Glencoe Grand Prix Ends After 12 Years Supporting Education

GLENCOE, IL — Organizers of the Glencoe Grand Prix announced last week the annual multi-course bicycle race will not be held for a 13th consecutive year next summer. For a dozen years, the downtown event featured amateur and professional bike racers from around the world zipping through the village for the benefit of a local educational nonprofit. In a statement posted to the event's website, its board said it was discontinuing the event because "it's simply time to retire."

The event began in 2007 with the goal of supporting education through the sport of cycling, it said. It has included all-day festivities with live music, kid's activities, local businesses and an evening block party. Now, organizers said, the Grand Prix closes out with confidence "we accomplished our initial vision and mission" and thanked the event's sponsors and the cycling community for their commitment over the years.

David Metrick, president of the Glencoe Educational Foundation and Glencoe Grand Prix, told Glencoe News the event had raised an estimated $250,000 since it began. After donating money to Glencoe schools to purchase electronics District 35 schools since its inception, the foundation also branched out to provide resources to two Chicago schools and one in Elgin, he said.

Metrick denied that the reasons for ending the event were financial, according to Pioneer Press, although one sponsor withdrew shortly before last year's race and another reduced their support to 25 percent – leaving the foundation's board members to donate themselves and ask the other sponsors to pick up the slack. The final winner event was Wilmette native and 2010 New Trier graduate Ricky Arnopol, who survived being hit by a car last year and claimed victory June 2 in his first time as a pro racer in the Glencoe Grand Prix.

Village and school district officials told Glencoe News there was no immediate plan for a similar large-scale event next year to the Grand Prix, which could attract up to 10,000 visitors to the village, which will celebrate its sesquicentennial in 2019.

Metrick told Patch the board would meet next summer and discuss whether there is any interest in organizing a new type of event event.

"We are saying goodbye to the Glencoe Grand Prix for 2019 but not a farewell to cycling," the board said in its statement. "Our leadership is kicking around the idea of a multi-day event to be held in the spring of 2020."

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Just in case missed it this weekend, the team continued it’s run of great results with a win in the Pro Road Tour event @GlencoeGP as well as anothe podium at the Cobb Park Criterium. Thanks to all our sponsorship partners that make it possible! pic.twitter.com/hp1WurLH8C
— First IB Cycling (@FirstIBCycling) June 5, 2018

A swell day for a bike race. Thank you @GlencoeGP for putting on a great event!
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— Kelly Q. Anderson (@KellyQAnderson) June 2, 2018