Local Riders Primed for Beverly Hills Cycling Classic

Expect the sweat to fly at Friday’s Beverly Hills Cycling Classic with a muggy night in the forecast, but that won’t stop riders from a local racing team tearing down Longwood Drive.

The races take off at 4:30 p.m. continuing until 10 p.m. Friday, July 18, from 107th Street and Longwood Avenue in Beverly.

The Beverly Bike-VeePak Racing Team is a major sponsor of the race that is the first stop on the Prairie State Cycling Series as riders from around the globe compete for the 2015 Intelligentsia Cup.

Three of the team members competing July 17 shared their feelings about riding in their “hometown” race. Lifelong Chicagoan and Beverly Hills/Morgan Park resident Tony Rienks is competing in his second Beverly Hills Cycling Classic.

>>> Beverly Hills Cycling Classic Returns To Friday Night

Rienks was among the group of local cyclists that founded the core of the Beverly Bike-VeePak Racing Team in 2007.

“We started as a club, got a little more serious, then became competitors,” he said.

Rienks championed adding the Masters race for category 1, 2 and 3 riders age 35 and up to the Cycling Classic schedule. Most of the pro/am riders are in their 20s, which gives them a competitive edge over older riders. But that doesn’t mean the masters race is less rigorous or exciting.

Rienks has been training hard for the very challenging Beverly Hills Cycling Classic.

“Just because it’s an older age group doesn’t mean the race is any slower,” Rienks said. “It’s not a nice oval or loop. It has turns, up hill and technical downhill.”

Another factor that sets separates the race from other pro/am cycling events is the number of cheering fans that line the route and celebrate at the festival. “The spectators are unbelievable at this race,” he said. “I wish more cyclists had the opportunity to see how great the community support is.”

Bob Murray, Mt. Greenwood native and founding member of racing team, will be competing in his first Beverly Hills Cycling Classic. Murray, who now resides in St. John, Ind., trains all year long, averaging 10 to 12 riding hours – 200 to 225 miles -- a week, riding with the Beverly Bike VeePak Racing team and also by himself.

During the team’s Thursday evening rides, the cyclists work on their skills as a group, averaging 35 to 40 miles in one ride. “It’s good to ride with people who will push you and you push them,” Murray said.

Even though he doesn’t see himself up on the winner’s podium at the end of the Beverly Hills Cycling Classic, Murray said that participating is really about outdoing his biggest competitor—himself.

“It’s a tough race,” he said.

Murray’s entire family – about 20 people – will be at the race this Friday.

“It’s a big race, not just for the community but a big race for us and for the team,” Murray said. “This is our ultimate goal, this race right here.”

Mount Greenwood resident Mike Seguin loves racing. He set aside athletics to focus on his family and career as a Chicago firefighter, then about eight years ago, he began competitive cycling, working his way up from the bottom, eventually qualifying to compete with category 1 and 2 pros.

Seguin has competed against the pros in two Beverly Hills Cycling Classics. “To race with the pros in my own neighborhood, that was pretty cool.”

Seguin views the 13th Annual Beverly Hills Cycling Classic as a chance for his team to show their friends and family what they’ve trained so hard for.

“People don’t get to see this kind of racing,” Seguin said. “They think [cycling] is an individual sport, but it truly is a team sport. You work together to put the strongest rider on the podium.”

The Beverly Hills Cycling Classic is planned and organized by the Beverly Area Planning Association. Visit BAPA for the race route, which starts and ends at 107th Street and Longwood Avenue.

Spectators will gather on the grounds of nearby Beacon Therapeutic School, 10650 S. Longwood, where the Beverly Hills Cycling Classic festival offers views of the racing plus food from local vendors, craft beer from Argus Brewery in Pullman, live music and special area for children’s games and activities. Festival admission is free.

For more information about the Beverly Hills Cycling Classic and festival contact the Beverly Area Planning Association by phone at 773-233-3100 or bapa@bapa.org. Visit Prairie State Cycling Series for more information about the tour.

Source: Beverly Area Planning Association