Board Member Profile: Race Director

Meet our 2015 NCC Board of Directors! We will profile each of the board members throughout the off season. Wanna know something specific? Shoot us an email!

VAL BROSTROM

Team/Club
Bouledogue Tout Noir

How did you get into cycling?
I started doing alleycats in Chicago in the early 2000s and found that I was pretty good at them, although horrible at navigation, and loved the competitive nature and going fast. I started "real" racing in 2007 and did just about everything, road, crits, track, and even brevets. I love going fast and have a short attention span, so I naturally gravitated to track racing and pretty much do that exclusively these days. 

Most memorable track experience
Racing the Men's 1/2 State Madison with Aram a few years back, Franco did the entire race solo and finished, he was such a champ on and off the bike.  

Favorite track
Oh that's tough. I think all tracks are unique and fun in their own right but I think the best mix of community and unique has to be the Alpenrose Velodrome in Portland OR. 

Favorite things about Northbrook Velodrome
We have one of the most competitive weekly racing programs across all categories in the country. I love our community, it's really supportive and fun. 

NCC goals for 2015
Continue the tradition of high quality racing, bring national talent to our weekly racing, have more record attempts to get some of our local names up on the record board. Also try to get Josh to finally race a Madison with me!

Favorite Thursday Night of racing
10 mile and Madison nights

Favorite snack
Avocados and cheese

Off the bike skills/interests
Josh and I are involved with animal rescue and are failed dog fosters. We rescued 4 dogs in Texas and all moved back with us to Chicago. I think they're confused by the city but they're settling in well. 

Board Member Profile: Sponsorship Director

Meet our 2015 NCC Board of Directors! We will profile each of the board members throughout the off season. Wanna know something specific? Shoot us an email!

ARAM BAYZAEE

Team Club
PACT

How did you get into cycling? 
BMX racing as a kid

Most memorable track experience
Too many to count. But the training days with my team are the best times. No racing, just hard efforts and the meals afterwards.

Favorite track
Indy and TTown

Favorite things about Northbrook Velodrome
The track, the community, the schools and the Track.

NCC goals for 2015
Strong starts. Faster 200m times. Strong results for Nationals in SC.

Favorite Thursday Night of racing
Keirin and Miss n' Out nights

Favorite Snack
M&M's

Off the bike skills/interests
Carpentry. Cool Cars. Building stuff.

Board Member Profile: Government Relations Director

Meet our 2015 NCC Board of Directors! We will profile each of the board members throughout the off season. Wanna know something specific? Shoot us an email!

MARK HARRIS

Team Club
Garner Northbrook Bicycle Club

How did you get into cycling? 
I started racing on Friday nights at ERV on my road bike after graduating from college.

Most memorable track experience
I can't remember much at my age.

Favorite track
ERV - I've never ridden anywhere else.  I really love track racing!

Favorite things about Northbrook Velodrome
Most everything but the Park District.

NCC goals for 2015
Patch the cracks!

Favorite Thursday Night of racing
Any Thursday when it rains May - Sept.

Favorite Snack
Chocolate

Off the bike skills/interests
Ice hockey - play, officiate, coach
Downhill ski - Wilmot Mtn Ski Patrol
Saying ""NO!"" to Elle and Asher.
Being affectionate towards Heather.
Walking Olivia.
EMS

Board Member Profile: Vice President

Meet our 2015 NCC Board of Directors! We will profile each of the board members throughout the off season. Wanna know something specific? Shoot us an email!

MATTHEW FOX

Team Club
George Garner Cycling Track Team

How did you get into cycling? 
As a youngster I enjoyed riding and being outside, at some point my parents brought me to the Friday night Stock bike races and I've been hooked ever since.

Most memorable track experience
Track racing has given me so many memories over the years its hard to select just one. Racing in Trinidad was a blast. I met Eddy Merckx while racing in Belgium. But the travel and races wouldn't be the same without all the friends made along the way.

Favorite track
Barquisimeto Velodrome, Venezuela (250 Concrete)

Favorite things about Northbrook Velodrome
I like that the Northbrook Velodrome has a unique identity. It may not fit the UCI standard build, but our big flat track has been fostering some of the best racing not only in the Midwest but nationwide for decades.

NCC goals for 2015
The overall goal, as I see it, is to continuously improve the racer experience at Northbrook. We are always looking to capitalize on last year's progression. As a small group of volunteers the NCC board members are all required to take on many roles. There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes in order to make a Thursday night run smoothly, not to mention a whole season.

Favorite Thursday Night of racing
Keirin Night

Favorite Snack
Love Thai food

Off the bike skills/interests
My off the bike interests include: cooking, camping, scuba diving and traveling

Board Member Profile: Communications Director

Meet our 2015 NCC Board of Directors! We will profile each of the board members throughout the off season. Wanna know something specific? Shoot us an email!

Photo credit: Chandler West/22nd Century Media

Photo credit: Ed White

Roderick Renato DeJesus

Team Club
Tati Team Club Track Squad

How did you get into cycling? 
I got into cycling because I didn't want to pay for the CTA passes I'd have to purchase once I graduated college and lost my Upass. I started out on a schwinn varsity that didn't fit me and eventually meandered into singlespeeds, and then fixed gears, then track bikes and road racing. 

Most memorable track experience
Probably that time I crashed at the cvc in front of a bunch of people I had just met.

Seriously though, the most memorable track experience was my first time doing a track clinic with Kevin Perez. Marie Snyder drove me out to the track with a bike I had just built, and I got to sprint my lil heart out and realize how awesome track racing can be. I also met one of my best friends, Nate Miller that night.

Favorite track
Northbrook is pretty swell. 

Favorite things about Northbrook Velodrome
The community is nice and welcoming, I've never felt like I didn't belong. Thursday night racing, hanging out in the infield munching on snacks while watching all the racing going on is probably my favorite thing about summer. 

NCC goals for 2015
My main goal I guess is to make everything more accessible, to help get new people out to the clinics and then the racing nights. I want to help make the racing the best it can be. 

Favorite Thursday Night of racing
Keirin Night!

Favorite Snack
It's a toss up between slices of pizza and entire pizza.

Off the bike skills/interests
I'm a painter/illustrator. My work can be found at www.theroderick.com. I'm also into eating. Its pretty much my favorite thing to do.

New Website!

While you're training hard in the off-season, we've been celebrating 2015 with a new website!

Please be patient as we migrate all of the data from the previous website (including results from the 90's!!!). If there are any issues you see, let us know ASAP.

If there is anything you'd like to see showcased, leave a comment below. We love constructive feedback.

Special thanks to Ed White for being so charitable with his beautiful photographs. Ed - you rule!