Glencoe Grand Prix Preview

Sorry about the break, racers, I was taking a short Southern California sabbatical.  I hope everyone had a great time racing in Iowa over the weekend.  Now we are all back and ready for the Glencoe Gran Prix, aka the Illinois Criterium Championship! I asked Mike Sherer to write the preview for Glencoe.  In 2010, he won the Cat 1 / 2  race just before he went Pro.

The Glencoe Grand Prix is the world championships of the Chicagoland area. The grand prix is one hell of a race. Fields are full and racing is fast. The course at Glencoe offers a unique opportunity for racers to show off their skills. When I think of the Glencoe course I think of tight corners, fast straight always, and huge crowds.

This year the fields look stacked in all the categories. Racers will be putting it all on the line for the state title and lots of prize money. The pro race is a NCC race, which will attract pro racers from all over the country. Racing will be fast and furious in both the men's and women's pro fields.

Being a local Glencoe resident, I plan on putting on a good show for my friends and family. I am glad to be back for the Glencoe Grand Prix and look forward to a fun day of racing. Best of luck to all the racers on Saturday!

Thanks Mike! I asked Jon Kerr, the media director for the Glencoe Grand Prix, about just HOW stacked the fields are going to be and what other fun stuff is lined up for Saturday:

We have a great field this year, which is the sixth race we've held in Glencoe, with over 120 combined pro men and women as of today. The line up includes cyclists from seven of the top 10 teams in the National Criterium Calender standings (United Healthcare, Team Exergy, Jamis/Sutter Home, Team Mountain Khakis p/b SmartStop, Jelly Belly, Team Type 1, Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies).

Two of the top five riders in the current individual standings will also be participating (points leader Hilton Clarke of UnitedHealthcare and Luke Keough of Team Mountain Khakis p/b Smart Shop). Other top riders racing June 2 are crowd favorite Rashaan Bahati, Ivan Dominquez and 2010 champion Mike Sherer of Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies.

On the women's side, we might have the deepest field we've ever had. Along with having seven of the top 10 teams in the NCC standings riding (Team TIBCO/To the Top, Exergy Twenty 12, Vanderkitten-Focus, Primal/MapMyRider, NOW and Novartis for MS, Team Kenda p/b Gear Grinder  and Pepper Palace/Spin Tech Training p/b ABRC) we have five of the top six individual riders participating (Erica Allar of Rideclean/Patentit.com, Laura Van Gilder of Mellow Mushroom, Sarah Fader of Pepper Palace/Spin Tech Training p/b ABRC, Nicky Wangsgard of Primal/MapMyRider and Kendall Ryan of Team TIBCO/To the Top). We also have local favorites Kristen Meshberg of SpiderMonkey Cycling and 2008/2009 champion Devon Gorry of NOW and Novartis for MS).

We have amateur and junior races going on all day, beginning at 8:15 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., when our women's pro race begins. The purse for the women's race is $7,500. The men's race is scheduled for 5:30 pm. with a purse of $15,000.

As always, we'll have plenty of entertainment for the non-hardcore racing fan. There will be a block party along with kids races, so moms, dads and their children are invited. When the men's race ends, we are hosting a night concert from well-known 80's cover band, "16 Candles". 

This year, we are thrilled to have actor Matthew Modine as our Grand Marshal. The actor, who is appearing in this summer's "Batman" sequel, is an avid cyclist and environmentalist. He started a foundation, Bicycle for a Day, as a platform for educating the public about the sport. He will attend the races Saturday and presenting the jersey to the women's pro winner. 

For another year, AT&T is the presenting sponsor of the Glencoe Grand Prix. Contributions from the event go to support the Glencoe Educational Foundation and Chicago's Public Schools. 

Wow, that is a super stacked field and I can’t WAIT to race and watch racing all day! See you all out there! Pre-registration closes TONIGHT at 11pm, so register now if you haven't already!