Women’s Week & La Course

 

 

The international cycling union (UCI) launched Women’s Cycling Week ahead of La Course by Le Tour de France. A highlight of this week is bringing together pro women with women cyclists of all levels from around the world. They are riding from the Netherlands to Paris, in time for Sunday’s big race.  What’s even more remarkable about this tiny group of women cyclists is that we have a local representative, Daphne Karagianis. Daphne has been racing for the last several years in Chicago and has grown into a fierce and friendly racer. We’re proud that she is representing Chicago women on this international stage! To read about Women’s week, click here. To see what Daphne’s teammates have to say about her big trip, click here.  We’ll all be waiting to hear what she has to say when she gets home; hopefully I’ll be able to share some of that with all of you!

 

Most importantly, no matter where you are this Sunday, be sure to tune in to watch the La Course! For information on the televised race, click here.

 

Events – This Weekend:

 

Prairie State Cycling Series –This series began last weekend and continued on with a road race on Wednesday, a pro-only race on Thursday. Today the series heads to Elmhurst for a flat, but technical course. Saturday’s race is in the city and it looks to be a 4 corner crit, which may be music to some people’s ears! The final stage of the series will be in Downers Grove, the former course for the National Pro Criterium Championships. For details on the remaining events, click here.

 

Wisconsin State Road Race – Located in Spring Prairie, this course is known for its very tough climb at the start/finish, false flats and cross winds. If you’re feeling strong and are up for a challenging race, this one is a good one! For details on the event, click here.

 

ABR Track Nationals – The ABR Track Nationals are this Saturday & Sunday at the Washington Park Velodrome in Kenosha. Events will include timed, team and mass start races and will include junior, senior and masters categories. For details, click here.

 

Chicago Velo Campus Event #6 – This week’s main event is the Keirin, which is one of the more exciting events on the track. Get behind Emanuele Bianchi on his derny bike and get ready to race the Keirin! For event details, click here.

 

Coming Up:

 

Two Rivers Road Race – Looking for a road race? This one is relatively close to home and not too hilly! You’ll put in a fair amount of miles and there may be some wind to contend with, but it sounds like a great race. For details, click here.

 

Illinois State Track Championships – Northbrook will host this year’s timed and team championships on August 4^th and 5^th. For a listing of events and schedule, click here.

 

Women’s Events:

 

BFF La Course Viewing Party – Join the ladies of BFF Cycles at their viewing party for La Course. The event will be held at the Map Room on Armitage. For information on the event, click here.

 

Venus de Miles Ride – Looking for a fun, but low key bike ride? Participate in this year’s Venus de Miles ride, which benefits the Greenhouse Scholars. There are three distance options available, which are 13, 28 and 64. After the ride there is a fabulous post ride party with food, beverages, music and other fun pampering services. For more information, click here.

 

Whew! Have a great weekend!

Prairie State Cycling Series

 

By now you’ve nestled into your daily viewing of the Tour de France. This year’s Tour has been exciting and so unpredictable. Who will be in the yellow jersey coming into Paris? You’ll have to stay tuned to find out! Well, we won’t be climbing over the Alps around here, but there are plenty of opportunities to mix it up on the road and off-road as well. Check below for all the events coming up in our area.

Events – This Weekend:

Prairie State Cycling Series –The race series begins today in Waukegan, IL. The opening race is a 4 corner crit – a nice warm-up for the days ahead! Saturday the series heads to Lake Bluff, which in the past has been a tough and very technical course. This time around the course is touted to be a little less technical – we’ll see how that plays out tomorrow. The races continue through July 27^th, with one road race in the mix and wrapping things up in Downers Grove. For details, click here.

Artcrank Chicago – Okay, this isn’t a race or a ride, but it is a showcase of great cycling artwork. Bring together the arts and sport and you’re bound to see greatness. The event is being held on Saturday at Expo 72 from 4-10. For more information, click here.

Dr. Craig C Schultz Memorial TT – Located in Cordova, IL, which is near the quad cities, this 40K TT is a great course to set a PR. It’s an out and back course that’s totally flat and only has one turn. Test your power and head out to this race. For more information, click here.

Palos Meltdown – For those looking for a little off-road competition, the Palos Meltdown is a great race and it’s close to home! The course offers some technical sections as well as some lung & leg burning sections. For more information, click here.

Rapha Women’s 100: Chicago Loop – Join women around the world in participating in organized 100K bike rides. The Chicago ride starts at Heritage Bikes in the City and heads north to Highland Park and back. For information, click here.

Coming Up:

ABR Track Nationals – The ABR Track Nationals will be held next Saturday and Sunday at the Washington Park Velodrome in Kenosha. Check the flyer for a complete list of events and schedule. For details, click here.

Women’s Events:

BFF La Course Viewing Party – On the final stage of this year’s Tour, women will also be racing into Paris! Generate some energy for future opportunities for women and cheer on the ladies as they race on this magical stage. You can join fellow cyclists at the BFF Cycles viewing party, which will be held at the Map Room. For information on the event, click here.

Venus de Miles Ride – Looking for a fun, but low key bike ride? Participate in this year’s Venus de Miles ride, which benefits the Greenhouse Scholars. There are three distance options available, which are 13, 28 and 64. After the ride there is a fabulous post ride party with food, beverages, music and other fun pampering services. For more information, click here.

Have a great weekend!

Giro de Rosa

You might not know it, but the biggest women’s stage race is underway in Italy. The Giro de Rosa is a 10 day professional women’s stage race, which, unfortunately, doesn’t get much press.  That doesn’t take away from the impressive racing that’s been happening for the last several days. The race began on the 4^th of July and will finish this Sunday, the 13^th. To check out all the action of the Giro de Rosa, click here.

While one big race ends, the pro women’s field prepares for another monumental race, La Course by Le Tour de France. In conjunction with the Tour, the women’s pro field will race on the final day of the Tour. To promote the sport for women, the UCI announced a Women’s Week ahead of La Course. Amateur women racers from around the world will join together with pro women and ride from Holland to Paris in time for the big race. Stay tuned, we just might have some insight on what goes on in this special tour! For details on the event, click here.

While it’s great to keep our eye on the major events for women’s cycling, we need to focus on the development of riders. Locally there are plenty of opportunities for riders to hone their skills and move up in the ranks. Check out the events around town for the all the possibilities.

Events – This Weekend:

Winfield Criterium – This local race draws a good field because of its challenging, yet friendly course. It’s held in a neighborhood in Winfield and the course winds up a descent sized hill and then comes ripping down the other side! There’s plenty of community support, and it has the feel of a classic summer race. For details, click here.

Women’s & Fundamentals Track Clinic – New to track riding or racing or need some work on skills and tactics? Come out to Northbrook tomorrow morning for this dual purpose clinic and bridge that gap to your success on the track. For information on the event, click here.  Because there’s a chance of rain, please be sure to watch the forecast. The event may be postponed to Sunday or cancelled if it rains.

Indy Crit –Located in downtown Indianapolis, this 8 corner crit offers up prize money and primes to stir the excitement. The race draws riders from around the Midwest, so it’s sure to be a competitive day of racing. For event details, clickhere.

CVC Race Series Event # 5- This weekend’s race is a 50 lap Scratch race, which should be fast and dizzy-ing. The scratch race is great for beginners as well as advanced riders because there’s not too much to figure out – as far as track races go, but there is still strategy involved. For more information, click here.

Wolfgang Freitag Memorial 50K TT – This race is a true test of teamwork. It’s you against the clock, but you share the challenge with a friend. Push hard, recover, and repeat! It’s a great experience and well worth the effort. For race details, click here.

Coming Up:

Prairie State Cycling Series – Get ready for another action packed race series in the Chicagoland area. The series will go from July 18^th through the 27^th, wrapping things up on the Downers Grove course, which is the former location of the US Pro National Criterium championship. Another bonus is that there is beginner and advanced race categories for the ladies. Don’t miss out on all the fun. For details, click  here.

Palos Meltdown – For those looking for a little off-road competition, the Palos Meltdown is a great race and it’s close to home! The course offers some technical sections as well as some lung & leg burning sections. For more information, click here.

Have a great weekend!

Happy 4th of July

Last night was another fantastic evening of racing at the Northbrook Velodrome – specifically the women’s racing! I’ve been racing at Northbrook for quite some time, and I’ve always loved it. However, this year everything just seems to be clicking. There’s so much depth in the competition as well as skill and aggressiveness! I’ve certainly had to change my game plan, but I love it and it makes me a better rider – even after all these years. I’m so thankful for the young ladies that have made the commitment to keep coming back, year after year. Your hard work is REALLY paying off. I’m thankful for the seasoned racers making their way to the track; you are really helping to push the pace. And I’m thankful to all the newbies. Keep up the good work and your efforts will pay off. With more than half the season still to come, there’s plenty of time to come out and compete.

Well, last evening is a pleasant memory, but this is the 4^th of July, the sun is shining and the weather is delightful. It’s going to be a perfect weekend to get out and ride. There are a few racing opportunities, but it’s also just a great time to put in some miles. Join a group ride, head to the trails or race, there’s plenty to do! When you come inside to rest, you can tune-in to the start of this year’s Tour de France. Hello summer!

Events – This Weekend:

Junior and Para Cycling National Road Championships – Currently underway on the roads near Madison, Wisconsin, our up-and-coming youth and para-athletes are competing for national championship titles. The events included are the time trial, criterium and Road Race. See who is on target to represent the USA in cycling. For details, click here.

Illinois State Master’s Track Championships – Attention all master’s racers, head out to Northbrook on Saturday for the 2014 Illinois State Championships. The championships will cover timed, team and sprint events. Get dialed in for Nationals, which will be held next month in Seattle! For information, click here.

Women’s Dirt Day’s #3 – Looking for a little off road fun this weekend? Join the ladies for a day of mountain biking at Palos. All levels of riders are welcome and it’s a great way to learn the trail system. There may be a change in location because of poor trail conditions due to all the recent rain. Check the event link ahead of time for any potential changes. For information, click here.

Coming Up:

Winfield Criterium – This local race draws a good field because of its challenging, yet friendly course. It’s held in a neighborhood in Winfield and the course winds up a descent sized hill and then comes ripping down the other side! There’s plenty of community support, and has the feel of a classic summer race. For details, click here.

Indy Crit –Located in downtown Indianapolis, this 8 corner crit offers up prize money and primes to stir the excitement. The race draws riders from around the Midwest, so it’s sure to be a competitive day of racing. For event details, clickhere.

Wolfgang Freitag Memorial 50K TT – This race is a true test of teamwork. It’s you against the clock, but you share the challenge with a friend. Push hard, recover, and repeat! It’s a great experience and well worth the effort. For race details, click here.

Women’s Events:

Rapha Women’s 100: Chicago Loop – Join women around the world in participating in organized 100K bike rides. The Chicago ride starts at Heritage Bikes in the City and heads north to Highland Park and back. For information, click here.

Venus de Miles Ride – Looking for a fun, but low key bike ride? Participate in this year’s Venus de Miles ride, which benefits the Greenhouse Scholars. There are three distance options available, which are 13, 28 and 64. After the ride there is a fabulous post ride party with food, beverages, music and other fun pampering services. For more information, click here.

Happy 4^th and enjoy a safe holiday weekend.