Photo by Luke Seemann

Downers Grove registration is finally open!

Of relevance to many of my readers, the men’s 3’s and 4’s are a combined field this year and capped at 100. I expect it to fill up by, oh, about 4 p.m. tomorrow. Anyone even thinking about racing should register now.

The races are ridiculously short this year, so the masters 4/5 is a good option for those eligible. Last year I had a mediocre 4’s race, but it let me figure enough things out to do well with the masters.

Several riders on the cusp of upgrading to 4 have asked me whether they should do so in time for Elk Grove and Downers. My answer has been an emphatic “no.” These races are going to be fast, technical and congested. Even a rider who’s been crushing the 5’s fields this year will find these races unfun and dangerous. You’ll be doing yourself and everyone else a favor by enjoying the 5’s race instead, and assuming the races don’t get behind schedule, you’ll get the same 20 minutes of racing as the 3’s and 4’s.

Sometimes it makes sense to extend yourself by racing over your head. This is not one of those times. (Sherman Park, on the other hand, is an excellent opportunity to race up.)

Note also that the Downers Grove Web site has updated some content and changed its URL.