While international athletic battles took place this weekend at events like the World Cup final game in Germany and the Wimbledon championship match in England, Chicago's own international cycling race also offered strong global competition. The July 7 Beverly Hills Cycling Classic 100K criterium began shortly before dusk in the Chicago neighborhood of Beverly. The Classic was the first leg of the 17-day International Cycling Classic Superweek Pro Tour, the world's largest multi-category cycling event, featuring professional and elite amateur riders from the United States and 20 foreign countries.

Christian Valenzuela Zamudio, a Team Monex rider from Mexico won the first stage after his teammates lead him out of a three-rider breakaway group that formed early in the race. Zamudio, along with Jacob "the Great Dane" Nielsen, a Glud & Marstrand Horsens rider from Denmark and American Andrew "the Volcano" Crater, a Team Wheel & Sprocket rider from Neenah, Wis., led for most of the course and lapped the field with more than 20 miles left in the race.

With eight laps left to go in the criterium, Zamudio and Nielsen both gained a lap, but Crater was left behind with cramps in his left hamstring and quad. "I couldn't even pedal around with my leg, I just had to let it hang straight," said Crater. "But my teammates in the pack gave me a push" and led him to a third place finish as he crossed the finish line with teammate Shawn Willard of North Carolina, a member of the who finished in 32 place after being lapped by the three race leaders.

On the final lap, Zamudio and Nielsen, battling for first place, were passing the field once again, when two of Zamudio's Team Monex teammates led him out of the pack in a pace train to cross the finish line first.

"My team was working very hard, and this race is very hard, but they were looking good, and so today I won," said Zamudio with a grin before accepting the white jersey for being the stage winner, and the yellow jersey for being the overall leader so far.

Hayden Godfrey, a New Zealand criterium champion and Team Monex rider, came in fourth place and won the red points jersey for his finishing positions during "sprint laps" throughout the race. Godfrey was the first of a four-man pack of course leaders that refused to be lapped by the three race leaders throughout the criterium. The pack of course leaders also included Illinois' own David Sachs, a Vision Quest rider from Winnetka.

The rest of the tour will continue with road races in 12 cities in northern Illinois, the greater Milwaukee area and eastern Wisconsin, and will end Sunday, July 23 in Whitefish Bay, Wis.

Victorious
From left to right - Jacob Nielsen (Glud & Marstrand Horsens) 2nd place, Christian Valenzuela Zamudio (Team Monex) 1st place, Andrew Crater (Team Wheel & Sprocket) 3rd place, Hayden Godfrey (Team Monex) Red Jersey winner.

Holding on
David Sachs (Vision Quest) of Winnetka, Ill. finished seventh place and was the second American rider to cross the finish line. He was one of four riders not lapped by the three race leaders.

On your tail
Andrew Crater (left) rode in the front pack with stage winner Christian Valenzuela Zamudio (right) until the final laps of the course, when cramps in his left leg brought him a third place finish.

Head of the pack
From left to right - Andrew Crater, third place; Jacob Nielsen, second place; and Christian Valenzuela Zamudio, first place, formed the pack of race leaders that lapped most of the field with 20 miles remaining.

Just the beginning
The International Cycling Classic Superweek Pro Tour continues until July 23.

Click here for complete race results.