There have officially been 2 races that have submitted applications to be the 2024 Illinois State Criterium Championship. As of now all voting is open. Each Race’s statement will be at the end of this post. Each registered club with USA Cycling will be allowed 1 vote as a club. The board of the ICA will be allowed to vote as a “club” with a total of 2 votes (discussed and confirmed during the last open board meeting). Clubs may officially submit their vote via email to ilcyclingassociation@gmail.com. Voting has been extended to Feb 13 so that we may decide/announce at our next board meeting on the 14th.
The Annual Race Director’s meeting is being held at the Chicago Winter Bike Swap THIS Sunday Feb 11 from 1-3. Please use the following link to RSVP for the event so we are prepared. http://tinyurl.com/ICA-RD-Meeting At these meetings we usually cover upcoming changes in store for race directors in 2024, answer questions and generally share ideas and contacts, etc. All are welcome to attend in person or virtually. In person will be held at the bike swap venue in a meeting room on the second floor.
This year we had one individual nominated to run for the role of Secretary of the ICA. This individual will be replacing Kevin Pietka and we will formally welcome them at our next board meeting.
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Candidate 1 – Elmhurst Cycling Classic – The following is their submission in their own words:
We respectfully submit the June 8, 2024 Elmhurst Cycling Classic for Criterium State Championship venue.
We believe the State Championship designation is important as we relaunch our event post-Covid and post-Intelligentsia, and we feel we have created a schedule, arena and reputation worthy of the designation. Our all-volunteer team is working hard to make this a fan-packed, exciting day of racing and family fun. Some highlights:
- Payouts – We have attractive payouts that make Elmhurst an exciting, competitive venue. Please note, as of early January, we are already at a $250 crowd prime for P 123 men and women each. We expect that to grow significantly.
- Schedule – We generally mirrored past State Championship schedule for cycling, and have added the Elmhurst Twilight Mile so competitors can bring family or friends who want to compete on a 1 mile course in front of the same crowds. It is a FULL DAY of activity. We end the day with a Family Fun Ride in front of the crowds.
- IL Cup – We have been accepted by Chad Briggs in to the Illinois Cup and adjusted our schedule to reflect necessary categories.
- Venue – The race circles scenic Elmhurst University and is next to Wilder Park. Families will have plenty to do, including park attractions and a Beer Garden at Wilder Mansion (Beer, and yes, an actual garden).
- Spectators – The return of the Elmhurst Cycling Classic has been met very positively by the City and residents, and there will be thousands of fans throughout the day watching the races. For teams with a corporate sponsor, this is a fantastic opportunity to highlight their sponsor’s brand in front of spectators.
- Residents – The residents on the course want the race back and hope for a great turn out. We have identified some homes that want the racers to stop by their party after they race. We may print signs (or the residents will) for teams that send multiple racers, especially in the latter events. Personal cheering sections!
- Logistics – We are easily accessible off 294/290, and have a ton of parking on the course (Elmhurst University). There will be food, neutral support, hotel blocks at a discount, and we are working on a hospitality tent for athletes. We anticipate this being a draw from all of Chicagoland, but also WI, MI, IN, IA and more.
Our mission – The Elmhurst Cycling Classic is the premier event of DuPage Cycling Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. We seek to:
- Offer a healthy lifestyle event for the area, whether bike racing, running, or fun ride
- We want to bring the community together, and that includes the cycling community and the residents
- And ultimately, we do this for charity. If we are able to have any surplus funds after hosting the event, we drive that back in to the community through charities that help those in need. Nobody on EMC2 nor DuPage Cycling Foundation takes any compensation. We are doing all this to give back.
They also included the following Preliminary Flyer
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Candidate 2 – Edwardsville Rotary Criterium Festival – The following is their submission in their own words:
Our Criterium is late season, always the 3rd Saturday of August, this year August 17. This is our fourteenth event.
The attached flyer, while not 100% final nor permitted, will allow you to visualize our event and races.
Our Criterium has a great history of an event that is safe for racers/spectator, and a very lively/large crowd. Our course is challenging. There’s something for most any racer.
We were pleased to host our first IL Cup in 2023 and will host another this year. We learned a few things from last years event and have made adjustments. We are always willing to adjust.
One change is we’ve gone from 5 minutes between races to now 10 minutes.
We are adding an award stand with a backdrop near the S/F line. This will allow for awards, that due to time constraints, aren’t possible to be podiumed between races.
We will continue to use our mobile platform to recognize the top finishers between races, under the S/F line banner.
Edwardsville is a vibrant, growing community. Edwardsville has ample hotel accommodations and great dining options. Edwardsville is also surrounded by an amazing network of bike trails.
Checkout this great video of the 2023 Criterium: https://youtu.be/sdqD9VuQTXw
Our website is in the final stages of being update/freshened. Please don’t get the wrong impression due to last years information still being present. https://edwardsvillecriterium.page/
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Again each registered club is allowed 1 vote. Each club may submit their vote via email to ilcyclingassociation@gmail.com until midnight on Feb 13.