Cyclists fill Glen Ellyn streets Saturday for Tour of Lake Ellyn

Hundreds of cyclists from across the country converged on Glen Ellyn Saturday for the Tour of Lake Ellyn.

They sped northward along Lake Road, preparing to navigate the tight corner at Oak Street and continue south along Grand Avenue.

Taking the corner at high speeds, the men of the Category 3 division had just started their 11:30 a.m. race.

The Tour of Lake Ellyn returned as part of the nine-day Intelligentsia Cup cycling series.

Professional and amateur cyclists raced the course throughout the day, beginning at about 9 a.m. and finishing the professional races in the evening.

The course originally was designed by John Vande Velde, a Glen Ellyn native and two-time Olympian in the 1968 and 1972 Games.

Now in its fifth year of a revival, the Tour of Lake Ellyn turns ordinarily quiet streets into a neighborhood festival.

In recent years, more than 1,000 spectators have cheered on the speedy athletes from front-yard block parties lining the route.

The cycling series continues Sunday in Winfield.