Tour of Lake Ellyn, rest of cycling series canceled

A premier cycling series with races from Elgin to Elmhurst to Glen Ellyn won't return this summer.

Organizers of the Intelligentsia Cup called off the 2020 edition of the 10-day series due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Tour of Lake Ellyn had grown into a summer tradition in Glen Ellyn as one of the toughest legs in the series for professional and amateur cyclists.

Other suburban stages included the Elmhurst Cycling Classic, the Dennis Jurs Memorial Race in Elgin, the West Dundee River Challenge and a Lombard event that debuted last year.

"This was an extremely difficult decision to make, particularly after our enormous success in 2019 that saw the series become the largest USA Cycling road event," series partner Tom Schuler said in a statement. "Since the beginning of this pandemic we have held out hope that the situation would improve enough to hold the Intelligentsia Cup in a safe manner, and we have worked since to find a way forward. Unfortunately, the current facts at hand and expert guidance say otherwise."

Intelligentsia Coffee will remain the title sponsor next year when the series returns July 16-25. Organizers say all local hosts have stated their intent to have a series race in 2021.