Businesses say no to bike races in Geneva

A day of bicycling racing through downtown Geneva will be bad for business, owners of downtown stores told the Geneva city council Monday night.

Visitors to the race likely won't shop at stores, and regular customers will be put off by the closed streets and lack of parking, they said.

But the city council voted 8-1 anyway to put the request for the criterium-style International Cycling Classic's Superweek Pro Tour kickoff July 10 to a full city council vote next Monday.

Alderman Ron Singer voted against it, and Alderman Craig Maladra said he voted "aye" only to keep the discussion alive.

Mill Race Cyclery of Geneva is the sponsor of the event. In a half-dozen or so races throughout the day, cyclists would pedal again and again through the South Third Street shopping district from Campbell to Fulton streets, head west to Fifth Street, south to South Street, west to Sixth Street, north to Campbell and back south to the finish line.

Professional and amateur cyclists would compete, with the biggest race at 6 p.m. Several hundred cyclists and about 2,000 spectators were expected.

Geneva would fill in for a canceled race in Blue Island. The streets would be closed from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Mike Simon, owner of The Little Traveler stores at Fulton and Third and the Merra-Lee Shops at Third and State streets, said the race would leave him with no place for customers or the 75 to 100 employees that work on a Saturday to park.

He typically does three times as much in sales on a Saturday as on a weekday, he said.

Two other business owners echoed his concerns about losing sales on their busiest day of the week.

Bill Briner, who owns The Persimmon Tree tableware and decor store at Third and Campbell, said in his 34 years in business, "not one event that takes place on Third Street has done anything but hurt retail sales."

"They (festival visitors) do not shop. They will eat. ... The only thing that comes in our stores are people looking for a bathroom."

Kim Kane, co-owner of the Great Harvest Bread Shop on North Third, welcomes the event.

"I've got a block that's dying. There's nothing around," she said.

She asked the South Third business owners to make a sacrifice for the good of the whole downtown.