Here's the list of upcoming road races for the first half of the season. Slim pickings for the second half, so plan your RR fixes now.
Sat 10-Mar Spring Classic #1 (training) Iowa City IA Windy, Rolling & Gravel
Sun 25-Mar Kent Park Classic (training) Oxford IA Hilly & Windy
Sat 14-Apr Hillsboro Roubaix Hillsboro IL Rolling & Windy
Sat 21-Apr Leland Kermesse Leland IL Windy, Flat & Gravel
Sun 22-Apr Tour of Hermann Hermann MO Hilly & Windy
Sat 5-May Iowa City RR Iowa City IA Rolling & Windy
Sat 19-May Leland Grand Prix Leland WI Hilly & Windy
Sat 2-Jun Lake Geneva Road Race Lake Geneva WI
Sun 3-Jun HHS Debate RR Sherrill IA Hilly & Hot
Sun 3-Jun Hellbender Newburg MO Hilly & Hot
Sat 9-Jun Galena Road Race Galena IL Hilly & Windy
Sun 10-Jun Spring Prairie (State) Burlington WI Hilly & Windy
Sun 10-Jun Ste Genevieve (State) Ste Genevieve MO Hilly & Windy
Sat 16-Jun O'Fallon GP (State) O'Fallon IL Slightly Rolling & Windy
You can take your choice between windy and rolling, windy and flat and windy and hilly.More info can be found on the IL, WI, MO and IA cycling websites, as well as google and USA Cycling. Good calendars at prerace.com and chicagobikeracing.com.
Links:
Illinois Racing
Wisconsin Racing
Missouri Racing
STLBIKING
Iowa Racing
USA Cycling - Find a Race
In my completely biased ranking opinion:
(1) Ste Genevieve is the hardest RR in the midwest, course has been emasculated somewhat this year. Missourians don't like climbing.
(2) Leland Grand Prix is another tough, hilly course. Rated as one of the best in the nation, poorly supported by overweight cheeseheads.
(3) The Hermann RR is a challenging but doable course and is very well-organised. Probably the only RR where attacking on the last hill is worth it.
Several training races in Iowa in March. Spring Classic #1 is the first of a trio, the other two to take place in Central Iowa. Kent Park is a closed hilly circuit near Iowa City.
Hillsboro will be fun, as it always is
O'Fallon is very well organised, lots of corners but requires the racers to actually race for it to be any good.
If 60 second hill sprints followed by 15 minutes recovery, repeated ad nauseam, is your thing then Spring Prairie is for you.
Proctorites got a lesson in echelon riding from the Iowa City boys last year. Much tougher race than it appears.
Leland Kermesse is flat, WINDY and gravelly. No bunch sprints in this one. Closest RR to Peoria. Best race in Illinois. Pure Midwest sufferfest.
Galena has great terrain, well worth marking on your calendar. Like almost every other hilly race it has a several mile downhill to the finish - making it a bunch sprint out of those who survived the climbs.
No info on Lake Geneva - it's new.
Sherrill, IA race is the site of the former Iowa State RR. Dan Hill took 2nd here before - you know that means a tough race with an uphill sprint.
Also note that one of our favorite races, the Mississippi Bluffs RR, will be making a comeback for July 14th. Promoted by Velosport Iowa but taking place on the IA side, just North of the Quad Cities.
