Hi

This isn't exactly in your neighborhood, but it's close. There's a club I rode with out of Bartlett called Spin Doctor Cycle Werks. It's a LBS shop with mostly men. Many of them race, so if you're looking for a club that will make you hammer, this is your group. They ride out past Elgin on Saturday mornings at 6 AM, off of Randall Rd.

The shop link is: http://spindoctorcyclewerks.com/

The other club I recommend is Athlete's By Design (ABD). They ride in the same area, though a bit further east. They have several men and women racers. Again, not exactly in your hood. But they do a lot of organized team races at the various crits, etc.

http://www.prairiepathcycles.com/Ath...esign/home.htm

I've ridden with both clubs in the past, mostly with the Spin Doctor crew. I recently moved to Oak Park, so I've found a new club closer. I'd say the spin doctor club averages 20-25 mph on their rides, with 30mph+ sprints. The ABD club typically rides a bit faster on average. There are some guys in there that can really move.

Does NIU have a cycle team? You could enroll as a student at large and join that

Hope that helps.