5, 4): “The pack reminded me of a little kids soccer game: one big scrum that follows the ball wherever it goes.”

Some highlights from yesterday’s Winfield Twilight Criterium:

• » ABD/Geargrinder appeared to have all its ducks in a row in the final few laps of the P/1/2 race, but it was Ben Renkema (Turin) nipping ABR national champion Josh Carter (ABD/Geargrinder) in the sprint, flashing a cheeky tongue as he crossed the finish line (above).

• » Adam Lesniakowski (PACT-Dish Network) has always done well at Winfield, including winning last year’s 2/3 race and coming in 2nd thrice previously. This year he got 7th in the P/1/2, but also decisively took a $200 king-of-the-hill prime with five laps to go.

• » An hour before her women’s open race, Kristen Meshberg (Flatlandia) was dealing with a major mechanical and was about to ask for her registration money back. Instead, she found a bike she could borrow and used it to outsprint Devon Haskell (Team Get a Grip Cycles) by inches.

• » Endure It! had a great day in the 4’s, with Colin Riley and Mike Will coming in 3-4 in the bunch sprint. Teammate Ron Good lived up to his team’s name by continuing on after a crash took a big gash out of his right elbow. You think that hill was hard? Try doing it with only your left hand. “I really banged my melon,” he tells me, “and I couldn’t put any pressure on my right hand or get a deep breath as I really messed up a couple of ribs.” He gets the HTFU award of the day.

• » After several attempts to break away, it was the move of Will Nowak (Targetraining), Tomasz Boba (WDT-Allvoi) and Dave Stone (Lucas Oil) that turned out the lights in the 2/3 race. Nowak won the sprint after the threesome built almost a minute lead.

• » It was a black storm in the 5’s race, with XXX Racing-AthletiCo dominating a lead group. Unfortunately for them, it was Ryan Freund (Unattached) who took the win and they had to settle for 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th place, a veritable conga line of bridesmaids to Freund’s bride.

• » Hyde Park’s Team TATI made its competitive debut in its retro knickers and wool jerseys, and they swept the podium in the side category of “People who rode to the race from the city.”
  

Full results.

Photos:
Seth Meyer
Team TATI
John Wilke (scroll down)

Race reports
Grant Davis (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5): “In attacking my plan wasn’t really to get away, but to liven the race up a bit.”

Nick Gierman (Vitaminwater-Trek; 4): “The hill on the back side of the course was a long, gradual climb, but this is where I figured the attacks would come and the field would crack.”

Don Hanke (Tower Racing; 4): “This was a nice course and we all agreed that we enjoyed it, after it was over.”

Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus; 4): “That hill put the hurt on my big frame, and it was a VO2Max session every trip up.”

Mike Shea (Spider Monkey Cycling; 5): “This hill really would come to be my enemy, far more than the other racers.”

Scott Van Maldegiam (Spin Doctor Cyclewerks; 4): “I took it easy on the hill to save something for the finish, but that was a huge mistake. I hammered out of every turn, but it just didn’t matter in the end.”

Some deep fields visited Wood Dale and Batavia this weekend for ABD’s three-day masters extravaganza. Some highlights, and one lowlight:

• » The 40+ races must have been something, what with the usual Team Mack vs. Lucas Oil grudge match, plus chronic national champion Curtis Tolson (Texas Roadhouse) there to make it even more interesting. Tolson won Saturday, then Clark Priebe notched one for Mack on Sunday and Dave Stone took Monday for Lucas Oil. Shame that Mark Swartzendruber (Lucas Oil) wasn’t there to provide his usual commentary.

• » Tolson’s wife Tracy Tolson (Texas Roadhouse) swept the women’s 40+ races.

• » In addition to his 40+ win, Priebe won Saturday’s 30+ race. Cory Hickman (Vitaminwater-Trek) won the other two 30+ races, the only other multiple winner I spot in the larger fields.

• » Saturday saw some terrible crashes, including one that sent the popular Mike Jones (MetCycling) to the hospital. We’re going to miss him. Speedy recovery, Doc.

• » The Beacon News has a story about the “200 professional cyclists” who raced in Batavia, complete with photo gallery.

Not too many people hit Indiana’s Great Race series, but there were some podium appearances. In the criterium, Jeff Popelka (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) got 3rd in the citizens criterium and Long Grove’s Andrew Starykowicz (Unattached) got 3rd in the 30+ 1/2/3. In Monday’s road race, Doug Braun of the new Tower Racing squad placed 2nd in the 4’s race, while Chicago’s Jeanette Schrand (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) and Lindsay Jones (Unattached) went 2-3 in the women’s open. Finally, Pieter Ombregt‘s father Ludwig Ombregt (XXX Racing-AthletiCo), visiting from Belgium, placed 2nd in the 40+ road race. Gefeliciteerd!

And last but not least we have the Duluth Classic, a four-day stage race in Minnesota. Last week an insider asked me to handicap the field of Chicago riders. “Brian Haas (Alberto’s) in the 35+ is on good form,” I told him. “He’ll break some legs.” Sure enough, Haas won both road races over the weekend, but unfortunately that didn’t make up for the time he lost in the opening time trial, and he finished the weekend 7th overall.

Jason Schisler broke away from the closing crit and finished 2nd, earning enough time to bump him from 11th into 6th overall in the 3’s. Tamara Fraser also needed a good result Monday to move up and got it, getting 4th in the women’s 4’s crit to finish 5th overall. Finally, Evanston’s James Sauls (Vision Quest) finished 3rd overall in the masters 50+. He also won the final two king-of-the-mountain sprints on Sunday to clinch the polka-dot jersey (shown above).

OMG, is that a camo leader’s jersey?

I’ve heard raves about the race’s organization and execution, and not just from my inside contact. It’s a long haul from Chicago, but time stage races are pretty special, and I expect an even larger contingent will make the trek next year.  If so, I may ask to bum a ride.

Full ABD Saturday results. Full ABD Sunday results. Full ABD Monday results. Full Great Race results. Full Duluth Classic results.

ABD photos
Carolyn Golz: Saturday, Sunday

ABR masters race reports
Gary Chioda (Tower Racing; 30+ 4) “The second of three Mack riders killed us. He covered every attempt to bridge up.”

Fran Connelly (Tower Racing; 30+ 5, 30+ 4): “We had dropped close to half the field in what seemed to me to be a somewhat blistering pace.”

Ron Cook (Project 5; Juniors 9-10, 30+ 1/2/3): “Ryon took off from the gun and never looked back.”

Rob Dongoski (North Branch; 30+ 4): “After a few Hail Marys, I looked back and saw more carnage happening on the other side of the road.”

Cory Hickman (30+ 1/2/3): “There was this fellow in the break with a really big potty mouth and an obvious dislike for other bike racers and everything else maybe.”

Terry O’Grady (Tower Racing; 30+ 4): “As the blood returned to my brain, I remembered my plan: ATTACK!”

Scott Van Maldegiam (Spin Doctor Cyclewerks; 30+ 4): “I thought I wasn’t going to make the turn. I did make the turn, but I had swallow as my heart was up in my throat.” (Day 1, Day 2)

Great Race reports
Doug Braun (Tower Racing; 4): “I crested the hill with a small gap and then started to hammer it as hard as I could. Only one rider was able to bridge and we agreed to work.”

Pat Dillon (Tower Racing; 4): “I’m not saying Tower Racing is ready for the Tour de France but we sure worked like a pro team at this race.”

Duluth Classic race reports
Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; W-4): “I suffered mightily and I enjoyed it!”

Tim Hayes (Grumpy’s/LGR; 3): “Coolest road race course I have ever done.”

Some highlights from the next two days of Iowa:

• » How does one top a victory at Snake Alley? How about wins at both Sunday’s Melon City Criterium and Monday’s Quad Cities Criterium? That’s what Lindsay Koren (Team Get a Grip Cycles) pulled off in the women’s 4’s. She now plans to upgrade, and with Devon Haskell and others waiting for her, Get a Grip could prove to be a formidable presence in the women’s open. Speaking of whom, Haskell did well this weekend as well: 5th at Melon City and 4th at Quad Cities.

• » How often do we see a women’s 2/3 field? Not that often. Kristen Meshberg made the most of it by coming in 2nd at Quad Cities.

• » Nick Gierman (Vitaminwater-Trek) has been steadily climbing the results tables and finally notched that elusive victory Monday in the Quad Cities 4’s race, this after getting 3rd Sunday at Melon City. Perhaps he, too, will be upgrading soon to join the rest of his team in the 3’s?

• » 14-year-old Chazz Martin (Smart Cycling) has also been making some appearances high in the results this year, and he finally pulled the trigger and sprinted to win in Melon City 4’s race. I believe it’s his first senior victory. James Bird (IS Corp) is another junior who had a great weekend: 5th in the 3’s at Melon City, then 9th in the 3’s and 3rd in the juniors at Quad Cities. John Tomlinson (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) also pulled off multiple top 10’s: 9th in the 3’s at Melon City and 3rd in the 3’s at Quad Cities, getting 2nd in a field sprint that fell just meters sort of catching a solo breakaway, just ahead of Chicago Jeffrey Whiteman (Northbrook/Garner). (Check out Tomlinson’s podium ceremony.)

• » Other great results: Tomasz Boba (WDT-Allvoi) won the 3’s at Quad Cities. And Chicago Cuttin’ Crew pushed a lot of riders into the top 10, including Molly Godlewski, 4th in the women’s 4’s at Quad Cities; Adam Clark, 7th in the 4’s at Melon City; and Max Riordan and Ben Fietz, 4th and 8th at Melon City’s 5’s.

• » This isn’t something that gets said that often, but ABD/Geargrinder got shut out of the podium all weekend. I bring it up because it’s so unusual, but also as an excuse to note that that’s John Meyers in the nifty photo above, taken at Melon City by Matt Smith (Vitaminwater-Trek).

• » Be sure to read Steve Tilford’s race report and sit in awe of how after hundreds if not thousands of races, bike racing still has the capacity to surprise and delight. “Kind of fun really.” Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Full Melon City Results. Full Quad Cities results.

Melon City photos
Shawn Delk
Matt Smith: W-4, W-1/2/3, 4, 3, P/1/2

Quad Cities photos
Shawn Delk: 30+, 4, P/1/2
Matt Smith: 50+, 30+ 4/5, W-2/3, W-4, 5, 4

Melon City race reports
Carson Christen (Unattached; 4): “Could have been another victory if I had been watching.”

Nick Gierman (Vitaminwater-Trek; 4): “Going over the bump, my move would be coming soon. I was on the inside, three riders back about halfway up the hill.  It was time. I jumped and it felt good.”

Nate Iden (Spider Monkey; 4): “The race was going to be won be the guy who got the hairpin at the top of the hill first.”

Lindsay Koren (Team Get a Grip Cycles; W-4): “This race was more representative of what real racing should be like. I have to give mad props to the women from Punk Rock Cycling. They’re strong and they were throwing attacks like mad.”

Amanda Miller (Mesa Cycles; W-1/2/3): “I took off at the bottom of the hill giving it everything I could. Sam was still on my wheel, telling me that I could keep going.”

Mike Sherer (Alderfer Bergen; P/1/2): “I luckily played the sprint well and picked the right move on the right side of the hill behind Andy Crater (Wheel & Sprocket). Ended up 6th, which I was extremely stoked about.”

Andy Skeen (ABD/Geargrinder; P/1/2): “I was able to bring not one, not two, but three teammates from the back third of the field to the top 10-15 in one trip up the hill.”

Steve Tilford (HRRC/Trek; P/1/2): “I probably could of cut the apex and chopped Alex Boyd and Cole House and finished third, but I already felt a little bad about chopping them already once 50 meters before.”

Quad Cities race reports
Andreas Fischer (Vitaminwater-Trek; 3): “When I thought everyone else was just about to jump I went all out…..but had almost nothing left.”

Nick Gierman (Vitaminwater-Trek; 4): “It was so close and things seemed to slow down for an instant. I was thinking to myself, `Do not make the same mistake you did yesterday. Do not let up until you throw the bike.’ I lowered my head and pedaled as hard and as fast as I could.”

Nate Iden (Spider Monkey; 4): “t was either bomb the corner and come out in 4th with the possibility of taking half the field out, or let up and roll through in 10th or 12th.”

Lindsay Koren (Team Get a Grip Cycles; W-4): “Going into the last corner I had enough of a gap to breathe and take in what will probably be the last victory I’m going to get for a while.”

Amanda Miller (Mesa Cycles; W-2/3, W-open): “Eventually, we lapped the field. Things got a little crazy when we were mixed with the rest of the field.”

Steve Tilford (HRRC/Trek; P/1/2): “In this sport, the strongest guy doesn’t always win. It’s an organism of its own. So many different variables in such a short period at the end of the races make it exciting and frustrating at the same time.”

Let’s hear it for the older guys! First 48-year-old Steve Tilford (HRRC/Trek) demolished the Midwest’s hardest road race when he won Hillsboro-Roubaix in April.  And now 39-year-old Dewey Dickey (Mercy/Specialized) has crushed our hardest criterium, Saturday’s Snake Alley Criterium in Burlington, Iowa, not once but twice. Gives hope to those of us on a 10- to 20-year macrocycle.

After winning the morning’s 30+ race, Dickey easily won a two-up sprint against Brian Jensen (Successful Living) to take home the P/1/2 race, a field stacked with the region’s best riders.  “It’s a dream come true,” Dickey told the Burlington Hawk Eye, adding that he’d been trying to win there for 21 years. (See this profile for more background on Dickey.)

Among Chicago-area racers, Lindsay Koren started what would turn out to be a very fruitful weekend by winning the women’s 4’s race. Koren rode away from her field early and finished with a 31-second lead. (The Hawk Eye has coverage of her victory, too.)

Our other winner was Kaleb Koch (Smart Cycling), who won the juniors 13-14 category, the biggest win in what’s already been a successful year for him.

XXX Racing-AthletiCo pushed two riders into the top 10 of the 4’s race, Peter Strittmatter in 5th and Brian Morrissey in 9th, and they were kept company by Adam Clark (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew) in 6th.
In the 5’s, Max Riordin (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew) hit 6th while Avi Neurohr (Unattached), whom you may know as “that dude racing on the single-speed” or “that dude racing cyclocross in the Jordan jersey,” following in 7th in one of his first races on a geared bike.

Our only rider to hit the top 10 in the 3’s was junior Chris Hurst (Baraboo Sharks), coming in 9th, but Devon Haskell came in 4th in an impressive women’s-open field.

Finally, congrats to Neurohr for a 4th in Friday’s prologue road race, and to Jacques Cartier (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) for a 6th in the Cat 4 road race.

I was in Indianapolis all weekend -- watching a car race and pretending they were bicycles -- so it will take a few days to digest all the great racing that transpired over the weekend and serve up a report. (Let me tell you, all y’all getting so many top 10’s doesn’t make my job any easier.) Stay tuned!

Full Wapello-Mediapolis Race and Snake Alley results.

Photos
Shawn Delk: P/1/2, 4
Fry Guy Images
Bryan Moritz
Heet Myser
Iowa Pix
Punk Rock Cycling
Matt Smith

Wapello-Mediapolis race reports
Avi Neurohr (Unattached; 5): “The fear of getting dropped by the wayside seems to keep me from giving it 100 percent. What if they use me up and I’m off the back as they bridge? But then something else kicks in: Who fucking cares anyway?”

Snake Alley race reports
Carson Christen (HBA; 4): “I hit the top with a gap and then smooth sailing to the finish line for the WIN! I could not believe it. My fat ass was able to get myself over the climbs faster then anyone else!”

Nick Gierman (Vitaminwater-Trek; 4): “‘Dude, let’s see you out here.  This is tough!’”

Jeff Holland (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “On the 9th lap, about halfway up the Snake, “KAPOWWW!” My tube blows up, blows the bead of the tire off the rim, and I come to a screeching halt . (Well, about as screeching as you can when only going 8 mph.)”

Nate Iden (Spider Monkey; 4): “Slipped a pedal on the start, bad, did not get out front on the first corner, bad, got stuck in the middle of a mess heading up the 1st lap of the snake, bad, did not bomb the downhill to make up for the error, bad.”

Lindsay Koren (Team Get a Grip Cycles; W-4): “After some serious wheel rubbing with one other woman throughout the first time up the chute, I managed to get clear of the biggest groups.”

Amanda Miller (Mesa Cycling; W-open): “Need to learn better shifting techniques, as it cost me the race.”

Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “It was agony to spin the big ring but I had to get up to speed to lose my pursuers, and the bait of the last lap must’ve been beyond enticing.”

Avi Neurohr (Unattached; 5): “I nipped two spots to get into 5th at the last top-out of snake alley, only to freewheel my way around, thinking I had another lap.”

Tristan Schouten (Planet Bike; P/1/2): “This year I saw more guys standing on the sidewalk puking on different parts of the course than in previous years. It’s fun watching guys ride straight of the course on the back section hunched over their bars with drool down to their top tubes -- one more spot for me!”

Mike Sherer (Alderfer Bergen; P/1/2): “I got suddenly very sick and just started puking on the side of the road. Man that pissed me off. Oh, well. I guess that’s bike racing.”

Steve Tilford (HRRC/Trek; P/1/2): “Dewey was crazy strong today and deserved the win.”

Jeff Wat (Vitaminwater-Trek; 3): “One switchback up and a guy just fell over. All he could muster was a "sorry" and I think he gave up.”