Challenging cyclocross comes to Carpentersville

Cyclocross racing is no walk in the park, judging from the accounts of the riders in Sunday's Chicago Cyclocross Cup Race No. 4.

But with a loudly cheering crowd, riders were more than happy to meet the challenges provided by the Carpenter Park course.

The race was held as part of Carpentersville's Oktoberfest.

This year's fare included games, prizes, a karaoke contest, Inflatable areas for children, face painting, balloon animals and pumpkin decorating, as well as a battle of the bands.

But there was also the thrill of sport, with races held for divisions for both youths and adults, with as many as 75 starters in one division battling for 45 minutes on a 1.5-mile course that ran through the park and included such challenges as hills, speed bumps, 16-inch-high barriers, a "creek crossing" and a "sand pit" that was actually the park playground.

Contestants came from as far away as Champaign for the event. And there were plenty of entries from Chicago.

But some local riders covered themselves with glory, including the Verdigris Cycling team's Scott Arrigoni of Hoffman Estates, who captured first in the Masters 40-plus category.

Verdigris Cycling was also distinguished by Lake Barrington's Wayne Simon, who took first in the Masters 50-plus competition.

Donna Zoellick, of the Carpentersville Park Commission, described the cycles as "a dirt bike on steroids."

Ken Benavides, a member of the Park Commission who also took part in one of the bike races, said, "Cyclocross as a sport is growing by leaps and bounds. They had to add more races than last year, because there were so many entrants."

One of the riders, Jason Knauff, director of the Chicago Cyclocross Cup, who finished fourth in the Masters 30-plus category, said the course was challenging, crediting Jeff Provisor, owner of Main Street Bicycles in Carpentersville, with putting together a fun race.

Knauff said cyclocross bikes are similar to road bikes in their geometry and the look of the handlebars. But they sit up higher so they can get over barriers, and the tires are knobby, so the bike can grip the track better.

Speeds are hard to calculate, since the riders frequently stop or slow down to get around corners.

"It's not like you're maintaining a single speed," he said. Average speed for a race is probably in the 15-mile-per-hour neighborhood, but the racing is more about handling tricky turns.

Since the riders are bunched together in large packs, matters can get a little hairy.

Benavides. who finished 19th out of 51 riders in the Masters 30-plus, described the experience of riding as "pretty much pain from the start to the finish. When you ride a bike on the street, you're pretty much in your saddle. You just kind of get your rhythm going. (But) when you're in the grass, it's really bumpy, and you're on a bike with no shocks. These aren't like mountain bikes that have shocks. So you're using your whole body to absorb the shocks. The grass slows you down, and it's real ziggy and zaggy. You're constantly accelerating and trying to keep speed up. (And) there is really no brake." Also, he said, the rider is constantly dismounting when encountering barricades.

The satisfaction, he said, is from the crowd, which cheers on the riders with cow bells and urges them to go as hard as they can for 45 minutes.

Knauff said his group holds 10 races, all held during the fall. The Carpentersville event has been the second biggest one of the year; the biggest one was held in Chicago's Jackson Park. Sunday's event drew around 500 riders.

Provisor, who finished 31st among the Masters 30-plus riders and belongs to the North Branch Cycling Club of East Dundee, said he tries to compete in all the races.

"I like the terrain. My first love is mountain biking. And this is as close to mountain biking you can do on a road bike and close to home," he said. "I like the duration of the race. It suits my conditioning as well. It's not too long. So you don't have to train for hours and hours."

As for Oktoberfest itself, Zoellick said, "It was better than last year. I still would have liked to see more people out here, but it was fairly well attended."

Attendance was estimated at 1,000 people, with a big boost from the racing community.

"We sold over 300 brats," said Benavides, who was running the Kenny's Brats concession.

Behind Closed Doors won the battle of the bands.