Schaumburg joining Tour of Elk Grove
Elk Grove Village's annual international bike race in August 2008 will offer a larger purse, a bigger course that includes Schaumburg and more races over an extended period of time, village officials announced Tuesday.
The Alexian Brothers Tour of Elk Grove will expand next year in time, scope and purse.
It'll be three days instead of two and the overall prize money has been bumped up from $200,000 to $225,000.
Schaumburg is getting in on it, and it'll cost the village nothing to be part of the Elk Grove event, said Mayor Craig Johnson, adding that exact logistics have to be worked out -- like where the course will run in Schaumburg.
The premier race -- the men's pro race, drawing some of the world's best riders -- is expected to start somewhere in Schaumburg. The event is scheduled for Aug. 1-3.
Schaumburg Mayor Al Larson said he's looking forward to working with Elk Grove in this joint venture.
"We are excited to be part of this world-class event and to have an opportunity to showcase our community," Larson said in a statement.
The purse for the men's pros has jumped from $153,000 to $170,000. The top winner will receive $28,000, up $2,000 from last year's top rider.
Much of the event will course through parts of Elk Grove's business park, which is five square miles of manufacturing, warehouse and distribution centers with about 3,600 firms, employing approximately 100,000 people.
The men's pros will begin on Aug. 1 with a 4½-mile timed trial. The next day, the cyclists will test themselves again on a 90-mile trek through Elk Grove Village and Schaumburg. The race culminates on Aug. 3 with a closed, 70-mile circuit.
The number of races, amateur and professional combined, has increased from 13 to 15.
Additionally, riders in men's category 1 and 2, which are levels just below elite riders, will compete in two stages, winning $35,000 total, which will be split up among the top finishers.
And there's more.
Elk Grove Village will host not one, but two block parties with concerts and fireworks during the event.
A JumboTron, a big video screen used at sporting events, will be hooked into helicopter camera, which will follow the riders through the course. And bleachers will be set up along the race for spectators.
The race's proceeds will go to two Elk Grove Village charities connected to returning soldiers from overseas, Johnson said. They hope to raise $20,000 for the groups.
"By having all three key components of international cycling, the purse and the first class running of this race makes it the premier race in America and one of the top in the world," Johnson said.
Australian cyclist Nathan O'Neill won this year's elite race but was stripped of his title after testing positive for a banned substance. Runner-up Mike Friedman of Pittsburgh was then named the winner.