If you’re new to cycling and enjoyed the inaugural Tour of Missouri, you might like the area racing circuit, which starts Saturday with the Hillsboro-Roubaix in Hillsboro, Ill. — about 65 miles north of St. Louis off of Interstate 55.

The event, which is sanctioned by USA Cycling, features men’s and women’s races, as well as masters and juniors. The racing starts at 11 a.m. with the Elite Cat Pro/1/2 men heading out for an 88-mile race, which is four trips around the 22-mile circuit. The juniors are the last to go off, at 11:36 a.m. 

This is a cool event in a picturesque Illinois town, with cobbles … not as extreme as Parix-Roubaix, mind you, but cobbles just the same. 

For more information and directions, visit the Hillsboro-Roubaix site.

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