Criterium cycling back to Arlington Heights
Bicycle racing will return to Arlington Heights with the Arlington Criterium July 14.
Professional racers from across the U.S. and abroad will speed at 30 to 35 mph, faster than a car can legally travel on the same streets.
"We think it's a great opportunity to bring international exposure to Arlington Heights," said Diana Mikula, assistant to the village manager and race day coordinator.
The course in downtown Arlington Heights and a residential neighborhood to the south is seven-tenths of a mile, according to the organizers' Web site. But in the longest race of the day, the professional male cyclists will continue riding until they have completed 62 miles.
A criterium is known for using a short course, where spectators can stand close and see the competitors on several different laps.
The day of racing will be part of the SuperWeek Pro Tour - 17 days of racing in Northern Illinois and Wisconsin. The tour will be in Elgin Sunday, July 12, and Bensenville Wednesday, July 15.
Arlington Heights was approached by the organizers of the International Cycling Classic, said Mikula.
Five hundred to 700 riders will participate, including 150 to 200 pros, said Michael Garrison, marketing director for Breakaway Event Productions, the organizer.
Cyclists who remembered locally sponsored races that ended in 2005 requested a return to Arlington Heights, said Charles Witherington-Perkins, the village's director of planning and community development. He said those earlier races might have ended because of the cost and work involved in staging them.
"These races generate a lot of energy, and cycling is one of the fastest growing sports," said Witherington-Perkins.
The race will start on Vail Avenue at Campbell Street, go south on Dunton Avenue to George Street, west to Vail, south and around that block, back on Highland Avenue to George Street and north again on Vail, the Web site said.
The highlight race for professional male riders starts at about 6 p.m. and carries a $2,500 purse. Other races throughout the day will include ones that amateurs can enter, but they must have a U.S. Cycling Federation license. There also is expected to be a race for children.
Over the years, international cycling stars like Lance Armstrong and Greg LeMond - Americans who eventually won the Tour de France - participated in SuperWeek races when they were young, said Eddy Van Guyse, who announces the highlight race.
Teams are already committed from Colombia, Taiwan and South Africa, said Garrison. Riders hail from New Zealand, Australia and almost every U.S. state, he said.
The village will contribute staff time, including emergency services, to the event and hopes to get downtown businesses involved with special promotions, said Mikula.
More information is at internationalcycling.com and vah.com.