Category Archives: News

The March meeting was a big one!

First off, the ICA board would like to thank Kai Luan of Indigo Cycling Chicago for his service over the last two years as Secretary and then Vice President. Kai has some exciting things happening ahead and made the decision not to run again. We’re grateful for the time, effort, and energy he put into the ICA, and we wish him the very best!

We’re also excited to announce that Lena Mitsuuchi has been elected as the new Vice President of the ICA board. Lena is a staple in the off-road and cyclocross racing community and races with 606 Racing.

“I want to serve on the Illinois Cycling Association board because I know I’m not the only one whose life has been wildly transformed by this sport. Somewhere out there is a person who needs exactly what cycling gave me. I want to help build and protect that access for them.”

We’re really looking forward to seeing what Lena will bring to cyclists across Illinois.

State Championship Announcements

The ICA is proud to announce that the Edwardsville Rotary Criterium has been selected as the 2026 Illinois State Criterium Championship. The race will take place August 15th in Edwardsville, featuring its famous night race format and giant purses.

More info: https://edwardsvillecriterium.page/

Coming back for round two is the State Time Trial Championship at the Kankakee Krono! In just its second year, this race has already become a favorite and will take place May 31st in Aroma Park.

More info: https://www.xxxracing.org/kankakee-krono/

Category Update for 2026

For 2026, the ICA board has decided that only Categories 1, 2, and 3 will be eligible for State Championship consideration. This decision was made for several reasons and reflects ongoing efforts to strengthen participation and competition at the highest levels.

Juniors and Masters categories will remain unchanged.

Mountain bike and Gravel categories will be decided at a later date.

New State Championship Jersey

The 2026 Illinois State Championship Jersey has been updated — and we can’t wait to share it with you. Stay tuned for the official reveal soon!

Hi Everyone,

While we may have missed hosting board elections in January, we’re making it right and holding them now.

With two-year terms in place, the positions of Vice President and Treasurer are up for election.

Kai has served as our VP for the past year but was originally elected as Secretary two years ago, so his term is now complete. Kai does not plan to run again but is willing to remain in the VP role if no other candidates step forward.

Brenda — everyone’s favorite race personality and the tireless manager of all things USAC judges and referees at our events — is also up for re-election as Treasurer.

If you’re interested in running for either position, please reach out via social media, email, text, or however you prefer. Include:

• A short bio

• Why you want to serve on the ICA Board

• What you believe could be improved or prioritized

Submissions deadline will be our next meeting on March 11, and voting will take place during the following week. If only one candidate runs for a position, the board will vote, with the President serving as the tiebreaker if needed.

Looking forward to seeing new faces step up — and as always, see you at the races.

LINK TO JOIN: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84799547197?pwd=y8oSuPv7XssT0JZTaZNHmBLWduO4zb.1

Hi all,

I hope your new year is going great!

The Chicago Winter bike swap will once again host our yearly Race Directors meeting. All are welcomed to join but we encourage Illinois race directors to participate. In person and virtual is offered.

The meeting will take place at 11am-12:30pm, February 8th during the bike swap at the Kane County Fairgrounds.

Our regional USAC representative should be in attendance. Please reach out with any questions or topics we can add to the agenda. The agenda will be posted Saturday before the event.

Thank you!

Hi Everyone!

It has been a while since we posted so it’s time for an update. Congrats to all the Illinois Cup riders and their season wins. Big things are in store for next year! A longer series, more prizes, and new venues.

Cyclocross is in full swing. The venues have been fantastic, every weather condition imaginable has happened, and we still have 3 more races to go in the Chi Cross Cup! This weekend we go to the fan favorite course in Wheeling, Illinois. The Sunday after, Nov 23rd, we head the other direction to the Forge with its quirky and fun features. Finally, we skip thanksgiving weekend then come back Dec 7th to finish out with Montrose who will also be hosting the Illinois State Championships.

Congrats to all the track riders this year with their ROTY awards and other recognitions.

We are already looking to next year with dates being penciled in for events. ALL RACE DIRECTORS, please reach out with dates asap as we start to build 2026 season calendar. This especially important for early season Crits.

Finally, the State Championship Jersey Store will be opened mid december for CX, Track and any other rider looking for jerseys to celebrate their accomplishments. For Juniors, we do have some small sizes available(or people wanting XXL Jerseys). Please email the ICA or message us on the instagram page.

Ride safe and come cheer on your fav CX racers!

Did you win a state champs category for Gravel, Mountain Bike or Track? Well the store is open! It will be open until September 2nd to purchase jerseys.

To order, please reach out to our email or instagram (or facebook or discord or one of the board members) with your name and category you won. Then you will receive the store link to order a jersey.

Once the store is closed, it will not reopen until maybe December after CX state champs.

Hi Everyone, we hope you got your fill of Gritty crits and dirt with our friends from WORS.

We would like to officially open nominations for Cyclocross State Championships. CX Race directors, please email the ICA email with your race submission. We are leaving nominations open until August 20th with voting take place soon after.

There’s a Gorilla on course (RIP Harambe)! Little Apple Gravel will host Illinois State Gravel Championships August 3rd, please sign up ASAP!!!

The velodrome is hot with State Championships as well. Please visit the Ed Rudolph website for more information.

MTB Champions will soon be posted to the website and Jersey store will be opened for our MTB winners.

Hi Everyone!

I hope you’ve survived the recent hot weather and are ready to start looking towards our second half of the year events.

Starting with Track, we have a July and August filled with Track State Championship opportunities! Please go to the Ed Rudolph Northbrook Velodrome website for more info!

Onto Crits! The Illinois State Cup has been updated and a post is coming soon. The last event in that series is the Edwardsville Rotary Criterium August 16th. We also have 10 full days of GRIT starting July 18th. Chicago’s very own Indigo Cycling Club will be hosting 2 practice crits at Steelworkers Park July 1st and 8th. In August we end our Illinois USAC Crit season with the Commercial Street Criterium August 23rd.

Mountain Biking! We have our State Mountain Bike Championship July 2oth at Atwood Park hosted by WORS. Please sign up!

Cross is always coming. Start thinking about your State championship entry and who you might vote for! We will start the CX discussion at our July meeting.

Gravel- Little Apple will again host our Gravel State Championship in August! More categories this year for your gravel munching pleasure.

Road Race- No update

Please DM our socials or email the board for a link to the store with the race you won, category, and date. Thanks!

Tomorrow, March 29th, South Chicago Wheelman will be hosting the first Illinois Road Race of the 2025 season! It is a 2-day event with a Time Trial Saturday morning, a long Crit Saturday afternoon, and Crit again on Sunday. We’ve heard the concerns about the weather but Saturday is looking great and there is DAY OF REG for the crits. The Time Trial was pre-reg only.

Please come show your support for Illinois Road Racing and sign-up[ day of! Racing starts 11am for Crits. Reg closes 30 mins before race start.

https://www.southchicagowheelmen.com/autobahn-early-spring-race-series

https://www.bikereg.com/69350