To each his own I guess. I love the heat and humidity of Central Florida.

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The Chicago racing scene is dominated by very fast crits. Musclebound sprinters with excellent cornering abilities do well.

Road races are pretty much dead.

There is an active and fun TT scene, but with little crossover to road.

Palos is fun but neither technical or challenging. Peoria area has at least 6 MTB parks that are tougher. Many rate Kickapoo near Champaign as the best in the state. Quad Cities has a very active scene.

Wisconsin has great terrain and excellent MTBing, with a deep scene. Try the Illinois IHRS series for a more low-key but plenty-competitive series of races.

Chicross cup is a gigantic party, but if you want hard and you want to become a good cxer, head to wisco.

Illinois has lots and lots of roads. If you can get way from Chicago you can ride for hours and meet very little traffic. Riding in a group in a strong April crosswind will make you a strong rider.

Crits for sprinters with good cornering skills...well...shit!

How's the gravel scene?

If you can get west of Rockford or Freeport, it's amazing. East of there, non-existent.

OK, full disclosure - I don't live there, but...

Naperville Running Company will treat you right - tops in the nation for running stores, twice!

My buddy (almost a brother) owns the place - KH --- So, I'm a tiny bit biased

enjoy the journey

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I saw this on a white board in a window box at my daughters middle school...
List of what life owes you:
1. __________
2. __________
3. __________

I didn't see anyone suggest Element Multisport. They offer Retul fittings (at least they used too). Plus complete tri gear. https://www.elementmultisport.com/