Author Archives: Rage Thomas

2026 Cyclocross State Championship Vote

Hi Everyone,

CROSS IS COMING…because of this inevitable fact of life, its time we host the vote for our 2026 state championship venue. We will be picking from the CCC schedule.

The voting window for the State Cyclocross Championship venue is officially open! Please review the rules below and submit your club’s ranked ballot.

The Four Venue Choices

  • Glenwood
  • The Forge
  • Woodstock
  • Montrose
    (Note: For venues hosting doubleheaders, the State Championship status applies strictly to the Sunday race.)

How to Vote
We are utilizing a ranked-choice voting system. Please rank all four venues in order of preference:

  • 1 = Your first/highest choice
  • 2 = Second
  • 3 = Third
  • 4 = Your last/lowest choice

Voting Eligibility & Weight

  • Each participating USAC club receives one collective ranked ballot.
  • The Board of Directors holds 4 total votes. (VP, At large, Treasurer, Secretary)
  • In the event of an tie, the Board President will cast the tiebreaking vote.
  • Votes are to be emailed to ilcyclingassociation@gmail.com

Please coordinate with your club members and submit your finalized rankings before the deadline on August 7th!

Please submit your club’s finalized ballot before the deadline on the first Friday of August.

Best regards,

Rage Thomas, ICA President

Published July 22, 2026

Meeting Postponed July 8th

Hi All, tonight’s meeting will be postponed. The board is busy with various activities. We will reschedule for Tuesday, July 14th @8pm. Thank you!

Published July 8, 2026

June Update!

Hi Everyone,

The road season is already nearly halfway over! We’re in full swing across Gravel, MTB, Track, and Road disciplines. Thank you to XXX Racing for hosting the Kankakee Krono State Time Trial Championship.

This weekend features two Illinois classics: the Elmhurst Criterium and the Cobb Park Criterium. We’ve also updated the Illinois Cup standings, so be sure to check them out and see how you stack up against your closest competitors.

All 2026 State Championship events have now been selected except for Cyclocross. We’ll begin accepting Cyclocross State Championship bids in July.

We’re also excited to have a Road Race on the calendar: the Boone County Road Race. This event will serve as the State Championship for both Wisconsin and Illinois. There will be separate state championship podiums for Illinois and Wisconsin riders, as well as a combined overall podium in each category.

Finally, our new State Championship jersey design has officially debuted! We’ll open the store once we have enough interest to meet the minimum order quantities.

See you in Elmhurst!

Published June 5, 2026

Track Racing is back!!!

Its May and that means Ed Rudolph Velodrome is open for business. Mondays for structured clinic learning to ride the ‘drome, Tuesday open practice, with Thursdays and some Saturdays being race day.Please see the link below to find out more:

https://www.northbrookcyclecommittee.org/

Published May 19, 2026

Save Money at TOAD by racing in the ICA Cup!

We are less than a month out to the opening of criterium racing season in Wisconsin with the Battle on the Border and we have exciting news to share! The Tour of America’s Dairyland is offering a 10% discount for race entry to ToAD for anyone who participates in three of the WCA Road season races (Battle on the Border, Muskego Park Criterium, Concordia Criterium) prior to ToAD. No double dipping with any other coupons but can be applied to best listed price.

So don’t wait, sign up today for Battle on the Border today. Also, if you have time to spare, consider volunteering for our race! Please use this SignUp Genius link for more info on open slots!

Hope to see you on April 26th to battle on the border!

Published April 9, 2026

Northbrook 2026 Schedule!

Click in to see the schedule.

Published April 2, 2026

BIG NEWS

The March meeting was a big one!

First off, the ICA board would like to thank Kai Luan of Indigo Cycling Chicago for his service over the last two years as Secretary and then Vice President. Kai has some exciting things happening ahead and made the decision not to run again. We’re grateful for the time, effort, and energy he put into the ICA, and we wish him the very best!

We’re also excited to announce that Lena Mitsuuchi has been elected as the new Vice President of the ICA board. Lena is a staple in the off-road and cyclocross racing community and races with 606 Racing.

“I want to serve on the Illinois Cycling Association board because I know I’m not the only one whose life has been wildly transformed by this sport. Somewhere out there is a person who needs exactly what cycling gave me. I want to help build and protect that access for them.”

We’re really looking forward to seeing what Lena will bring to cyclists across Illinois.

State Championship Announcements

The ICA is proud to announce that the Edwardsville Rotary Criterium has been selected as the 2026 Illinois State Criterium Championship. The race will take place August 15th in Edwardsville, featuring its famous night race format and giant purses.

More info: https://edwardsvillecriterium.page/

Coming back for round two is the State Time Trial Championship at the Kankakee Krono! In just its second year, this race has already become a favorite and will take place May 31st in Aroma Park.

More info: https://www.xxxracing.org/kankakee-krono/

Category Update for 2026

For 2026, the ICA board has decided that only Categories 1, 2, and 3 will be eligible for State Championship consideration. This decision was made for several reasons and reflects ongoing efforts to strengthen participation and competition at the highest levels.

Juniors and Masters categories will remain unchanged.

Mountain bike and Gravel categories will be decided at a later date.

New State Championship Jersey

The 2026 Illinois State Championship Jersey has been updated — and we can’t wait to share it with you. Stay tuned for the official reveal soon!

Published March 11, 2026

2026 ICA Board Elections

Hi Everyone,

While we may have missed hosting board elections in January, we’re making it right and holding them now.

With two-year terms in place, the positions of Vice President and Treasurer are up for election.

Kai has served as our VP for the past year but was originally elected as Secretary two years ago, so his term is now complete. Kai does not plan to run again but is willing to remain in the VP role if no other candidates step forward.

Brenda — everyone’s favorite race personality and the tireless manager of all things USAC judges and referees at our events — is also up for re-election as Treasurer.

If you’re interested in running for either position, please reach out via social media, email, text, or however you prefer. Include:

  • A short bio

  • Why you want to serve on the ICA Board

  • What you believe could be improved or prioritized

Submissions deadline will be our next meeting on March 11, and voting will take place during the following week. If only one candidate runs for a position, the board will vote, with the President serving as the tiebreaker if needed.

Looking forward to seeing new faces step up — and as always, see you at the races.

Published March 3, 2026

Race Director Meeting and State Championships

Hi Everyone,

Thank you to all the race organizers, race directors, and officials who were in person and over zoom for attending. There is a recording available, please feel free to ask for the link.

State Championships: There will be several differences for state championships this year. Gravel, TT, MTB are all open for submission. Please email ilcyclingassociation@gmail.com with your submission including event description, why you should host the state championship, and anything else that makes your event special. Depending on submission quality and number of submissions, we will host a vote.

Submission Timeline:

  • Gravel
    • April 8th
      • 2 in discussion, 0 submissions
  • MTB
    • April 8th
      • 1 Submission thus far
  •  TT
    • March 11th meeting
      • 1 Submission thus far

State Criterium Championship: The ICA board believes equity for all Illinois racers and events is important. Chicagoland dominates voting and we have top quality events in southern Illinois that do not get representation. Thus, the board has decided that we will not host a vote this year for state crit championship and instead the board has discussed Edwardsville Rotary Criterium to be chosen. This is not 100% confirmed. Instead the board will vote at our March monthly meeting. If you disagree or agree, please voice your opinion at the March meeting or email us before so we can include this in our decision. Edwardsville has one of the longest tenure as a crit in Illinois, the biggest payouts, the biggest national showing, and has submitted many times for the Championship and is overlooked. Next year, we will resume our normal submission process and team/board voting. The current board believes once out of every five years a crit should make its way south.

All track state championships will of course be held at Ed Rudolph Velodrome. Cyclocross will be submitted in August.

There is again talks of road race, please standby for updates.

Published February 11, 2026

Race Directors Meeting Feb 2026

LINK TO JOIN: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84799547197?pwd=y8oSuPv7XssT0JZTaZNHmBLWduO4zb.1

Hi all,

I hope your new year is going great!

The Chicago Winter bike swap will once again host our yearly Race Directors meeting. All are welcomed to join but we encourage Illinois race directors to participate. In person and virtual is offered.

The meeting will take place at 11am-12:30pm, February 8th during the bike swap at the Kane County Fairgrounds.

Our regional USAC representative should be in attendance. Please reach out with any questions or topics we can add to the agenda. The agenda will be posted Saturday before the event.

Thank you!

Published January 15, 2026