Not content to keep the Grant Park clusterfuckery limited to next weekend, Mayor Daley, a big cycling fan (he has the body of Lance Armstrong under those frumpy suits, we swear), is turning the streets around the park into a 1.1 mile criterium bike race course tomorrow, July 27th. For the uninitiated (like this particular Chicagoist), a criterium race is held on a closed loop of a short distance, which -- like it will here -- often takes place on closed-off city streets. The first ever Chicago Criterium kicks off with a series of races starting at 7:00 a.m. with scores of "cycling's elite" competing for $40,000 in prize money. Wow, that's some serious spandex shopping money! more ›