Shmigadoo Saturday

Winfield KOM finish line.

One event that was missed in yesterdays post (nobody called me on it!) was the Winfield Criterium Weekend (ABR) in Winfield, IL. A great weekend of races in a western Chicago 'burb on the railroad tracks. Saturday is a residential type criterium with the start finish at a local park and on a course that climbs fairly substantially to a hilltop on the far end. They have Primes up there and that makes for some great racing. For the Pro 1/2 race, the $ given for the 'Gambler's Prime' in the final laps can be real tempting. The effort you would have to make to win that on top of the climb, though, would surely ruin your chances for the final, race sprint. Then you snake back down to the finish. Left - Right - Left - Right - Left!

Then Sunday, on a different course, is the ABR National Championships on an elongated course featuring a short, steep hill on the far end. Here's a video I made a few years ago of that race and one from the Saturday course.





Work at the Chicago Velo Campus continues and the first laps have been riden. The wood on the outside of the track has more grip, allowing you to stick to the bank and not slide back down when going slowly! We are still anxiously awaiting the first video from this exciting, new venue.

Lastly, recall that one of the new races on the calendar that was cancelled this year was the UnNamed Epic, a meld of road racing and MTBing.  It was a point to point race of 75 miles, featuring some of the hardest MTB trails in the state, and finishing on the highest point in Southern Wisconsin. Well, here is a video shot last year featuring on-board video of the course. Enjoy.