Beverly Hills Cycling Classic Pro-Am Race July 6
Beverly Bike/Vee-Pak Racing Team is the major sponsor of the Beverly Hills Cycling Classic, which is hosted by the Beverly Area Planning Association (BAPA). The start/finish and festival area are at 107th and Longwood Drive. The festival opens at 4:30 p.m., offering food, beverages, music and children’s activities. Children are invited to compete in their own friendly competition, The Longwood 100 Big Wheel Race at 5:15 p.m. By 5:45, spectators from all over Chicagoland will start crowding along the curb for an unobstructed view of the thrills, spills and speed of the neighborhood’s most exciting annual event. At 6 p.m. sharp, the starting pistol will fire riders will sprint away from the starting line, pumping at speeds of 30 miles per hour and faster as they compete for prizes in the Beverly Hills Cycling Classic. Riders will cycle 100K – about 60 miles – in approximately two hours, careening around the curves, charging up the hill and streaming along the straight-aways on Longwood Drive, Seeley and Hoyne between 105th Place and 108th Place.
The Superweek Pro Tour attracts category 1 and 2 riders – these are the cyclists who go on to compete in races like the Tour de France. Prize money is awarded to top finishers as well as winners of individual laps.
Event sponsors are: Beverly Bike/Vee-Pak Racing Team, McTigue Financial Group/Northwestern Mutual, William Blair & Co./Salvino Financial Advisory Team, AT&T, Beverly Bank & Trust, Corporate Safe Specialists, County Fair, Smith Village, Figel Public Relations, Marquette Bank, Beacon Therapeutic School, Beverly Arts Center, Beverly Hills Animal Hospital, Little Company of Mary Hospital & Health Care Centers, Hilton Oak Lawn, Rogers Roofing-Siding-Windows, State Sen. Ed. Maloney, The Beverly Review, Argus Brewing, Sierra Nevada, Trace Ambulance and Lakeview Baseball Club.
Beer Sponsors Say ‘Cheers’
This year the beer tent in the BHCC festival area will be serving craft beers from
Argus Brewery in Pullman and the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. of Chico, Calif.
Argus Brewery is owned by father and son Robert and Patrick Jensen who are committed to brewing authentic premium craft beers. Last year they poured beer for the thirsty crowd at the BHCC, and their reception was so positive they decided to return.
The state-of-the-art Argus Brewery is located at 11314 S. Front St. in what was once the building where Joseph E. Schlitz brewery stabled its horses. Built in the early 1900’s, the building still has two large terra cotta horse heads on the parapet – a symbol that inspired the Argus Brewery logo.
Argus Brewery offers tours by appointment. For more information on touring the facility of purchasing craft beers, call 773-941-4050 or email localbrew@argusbrewery.com.
The Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. was founded in 1980 by Ken Grossman, who had two goals: 1. to brew big flavorful brews that stood out from other beers “like the Sierras towered over California,” and 2. to minimize the company’s environmental impact on the planet. Grossman has been successful on both counts.
At the BHCC, Sierra Nevada will be serving its acclaimed Pale Ale, a medium-bodied beer packed with the flavors of premium malt and whole-cone Cascade hops. For more information about Sierra Nevada’s earth-friendly practices and outstanding year-round, seasonal and special release beers, visit www.sierranevada.com.
Be a BHCC Volunteer
Get a spectacular view of the race and a t-shirt when you volunteer for BAPA’s Beverly Hills Cycling Classic. BAPA needs about 30 volunteer course marshals during the race. Cyclists will be riding at speeds up to 40 mph, and thousands of people line the race course to watch. We rely on volunteers to keep everyone safe. Volunteers receive safety training prior to the race, plus a t-shirt and complimentary food/drink tickets. Volunteers are also needed to assist with event setup and take down, ticket sales and other tasks. To volunteer, email bhcc@bapa.org or call 773-233-3100.
Racing Tactics
Bicycle racing is a team sport, with skilled individual riders working together and employing various tactics that help give them a competitive edge. Among these tactics are:
· Drafting. Racers grouped in a peloton are reducing wind resistance. Pushing through the wind takes a lot of effort and “drafting” – riding behind another rider -- can reduce that effort by as much as 20-30 percent.
· Attacking. When riders break away from the field before the final sprint to improve their chances for winning, it is called attacking.
· The Break. Riders often attack together to form a breakaway group, sharing in the effort of fighting the wind. Individual riders in a break may be more interested in winning than assisting team mates, so many breaks fail because the riders refuse to work together. Unless the break is helping a team mate maintain the lead, riders in the main field will not want the break to succeed; they may increase their pace to catch up with the breakaway group or propel one of their own riders into the lead group. A secondary breakaway is called a chase group. A successful breakaway must be small enough for riders to be well-coordinated and motivated, but large enough for riders to effectively share the work.
· The Sprint. As the riders approach the finish line, teams prepare for the final sprint. Once again, wind resistance plays a significant role as the teams each try to set the stage for their best sprinter to cross the line first. Team mates increase the pace to prevent any last-minute breakaways. As they approach the line, team mates form a single-file line in front of the sprinter to shelter them from the wind as they increase their speed. In a perfect situation, one teammate after the other will peel off from the "train" as speeds increase, leaving the sprinter last in line to make a final dash toward the finish. However, it rarely works like that in a real race. Competing riders will fight for the prime position, riding the draft of the rider in front of them until just the right moment to come around and beat everyone to the line.
· Protecting a Leader. Team mates protect their leader using several strategies, such as trying to prevent the leading contenders from gaining points by escaping clustering near the front of the field so they can control the action. They may increase the pace of the field to make it harder to breakaway, or if a escape does succeed, they will lead the chase to catch the break and bring all the riders back together again. In some cases, teammates may try to slow the field to allow a teammate to attack or initiate a breakaway.
Race Fans “Fan” the Cycling Action with Extra Prize Money
In professional bike racing, riders are motivated by the prizes and nothing fans the action like primes – cash prizes awarded to the winners of laps in a criterium. Area residents and businesses are invited to sponsor primes in the 10th annual 100 K criterium Beverly Hills Cycling Classic coming to Beverly Hills/Morgan Park on Fri., July 6.
The number of primes (pronounced “primes”) available in a pro am cycling race is a strong incentive in attracting elite riders to participate – only one rider can win the top prize; many riders can win the primes offered for laps. The more competitive the event is, the more exciting the action.
Primes come from businesses and residents in the area where the race is held, and are collected in amounts of $200, $100 and $50. Prime donors have their names announced over the public address system along the race course and at the start/finish during the race. The more you give, the more often your name is mentioned. Deadline to submit primes is Tues., July 3. Anyone interested in donating a prime for riders should call 773-233-3100, email bhcc@bapa.org or go to www.bapa.org for a prime application.
The BHCC is planned and presented by the Beverly Area Planning Association as a community-building event. To learn more about becoming a Beverly Hills Cycling Classic sponsor or primes sponsor, call Kathleen Riordan, 773-233-3100 or email kriordan@bapa.org.