2020 Intelligentsia Cup canceled
The series has promised a return for July 16-25 2021, with all venues stating intent to host the race series.
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
The 2020 edition of the Intelligentsia Cup is canceled due to COVID-19.
The 10-day race series staged in the Chicago metropolitan area had been scheduled for July 17-26, 2020.
The series has promised a return for July 16-25 2021, with all venues stating intent to host the race series.
“This was an extremely difficult decision to make, particularly after our enormous success in 2019 that saw the series become the largest USA Cycling road event,” said series partner Tom Schuler. “Since the beginning of this pandemic we have held out hope that the situation would improve enough to hold the Intelligentsia Cup in a safe manner, and we have worked since to find a way forward. Unfortunately, the current facts at hand and expert guidance say otherwise.”
The Intelligentsia Cup is a national-level event that features large field sizes across many categories, with competitors coming from around the world. Racing moves between ten different venues in and around Chicago. Managing the health and safety of competitors and crowds would have been a tall order.
2019 was the eighth year for the event, and saw 5,300 entries across the ten days of racing.
According to the series, the pro/elite men’s category increased 37 percent from 2018 to 2019, and had an average field size of 123 racers on each day.
A festival and expo on each day of racing is complemented by kids’ activities, entertainment, food and drink, at the spectator-friendly venues.