Pro cyclists take to streets for Tour of Elk Grove

The 2011 Alexian Brothers Tour of Elk Grove kicked off Friday with a record number of professional men and women cyclists participating in separate three-day, three-stage criterium races.

Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson set the time of 12:09 minutes in the Mayor's Charity Time-Trial Friday, which kicked off time trials for the professional men's and women's races.

The Tour, now in its sixth year, features a total of 15 pro/amateur races; an adaptive athlete race; a children's Big Wheel race; and a Village Trustees' Fun Ride. The racecourse winds through village streets and through Elk Grove Village's business park.

This afternoon is the second stage of the professional women's and men's races starting at 2:15 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively. The races conclude Sunday with an award ceremony.

The professional men's purse is $110,000, which is the largest for any three-day, three-stage race in the world. The women's purse is higher than it has ever been at $15,000. The Tour's overall prize purse is more than $150,000.

Race registration may be at its highest this year with roughly 1,200 cyclists expected from the United States and worldwide, including 15 countries represented in the men's pro field alone.