{image1}The Tour de France. It's halfway around the world, but somehow Milwaukeeans have allowed it to overshadow the cycling event happening in their own backyards.

The 35th International Cycling Classic comes to a close July 25, but it's time our city becomes familiar with the oldest and longest-running multi-category pro cycling race in the United States. And who better to learn from than "the voice of Super Week" himself, Eddy Van Guyse, who's been announcing this race for 26 years.

"I've got to constantly try to explain to people that the types of riders we have here are not second-class professionals, they are first class," says Van Guyse, who is an accomplished cyclist himself. "We get these young professionals, 18, 19, 20 years of age, and years later they're in the Tour de France as a fully developed man that is contending.

"We've had something like 11 guys who've ridden here in Wisconsin and worn the yellow jersey in the Tour de France, take Lance (Armstrong) for instance," he adds.

It's 17 days straight of pro bike races all over the Milwaukee area, from East Troy to De Pere, and even down to Illinois. The races range from 30 minutes to 100K, and there are even some for kids.

"It's a gem in the rough," says Andy Garrison who helps plan the classic. Although, it's much improved since its debut as a single race at Summerfest in 1969.

It was Otto Wenz -- owner of the Downer Sentry, now replaced by Osco -- who realized the race's success and decided to add another, and then another, to the lineup. Wenz was inducted into the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame in 1999 (second from left in above photo).

"It started with Summerfest, and then it just grew," Van Guyse says. "When it finally became a seven-day event, I guess he decided to call it Super Week."

Just as the classic has gained appreciation over the years, so has the eminence of the sport. "Obviously we're not going to take away our audience from our national past times like baseball, football, basketball, which get a lot more television coverage than our sport of cycling."

But "It certainly has grown in popularity, and I'm not going to make any predictions, but there's a lot of people who love cycling."

And spectators love cycling almost as much as foreigners love coming to the Milwaukee area to ride. "When you talk to the Germans, the Belgiums, the Italians, the French, everybody who comes here, the South Americans come here, the Kiwis, the Aussies, people from all parts of the world, we have Koreans here, Japanese racers. They're all happy to be here," Van Guyse says.

The Midwestern landscape and gracious host families who house the riders are what make the foreign cyclists feel at home, says Van Guyse.

"Milwaukee has been wonderful. The people are not only great cycling fans but the hospitality," he says. "What an opportunity to learn about other cultures.

"I think it's a wonderful thing where foreign riders can learn something about American families, and American families can learn about some other cultures," Van Guyse adds.

But more than just the host families intermingle with the cyclists. "There is wonderful interaction between the riders and the spectators," Van Guyse says. "There have even been a bunch of guys who've gotten married. They come from Europe, and they marry Wisconsin girls. There are love stories that are born here."

OK, not all the riders find the love of their lives at the International Cycling Classic, but many build relations with their fans. "After the race, there are autographs and pictures," he says. "Kids are coming up, and the riders are always talking, they're not in a hurry to leave."

So what kind of work goes into these photo-finish races of 200-pound men flashing around turns at 35 mph? Plenty, Van Guyse says.

But lucky for him, "I have an easy job, I just have to speak from my heart," he says. "When I see riders from 20 countries, this year we have three world champions, two from Argentina and one from New Zealand, and you see these great pro racers, and I have to stand there on the mic and describe to you the awesome action that these great athletes are performing."

He couldn't ask for more. Well, almost.

Van Guyse says, "I think the future of this event is missing one huge sponsor. My dream is to see that big sponsor, and every day watch the television and the Tour de France and see, 'Now, let's take a look at some of the young stars in America's longest pro race taking place in Wisconsin,' and do a half-hour show every day doing a recap. That's my dream, and I think this race can reach that dream!"