No powermeter could possibly measure the unseen work that leads to our races. Truly, it takes a village, from clubs raising sponsorship money to promoters navigating a dozen bureaucracies to secure venues, from volunteers sweeping corners at sun-up to officials setting up race cameras and ensuring our courses are as safe as possible.

Helping coordinate those efforts on the USA Cycling side are the state associations, and for us that means the Illinois Cycling Association. A few dollars from each license purchased in the state goes to the ICA. That money pays for dozens of state championship jerseys and provides a small stipend for technical director Dave Fowkes, who, among many other things, is responsible for managing upgrade requests and race permits.

For the past year the ICA has been helmed by Steve Feehery of the South Chicago Wheelmen. The 42-year-old hospital gas monitor -- “gas sniffer” is his e-mail handle -- has raced for more than 20 years, 18 of them with the SCW, for which he is also president. Along the way he’s gotten his two sons active in the sport.

I recently chatted with Feehery to learn more about the year ahead, what the ICA does for us and, just as important, what we can do for it.

What’s your job as president?
Just about everything. There are so many duties it could be daunting: Web site, race schedule, meetings, club/team contacts, ICA cup races, liaison with USAC, just to name a few. But I have solid help from Dave Fowkes, who is the technical director for Illinois. Dave handles upgrades and permits, among other things. Steve Hansen is the vice president and is working on the Web site along with the Chicago Time Trial Series. So it’s not so daunting with help. We are also trying to enlist clubs and teams to get involved.

People might avoid leadership or volunteer positions by playing the “I’m too busy training” excuse. But you’re a racer too. How much does it cut into your racing and training?
Not a lot. It works out pretty good to be at the races, getting face time with promoters and officials, and hopefully club presidents this season.

You race, lead an association, lead your team and are raising a family. Is there room for anything else?
Absolutely. I coach a pee wee hockey travel team, which my daughter plays on. We skate six months of the year, four to five days a week. I volunteer as an assistant coach for the Homewood-Flossmoor JV team and am the strength and conditioning coordinator for the entire high school hockey program. It’s awesome.

What’s it like for the whole family to be involved in the sport together?
My two boys are now stronger than me. It is very exciting to see them have some success. Brandon medaled at junior nationals one year and Shane is a past state champ. It also makes it easier to go to races.

What can Illinois cyclists and promoters do to make your job easier?
If more clubs and teams were represented at our ICA meetings and contributed, that would be ideal.

This winter you and Dave Fowkes attended a conference of regional associations in Colorado Springs, Colo. What did you get out of it?
We met other people from other associations, got a lot of ideas of how things work and met some of the execs from USAC.

Many people have been griping about the lack of Illinois Cup results in 2007. What are you doing to make this better in 2008?
We are working on a registration-to-results program that will make everyone’s job easier: posting results faster and including everyone that crosses the finish line on the results sheet, then posting on the ICA Web site.

Do you see people altering their racing schedules to earn more Cup points?
I hope so! Everything kind of takes a snail’s pace because we have so few people involved.

Will the same number of state championship jerseys be available this year?
Yes. They change color each year: red, white or blue. I think this year’s will be red.

How do you characterize the ICA’s relationship with American Bike Racing?
We coexist. I don’t know anyone from their organization, ie. Bob Lundgren. Mike Hanley has a good rapport with him. We try not to have conflicting races dates, but it happens from time to time.

About Mike Hanley, whom USAC recently fired as our regional coordinator. There’s an online petition asking for his reinstatement, but nobody seems to know any details. What can you tell us?
USAC won’t divulge all the reasons or the reason they let Mike go. I agree with all the outrage. He was an absolute asset. His connections, insight and advice were invaluable to me with the ICA. He will be sorely missed.

I have no idea who his replacement will be. I know that the Northeast region still doesn’t have a regional coordinator for three years running. Whoever replaces Mike, it will take years to build up what he did.

Matteson has for years been a treasure for Chicago-area cyclists. Not only does it provide one of the most fun racing atmospheres around, but it has been vital for giving people the experience needed to race safely. Will Matteson return? Will there be any changes this year in the wake of Pieter Ombregt’s tragic crash? [Note: Since this interview, SCW released the flier for the 2008 season.]
I believe it will return. We’ve had communications with Ace, and they are willing to continue after we address some safety concerns. It is a staple in the Chicago bike racing community. It helps a lot of racers get their start and feel comfortable racing in a pack at speed. I am still saddened at what happened to Pieter. Mike Kelly from SCW has continued contact with Pieter’s family, and they want to see the race continue as well.

Will there be a road race at Proctor this year?
No. The Peoria Bicycle Club will host two crits or a circuit race and a crit. Sunday’s crit will still be the state criterium championship.

Will there be a state championship road race?
Possibly out west near Moline. I’ll use this forum to ask any club that may want to host the state road race to contact me.

There are only two USCF road races in Illinois, whereas our neighbor to the north puts on at least eight. Hillsboro-Roubaix sold out all 225 Cat 3-5 slots within 24 hours, so obviously there’s a high demand for road racing here. Is there something about Illinois that makes it hard for promoters or organizers to put on a road race?
I think there is nothing particular in Illinois preventing us from having more road races. It is obviously harder to put one on. You also need help from local municipalities and that is hard to come by.

What race are you most looking forward to in 2008?
No one in particular. I love racing and going fast.