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