2020 Eric Sprattling Memorial 3 States Ride
By Kevin O'Neill | Oct 05, 2020
2020 Eric Sprattling Memorial 3-States Ride
Updated on October 5, 2020: The 2020 Eric Sprattling Memorial 3-States Ride will be a little different this year since we have cancelled all group rides and activities. In 2009, as part of our 10th Anniversary celebration, we started an annual Eric Sprattling 3-states ride. Eric was a co-founder of XXX Racing, a long-time bike messenger, and a mentor/coach to a lot of the initial team members. One of the hearts on our team jersey is dedicated to Eric; he passed away in 1999. Eric would sometimes do a 3-states ride for training, and we continue to honor his memory every year with a memorial 3-states ride. We use this ride every year as an opportunity to remember Eric and the contributions he made to XXX Racing and the Chicago cycling community.
Read a tribute to Eric Sprattling by fellow messenger Jeff Benjamin:http://www.ahalenia.com/memorial/esprat.html
(Note: Shortly after we first published this link, the original page was inaccessible for a number of days. You can also access this archived version.)
This year we are using the Eric Sprattling 3-States Ride as a way to keep our teammates and team friends engaged in fun bike rides and also as an opportunity to raise awareness and funding for XXX Racing's FixXxiE Racing Junior Track Program. In 2019, the FixXxiE Racing Junior Track Program was established to provide youths from underserved communities in Chicago with the resources, transportation, and funding they need to race at the Thursday Night Track Racing series at the Ed Rudolph Velodrome in Northbrook from May through September.
NOTE: This is not a group ride. Ride alone or with people in your bubble, mask up, maintain distance, and follow all other required safety precautions related to COVID-19, including stops in neighboring states affected by Chicago's Emergency Travel Order.
There are a number of options for completing the Eric Sprattling Memorial 3-States Ride this year. We know that everyone may not want or be able to do a big, 100+ mile ride at this point in the season/year so we want to give you options. There are three route options in Chicago: the full 150-mile 3 states route, a 100-mile (OK, 111 miles) route to Wisconsin and back, and a 57-mile route to Whiting, Indiana, and back. And if you would like to ride a different route or don't live in Chicago, get creative and plan your own route in Chicago or elsewhere! Teammate Dana Kotler, who lives in Massachusetts, did just that by riding a 122-mile route in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Maybe you want to do a ride on Zwift or your other favorite indoor/virtual cycling platform... great, show us what you got!
Our team is what it is because of a lot of hard work and dedication by a lot of people. Eric Sprattling is one of those people who dedicated himself to the team at the very beginning. Please consider honoring our history and Eric Sprattling’s memory by joining us for the 3-states ride. Again, this is a free event and fundraising is entirely optional.