Bike race for everyone becomes instant classic

Last month, the Active Transportation Alliance partnered up with the northwestern suburb of Bartlett to host the first-ever Kickstand Classic.

Beautiful weather and just over 500 enthusiastic riders made for a fantastic first event!

This event gave riders of all skill levels and speeds the opportunity to participate in a chip-timed race.

The riders made a loop 4.8-mile loop through the scenic town of Bartlett. The race was broken down into three waves of riders depending on their speed. 

Once they had selected which wave level that suited them the best, riders then chose between 10, 14.5 or 19 miles. 

Two rest stops full of fantastic volunteers and cheerleaders pumped up the riders as they went through the course. Complimentary bike repairs from Performance Bicycles and Never Ending Cycles helped keep riders pedaling strong.

Once riders had completed the race, they made their way to the festival area. Live music provided by Bartlett’s local band, Bossydog, kept the excitement levels high, while riders enjoyed beer provided courtesy of New Belgium Brewing.

Awards were given to the top three winners from each age category for both men and women. In addition, team awards were presented to the top five teams in the Open Division and the Women Only Division. Check out the winners and the results from the race and see The Chainlink’s race report. You can also read an account of the event at StreetsBlog Chicago. 

Thank you again to all of our wonderful riders, sponsors and volunteers!

The blog post was written by Active Trans events intern Ami Schwartz; photos courtesy of Gregory Regalado.