Local streets were closed and swept clear of any loose rubble last weekend, as hundreds of cyclists competed in several races on the streets of Champaign and Urbana for the second year of the Tour de CU.

The two-day racing event had more competition than last year, with over 400 cyclists participating, said Jeff Grant, co-owner of Fluid Events, which helps organize the race.

Cyclists raced for the best placement, time and over $11,000 in award money. The highest individual prize was $600 for first place in the category 1/2 race.

Volunteers used leaf blowers and push brooms to clear the course of any objects that could cause the cyclists to wipe out and placed bales of hay in front of street sign poles, just in case an accident did happen.

Dan Hiller, representing the AeroCat bicycle company of Portland, Ind., was among those who set up their teams’ tents along First Street, just south of the iHotel in Champaign on Saturday.

Hiller said he was competing in both Saturday’s Tour de Champaign — a rectangular course running through the streets of Research Park — and Sunday’s Urbana Grand Prix — a course with left and right turns through the streets of downtown Urbana — in the weekend’s category 3 races.

Fellow Big Ten school Purdue University was represented at the races. During her first visit to the Champaign-Urbana area, Natalie Smith, graduate student at Purdue and member of her university’s cycling club, competed both days, earning third place in the women’s category 3/4 on Sunday.

Like the growing number of participants, Grant said the event reached out to more businesses this year to provide sponsorship for the event, such as local radio stations. He added that he would like to see the event continue to grow in the future.

“We hope it becomes more of an annual event,” he said.