Big Course,
Real Road Tactics.
The Boone County Road Race very much lives up the the cliche’s of Illinois farm country. Long straight roads lined by thousands of acres of corn and soybeans. Beautiful red barns scattered along miles of well maintained farm roads. The first thing every cyclist wants to see is the elevation profile. Here it is, not hilly, but not flat. Just over 500’ of elevation change over 21.5 miles.
The course will have a 1.5 mile neutral rollout from the start/finish area to the 21.5 mile loop. The loop is ridden clockwise, which begins heading north on Russellville Road.
This long straight section of road features just 1 sweeping turn over 9 miles. While the road is lightly rolling, the key factor may be what farmers plant in their fields. If it is soybeans, with any wisp of wind echelons will form leaving no place to hide for 20+ minutes.
There will be a Neutral Feed Zone at Piscasaw Fen Conservation Area which is 6 miles into the loop.
A hard right onto Capron Road brings a series of 90+ degree turns, 5 to be exact. Savvy bike handlers will be sure stretch your legs. Yet this is no crit, all of the turns are more than ½ a mile apart!
This leads into Garden Prairie Road which has an ever so slight false flat downhill for 4 miles. While the terrain may give you a little push, the wind may have other ideas.
The loop finishes onto Lawrenceville Road which has a slightly different feel with the farmland giving way to lightly rolling tree lined roads.
For those cuing up for a two hand salute have those sprint legs ready. The final run in is a sprinters dream or nightmare.
The final turn is a right turn with 7.4km from the finish. Now it is as straight as an arrow to the finish making it nearly impossible to control the field.
At just over 5km to the finish there is a 1.5% steady rise for 800m. This is the last chance to split the break using elevation.
Then the sprint winds up launching off a downhill with 1500m from the finish. From this point it is all positioning and timing.
That is, if a breakaway does not survive.
USA Cycling Rules apply at all times, including but not limited to:
3B1. Center Line. If a course is not closed to traffic, all competitors must keep to the right of the center line or enforcement line.
3B2. Rules of the Road. Riders shall, of their own responsibility, conform to all traffic regulations in force in the area where the race is held.
3B5. Taking pace or assistance from any outside means is forbidden, including holding on to a motor vehicle or taking pace from riders in a different race that is concurrently on the same course.
Illinois Bicycling Rules of the Road are available here.