After 23 years the US Pro Criterium Championships moved from Downers Grove Illinois to Glencoe. Sorry to see Downers Grove go as it was one of the longest running races in the nation and probably the closest to a cycling tradition the US has. I love the Downers Grove course, both as a fan/photographer and for the many years I raced there. All that said it appears the move to Glencoe went well. The Glencoe course is loaded with 10 corners, eight of them are 90 degrees. A wicked fast downhill into turn 4 and the misleading climb coming out of turn 5 were my favorite features of the 1.3 miles course. Covering 60 miles that’s 460 corners and 46 hill climbs… unlike Downers grove this separated the men from the boys. A big break formed with 12 riders representing all the major teams gaining a 50 second gap on the dwindling field (only 39 of 80 riders finished). Non US riders worked to maintain the break and once secure two set off on their own, David Veilleux and Bernie Sulzberger quickly burst out to a lead that settled around 30 seconds with 5 laps to go. Veilleux sprinted the full 200 meters from the last corner to take the win. 27 seconds later Daniel Holloway nipped Kenneth Hanson at the line for 4th place and the US title. All in all a good first race in Glencoe.
