“Save the ‘Drome ‘Cross Madness,” a fund-raiser for the endangered Ed Rudolph Velodrome in Northbrook, Illinois, kicks off on Sunday, November 23, at the Anets Golf Course.

The velodrome may be forced to close after the 2004 season if improvements are not made. The Northbrook Park District, which owns the facility, has offered to fund half the project, if the local cycling community can raise approximately $150,000.

The November 23 fund-raiser kicks off at 9 a.m. with a “steeple ‘cross” running race that will use the same course as the subsequent cyclo-cross races, which begin at 10 a.m. and end with the “Dirty Double ‘Cross,” a two-person, one-bike format in which one teammate runs while the other rides, with bike exchanges at various points on the course.

There will be no prize money awarded – all proceeds will go to the Save the Velodrome Fund.

The event is sponsored by the Northbrook Bicycle Club. For more information and a race flyer, see www.dafinc.com/bike.htm. For more about the Northbrook Cycling Committee and its reserve fund, see www.northbrookvelodrome.com.