The 2006 Elite National Criterium Championships, held August 20, were hosted yet again by Downers Grove, Illinois - a suburb of Chicago, about half an hour west of O'hare where most riders flew in for the event. The course, one mile in length, was the infamous "figure 8". The course started on a gradual incline, turned right, and then left to a small sprinter hill. Then, we made a couple more lefts and descended to a fast right hander (half lap to go) and an even faster left hander. Next, we had a semi-tight left turn which took you to the final left emptying you out onto the tough 150 meter uphill drag to the finish. Elite riders would do 50 laps/50 miles (80 kilometers), stating at 11:30 a.m. The sun was out and it was a great day for racing.

Kayle LeoGrande and I were the only riders from Kahala LaGrange. There were several teams that had a full squads including California Giant, Bianchi-Grand Performance, Wheel and Sprocket, Fiordifrutta, Mercy, Hincapie, and Karl Strauss/SDBC. We had a huge field - a whopping 190 riders took the start of this race! I think it is the largest field I had ever been in. The enormous sea of riders sat at the start line like a hungry pack of wolves staring at fresh meat. LeoGrande and I had decent positions on the start line and were ready to go. I was relieved to even make it to the start line because the airline had lost my bike and I had only received it the morning of the race - whew! And thanks to Mavic for fixing it up just in time for the start! The plan was to get LeoGrande in the best possible position for the finale.

The race started fast with 190 riders trying to sprint into position. The first couple laps were madness until we were finally strung out all along the course. While about 50th wheel I looked up and thought, "I'm too far back - I've got to move up" and then I looked back - and there were over 100 guys behind me - waaaaay back! Oh boy! It being such a fast course, it is a tough course for a breakaway to succeed. But that didn't stop riders from trying! LeoGrande patrolled the front of the field and stayed in good position. Early in the race a break got away and looked like it could be dangerous so I made my way to the front and helped bring it back. Burned a match there. A while later LeoGrande got into a move, but it too was brought back. Of all the break attempts, there was only one about half way into the race that started to threaten a sprint finish. About 6-8 riders drilled it and obtained a maximum advantage of 20 seconds. At that time, however, the chase was on, and a short while later, we were one big happy suffering family again.

There were a few - maybe more than a few - crashes during the race. I was caught behind one crash that forced me to slam the brakes. The following acceleration was painful and I lost several positions. I slowly tried to work my way towards the front but it wasn't easy. With 5 laps to go I looked up and saw that LeoGrande was in good position - in the top 15 riders. With 4 to go, I lit my matchbook on fire and used everything I had to move towards the front. But when you're sprinting out of the saddle at 33 miles per hour on an uphill drag and only pass 4 riders, you know it's a fast race.

LeoGrande maintained good position - reminding himself what his son Dryden told him that morning, "Daddy, you can do it!" With two laps to go we were flying and many riders were taking risks. I chose to live and didn't take a few chances that may have ended in road rash. With one lap to go, LeoGrande was about 10th wheel. As he crested the sprinter hill, he attacked and moved up to second wheel with 3 turns to go. He sprinted out of the second to last turn, took the lead, and bombed into the final turn with a gap over the second rider on the road - Steve Tilford (Trek/Shimano). LeoGrande opened it up on the uphill sprint as several riders desperately tried to catch him from behind. LeoGrande crossed the line with enough breathing room for a two-armed salute! The 2006 Elite National Criterium Champion!! Steve Tilford held on for 2nd, and Jamiel Danesh (RhVilla.com/Montano) took third. I crossed the line 40th place.

About 100 of the original 190 elite riders finished the race. After the race, I reminded LeoGrande that we ordered a stars and stripes jersey for breakfast. But, we got it for lunch! It was awesome to be on the winning side of such a big race! It was a wonderful event on a great course - I definitely recommend it to anybody who has the opportunity to compete in this event. Until the next race. . . .

Dan Vinson