Author: topher

We have new venues, classic venues, new courses and more road races. It all starts July 14 in the Beverly neighborhood of Chicago — a race that has been going on for 15 years! While we cannot have every category we found a way to add one more. The next day we return to Glen Ellyn for the tough Lake Ellyn course. Sunday we once again host the Illinois State Road Race championships at Willow Springs. Look for ‘big’ changes at this venue for 2017.

Monday will see us return to the South Chicago venue with its unique kermesse style course. Tuesday is a new (old) venue with Elgin, utilizing part of the former Four Bridges of Elgin course (the tough parts) to add another road race to our lineup. Wednesday we are back just up the Fox River at West Dundee and its menacing hill. But we made the course longer which should translate into few leg-breaking climbs. Thursday is a new venue in the near north suburb of Niles.

The final weekend is the same great schedule we have enjoyed for the past couple of years. Friday we again race into the late night in Elmhurst. Saturday will see us back up north in Lake Bluff. Finally, our series concludes on West Fulton Street in front of Intelligentsia’s roasting works and the Goose Island brewery.

Registration will open soon and we will have more announcements and new features for this year’s series to share with you soon.

Glen Ellyn, IL – While it was previously announced that the Glen Ellyn venue of the Intelligentsia Cup p/b SRAM series would not return in 2017, local members of the community have since rallied to assume the mantle, ensuring the race will be back for its second year. The new name, the Tour of Lake Ellyn, will happen on Saturday, July 15 on the same challenging course around picturesque Lake Ellyn.

“We’re very excited to bring the bike race back to Glen Ellyn, which is being led by a community effort,” said Ben Raby, a former professional cyclist and member of the local organizing committee. “The Tour of Lake Ellyn will promote Glen Ellyn community and enjoyment of our great park. In collaboration with the park district and village staff we’ve been able to secure a unique and challenging course, giving spectators the opportunity to watch elite racers navigate the ups, downs and turns of the Lake Ellyn circuit.”

“Hosting the Tour of Lake Ellyn for the second year is an incredible opportunity for the Village,” said Village President Alex Demos. “We are excited to once again welcome racers, fans and spectators to the Village to enjoy this prestigious event. We encourage you to come for the race and stay to explore our award-winning restaurants, shops and parks.”

Racing will again happen all day long, ranging from amateur and age group categories to the marquee elite and professional men and women races. A change for this year is a two-lap Glen Ellyn Community Fun Ride where anyone with a bicycle and helmet are invited to ride the same course as the racers, in between the pro women and pro men events. A full schedule will be announced soon.

“I’ve always had a passion for cycling — Sunday mornings were spent with my dad watching the Tour de France which clued me into the sport of cycling,” said local organizing committee member Jim Burket. “Why not take the opportunity to leverage the great natural course around Lake Ellyn and partnership with the Intelligentsia Cup series to have an international bike race in my backyard?”

“The Glen Ellyn Park District is excited to again support the Tour of Lake Ellyn for its second year and looks forward to assisting the local community members who have assumed the responsibility of organizing and staging the event,” said David Harris. “With local leadership, the event will be even that much better, providing a unique opportunity for the bike racing community, a great spectator sport and social event while showcasing the historic and iconic Lake Ellyn Park along with the Village of Glen Ellyn.”

“As we pride ourselves on being a bicycle friendly community, we couldn’t be more proud to host this race again,” said Village Manager Mark Franz. “With exciting cycling terrain, we hope our historic Village will provide a scenic backdrop not only for excellent racing, but for the enjoyment of spectators, families and friends.”

The remainder of the series venues will be announced in the coming weeks, with new venues and courses added for the 2017 series.

Chicago, IL – Intelligentsia Coffee is continuing its commitment to top-level American bike racing by renewing its title sponsorship of the Intelligentsia Cup powered by SRAM, a multi-day omnium road cycling race series around Chicagoland during mid-July. The two-year title sponsorship runs through 2018 and will mark five years of support of the series.

“I’m pleased that the series continues to grow and happy that Intelligentsia has been a part of that. It has quickly become one of the largest race series in the country and this year we hope it becomes the biggest,” said Intelligentsia Coffee founder Doug Zell.

“Our goal at Intelligentsia is to support and give back to the cycling community. By doing things correctly the series has done that for us, and at the same time has become a truly international caliber cycling event.”

“What I enjoy most about the event is that while it is highly competitive across all the races there is a spirit of conviviality and community that encompasses everything, creating an atmosphere that is quintessentially midwestern and unlike any other event.”

Beginning as the Prairie State Cycling Series in 2012 Intelligentsia Coffee joined a year later, renaming the series as well as expanding to seven races. In 2014 the series grew to eight races — seven criteriums and a road race. The series has hosted the Illinois State Road Racing Championships since 2015 and will again this year.

‘Intelligentsia Coffee has been an amazing supporter of our race series, and our success would not be possible without them,” said series partner and former pro cyclist Tom Schuler. ‘Thanks to their support we will continue our efforts to expand high-level bicycle racing in the Chicago area.”

In 2016 the series added a new junior category to support the development of younger racers, after expanding the amount of categories for women in 2015. The 2017 Intelligentsia Cup p/b SRAM will feature new venues with the goal to expand to a full ten days of racing, thanks to the continued support from Intelligentsia Coffee.