The usually bustling downtown of Evanston will be filled with traffic of a different kind on July 22. For the first time, Evanston will host a stage of the 38th annual Point Premium Root Beer International Cycling Classic, a 17-day series of races also known as SuperWeek.

The Evanston Northwestern Health Care Grand Prix will be a criterium, or a closed-circuit race usually held in city streets. The course will be an hourglass-shaped, 0.9-mile loop with six corners running through the heart of downtown Evanston.

Race director and Turin Bicycle Society President Chris Mailing says the race is a great opportunity to raise awareness for the sport while involving the whole community, especially since SuperWeek events run concurrently with the Tour de France.

"There is a lot of cycling activity and bike commuting in Evanston anyway," he says. "This is another way to show them a different perspective."

The 17 SuperWeek races will be held July 13 to 29 in different cities across northern Illinois and Wisconsin. The event draws more than 5,000 professional and top amateur cyclists from all over the United States and the world competing for $125,000 in prizes.

The Evanston stage will award a $2,800 prize purse. The day's races will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, July 22, with the Women's Pro 1/2/3 race beginning at 3:05 p.m. and the 100K Men's Pro/1/2 race starting at 4:45 p.m. Click here to view the full schedule.

The event is free to the public and organizers say the race will be a great spectator event. Downtown shops will be open and restaurants lining the course will offer outdoor dining so spectators can eat and watch the races up close. Festivities will continue after the races are over with live music and dancing, including music from Dave Weld and the Imperials.

Evanston Category 1 elite racer Chris Strout, who has competed at SuperWeek events the last four years, says that having a race in Evanston is something local riders have talked about for years. "In Evanston we have a couple of great [bike] shops, and many group rides start or go through Evanston, so it's a great place to have a race. We're all really excited about this," says the Evanston resident.

Strout, who races for the Evanston-based MetLife/Pony Shop team, says he expects the criterium to be a challenging course with fierce competition. "There will be riders from South American teams, domestic pros and other really strong riders. It'll be hot, and we're going to have an awesome crowd, so there's all this energy," he says. "I know we're going to really be flying through there."

Ray Grady, ENH President of Hospitals and Clinics, says it is fitting for the hospital to be the title sponsor for an event that will encourage people to live active and healthy lifestyles. Besides ENH, other sponsors include Turin Bicycle of Evanston, Whole Foods Market, Hilton Garden Inn and Pioneer Press Communications.

For more information about the race, see www.enhgrandprix.com. For full SuperWeek information, see www.internationalcycling.com.