U.S. Scene This Week: Racing on the left side

This week, the racing in the U.S. heads left, as the Midwest, Intermountain West and Pacific Northwest dominate the calendar.

Good old heartland, bang ’em up racing continues this week as the Superweek ProTour rolls on in Wisconsin. The nation’s top criterium squads will flock to Boise Saturday for the next round of the National Racing Calendar and USA Crits series, the Wells Fargo Twilight Criterium. In the Pacific Northwest, the Cascade Classic attracts the stage racers chasing NRC points starting next Tuesday.

International Cycling Classic & Superweek ProTour – Illinois & Wisconsin

July 9-25

Superweek rolls on as the series made its way to Wisconsin on Wednesday. Aurelion Passeron (Garneau Club Chaussure), Bernie Sulzberger (Fly V Australia) and Carlos Ospina (Colombia National Team) have each won on the men’s side. Passeron won twice last weekend and led the overall standings Wednesday.

Whitney Schultz (Veloforma), Karlee Gendron (Manitoba-Woodcock Cycleworks) and Morgan Kapp (Herbalife Lagrange) have each won in the women’s races and Kristen Meshberg (Flatlandia) stood atop the overall standings Wednesday.

Stages

South Shore Cyclery Classic – Cudahy, Wisc.
July 15

Brookfield Criterium – Brookfield, Wisc.
July 16

Schlitz Park Challenge – Milwaukee, Wisc.
July 17

NorthShore University HealthSystem Grand Prix of Cycling – Evanston, Ill.
July 18

Whitnall Park Road Race – Hales Corners, Wisc.
July 19

Bucyrus International Cycling Classic – South Milwaukee, Wisc.
July 20

Lakefront Road Race – Milwaukee, Wisc.
July 21

Wells Fargo Twilight Criterium – Boise, Idaho

July 17 8:30 p.m.
90 min
*NRC/USA Crits men only

Back for the 24th time, the Wells Fargo Twilight Criterium takes place Saturday evening in Boise, Idaho. The 1km, four-corner rectangular course will see the next round of the NRC and USA Crits series play out for the men. The double billing for the men’s race means strong fields and a $15,000 purse. Boise has long held a place among the top criteriums in the U.S. and a win here is a major objective for many of the nation’s top crit riders.

Adageo Energy and Rubicon-Orbea are each bringing five-man squads to the Gem State. Fly V Australia fields a strong team as well, pulling their Superweek riders, including Jonathan Cantwell and Bernie Sulzberger for the race. 2008 winner Hilton Clarke (UnitedHealthcare-Maxxis) and defending champ Ken Hanson (Team Type 1) are on the startlist as well.

Cascade Cycling Classic – Bend, Oregon

July 20-25

The second half of the U.S. season begins in earnest Tuesday July 20 when the Old Mill Prologue gets the Cascade Classic underway. Cascade is an NRC event for the men and women’s fields and the six-day stage race weighs heavily on the points standings.

This year’s event adds a prologue in the Old Mill District – home of the national cyclocross championships – and features the return of the McKenzie Pass Road Race on day two. The climb of McKenzie from the west ascends more the 2500 vertical feet and comes 28 miles into the stage. The 74-mile stage also includes a summit finish at the 3 Creeks Snow Park, for a total of nearly 5000 feet of climbing on the day.

Check back for a full Cascade Classic preview soon at VeloNews.com.

Stages
Prologue: Tuesday July 20 6:00 p.m. (women) / TBD (men)
Old Mill Prologue – 2 miles

Stage 1: Wednesday July 21 10:00 a.m. (men) / 10:10 a.m. (women)
McKenzie Pass Road Race – 74 miles

Stage 2: Thursday July 22 10:00 a.m. (men) / TBD (women)
Skyliners Time Trial – 16 miles

Stage 3: Friday July 23 10:00 a.m. (men) / 10:40 a.m. (women)
Cascade Lakes Road Race – 84 miles (men) / 71 miles (women)

Stage 4: Saturday July 24 5:45 p.m. (women) / 7:00 p.m. (men)
Downtown Criterium – 50 min (women) / 75 min (men)

Stage 5: Sunday July 25 1:00 p.m. (men) / 1:05 p.m. (women)
Awbrey Butte Circuit Race – 83 miles (men) / 52 miles (women)