The sixth annual ABD Cycle Club's Indoor Time Trial Series, the United States' longest running and indoor series, will wrap up on the first two weekends in April with the final indoor event at the Chicago Bike Show on Navy Pier and the John Fraser Memorial Time Trial in Maple Park, IL. Competitors have the option of competing on either April 2nd or 3rd at the Chicago Bike Show, and the outdoor series finale will be Sunday, April 10. The first four events were held at the Parks Plus Facility in Wheaton, IL.

ABD is excited to return to the Chicago Bike Show after a solid turnout at last year's event. "Last year we would have been happy with 60 riders and ended up with over 100," states ABD Vice-President Mary Lee Geraghty, "We started the series as a way for Midwest riders to stay motivated through the cold Winter months, and initially we had about 60 riders compete in four events. This year we'll average over 200 riders at each of six events." Registration official John Puffer confirmed that pre-registrations for the 2005 Bike Show event have already surpassed the 2004 totals.

The ABD Elite Men's Squad will also be on hand at the Chicago Bike Show to participate in the races and host the new " ABD Sprint Challenge" -- open to any show attendee. Bikes will be provided and the fastest times in the quarter-mile race will be tracked on a leaderboard throughout the weekend with prizes awarded to various age categories and fastest times.

ABD is also excited to bring back the popular "Chicago's Bravest vs. Chicago's Finest" event. The challenge pits five Chicago Firemen versus five Chicago Policemen in a race to see which department accumulates the most distance in a set amount of time. The winning team will have a $1,250 donation made in their name courtesy of LaSalle Bank to the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which is dedicated to furthering cancer research.

John Fraser Memorial Time Trial
ABD took the series outdoors to Maple Park in 2001 as an exciting finale for riders competing in the overall standings. It also helped mark the "official" transition to the outdoor racing season. Renamed in 2002 for a dedicated club member who passed away, the third annual John Fraser Memorial Time Trial will be held Sunday, April 10. Riders leave town on Washington, then head Northeast on Thatcher and down McNulty to the first turnaround. They will head back to Thatcher and continue North and then East on Beith and head to the final turnaround at Meredith before racing back to town. In addition to the Overall series awards ceremony, the event features a chili feast prepared by the Wives of the American Legion in Maple Park.

Registration for both events are open to all cyclists, regardless of whether or not they've competed in previous events in the series.

For questions or more information, go to www.prairiepathcycles.com, e-mail mebert@prairiepathcycles.com or call the ABD Cycle Club at 630-890-6767.