Beverly Bike Owner Pumped For Another Cycling Classic

CHICAGO, IL -- The Beverly Hills Cycling Classic, now dubbed with the catchy name of “Bikes and Brews,” has become a midsummer tradition in Chicago’s Beverly neighborhood. Sponsoring the event since its inaugural run in 2003, Beverly Bike Owner Paul Weise shared some of the history behind the event.

“It started when the city of Chicago came to BAPA and said they wanted a bike race in the city before the Olympics the following year,” Weise said. “We had cyclists from all over the world.”

The first event featured a start/finish near the CVS Pharmacy on 103rd and Longwood Drive. The race center has since moved a few blocks south to the Beacon School at 107th and Longwood.

At first, there was just one race. a 100K event that included several laps around the streets of Beverly and took about two-and-a-half hours to complete, Weise said. Now there are four races, with the main event being the Men’s Professional race that will take about an hour-and-a-half.

“It’s always fun for us to track our team,” he said. But this year the Beverly Bike/Vee-Pak team only has one participant. Tony Rienks will represent the shop in the Master’s event this year.

But it’s the exposure the event brings to Beverly that Weise is almost most excited about.

“It’s always exciting to see people exposed to racing at this level,” he said. “To see people amazed at the speeds these bikes can go is rewarding”

READ MORE: Everything You Need To Know About The 2017 Beverly Hills Cycling Classic

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