‘Like a festival with bike racing’: Chicago Grit series combines cycling competition with family fun

There are several reasons why nine suburbs and Chicago’s Fulton Market district shut down city streets one summer day for a bicycle race.

The main reason is that the Chicago Grit is more than a bicycle race.

“I just think it’s a great opportunity for people to come out on a beautiful day and watch pro cycling and cheer people on and see their neighbors and meet people,” said Maureen Himmel, president of the West Dundee River Challenge.

“It’s kind of like a festival with bike racing happening in the middle of it.”

On Friday, the West Dundee River Challenge, a .9-mile loop near the Fox River featuring the intimidating “Leg Breaker Hill,” kicks off the racing series officially called the Chicago Grit presented by SRAM.

Co-founded in 2012 by former longtime Lincolnshire resident Marco Colbert, now living in Tucson, Arizona, the Chicago Grit — known as the Intelligentsia Cup until 2024 — comes to 10 locations over 10 straight days, from July 17 to July 26.

“Criterium-style bike racing is inherently spectator-friendly because the racers come around frequently, so you can watch them. It’s exciting, it’s fast, it’s colorful, it’s competitive,” Colbert said.

Last year, 4,272 cyclists from 38 states and five nations entered at least one Grit race. At each of the 10 stops, riders of various levels of experience, capped by professional men’s and women’s races, sprint straightaways and hazard tight corners for as many laps as they can ride within a certain time.

For some, though, the highlight may be the “Family Fun Ride,” a half-hour slot in which families and children can ride the course.

“We often have hundreds of family members,” said Colbert, who flew in from Arizona on Tuesday.

Himmel said Chicago Grit organizers asked each local organizing committee in 2021 to devise a family event. West Dundee has taken that to heart with a costumed bike parade led by the Fox Valley Flourish Twirling Club.

“It’s pretty fun to see,” Himmel said.

The River Challenge also features the Dundee Open Air Market at Grafelman Park with family activities, ice cream and snacks. A band will play after the races, with a bags tournament to benefit the Children’s Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation and the District 300 Food Pantry.

Plus, local restaurants will offer what Himmel called a restaurant and entertainment corridor.

“I’ve gotten very meaningful feedback from some of the businesses that say (Chicago Grit) reflects very highly on West Dundee,” she said.

In Winfield, which hosts the Winfield Criterium and Summerfest on Sunday, July 19, praise comes straight from the top.

“It’s been a great partnership with Chicago Grit. It’s been the best relationship as far as working with a company,” said village President Carl Sorgatz.

He likes that Grit organizers handle all the work, from planning to registration to tear down, with big banners to promote event sponsors.

“It’s a great relationship, and they definitely have their act together,” Sorgatz said.

Winfield will also have eight food trucks, Sorgatz said, a beer garden, a deejay, an artisan market, and a “kids zone” all near Creekside Park.

“We’ve made it into more than just a cycling race,” said Sorgatz, who can’t deny the rush of watching riders hit high speeds and take the corners tight.

“You hear them whoosh by, literally,” said Sorgatz, still soliciting event volunteers with registration through the Winfield Foundation.

One highlight of the Chicago Grit is the DuPage Triple Crown, which incorporates the Whalen Builders Tour of Lake Ellyn in Glen Ellyn on Saturday, July 18, the Winfield Criterium on Sunday, July 19, and the July 21 Lombard Cycling Classic.

As part of the miniseries, cyclists in five categories compete for cash prizes and stylish jerseys based on points scored during the three races.

Incidentally, the 1.40-mile Glen Ellyn course, encircling Lake Ellyn Park and Glenbard West High School, was initially designed by two-time Olympian and U.S. Bicycling Hall of Famer John Vande Velde.

Each of the Chicago Grit’s 10 locations has its own history, course quirks, and activities.

“Yes, the bike event for us is a big deal,” said Bekah Collins, Chicago Grit marketing director. “More important for us is that a community comes together around the bike event.”

If you go

Chicago Grit presented by SRAM, July 17-26

Friday, July 17: West Dundee River Challenge, 10:20 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Saturday, July 18: The Ray Whalen Builders Tour of Lake Ellyn in Glen Ellyn, 10:15 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Sunday, July 19: Winfield Criterium and Summerfest, 10:15 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Monday, July 20: Tighthead Mundelein Grand Prix, 10:25 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Tuesday, July 21: Lombard Cycling Classic, 10:10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Wednesday, July 22: Cycle Brookfield Criterium, 10:25 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Thursday, July 23: Northbrook Grand Prix, 10:35 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Friday, July 24: Elgin Classic in Memory of Dennis Jurs, 10:35 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Saturday, July 25: Northwestern Medicine Lake Bluff Criterium, 10:35 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Sunday, July 26: Fulton Market Grand Prix in Chicago, 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.