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Brookfield officials signal support for Chicago Grit bike race to return to its original route
Summary
At a Nov. 24 Committee of the Whole meeting, organizers and staff reviewed operations and costs for the Chicago Grit race and trustees expressed consensus to host the race in 2026 on the original Grand Boulevard route; a date and formal contract remain to be set.
Brookfield trustees on Monday signaled support for bringing the Chicago Grit criterion back to the village in July 2026 and to return the race to its earlier Grand Boulevard course, after a presentation from Cycle Brookfield and a staff review of public-safety and operations costs.
Economic development and public-safety staff outlined the village’s resource commitments for the 2025 edition to give trustees a realistic picture of recurring costs. The fire department’s on-site medical support for the race was listed at $2,884.30. Public works’ setup and breakdown labor and equipment were estimated at about $26,093.48, plus roughly $8,801.75 for pre-event concrete and patching needs. Police costs included command-staff pay ($7,079) and overtime ($6,153). Staff summed those departmental totals to an estimated combined village cost of roughly $51,000.
“Hosting the race requires support from multiple village departments,” a staff presenter said, laying out the cost line items and noting recent late-arriving figures adjusted the packet totals.
Chris Valdez, speaking for Cycle Brookfield, described the event’s history in Brookfield, course changes related to streetscape work and the trade-offs organizers weigh between routes that favor spectators and those that favor a professional field. Valdez stressed the event’s community support and fundraising: “We were seeking just over $3,000 by the week before the race. Within 18 hours, we raised about $4,500 to cover the race,” he said.
Trustees asked whether returning to the older Grand Boulevard route would materially change staff costs; public-works and police representatives said most cost categories would remain comparable, though street patching needs could differ depending on the chosen blocks. Several trustees voiced support for returning to the original course, praising the volunteer base and vendor opportunities around the library and Grand Boulevard.
President Garvey emphasized that the board’s support at the meeting was informal: there is no contract yet, and the race date had not been set. “We’re just looking for a consensus,” Garvey said, adding that the village would not finalize any contractual commitments until logistics and scheduling were confirmed.
Next steps: Cycle Brookfield asked the village to commit to returning the event for 2026; trustees left the meeting with apparent consensus to support hosting, and officials said they would return to the board with final scheduling and any formal agreements.
