“Illinois mountain biker,” much like “jumbo shrimp,” may be a bit of an oxymoron. There aren’t a whole lot of mountains in the Midwest, and Chicagoland, where I live, is particularly elevation challenged. In any case, last September I was looking for a longer ride as a warm-up for the mid-September Chequamegon 40 mountain bike race. The Harmon 100 Invitational seemed to fit the bill for an over-distance, on-road training ride a few weeks before the 40.

The Harmon 100 is one of two invitational road rides hosted by the Wheeling Wheelmen Bike Club of northeastern Illinois. The Harmon 100 is traditionally held on the first Sunday after Labor Day. You can probably figure out when the St. Pat’s Ride is held. The club, started in 1970 and based in Chicago’s northwest suburbs, offers organized group rides, bicycle advocacy and social events. Proceeds from the rides and membership dues help fund the Active Transportation Alliance, League of Illinois Bicyclists and League of American Bicyclists. The club has roughly 300 members. In a typical peak season week, 100 to 150 cyclists participate in several club-sponsored rides or events.

This year is the 40th anniversary of the Harmon 100 Invitational. The ride is named in honor of club founder and bicycling legend Phyllis Harmon who has been called the heart and soul of the League of American Bicyclists. Harmon joined the league in 1937 and held nearly every leadership post over the subsequent 70 years.

A 2005 edition of American Bicyclist magazine named the Top 25 Most Influential People in American Bicycling. As you might guess, Lance Armstrong topped the list. The Schwinn and Burke (Trek) families, Gary Fisher and Greg LeMond ranked up there, too. But coming in at No. 12 was none other than Harmon. In 2009, at the age of 93, Harmon was inducted into the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame, making her the oldest living member. She is currently living in Florida, but made it back for the 2007 edition of the invitational.

The location of the Harmon has moved back and forth across the Illinois-Wisconsin border. This year’s event is moving back up “nort” to Wilmot, Wisconsin, on September 12. A loop course will allow riders to cover 25, 50, 62 or 100 miles. The routes have been pre-ridden and will be marked with signs along the road. Riders can expect to receive cue sheets and find two rest stop and food stations per lap. Details on the ride can be found on the Wheeling Wheelmen website at www.wheelmen.com.

Return to Wisconsin

The 2009 ride was based in the Lake County, Illinois. It offered four distance options: 25, 50, 75 and 100 miles. The starting point was Matthews Middle School in Island Lake, with a rest stop in McHenry’s Knox Park. The rest station was well-stocked with fruit, trail mix, sandwiches, cookies and friendly volunteers.

Thomas Wolfe may have been right when he said, “You can’t go home again.” During the ride’s early days, the invitational was held in Lake County. The ride returned there after an absence of several years caused by scheduling conflicts with other area events. The original route past orchards and farms, however, has been partially swallowed up by urban sprawl.

Last year some 700 riders participated. A number of riders were none too pleased with the heavy road traffic they encountered, narrow shoulders and less than supportive Illinois drivers. That was my first Harmon, so I don’t have a basis for comparison. Nevertheless, the Wheelmen responded to riders’ concerns and moved this year’s ride back up to Wisconsin.

My brother had initially planned to join me on the ride, but another commitment for him turned it into a solo adventure for me. Due to time and aerobic constraints, I chose to only bite off 50 miles or two loops of the ride. It was a near perfect day for a ride, with lots of sun and temperatures in the mid-60s. There was a bit of wind out of the north, but that helped to make up for the lack of any significant hills.

Riding a full-suspension mountain bike made it all the more challenging. I don’t own a road bike and have not ridden one in nearly 15 years. In a way I felt like Jack London’s White Fang: the half-breed wolf that slowly gets domesticated. But you could say I was obeying “The call of the mild.” The greyhounds on road bikes whizzed by me as I plodded along. (Come to think of it, most mountain bikers in the Chequamegon 40 whiz by me, too.) I only ran across one other rider on a mountain bike. We rode together for a while, commiserating about the dwindling number of off-road trails you can ride in the northwest suburbs.

I struggled all day to hang with the roadies. I was able to catch up to a guy riding a pretty old touring bike. Brian was hoping to get in 100 miles that day, but was planning on taking it one loop at a time and making a decision at the rest stops whether or not to continue. The fact that I was able to stick with him on my big rig convinced me he was in for a long day.

The roadies were friendly and some tossed out a good-natured barb from time to time. One large rider yelled as he passed, “Your tires are too fat.” I felt like responding, “Your blankety-blank is too fat,” but thought better of it. After all, my blankety-blank was getting left in the dust.

The second 25-mile loop included some road construction and a minor chance for redemption. With my wide tires and full suspension, gravel and potholes were not much of a concern. I did not mind hugging the white line or moving over to the gravel shoulder when traffic got a little heavier. In contrast, my compatriots on road bikes seemed deathly afraid of the gravel and bumps, yelling out warnings to trailing riders. The skinny-tired bikes seemed to be a bit skittish when the road got a little rougher. I used the bad patches as a chance to latch onto the back of a pack from time to time. When the road smoothed out again I was soon a speck in their rearview mirrors.

Mountain bikers and road bikers may not be the same breed, but we are close cousins. I hope to be able to tackle the Harmon 100 again and maybe even ride all of it one day. I think I’ll borrow a road bike, though. If not, know that mountain bikes are welcome at the Harmon – and I could use the company.

Mark Ollinger is the chief financial officer for a trade show marketing company on the northwest side of Chicago.

top of page