Intelligentsia Cup 2023 Preview
The TBD squad is excited to make its return to Chicago this July for the 2023 Intelligentsia Cup. We’ve written about this great crit series before on the Journal. This year will be a bit different, as a primarily TBD-W squad will be making the journey, and for many of us, it will be our first time racing this series. There’s a lot of great racing to be had in NYC and in other cities, but with Intelligentsia being a team favorite, we’re excited to see for ourselves if this race series lives up to the hype.
All photos by Matt Vandivort unless otherwise noted
The 2023 edition of Intelligentsia comprises 10 consecutive days of criterium racing from Friday, July 21 at the West Dundee River Challenge to Sunday, July 30 at the William Blair Grand Prix. Intelligentsia offers several fields each day — we are most excited about the availability of three dedicated women’s fields every day: a W4/Novice, W2/3, and WP1/2. It’s becoming more rare for race promoters to offer separate dedicated W fields that cater to racers of all categories. Having separate fields geared toward ability level allows for a safer and more fun environment for everyone. It also provides opportunities for scooping up upgrade points, which are often difficult for Cat 4 or 3 W racers to achieve when local races are predominantly open fields (i.e., racers of all categories race & are scored together).
The W fields in the Northeast are rarely larger than 30 riders and we all know each other fairly well. We know who will go off the front early, who’s going to chase, and which courses suit the various sprinters. The prospect of racing in a field full of riders that we don’t know as well — or at all! — is going to be a fun challenge.
If you can’t make the full series, you may want to consider coming out for just the first weekend or last weekend. The first weekend may have slightly lower attendance which could be a benefit if you want to race in smaller fields and potentially scoop some upgrade points. The last weekend should be a great time, with Lake Bluff Crit on Saturday and William Blair Grand Prix on Sunday. Both races should draw large crowds: Lake Bluff Crit is part of the American Crit Cup and William Blair GP is a rare chance to race through the streets of downtown Chicago. Check out the full schedule here.
Travel Logistics
Getting to Chicago from NYC is only about 2.5 hours by plane, and 12 hours in the car. Originally, we had half the squad looking to fly out with bikes, and the other half looking to make the drive. Roundtrip nonstop plane tickets at the time of this writing are about $550, but factor in a rental car (which you’ll need to get to/from the races in the greater Chicago area each day), and the trip can get real expensive. With a couple of us driving, we can save on the cost of a rental car and also have bike racks handy. Also, being able to bring a cooler from home for all the ice socks we’ll be needing is clutch.
When we discussed where to stay, we consulted a map dotted with every race in the series, and started our search at what appeared to be the most central location among all the races: Lombard. Our pals who made the trip in the past recommended that having a central HQ made it easy to head out to a race location each day, grab dinner there, and then drive back and chill at the same spot every night. We found ourselves a cute airbnb in suburban Lombard within walking distance to a few restaurants, close to grocery stores and a bike path, and with a garage and a grill. Perfection.
Who We’re bringing to intelli (AND why we’re excited to race)
Corey and Liz are Intelli veterans, but the rest of our squad will be racing the series for the very first time. If you’re going to be there as well, come find us and say hello! Sadly we will not have team mascot Winnie the bulldog there this year, but the rest of us will try to provide a fraction of the entertainment that she does.
Liz M
W 2/3
This will be my third time making my way out to Chicago for the Intelligentsia Cup! It's my favorite race series because the vibes are SO GOOD! You see familiar faces each race day, the venues are great, and the crowds really get worked up for the racing!!! If you're on the fence about racing this, just DO IT!
Photo by Marco Quezada
Megan C
W4
I’ve never done a big race series and Intelligentsia has always been on my list because of how highly others speak about their past experiences. I’m looking forward to a variety of unique courses, racing every single day in a new region, spending quality time with my teammates, and hopefully getting some points towards my Cat 3 upgrade in the process!
Photo by Steph Mangan
Leah G
W 2/3, W P/1/2
I’ve been leaning into that Big Crit Energy this year and there’s no better place to do that than Intelli (or so I’ve heard!) I’m super excited to hang out and race with teammates, work on positioning, learn to recover and pace myself with so many days of back-to-back racing, and hopefully make some new bike friends. Oh and can’t miss the post-race Lake Michigan dip!
Photo by Daghan Perker
Lucia D
W 2/3
I’m super excited to race for so many consecutive days, which I’m hoping will accelerate improving my race instinct and cornering. The fact that Intelligentsia has a W2/3 field also presents an awesome opportunity to both race at a high level and also earn some upgrade points.
Emily M
W 2/3
I've wanted to go to Intelli since I heard about it during my first season of racing in 2021, and I'm so thrilled to be making the trip out this year. Ten days of racing on ten different courses provides such an incredible opportunity to explore both individual and team tactics. I feel like we are all going to learn so much that we'll be able to bring back to our races in New York. On top of all that, I'm excited to explore Chicago for the first time!
Photo by Marco Quezada
Corey W
M 2/3, M P1/2
Though I’ve raced at Intelli a couple of times over the last few years, this will be my first time doing the complete series. I look forward to the challenge of the extra race days and the variety of courses that the series offers. I’m primarily targeting the category 2 series, but don’t be surprised if you see me lining up for a handful of the P1/2 races as well. Outside of racing and hanging with my teammates, I also look forward to spending time with my parents who live in the area (while also getting to enjoy my dad’s cooking).
A hot week in Chicago racing the Intelligentsia Cup