About Us

North Branch Cycling (NBC) is an Illinois non-profit organization, which promotes bicycle racing in Illinois and the Midwest. Formed in 1998, The team's name comes from the North Branch Bicycle Trail, located in the northern Chicago-Metro area. NBC members are active in road, mountain bike, cyclocross and time-trial racing. Since 1998, members of NBC have often placed among the top 10 in road, mountain bike and cyclocross races.

Our team's mission is to raise the profile of the sport of bicycle racing in the Chicagoland area, and develop our members' racing abilities while keeping the sport fun. The goal of this web site is to provide a destination for our members, sponsors, and the public to learn and exchange information about racing events in the Midwest.

The character of North Branch Cycling has always been focused on camaraderie and our passion for serious cycling. Many of our racers are here simply to enjoy a few hard club rides a week and are the quintessential weekend warrior types. Our more laid back members enter two to five races a year and show up to support the team at races whenever they can. Along the way, we’ve become a very close knit bunch of guys and gals that treat each other more like family than teammates. We have a few special gatherings a year just to have fun and we put on a mock "King of the Hill" race for special team member only awards.

For 2007, we’ve put in place two new squads to augment the teams’ performance and provide a resource for our dedicated racers to achieve more serious goals. Our Elite Squad is composed of Cat 1-2, and a select few Cat 3 and Master racers. Certain exclusive benefits accrue to those members dedicated enough to earn Elite Squad status at North Branch. Our Cat 4/5 Squad is made up of those entry level racers who are willing to work hard as a unit to focus on structured training and will target specific goals and races throughout the racing season. Being a member of our Cat 4/5 Squad will be the best way to "Cat up" to the threes.

North Branch Cycling has membership plans geared to individuals, families, Elite Squad members, and Juniors racers as well. If you are interested in joining us and want to receive more information contact us HERE. We'll help you decide if North Branch Cycling would be a good fit for you.