Professional and amateur cyclists from across the country and around the world will gather in Elmhurst on Friday, July 22, to compete in the 4th Annual Superior Ambulance Elmhurst Cycling Classic.
The Cycling Classic is held on a course that encircles the Elmhurst College campus. The Start/Finish line is on Prospect Avenue across from the Wilder Mansion, and the course runs south along Prospect to Elm Park Avenue, heads west on Elm Park to Grace Street, runs north on Grace to Alexander Boulevard and then returns to Prospect.
Organized by the DuPage Cycling Foundation, the Superior Ambulance Elmhurst Cycling Classic is part of the Intelligentsia Cup, a tour of bike races in cities around Chicagoland that attracts top-tier professional riders. The Classic begins at 11 a.m. with the Juniors category and ends at 9:30 p.m., after the men’s pro category race.
New this year is the Family Fun Bike Parade, which begins at 6:10 p.m. and is open to the community. Riders of all ages are welcome to decorate themselves or their bikes and ride around the course. (Pre-registration before race day is free at Olympia Chiropractic, at 533 S. York Rd.; and is $5 per rider for registration on the day of the race.)
Chartwells will sell a variety of food and beverages throughout the day and into the evening—the tent will be located just south of the Start/Finish line, on the west side of Prospect Avenue at the edge of the Elmhurst College campus.
Admission to the Cycling Classic is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.elmhurstcyclingclassic.com.
Here’s how the race will affect Elmhurst College faculty, staff and campus guests:
Traffic: No vehicular traffic will be permitted on the race course between 10:30 a.m. and 10 p.m. on race day. Streets being used for the race will start closing at 8:30 a.m.
Parking: All College employees, students and guests should park their vehicles at either the east end of the Alexander parking lot or in the lot behind the Mill Theatre. Access to the Alexander parking lot will be restricted to the entrances off of Walter Street. Public parking on campus will not be available.
Access to campus: Vehicular traffic to the main campus, with the exception of security vehicles and vehicles carrying disabled people, will be prohibited because it would involve crossing the race course. Entrances to the central part of campus will be closed by 5:00 a.m., and vehicles remaining on campus after 8:30 a.m. will not be permitted to leave until the race event ends and roads reopen after 10:00 p.m.
Pedestrian access to the campus will be limited to specific crossing points—on Prospect Avenue, near the College gate; and on Alexander Boulevard, both at the main campus entrance by Circle Hall and at the driveway west of the football field. Volunteers will be at all of these locations to help pedestrians cross the streets between races and during races, when no racers are coming.
For people picking up children attending summer camps or programs at Elmhurst College: Park in the lot on the north side of Alexander Boulevard (enter on Walter Street from Prospect or Myrtle avenues) and walk over to meet your child.
Emergencies: In the event of an emergency on campus requiring police or emergency vehicles, any race going on would be stopped to allow full access to those vehicles.
Because parking will be limited on July 22, College employees are encouraged to walk, take public transportation, carpool or ride a bike to campus that day. For questions, please contact Bruce Mather, executive director of facilities management, at (630) 617-3180.