Midwest Cyclocross Videos

Yup, we're still here! Lack of time plus the recent upheaval of the sport both locally and internationally put a damper on my enthusiasm, but it's coming back slowly. The Star will continue on!

How about some fun videos? First off, the Pro 1,2,3 finish from this weekend's 'Cross race in Chicago, followed by a great compilation of crashes from Minnesota.

This first clip is reportedly the final sprint for the Illinois State Cyclocross Championships although the video description doesn't go that far:

Men - Cat 1/2/3 - Open
	Place	Points	Name	City, State	Time	USAC #	Bib	Team
	1	150.56	Michael Hemme	Chicago, IL		153182	17	SRAM Factory
	2	154.56	David Lombardo	Crystal Lake, IL		285991	28	Verdigris-Village CX
	3	158.56	Brian Conant	Dekalb, IL		7522	8	The Pony Shop

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Tour of America's Dairyland - Schlitz Park

WISCONSIN: Milwaukee - Finally a criterium with a climb. And a hell of a climb it is, ascending the approximately 15 - 18% block long wall on 2nd street in the historic Schlitz Park, an on going renovation of the old Schlitz beer brewery complex. Superweek began racing here 15 years ago on a different course using this same climb, a super fast course where Norm Alvis, riding for Saturn at the time, lapped the Pro 1/2 field not once, not twice, but FOUR times back in 1997. Surely a record of some type. This was a different course, however, ascending the hill right out of turn 1, then ascending another block of lesser severity, before flattening out and dropping back down through a series of left and right turns, ending in a tight chicane with 200 meters to the line. A bike handler's course which help decide last night's Pro 1/2 event where Cole House (Competitive Cyclist) and James Stemper (Kenda / 5 Hour Energy) played a game of 'chicken' through the downhill turns to decide the race winner.

The late evening race began with about 100 riders heading into the evening sun, but the severity and  technical aspects of the course quickly strung them out as 10 riders, growing to 12, formed a lead group. That group contained (per ToAD): "Stemper and teammates Chad Hartley and John Murphy, Cole House (Competitive Cycling), Frank Pipp (Bissell), Rahsaan Bahati (Bahati Foundation), Chad Burdzilauskas (Texas Roadhouse), Emile Abrahahm (Latino Cycling Team), Fabrizio Von Nacher (Velo Club LaGrange), Augusto Sanchez (GS Mengoni), Cody O’Reilly (Optum Pro Cycling), and Andrew Baker (Bissell)."

The crowd was undeniably younger than at the other venues, being held on Milwaukee's fashionable lower east side, not far from the Marquette University, UW - Milwaukee, and other campuses, and they loved every bit of the race. The climb was alive with cheers of encouragement - from the guy with the bull horn, to the Stemper Nation rooting for local James Stemper (Kenda), and all around the course chants of "Ba - Ha - Ti!" rang out as Raahsan Bahati raced in the lead group but finished a very disappointing 11th. 

Many exploratory moves were made from the leading dozen, Frank Pipp (Bissel) seen here makes an attack late in the race with just 12 laps to go.








With just 5 laps remaining, Stemper took his dig and Cole House tagged along. In one lap the pair had a sizable gap, and that sure looked to be be the winning move for one of them. A final cat and mouse game up the final climb, and then a death defying game of 'chicken' down the twisty descent, Stemper came out of the chicane first, taking his second win of the series, and 6th win in a row for Team Kenda.

Stemper enjoys the moment of glory as House 

makes sure his second place is secure.

 

Race announcer Todd Busteed interviews winner James Stemper.

 

Busteed and third place Frank Pipp.

 

Race announcer Brad Sohner and second place Cole House.

 

Winner James Stemper enjoys the moment.

 TOP 5 RESULTS

1  James STEMPER Kenda

2  Cole HOUSE Competitive Cyclist

3  Frank PIPP Bissel

4  John MURPHY Kenda

5  Emile ABRAHAM Latino Cycling Team

Racing at the Tour of America's Dairyland continues through Sunday, today being a scenic road race just outside of Fond du Lac, WI on a scorchingly hot day just like the last time they raced on that course, followed by four NCC criteriums which surely will make Team Kenda's winning streak a challenge.

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Tour of America's Dairyland - Waukesha - Kenda 4-peat!

WISCONSIN: Waukesha - Tour of America's Dairyland - Kenda Pro Cycling / 5 Hour Energy takes win number 4 as Jimmy Stemper rockets off the front of the already raging peloton with more than half the race remaining and drilled it home for the win. His face screamed in agony while his KPC team mates countered every move made by other riders against him. He finished with a handy lead of at least 45 seconds as he swooped back and forth across the finishing straight. The overall leaders jersey switches backs over to Chad Hartley, who is now the leader of the tour. Laura Van Gilder pounded home another strong field sprint to take the Pro women's race today, and local favorite Erik Loberg retains the coveted green jersey as best Cat. 2 amateur.

More coming on Monday!

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Tour of America's Dairyland - Grafton

WISCONSIN: Grafton - It's three wins in a row for Team Kenda / 5 Hour Energy as Luca Damiani takes it in front of a huge crowd in Grafton, WI tonight. Once again it was the Grand Finale of the fireworks show right from the gun as the riders tackled the very fast course for a 90 minute speed fest. A large and rowdy crowd, unusual for this sleepy midwestern town, witnessed this race as one live band played at turn one ... another in turn two. Attack after attack were launched in response to generous primes, but none could pass the muster. Late in the race, Cole House (Competitive Cyclist)(2012 Wisconsin State Road Champion) launched a suicidal attack but unfortunately for him, it was a Kenda rider who latched onto his wheel, who with 7 other team mates rolling at the front of the field, was not going to do a lick of work. The pair got caught with just a few laps remaining, and so it came down to a field sprint. The photo tells the story. Luca Damiani gets the win, team mate John Murphy second (retains the yellow leader's jersey), and Foundation's Rafael Meran rounded out the podium.

Racing continues tomorrow just west of Milwaukee, in Waukesha.

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Tour of America's Dairyland - East Troy

WISCONSIN: East Troy - East Troy Cycling Classic - RESULTS - Kenda takes stage #2 in the 2012 Tour of America's Dairyland with Chad Hartley getting the final sprint after lapping the field with 3 other riders. The case of fireworks was tossed on the fire right from the get-go and that plus the fact that it was a very technical field BLEW the Pro 1/2 peloton apart. Crashes galore shattered the field early and left many dissapointed. See the link above for more details. Racing continues north of Milwaukee today in Grafton.

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Cleveland Velodrome Update

OHIO: Cleveland - Construction continues to roll along on the 166m meter Cleveland Velodrome oval which sits on the site of the former St. Michael’s Hospital in Broadway Slavic Village. Fast Track Cycling recently signed a ground lease agreement with the City of Cleveland for the 8.4 acre site for $1 per year. The track will be constructed from galvanized steel and a marine-grade plywood riding surface. A $50,000 grant from The Cleveland Foundation helped Fast Track complete the Phase I capital requirement of $300,000, which includes the cost of track bicycles and other related equipment. Final welds are now being placed on the steel skeleton, and placing of the wooden surface panels will begin on Monday. Grand opening day is set for July 6th. This track is basically the same as the newly completed Chicago Velocampus on Chicago's south side, home of the former US Steel plant. In a year's time, it is hoped to have an air dome placed over the Cleveland track to allow riding year round, and ultimately an indoor, Olympic sized 250 meter track is planned.The Chicago Velocampus is up and running and hosts it's first day of racing TODAY. The summer long, June 17 to September 2nd omnium features $3,200 in prize money. See their website for more information.

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Fixed Gear Classic, Kenosha Velodrome, Tour of Galena, Tour de Mont Pleasant

Franco Marvulli - Photo: Wikipedia

MINNESOTA: Blaine - Fixed Gear Classic - RESULTS OVERALL EVENT - The unofficial start to the Nature Valley Grand Prix was held his past weekend ... the Fixed Gear Classic held on the 250 meter, wooden outdoor velodrome at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minnesota. Repeating his overall omnium win from 2011, was Olympic medalist, 6 Day race star, and multi World Champion Franco Marvulli of Switzerland. Second place was 2011 Canadian National champion,  Jean-Michel Lachance (Rossetti Devo Cycling Team),  who just recently won the USA Crits race in Lake Bluff, IL, and third place was Tour de France and Vuelta stage winner, multi Dutch national champion on road and track,  none other than Leon Van Bon.



Results
Final Men’s Endurance Omnium
1. Franco Marvulli (Zurich Switzerland) 47
2. Jean-Michel Lachance (Rossetti Devo Cycling Team) 38
3. Leon Van Bon (Raalte Netherlands AA Drink) 35
4. Emile Abraham (Rossetti Devo Cycling Team) 32
5. Zachary Kovalcik (Sizzle Pie Cycling/Veloforma) 31
6. Alexander Gonzalez (Rossetti Devo Cycling Team) 21
7. Martin Vecchio (Lathrup Industries/Giant Bicycles) 19
8. Samuel Horstmann (Zurich Switzerland) 13
9. Michael Alborn (Zurich Switzerland) 11
10. Jordan Cullen (Slipstream Craddock Jr Dev.) 8


2012 Fixed Gear Classic Race Report from Rick Fuentes on Vimeo.

WISCONSIN: Kenosha - After the weekend event in Minnesota, both sprint omnium winner Johnathan Fraley (Serenity Bikes) and second place Danny Robertson (WDT/Alvoi) competed at the weekly, tuesday night races in Kenosha on the lighted 333m velodrome. You could hear the wind roar and the feel ground rumble when these two lit the afterburners side by side, racing for the finish line. It was an awesome display of speed and power for those lucky enough to experience it.

Tuesday's main event, the 75 lap Pro 1/2/3 points race was won by Rob Springer (RPM Cycling) who was one of 3 riders who gained a lap on the rest of the field. Results from many of the area track races can be found at TrueSport.Com, and the schedule for upcoming races at Kenosha can be found HERE. New riders are encouraged to attend and it is a great way to add fun to your weekly speed work.

Pro 1/2 podium. Photo: Tour of Galena

ILLINOIS: Galena - Tour of Galena - RESULTS RESULTS PHOTOS - This three day (four events for men and women Pro1/2) event held in northwestern Illinois was a barn burner as viewed from all angles. Steep, tough climbs combined with steamy hot temperatures made for hard racing and as you can see by the results, the overall Pro 1/2 winner wasn't determined until the final day as Chad Hartley (Kenda / 5 Hour Energy) almost pulled off the upset victory with back to back second place finishes. However, 28 year old Michael Sencenbaugh (Thrive Cycling) of Carrol, Iowa held on for the overall win, to add to his first race victory of the 2012 season.

Omnium

Men Pro/1/2

Last updated: 6:13 PM on Jun 10, 2012

Place	Name	CR	TT	RR	Crit	Omnium
1	Michael Sencenbaugh Thrive Cycling Team	34 1st place	4 7th place	20 6th place	13 6th place	71
2	Chad Hartley Kenda 5-Hour Energy Cycling Team	13 9th place	0 13th place	34 2nd place	24 2nd place	71
3	Ryan Freund Enzo's-PSIMET	26 3rd place	11 3rd place	10 11th place	21 3rd place	68
4	Matias Perret Iowa City Cycling Club	30 2nd place	7 5th place	26 4th place	2 13th place	65
5	Nicholas Vetter Mitsubishi Laser/Grand Performance	15 8th place	2 9th place	30 3rd place	4 11th place	51

Criterium Podium Photo: The Morning Sun News

MICHIGAN: Mont Pleasant - Tour de Mont Pleasant -
RESULTS PHOTOS - Over 800 riders competed in this two day, three stage omnium event in central Michigan this past weekend. Details are still sketchy as to what transpired out on the roads, but if the results are any indication, there ARE stories to be told. In the final day's 120 mile point to point road race for the Pro 1/2 (touted as the longest point to point race east of the Mississippi), no less than 50 riders did not finish, and a similar number were disqualified for unknown reasons. Top riders such as Chris Uberti and Paul Martin were DQ'd. The cash payout for the final road race was 25 deep, with a cool $900 going to the winner. Additional prizes were given for KOM and a sprint competition. Find out more in these excellent videos below!










Michigan's Morning Sun gives full disclosure on the disqualifications which were based on the center line rule. With pretty sizable payouts going 25 deep, and everybody past 2nd being disqualified, what happened to all that prize money?

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2012 Wisconsin State Road Championships

WISCONSIN: Spring Prairie - WI State Championship Road Race - RESULTS PHOTOS - A hot sun producing an air temperature of 90, reflected right back at riders from the road, plus a finishing hill of 18% required riders to bring on their "A" game if they wanted to add "Wisconsin State Road Champion 2012" to their palmares. Details are sketchy right now as to what went down out on the road, but what really matters is who crossed the line first, so lets take a look.

Stock Photo - Peloton Pix

Cole House gets his second win this year, and his 3rd state championship: 2006 Wisconsin State Road Champion - Junior 15-18 ,  2010 Wisconsin State Criterium Champion - Pro 1/2, and now the 2012 Senior Men's Wisconsin State Road Champion.

Men - Pro/Cat 1/2 - 19-29
	Place		Name	City, State		USAC #		Team
	1		Cole House (1 - Pro)	Oneida, WI		183112		Competitive Cyclists
	2		Robert White (1 - Cat1)	Brown Deer, WI		197162		RACC pb GG
	3		Eric Hill (1 - Cat2)	Pewaukee, WI		334878		Lakes Area Physical Therapy
	4		Frank Dierking (2 - Cat1)	Madison, WI		148481		Great Dane Velo Club (GDVC)
	5		Corey Stelljes (2 - Cat2)	Madison, WI		307965

Stock Photo - Peloton Pix

In the Women's 1/2/3, a 2011 Kansas transplant now living in Madison, Amber Markey, get's her first championship beating a super strong Kiwi Hayley Giddens, who's here racing during her New Zealand winter, and also beating 2011 WI State Criterium champion Ashley Jensen. For IS Corp Cycling Team, it was win-win as they sweep the top SIX spots.







..

Women - Women 1/2/3 - 19-29 Place  Name City, State USAC # Team 1 Amber Markey (1 - Cat3)    Madison, WI 307289   ISCorp Cycling Team 2 Hayley Giddens    Milwaukee, WI 380901   ISCorp Cycling Team 3 ASHLEY JENSEN (2 - Cat3)    Kenosha, WI 304607   ISCorp Cycling Team 4 Holly Mathews (1 - Cat2)    Madison, WI 294884   ISCorp Cycling Team 5 Andrea Pether (3 - Cat3)    Lake Geneva, WI 343188   ISCorp Cycling Team 6 Lindsey Durst (2 - Cat2)    New Glarus, WI 270694   ISCorp Cycling Team 7 erin woloszyn (4 - Cat3)    Palatine, IL 277535   Village-Verdigris Cycling 8 Axie Navas (3 - Cat2)    Eagle, CO 290511   ISCorp Cycling Team

Dug out of the archives ... enjoy!

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Live Tonight Online: Fixed Gear Classic

MINNESOTA: Blaine - Fixed Gear Classic Click this link to watch night two of the 2012 Fixed Gear Classic on the high banked, wooden velodrome near Minneapolis beginning at 7pm CDT. Events include Chariot, Sprint, Keirin, Points, Miss and Out, and others. Check it out TONIGHT! More of Erika's photos can be found on her FB.

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Lake Geneva, Sussex, West Branch

WISCONSIN: Lake Geneva - Lake Geneva Road Race - RESULTS PHOTOS - Not much news coming out of this new event in far southern Wisconsin. However, it is nice to have a race, a road race yet, that's close enough to a number of cities in order to promote a variety in the competition, and to provide racing on open roads where it is almost impossible to do so otherwise. Racing was also held in nearby (90 minutes drive) Lake Bluff, IL, but that was a criterium. This was a 5 mile loop of big ring rollers that would prove difficult for escapes to succeed. Michael Fioretti (second place Cat 4/5 at the brutal Sauk County Tower Tour) of Schaumberg, IL, riding for Madison based Brazen Dropouts give us the scoop on his win:

Coming around the final turn there were no problems, but the last straightaway gave its share of laughs and misery as it normally does. There were some blatant yellow-line violations (which I do not believe were enforced) as the field began to spread for the sprint. I was in the right lane, probably about two or three riders from the far right of the road. I recall that there was a rider to my left and a rider to my right just ahead of me. I was in between them, with my head at about the point where their saddles were. The rider to my left faded his line very hard to the right, forcing me into the rider next to me and my right shoulder and his left thigh collided. Incredibly, we did not go down (as I thought we were going to when it was happening), and the contact between the three of us caused us to sort of bounce off each other, and from there I opened up my sprint between them and took the win. It was very exciting to win, especially because I had lots of family present. I am also very thankful that we did not crash, as I also heard that there was a crash somewhere behind us where a guy got his bike run over by the moto. I feel very lucky for my results today, but I also know that my development as a rider has come from hard work and perseverance –and not to mention a healthy dose of learning how to ride and stay upright over these months of racing! To top things off, with the win today I was able to apply for and receive my Cat. 3 upgrade. I am so happy to have achieved one of my big goals for the season.

Men - Elite Category 4/5 - 19-29
	Place		Name	City, State		USAC #		Team
	1		Michael Fioretti	Schaumburg Il		360847		Brazen Dropouts Cycling Team
	2		David Ross	Hampshire, IL		368066		Bicycle Heaven
	3		Robert Berry (1 - Cat5)	Milwaukee, WI		355424
	4		Matthew Stachelski	Milwaukee, WI		287795		Team Fond Du Lac/Oshkosh Cyclery
	5		Carlos Monzon (2 - Cat5)	Chicago, IL		380443

Men - Pro/Cat 1/2 - 19-29
	Place		Name	City, State		USAC #		Team
	1		Eric Hill (1 - Cat2)	Pewaukee, WI		334878		Lakes Area Physical Therapy
	2		Chris Arndt (2 - Cat2)	Wauwatosa, WI		219506		Lakes Area Physical Therapy
	3		Brian Kaker (3 - Cat2)	Milwaukee, WI		240194		LAPT CC
	4		John Acker (1 - Cat1)	Sherwood, WI		67867		Team Wheel & Sprocket
	5		Sam Stone (4 - Cat2)	North Freedom, WI		213424		Lakes Area Physical Therapy

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Women - Women Open - 19-29
	Place		Name	City, State		USAC #		Team
	1		Andrea Pether	Lake Geneva, WI		343188		ISCorp Cycling Team
	2		ASHLEY JENSEN	Kenosha, WI		304607		ISCorp Cycling Team
	3		Kae Takeshita	Itasca, IL		314568		RACC pb GG

WISCONSIN: Sussex - Cafe Hollander Sussex Criterium - RESULTS PHOTOS - Some of you may know Cafe Hollander, but if you don't, here's the scoop. It is a bicycle racing themed Cafe on Milwaukee's east side that just happens to be smack dab in the middle of the finish area of the Downer Avenue Criterium, one of the biggest races in this part of the Midwest (If not the country, and no, the race is not located here because of the cafe, it's there because Otto Wentz's grocery store used to be across the street.). If you're in the area for Superweek or Tour of America's Dairyland, be sure to check it out. Once again, very little info coming out of this race, a typical office park criterium held on a 1 mile circuit that features a longish uphill finish. What little this press this race has generated this week has to be the most interesting. The Wanganui Chronicle of New Zealand published an article on Haley Giddens, one of their riders racing here this summer for the power house IS Corp cycling team.

They write: The 23-year-old road racer left New Zealand in May to spend fourth months with the Wisconsin-based IS Corp Cycling squad.

"I'm absolutely loving it," said the former Wanganui High School student who led her team to a 1-2-3 finish in the Sussex Grand Prix Criterium at the weekend.

Giddens also claimed the King of the Mountains points category for best climber on the hilly course, and the victory followed her win by more than six minutes in a 48-kilometre road race in Baraboo two weeks ago.

Last week Giddens took part in two criteriums a day over the Saturday-Monday long Memorial Weekend, gaining five top 10 finishes.

Those finishes included a third place and saw her getting sprayed with champagne on the podium after what she rated as her best race so far in her Stateside sojourn.

Women - Women Open - 19-29
	Place		Name	City, State		USAC #		Team
	1		Hayley Giddens	Milwaukee, WI		380901		ISCorp Cycling Team
	2		ASHLEY JENSEN	Kenosha, WI		304607		ISCorp Cycling Team
	3		Jennifer Perricone	Fond Du Lac, WI		258437		ISCorp Cycling Team

Men - Pro/Cat 1/2/3 - 19-29
	Place		Name	City, State		USAC #		Team
	1		John Acker (1 - Cat1)	Sherwood, WI		67867		Team Wheel & Sprocket
	2		Robert White (2 - Cat1)	Brown Deer, WI		197162		RACC pb GG
	3		Jacob Mueller (3 - Cat1)	Fond Du Lac, WI		248510		Stan's NoTubes/AXA Equitable
	4		Eric Hill (1 - Cat2)	Pewaukee, WI		334878		Lakes Area Physical Therapy
	5		Maxwell Anderson (2 - Cat2)	Hartford, WI		178840		LAPT CC

Photo: Kolo t.c.

MICHIGAN: West Branch - West Branch Classic - RESULTS PHOTOS -  From Tri City Cyclists: The West Branch Classic Road Race is a challenging hilly course, featuring over 1,100 feet of climbing on every 22 mile lap with numerous climbs of one-half to three-quarter mile at a 3-5% grade. With a massive hill at the end of each lap leading up to the finishing climb being 1.25 miles long at a 6% grade with the last 700 meters at  a leg boiling 11%!  Race promoters coin this as Reminiscent of the famous Mur de Huy hill finish at La Fléche Wallone, a professional race inBelgiumand one of the classics of our sport.  Sunday the West Branch criteriums took place in downtown West Branch and consisted of the traditional format of a .9 mile loop with flowing corners resulting in a very up tempo pace. 

Then the race report from Kolo t.c.

A gusting wind out of the west pushed riders with an extra miles per hour worth of breeze at the start line, though the real effect wouldn’t be felt until the racers completed 3/4 of a circuit. Rounding the corner to Engel Road, the wind slapped the peloton in every category hard and cruel. The run-in to Fairview, and the infamous finishing climb, is usually a quick and easy jaunt with a handful of rollers en route to the final showdown on the Mur. This year, it was a veritable wind tunnel.
All of the racers put in a long warm-up, taking an extra to map out the finish climb and test the gearing options. Perhaps the most difficult part of the race was the fast first forty minutes in a steady downpour. Cruising along a touch over 30 miles per hour with nearly as much rain coming up off tires as came down from overhead, the peloton was treacherous and tense. The rain relented to a sprinkle after a lap or so, but the roads were still soaked thoroughly for the rest of the race.


Saturday’s horrible weather knocked out more than a few riders, though the Pro class survived almost four hours of wind and rain without bowing out. The field was stacked, though with the noted absence of Alex Vanias, who was off racing somewhere else. The slack was picked up and pocketed by Alexey Vermeullen, Vanias’ Bissell ABG Nuvo teammate. ... Swen Baumann took the victory out of a two man breakaway with Alexy Vermeullen, three minutes ahead of the charging field. Mike Anderson, yes, that Mike Anderson took second in the field’s assault on the final climb, finishing just behind Matthew DeGiacomo.

Men - PRO/1/2 Place  Name City, State Time  USAC # Team 1 Sven Baumann (1 - Cat1)    Lake Orion, MI 3:47:21.37  378155   Wolverine Sports Club 2 Alexey Vermeulen (1 - Cat2)    Pinckney, MI 3:47:28.67  258681   Bissell-ABG-NUVO/Indianapolis C 3 Matthew DeGiacomo    3:50:36.45  381288   Garneau-Quebecor-Norton Rose

Photo: Ogemaw Herald

Sunday brought a continued stiff breeze, but sunny skies as racing continued on a 0.9 mile criterium loop.

Men - PRO/1/2
	Place		Name	City, State	Time	USAC #		Team
	1		Alexey Vermeulen (1 - Cat2)	Pinckney, MI	1:00:19.80	258681		Bissell-ABG-NUVO/Indianapolis C
	2		Matthew DeGiacomo		1:00:19.92	381288		Garneau-Quebecor-Norton Rose
	3		Adam York (1 - Cat1)	Plymouth, MI	1:01:37.73	210584		Cleveland Clinic Sports Health

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2012 Glencoe Grand Prix

Photo: Dreyfus - USA Cycling
(cropped and edited properly)

ILLINOIS: Glencoe - Glencoe GP - RESULTS PHOTOS - Now in it's 6th year, held this past Saturday June 2nd, was the Glencoe Grand Prix Criterium. Both a stop on the National Criterium Calendar (NCC) and the Illinois State Criterium Championship, the Glencoe GP has become a big draw for top talent across the country. The next Midwest stops for the NCC will be three days in the Tour of America's Dairyland (Sheboygan, Fond du Lac, and Downer Avenue) and The Herman Miller Grand Cycling Classic, Grand Rapids, MI  July 28th

Cycling news has the whole run down of how the Men's Pro race unfolded, but basically after numerous breaks, Jackie Simes (Jamis/Sutter Home) out sprinted Rudy Napolitano (Bahati) for the win. According to his results listed at USA Cycling, Simes' last race win was in last year's ICC Superweek at Kenosha where he teamed up with Bobby Lea (pronounced "Lee") who, with Simes' help, himself picked up 3 wins in a row, plus a second against a very strong international field.  Note also in the top 10 in Glencoe, Milwaukee area resident Chad Hartley (Kenda 5-Hour Energy). You can see Peloton Pix's video coverage of Sime's last race win, in Kenosha, below with the finish and interviews beginning at about 11:00 min.

Men - Pro/Cat 1 - NCC
	Place		Name	City, State		USAC #		Team
	1		John (Jackie) Simes (1 - Pro)	New Tripoli, PA		150549		UCI CT: Jamis/Sutter Home
	2		Rudolph Napolitano (1 - Cat1)	Santa Monica, CA		214693
	3		John Grant (2 - Cat1)	Louisville, KY		193579		Texas Roadhouse Cycling Team P/B Motorex/Kentucky Flyers Cycling Inc
	4		Chad Burdzilauskas (3 - Cat1)	Indianapolis, IN		122674		Texas Roadhouse Cycling Team P/B Motorex/Kentucky Flyers Cycling Inc
	5		Rahsaan Bahati (4 - Cat1)	Los Angeles, CA		116625		Bahati Foundation-CA
	6		Daniel Holt (5 - Cat1)	Atlanta, GA		63559		Team Type 1- Development
	7		Timothy Rugg (6 - Cat1)	Washington, DC		280764		Champion System p/b Stan's NoTubes/Century Road Club Assoc
	8		Rafael Meran	Brooklyn, NY		380705		CRCA/Foundation
	9		Chad Hartley (2 - Pro)	Fox Point, WI		126996		UCI CT: Kenda 5-Hour Energy Cycling Team
	10		Jeremy Durrin (7 - Cat1)	Amherst, MA		250645		J.A.M. Fund / NCC/Tenet Racing
	11		Ryan Knapp (8 - Cat1)	Columbus, IN		161263		Panther p/b Competitive Cyclist

As for the Illinois State Criterium Championship, the first rider from Illinois in each category was awarded the State Championship Jersey. Chicago based Velopost.Com has compiled a list of this year's state champions. Nick Hand (Quantum / Mesa) of Clayton, MO describes the team work involved in getting their rider, Mark French of Columbia, IL, into the State Championship jersey for the Men's Category 2.

Well we started FAST, like o my god I hope we slow down soon fast. I swear to god I wanted to quit about ten minutes into the race and never though I was going to be able to last. My saving grace is my ability to corner on rails and take advantage of others fear and or inexperience with the course....

The entire race was marred with crashes in just about every corner. There were two pits on the course and just about every lap there were multiple riders jumping back into the race following their free lap, which is allowed after a crash or mechanical. It helps to ride at the front of a race as it leaves fewer riders in front of you who could crash, and generally the riders at the front have a cleaner line through turns and down the road. This didn't stop some riders from taking themselves and others out of the race. Our protected rider Mark French had to do some quick thinking and jump up a curb into someone's yard and then back over another curb to avoid a crash and then get back into the race. ...


So going into the downhill turn 4 I took the lead and lit my final "match". I was hoping to be able to drive the pack to the final turn but really didn't think it was going to happen, but I had nothing to lose, and a State Championship for my team, to gain. Turning up the small hill on the course I stood up and kept the pressure on. I expected to be swarmed as we climbed but I guess I was able to hold the speed high enough for everyone as I lead onto the corses false flat and into turn 6. Then the power meter numbers started to drop quickly and I heard Mark yell for everything that I had. I tried to stand and give it a go but I was running on empty and quickly sat back down and shook my head trying to signal I was spent.  ... We got lucky though, Mark was able to take 4th place in the field sprint, and as it so happens all the riders that beat him were from out of the state. That meant that Mark was the IL state crit champ, and Quantum Mesa Cycles had done it! 

Wisconsin's Peter Davis of IS Corp took the race win, no doubt with lots of help from his strong team who has been dominating the junior races and now beginning to do the same in the Pro 1/2 fields.

Men - Cat 2/3
	Place		Name	City, State		USAC #		Team
	1		Peter Davis (1 - Cat2)	Whitefish Bay, WI		255770		ISCorp Cycling Team/Nova Cycle Sports Foundation Inc dba ISCorp Cycling Team
	2		Erik Loberg (2 - Cat2)	Cedarburg, WI		213434		Great Dane Velo Club
	3		dylan knutson (3 - Cat2)	Eagan, MN		281816		Mitsubishi Laser / Grand Performance
	4		Mark French (4 - Cat2)	Columbia, IL		277793		Quantum Mesa Cycles
	5		David Reyes (5 - Cat2)	Chicago, IL		211512		Bloomington Cycle Racing Team

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USA CRITS - Lake Bluff

ILLINOIS: Lake Bluff - USA Crits - RESULTS - It was the first win of the year for 25 year old Jean-Michel Lachance (Rossetti Devo) of Sainte Foy, Quebec, Canada and the second stop here in the Midwest for the USA Crits series (the next being Hyde Park in Cincinatti, on June 30th - same day as ToAD's Downer Avenue). Lechance, a track specialist, but no stranger to the road as he competed around the globe in 2011, was one of 5 riders (+ Rudy Napiltano (Bahati) , Rafael Meran  (CRCA-Foundation), Sergio Hernandez (Jelly Belly), and Jeremy Durrin (J.A.M. Fund-NCC) who broke away early (lap 10) on the twisty, technical course and lapped the field with 20 laps remaining.

Lechance raised his hand in victory as he crossed the line, safely buried in the peloton, protected by team mate Emile Abraham (who won the Master's race earlier). Jean-Michele will remain here in the Midwest to race on the wooden velodrome in Blaine, MN in the Fixed Gear Classic June 7 - 9, and then the Nature Valley Grand Prix in the greater Minneapolis area, June 13 - 17. 

Men - PRO/1/2
	Place		Name	City, State		USAC #		Team
	1		Jean Michel LeChance					Rossetti Devo Cycling Team
	2		Jeremy Durrin (1 - Cat1)	Amherst, MA		250645		J.A.M. Fund / NCC
	3		Rafael A. Meran	Brooklyn, NY		380705		CRCA/Foundation
	4		Sergio Hernandez	San Pedro, CA		201874		Jelly Belly Cycling
	5		Rudolph Napolitano (2 - Cat1)	Santa Monica, CA		214693
	6		Luke Keough	Sandwich, MA		229135		Mountain Khakis/SmartStop
	7		Colin Jaskiewicz (3 - Cat1)	Montclair, NJ		218049		Champion System p/b Stan's NoTubes
	8		Oscar Clark (4 - Cat1)	Atlanta, GA		221975		Team United Healthcare Georgia/The 706 P
	9		Shane Kline	Bally, PA		192584		Mountain Khakis/SmartStop
	10		Rahsaan Bahati (5 - Cat1)	Los Angeles, CA		116625		Bahati Foundation-CA
	11		Tony Hall (6 - Cat1)	Brooklyn, NY		257024		Champion System p/b Stan's NoTubes
	12		Emile Abraham (7 - Cat1)	Atlanta, GA		222021		Latino Cycling Team
	13		Daniel Holt (8 - Cat1)	Atlanta, GA		63559		Team Type 1- Development
	14		Michael Sherer	Glencoe, IL		232977		Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
	15		Chad Hartley	Fox Point, WI		126996		Kenda 5-Hour Energy Cycling Team
	16		Patrick Lemieux	Saint Paul, MN		210769		Kenda 5-Hour Energy Cycling Team
	17		Gavriel Epstein (9 - Cat1)	Englewood, NJ		179451		Champion System p/b Stan's NoTubes
	18		Daniel Chabanov (10 - Cat1)	Brooklyn, NY		264739		Foundation
	19		Brendan Cornett (11 - Cat1)	Athens, GA		201118		TBB Sports
	20		Robert White (12 - Cat1)	Brown Deer, WI		197162		RACC pb GG
	21		Brandon Feehery (13 - Cat1)	Homewood, IL		193035		Astella Oncology p/b ABD Cycling
	22		Alexander Bremer (14 - Cat1)	Brooklyn, NY		232069		Foundation
	23		John (Jackie) Simes	New Tripoli, PA		150549		Jamis/Sutter Home
	24		Mac Brennan (15 - Cat1)	East Jordan, MI		243416		Bissell-ABG-NUVO
	25		Ryan Knapp (16 - Cat1)	Columbus, IN		161263		Panther p/b Competitive Cyclist

 In the Pro Women's event, it was former Chicago resident Devon Gorry (N.O.W.) taking her second, but biggest, win of this year over Liza Rachetto (Primal) and Katie (Little Badger) Antonneau (Exergy) in a 3 rider breakaway that never gained more than 30 seconds on the field. Antonneau snapped up a $100 'Gambler's Prime' with 2 laps remaining, but it was Gorry who powered from the final corner to cross the finish line first a solid bike length ahead of second place Rachetto. “They both have pretty good jumps, so I decided to go from the final and try to surprise them. There was a little bit of a headwind, and while I knew Liza was right on me, I held on.”

Women - PRO/1/2
	Place		Name	City, State		USAC #		Team
	1		Devon Gorry (1 - Cat1)	Santa Cruz, CA		210903		NOW and Novartis for MS
	2		Liza Rachetto	Los Altos, CA		145511		Primal/MapMyRide Womens Racing
	3		Kaitlin Antonneau (1 - Cat2)	Racine, WI		200237		Exergy Twenty12
	4		Erica Allar (2 - Cat1)	Tucson, AZ		174914		RideClean/PatentIt.com
	5		Laura Van Gilder (3 - Cat1)	Cresco, PA		36345		Mellow Mushroom Racing
	6		Christina Gokey-Smith (4 - Cat1)	Denton, TX		217750		NOW and Novartis for MS
	7		Nichole Wangsgard (5 - Cat1)	Cedar City, UT		100972		Primal/MapMyRide Womens Racing
	8		Alexis Ryan (6 - Cat1)	Ventura, CA		205156		Team TIBCO II
	9		Sarah Fader (7 - Cat1)	Morrisville, NC		199998		Pepper Palace/Spin-Tech Training pb ABRC
	10		Cari Higgins (8 - Cat1)	Boulder, CO		225441		Exergy Twenty12
	11		Ruth Winder (2 - Cat2)	Lafayette, CA		273081		Vanderkitten-Focus
	12		Cinthia Lehner (9 - Cat1)	Greer, SC		272896
	13		Emma Lawson	Fogelsville, PA		380230		RIDECLEAN/PatentIt.com
	14		Robin Farina (10 - Cat1)	Charlotte, NC		205968		NOW and Novartis for MS
	15		Jeannie Kuhajek (3 - Cat2)	Crystal Lake, IL		316598		PSIMET Racing

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