Man who 'saved' mayor's life wins Elk Grove tour's Mayor's Challenge

Call it coincidence. Or call it poetic justice.

Call it what you will, Team Leinie won the Mayor's Challenge bicycle race Sunday morning at the Alexian Brothers Tour of Elk Grove. The first Team Leinie member to cross the finish line was Dr. Jay Chauhan, the doctor who helped Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson after his bike accident June 29.

Johnson was riding with about 15 bicyclists near Cosman Road when he fell off his bike and his head hit the pavement. Even though he had a bike helmet on, he suffered a concussion, a punctured lung, a broken collar bone, five broken ribs, a muscle tear in his hip joint, and numerous scrapes and cuts.

Johnson was unconscious for several minutes and was not breathing when Chauhan, a head and neck surgeon at Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village and St. Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates, found him.

Before Sunday's race, Johnson greeted Chauhan, referring to "Dr. Jay" as the man who "really saved my life."

Then, as the riders gathered at the starting line, Johnson urged them to ride safely.

"This is the biggest field we have ever had, which is great," Johnson said. "Remember, safety first. It's a fun race. No one's being paid big dollars."

Then, he added, "With that being said, may Team Mayor win," which earned him a few boos.

Sunday marked Team Leinie's third-straight victory in the Mayor's Challenge race. It was Chauhan's first top finish in a long time.

"When I was a teenager, I used to race. I did well back then," he said. "But I gave up cycling for about 25 years, while I went to med school, residency and starting my practice."

He resumed in 2006 and began racing in Elk Grove in 2007. Chauhan said he clocked his speed Sunday at more than 34 miles per hour at one point.

"I don't know if it was poetic justice," he said of finishing first in the Mayor's Challenge. "We worked hard and we trained hard to do the race proud. My first place finish isn't as important as our first place finish as a team."

Team Mayor's Ludwig Montfort came in second.

"That was exciting," Johnson said. "A competitive race. Good riders. Just what it should be. A fun race."

For the mayor, it wasn't easy to be a spectator.

"It's so hard to be watching the mayor's race instead of being part of it. That's the hard part. But we'll listen to the doctors," he said, adding that he'll find out this week if he will need surgery.

Mark Gore of Bartlett took Johnson's place on the team, which also included the mayor's son, Craig Johnson Jr.

About 14 teams, with about 53 total riders, took part in the Mayor's Challenge.

Jim Groenhof from Elk Grove Village, who raced in one of the master's races, said he started racing in the Mayor's Challenge.

"It's a great entry-level (race)," he said. "It's very competitive. Don't let anybody fool you. You're going to see these guys hammering."

<div class="infoBox">

<h1>More Coverage</h1>

<div class="infoBoxContent">

<div class="infoArea">

<h2>Photo Galleries</h2>

<ul class="gallery">

<li><a href="/story/?id=397869">Images from Sunday's Tour of Elk Grove </a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=397782">Images from Sat.'s Tour of Elk Grove </a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=397702">Images from Friday's Tour of Elk Grove </a></li>

</ul>

<h2>Related links</h2>

<ul class="moreWeb">

<li><a href="http://www.tourofelkgrove.com/results_photos.cfm" target="new">Tour of Elk Grove results</a></li>

</ul>

<h2>Stories</h2>

<ul class="links">

<li><a href="/story/?id=397903">Australian Cantwell wins Tour of Elk Grove <span class="date">[08/01/10]</span></a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=397370">Breaking down the Tour of Elk Grove road course<span class="date"> [7/29/10]</span></a></li>

</ul>

</div>

</div>

</div>