Since Harper's inception, there has always been a finishing sprint--upon the re-entrance to the Village of Hoffman Estates on Ela Road, just north of Algonquin Road. This finishing sprint is deceptively long. The final kilometer is a long drag, which climbs a two-part hill before becoming flat at the top. At this point, though, there are still about 400 meters to go, yet nearly everyone begins sprinting. The final 150 meters to the line are actually downhill! Along this whole section, the pavement continues to the right of the white line, complete with rumble strip sections to jar the fat-tubed aluminum bicycles.

This final sprint has witnessed its share of near-misses as traffic comes at 45 miles per hour in the opposite direction. Of course, the occasional car even passes from behind! Invariably, in the heat of a June sprint, riders will cross the yellow line, looking for the fastest way to the "finish."

Over the past decade another sprint has also developed on Harper. The InterHarper sprint takes place as riders throw themselves toward Lake-Cook Road with the sprint concluding at the green Lake-Cook Road sign. The InterHarper sprint likely developed because it is preceded by one of Harper's two fastest descents. This descent is followed by a tiny, but steep, climb. Riders feel far more powerful on this climb than they actually are as they power over the climb in their big chainring, using the momentum from the previous descent to "fly" over the hill. (Larger riders have been known to "get air" over this hill.) As the little climb is crested, riders can see Lake-Cook Road in the distance, and the InterHarper sprint begins. Of course, the InterHarper sprint is followed by the next section of the HarperRide, "The Hills."