Tour de force in Elk Grove cycling event
The Alexian Brothers Tour of Elk Grove proved a tour de force for the village.
Residents were treated to a rare combination; the thrill of international bicycle racing and the charm of a backyard barbecue.
The event concluded Sunday with a come-from-behind finish in the final race, as Brad Huff of the Jelly Belly team triumphed, to a whistling, cheering, cowbell ringing crowd lining Elk Grove Boulevard.
The overall winner for the three-day event was Canadian David Veilleux of Kelly Benefits Strategies/Medifast, who received a $28,000 check for his efforts. Veilleux was impressed by the turnout.
"It was pretty good. I saw people having barbecue on the side of the street. It was a good race," he said.
As for the race itself, which featured speeds in the 30-mile-per-hour range, Veilleux ranked it high in importance among its North American counterparts.
Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson was pleased with the turnout for the third annual event.
"Definitely it was up over the past year," he said, although it will be a couple days before exact figures are available. "People put up tents in the front yards. They have a party, they have a get together. It's been a huge success. This thing is going to be here for a long time to come."
A racing enthusiast, Johnson also participated in the Village Cycle Sport Mayor's Challenge, with his team finishing third.
"We made it on the podium for the first time. I'm excited. I told them I won't raise anybody's taxes. I got on the podium," he said.
Spectators had a bit of a scare on Saturday when racer Chris Horner broke his collarbone in a spill. Horner was on hand Sunday, helping out the public address announcer, his left arm in a sling.
"The shoulder is really sore. At the moment, you just got to keep it as still as you can, but it's OK in general," he said.
Crowd favorite Hilton Clarke of the Toyota United team finished second overall, earning $13,000. The Australian won the 2006 event and said he really wanted to win this year's but came up short.
The total prize money for the 13-plus professional races over the three days of the event was $225,000.
Racing fans like Mike Breen of Arlington Heights were satisfied. Breen called the finish of the final race "spectacular," adding, "This is right up there with Downers Grove and Downer Avenue up in Milwaukee, all of the Superweek events."
Elk Grove Village resident Andy Jordan said he was able to enjoy the event from a nearby house owned by his brother and sister-in-law. "We sat out in their front yard and watched them go all the way up the road. It's pretty neat."
Karyn Serota, media and marketing director with Special Events Management, estimated that a little more than 500 riders took part, with about 65 pro riders.
In addition, a new 150-kilometer road race was added on Saturday that went through Schaumburg as well as Elk Grove Village.