3rd time’s the charm for Brookfield’s pro bike races

The third annual Cycle Brookfield Criterium, a day full of professional bike racing in downtown Brookfield, took place Wednesday, July 23.

As the sixth of 10 daylong bicycle racing events that comprise the Chicago Grit series, the Criterium brought spectators and racers from near and far to the area along Prairie Avenue south of the train tracks.

After the two previous races took place north of the tracks, a new route was necessary this year due to ongoing roadway construction on Grand Boulevard, which was an integral part of the original route.

Chris Valadez, the president of Cycle Brookfield, told the Landmark Friday he didn’t yet have data on the number of attendees but that, “anecdotally,” he saw fewer people than in previous years.

“With the weather and the heat advisory that was being broadcast for the day, we definitely anticipated seeing some fewer numbers,” he said, referencing the day’s 90-degree temperatures. “If I didn’t have to be out there for 12, 14 hours, I probably wouldn’t have been out there as long as I was either, so I don’t blame anyone for staying in the AC.”

The new route didn’t bring spectators to the same businesses as last year, but its combined start and finish line was situated directly in front of Irish Times, and the race took cyclists past Phil’s Sports Bar & Grill. The owners of both bars said they were seeing more business than usual the day of the Criterium.

“That table of people over there are from Colorado. There was a bunch of guys in from Oklahoma earlier. I was just sitting with a man from California,” said Martin Lynch, owner of Irish Times. “It’s been excellent. People are literally coming from all over. I heard some European accents, maybe Italian, earlier.”

Lynch said the pub brought in extra staff for the day to prepare for the bump in business.

Phil Stanton, the owner of Phil’s, said the sports bar saw more local people dipping in and out to cool off or take a drink to go, which the village allowed just for the day, though many of the folks who stuck around inside were regulars.

“I’ve got mixed emotions about [the Criterium]. We are not an event-driven bar. We are a day-in, day-out bar. We make our money a little bit, 365 days a year, so one big event isn’t going to move the needle for us, but I like it. It changes things up,” he said. “I’m assuming it’s going to go back across the tracks next year. It’s been fun. I’m glad they had it here. I’ll be glad when it goes back across.”

Some of the racers felt the same way, including Lalith Jalakam, the 19-year-old founder and owner of the Detroit Mavericks, a pro cycling team.

“I really liked last year. I liked the brick corners. It was right in the middle of downtown with shops on both sides. I’m like, ‘This is the perfect place,’” he said. “I’m a little bummed they moved it, but [the old course] is right there.”

If the Criterium returns next year — “and I want to underscore the ‘if’ there,” Valadez said — it likely would return to that previous route.

“Although we like the south side course, the activation of the community, some of the businesses and even just the spectating view down Grand Boulevard is really nice. You have both sides [of the road] that you can leverage,” he said.

If the Criterium does return for 2026, Valadez said residents may be able to expect a new 5K foot race early that morning along the cycling route.

“People understand bike racing better in Brookfield, but people really understand foot races. Racing doesn’t start until 11 a.m.; most 5Ks are usually first thing in the morning, and why not? We have the roads locked down,” he said.

Despite the lower turnout, Valadez said the Brookfield community was instrumental to making this year’s Criterium happen after some sponsors pulled out just a week beforehand.

“We reached out to our community, our core group, those who were Cycle Brookfield members and non-members alike. We did a plea to them. We said, ‘Hey, if you want to see this event return, we’re about four grand short,’ which is the truth. We were about $4,000 short by Wednesday, July 16,” he said. “By Thursday evening, July 17, we met our goal. The community, our members, folks stepped up. I put a donation link out, just asking for $25 to support the event. Within less than 24 hours, we had reached our goal because of this community.”

While the event bears Cycle Brookfield’s name, Valadez gave his thanks to volunteers from the Brookfield Women’s Club and Compassion United Methodist Church who helped make it a success.

He said it takes a village to put the Criterium on — literally.

“The village of Brookfield has been a fantastic partner to us, and, hopefully, we have been to them,” he said. “They’re bringing resources, staff, police, fire, department of public works. All have come together to really bring a world-class, professional event to Brookfield, and I’m honored to partner with them and have them in our corner for this.”