Racing for home: Local cyclists compete on own turf

The Tour of Elk Grove is big enough to attract bicycle racers from around the world, but for suburban cyclists part of the thrill is finally competing in a top race in what amounts to your own back yard.

"It's fabulous when you only have to drive a half-hour or an hour for a race, instead of driving for hours or flying," said Jeannie Kuhajek, of Crystal Lake, who won the first women's race of the day Saturday on the 1.2-mile layout. "This is a great race, because so many people come out, and it's such a big race. The men's pro race brings out lots of people to watch. Elk Grove does a great job."

"This is easily the best-organized race I've been in," said Dave Kiel, of Arlington Heights, who doubled up to win the first two men's events Saturday.

"It's a beautiful course," said Phil Collin, of Golf, who led that second men's heat early until Kiel and the pack reeled him in. "This boulevard's really pretty."

It's quaint, what with cyclists topping out in the mid-30 miles per hour range according to the school-zone traffic sign with a radar-gun reading that remains active through the competition. It's a challenge, too, as the start sends the racers right into a hairpin turn, before reversing on Elk Grove Boulevard, then winding through the village and coming full circle.

Kuhajek has competed in the tour the last three years. "They changed it last year," she added, "and the changes in the course have made it a lot more fun."

"The first corner is a little sketchy," Kiel said, "a tight turn, and it's wet."

Yet it dried out quickly as the morning went on after the predawn rain moved through.

"It's a challenging course," said Cady Chincis, of Chicago, "more technical than your average, with the 180. But that makes it interesting."

All have their own reasons for riding competitively. Kiel competed in triathlons along with his wife, Kristin, for years before turning his concentration to cycling in the last year. "He and his friends kind of put together this bike group over the winter," Kristin Kiel said. "It's just guys in the neighborhood who like to bike." The group, W2 Racing, nonetheless placed two on the podium in the second heat Saturday.

Collin, meanwhile, is enjoying what he called his "second wind" in the sport. He was a competitive cyclist in the '70s and '80s, at one point winning the bronze medal in the national biathlon, before going into auto racing on the LeMans circuit, and taking part in the 24-hour race that gives the division its name four times. That career ended a few years ago, however, and he began looking to "kind of calm down and get back to the bike riding again, and just fell back in love with it."

"Cars are the first love, but he never quit the bike," said his mother, Julie Collin of Park Ridge.

"He needs to race regardless - cars, bikes," added Collin's wife, Olga.

In fact, the ability for friends and family to come out and watch them compete is another advantage for local participants in the Tour of Elk Grove.

"It's great to come out and watch him," said Kristin Kiel, who was also watching their three kids.

"Anybody out there gets huge support from home," Dave Kiel said, pointing to the time devoted not just to racing but to training.

Sometimes it pays off in victory and sometimes not. Cady Chincis of Chicago had to walk her bike across the finish line, her shorts and jersey both shredded and baring bloody patches of skin, after getting tangled in a spill as a tight pack in the first women's race Saturday headed into the stretch. "I tried to get out early, so I would avoid that," she said. "But it caught up with me."

"The entire race, I was just trying to stay second, third wheel, stay out of trouble," said Jeanie Kuhajek. "I was in front of the crash, in front of all the trouble at the finish, and had a clear line to the finish line."

For all his earlier competitive drive, in both bike racing and auto racing, Collin said it no longer matters to him where he finishes; the sport alone is enough.

"This sport has gotten so much bigger," he said. "I would notice it even in my car. I just see more and more bikers out there with good equipment, and most of them are really doing the right stuff. They're not just spending the money, but they're developing their legs and getting into the kind of lifestyle of it. It's a great way to live."

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<li><a href="/story/?id=397762">Racing for home: Local cyclists compete on own turf </a></li>

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<li><a href="/story/?id=397782">Saturday images</a></li>

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