Committed athlete, rode in first Tour of Elk Grove

Frank W. Back of Elk Grove Village was already an experienced distance cyclist when a new variation on the sport landed in his own backyard: the criterium races in the Tour of Elk Grove.

Mr. Back was one of the first local residents to register for the short course race, that challenged riders to race laps around a tightly laid out course around Elk Grove Boulevard, during its inaugural year in 2006.

It turned out to be one of his last competitions. Although Mr. Back strove to be like Lance Armstrong and beat his cancer, he succumbed to the disease on Sunday. The 41-year resident of Elk Grove Village was 56.

Mr. Back was born in Muskegon, Mich., but his family moved to Elk Grove Village when he was 15. He enrolled in the brand new high school, Elk Grove High School, where he would be among its first graduating class in 1969.

While a student there, Mr. Back joined the swim team, and in an unusual partnership between a local business and the school, the team practiced at a pool located at the nearby Flick-Reedy Corp. in Bensenville.

The demanding work ethic made a lasting impression on Mr. Back. Though his college studies at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and a job as a truck driver intervened, he eventually made his way back to the Northwest suburbs, where he would marry and raise a family, before resuming his workout regimen.

"I was from Chicago, but he wanted to move back to Elk Grove," says his wife, Audrey. "He knew the community and all that it had to offer for kids, including the parks and the schools."

Mr. Back eventually followed his wife's lead and began working for Northwest Suburban High School District 214. He worked in building maintenance, doing everything from heating and ventilation to plumbing, electrical and even snow removal.

"The school district is amazing, it's like a city within a city, with every type of tradesman available," said his wife, a data processor at Hersey High School. Mr. Back worked for many years at Buffalo Grove High School before transferring to Forest View Educational Center in Arlington Heights.

He ultimately logged 18 years with the district.

With more regular hours, Mr. Back found time to return to his athletic workouts. He began running and eventually completed three marathons, including the Land of the Midnight Sun marathon in 2002 in Anchorage, Alaska.

"He took his sons to Alaska," his wife recalled. "That was a special trip."

Mr. Back also took up cycling and especially enjoyed doing benefit rides for charitable causes. One of his favorites was the MS 150 Tour de Farms, which raised money to fight multiple sclerosis while weaving riders through the farmlands surrounding DeKalb. Mr. Back last rode in the event in 2004.

Besides his wife, Mr. Back is survived by his sons Douglas, of New York City, and Bryan of Elgin. A funeral service will take place at 10 a.m. today at Grove Memorial Chapel, 1199 S. Arlington Heights Road in Elk Grove Village.