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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Monday
The Great Race: Bristol Road Race
ABR road race
Bristol, Ind.
Distance from Chicago: 2.5 hours

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