To bike racers and racing fans alike, August in Chicagoland means one thing – the USPRO National Criterium Championships. And this year, it's even easier than ever for most of us to ride there.
We've been extremely lucky over the last 23 years to have this penultimate race so close to home. And even luckier that the organizer of the three-year-old and extremely popular Glencoe Grand Prix stepped up when Downers Grove announced they would no longer host the race. The 2010 National Criterium Championships will now be in downtown Glencoe this coming Saturday, August 14, with the start/finish line at the intersection of Hazel and Vernon Avenues.
The USPRO National Criterium Championship is an extremely fun race to watch and the fans usually show up in big numbers, making big noise. The best US domestic and international teams will all show to do battle for the coveted Stars and Stripes jersey and/or the rich purse of cash that wait at the line. Here is an excellent preview by Chicago Bike Racing, and for more information on criterium-format bike racing, click here and here.
Riding to the race is a snap, now that the race is in Glencoe, along Sheridan Road and the Green Bay Trail; both very popular routes for area cyclists. Both are easy to get to from all points in the city and north shore, and very well marked on the 7-County Chicagoland Bicycle Map, newly updated by Active Trans for 2010.
See you at the races!