It was a good day for Brookfield when bike racers – amateur and professional – arrived July 24 for the second annual Cycle Brookfield Criterium. Race organizers estimate that 5,000 people gathered to cheer on the racers as they participated in nine different events throughout the day.
When a Landmark reporter asked Wendy Moore, owner of Daisy’s Treats, to describe her stream of race day customers she estimated 90% were from out of town. That makes this event a huge win for the village and its efforts to put Brookfield on the map for something more than lions and tigers and bears.
The event is also a testament to the growing collaborative spirit in the village. An event of this complexity does not occur by happenstance. Credit first to Cycle Brookfield, the local nonprofit focused all year on bike safety and greater bike use in town. They are the hosts for this event. But they did not pull this off on their own. The village of Brookfield was a full partner from police to public works. And Chris Valadez, head of Cycle Brookfield, shouted out the Brookfield Women’s Club for rounding up and coordinating 75 volunteers who made the day work smoothly.
This year’s event had specific improvements to the route from a year ago. One upgrade was adding a new viewing area near the Linda Sokol Francis Library and hiring a backfield announcer to call the close of the races. Valadez said planners already have ideas for further upgrades for next year.
We loved to hear the comments of two racers from a women’s cycling team based out of Ontario. One racer said they are more used to racing on country roads which are cheaper for officials to close. Maybe, she said, they see a squirrel but not hundreds of people enthusiastically cheering them on along the route as happened last week in Brookfield. She also said they liked the downtown Brookfield route and being able to see all the restaurants and cafes along the way.
This is a big win for Brookfield. Thanks to so many people for making it a success.