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.”