Tuesday CCC Updates
October 27, 2009
- Big thanks again to Jim Nowak and ABD for putting on another great race (with even better weather) in Bartlett… the CCC’s 2nd largest race of 2010 by # of riders. If any of you web geeks are counting… the CCC site had over 6,000 page views yesterday (our highest one day total). We should start advertising…
- Up next is the St. Charles / Campton CCC race hosted by Bicycle Heaven. This race showcases more elevation gain than any other CCC race and a fun wooded section with drainage bars that always keep things interesting. Keeping with this year’s theme of surprises, promoter Rob Kelley tells us he and Bicycle Heaven will have a few fun things in store for everyone. The course will be similar to last year with a few new twists, and a great spectating area near the playground (let’s see what name you all can come up with for the this week). Check back Friday for the usual preview.
- Also don’t forget about the special Halloween callups this weekend in St. Charles. Here’s another idea for you.
- Don’t forget that Rob Curtis (from the St. Charles neck of the woods) is building, renting, and selling nice carbon CX wheels with tires already glued. Check him out at http://www.psimet.com and his blog here.
- Before heading out to St. Charles, make sure to check out IIT’s Swap and Hop this Saturday. For the “Swap” bring old bikes and parts and pick up something new… or at least new to you. If you’re a vendor go here. For the “Hop” the clinic is being run by coach Randy Warren and online pre-registration (for the clinic) is open until Friday at 6pm. Randy will be covering lots of great CX knowledge including bike handling, training, & tactics. See Randy’s full schedule here.
- USAC has announced preliminary call-up info for nationals. CX Magazine has it posted here.
- A quick note on spectating at CCC events… We want everyone to have a great time and we ourselves enjoy watching the level of enthusiasm all riders have brought to this year’s series. However our (and everyone else’s) first concern is/should be the safety of all riders. Dollar bill, $2 bill, $20 bill, hotdog, bacon, and yes, even X-Box game hand-ups are okay… but spectators should never, ever, ever interfere with a rider’s forward movement during their race. CX is supposed to be fun, so get close, get in riders’ faces, heckle all you want… but under no circumstances are glass, metal, or dangerous objects allowed on the course at any time. Glass is okay directly next to the course if said glass is wrapped around a carbonated beverage, perhaps from a local business. You all have been doing a great job so far, so let’s just keep it clean, fun, and enjoyable for everyone involved. The last thing we want is to send someone to the hospital with a lawn-dart stuck in their leg.
- Don’t forget to vote for you favorite CCC t-shirt design in the side bar on the right (==>) or in the original post here. Voting polls are open until midnight this Saturday (10/31/09).
- The Hilton Indian Lakes CCC race is fast approaching. Race promoter and South Chicago Wheelman VP Mike Kelly (better known as Super Girl) sent us this tentative list of extras to expect. Indian Lakes will be the 2nd (and final) new CCC venue for 2010 and already sounds like a ton fun… before we even see the course.
- All Day, all you can eat buffet for $13.95. This won’t be a crap buffet your grandfather would like, but good food: burgers, chicken, soup, fruit. Probably open at 11 AM and go to about 6 PM.
- $2 Pints of Fat Tire Ale (New Belgium Brewery is a sponsor of the event).
- Room rates $79. Up to 5 people can stay in one room at no extra charge. Roll away beds provided at no extra charge. Contact the hotel here and let them know you’re with the CCC. Room rates apply for Friday or Saturday night… so spend the night before the race and sleep in on Saturday, or keep the party going after the race and avoid driving home in the dark. At least one CCC director will be spending the night on Saturday and wouldn’t mind hanging out with some CX’ers.
- Outdoor patio seating with open fire pits burning all day long.
- Indoor heated pool. All ages welcome. Drop off the kiddies at the pool and double up… err, make sure someone’s watching them before you race!
- Indoor locker room. Change in the warmth. Take a shower after your race.
- Spa, including steam room and jacuzzi. Real nice after a long day of racing.
- Christian Vande Velde autographed jersey raffle; as well as other prizes. All proceeds to benefit the SCW Junior Development Program.
- Live Band. Probably start at 3ish and playing until 6ish.
- Here’s three last pics from “Heckle Hill” at last weekend’s Bartlett / Sunrise Park race…
Timeless… there are so many things that are right about this photo… the anticipation, the excitement, the cheering, the clapping, the bullhorn, the teddy bear, the SuperGirl… every single person in this photo can’t wait to see the next rider make it up the hill or fall down trying. But the great thing is it doesn’t matter either way what happens… everyone will cheer no matter what!
Photo: Luke Seeman
Case in point…
Photo: Luke Seemann
And finally… then there’s this guy (sorry we still don’t know your name yet Greg Teiber) who has participated in every CCC race this season. He doesn’t win… he’s not even close… he was wearing jeans and a flannel button-down shirt until Barlett… but he’s having a great time… and so is everyone else. Look at all of those cowbells, look at all of those arms in the air… look at the excitement on SuperGirl’s face… hell, look at the sheer giddiness on everyone’s face… this is what makes CX racing our little party each and every Sunday afternoon… and we hope you’ll all be there next week!
Mike, great story. 10lbs in 20 days is like The Biggest Loser! Welcome to cyclocross.
Dave
Flannel Mike, that was me cheering you on around C-ville!
Keep it up. See you at St. Charles.
-Scott
haha WHAT YOU GOT AGAINST LAWN DARTS, LUKE?
Oh man I love this sport!! See you all at St Charles.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dave_in_motion/4024413670/in/set-72157622614271482/
Hey guys,thanks for all the words of support and encouragement both on and off the course. Some background on me: On Oct 10th I turned 31 stepped on the scale and realized I was in the worst shape of my life, 35 lbs, almost no physical activity aside from activities with my kids, and an aweful diet. I realized that if I didn’t change something soon I would be saying the same thing on my 32nd, and my 40th. A few days later I heard about cyclocross and decided I was going to change my life. Less then a week later, and with less then 2 hours on my bike over the previous 2 years, I showed up “ready” to race at Dan Ryan Park. When I got to the top of that run up I felt like my heart was going to explode, I had no idea what I had gotten myself into. I made that run up twice but ulimately didn’t finish, which I was very frustrated about, I also realized how bad my conditioning was, since I wasn’t even able to push hard enough to make myself sore the next day. The following week I was determined to train hard enough to finish the race at carpentersville. 50 minutes on the epliptical daily, tight diet, and I hooked up with Lou and the great guys from Pony Shop for their practice sessions. I got to carpentersville earlier, pre-rode all the obsticales, and felt much more prepaired for the race. Carpentersville went much better, although I got lapped about midway through the second lap, I finished. The training was working, instead of my heart exploding it felt like my legs were going to fall off. I have to take a moment to say a HUGE THANK YOU to the guy loading his car that saw me completely out of gas by the tripple baricade at c-ville, jumped on his bike, rode along the course with me, and cheered me on all the way to the back hill section. I don’t know who you were, but you were my hero that day. After C-ville I was commited to building my endurance. My goal is to be able to maintain a pace for the entire race. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to come out to bartlett last sunday, but I’ve been training hard, I’ve lost 10 lbs in 20 days, and I’m getting my endurance up every week. I still have a long way to go, but if it was easy it wouldn’t be worth doing.
I’ll see you guys at St. Charles, and I’ll be fighting the whole way for that PBR!
That’s what we’re talking about! Good luck Mike.
Mike, keep it up dude!!! You can do it! I know first hand – this was me in 2001: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_WISd-bqW_XY/ST31CfU0J9I/AAAAAAAAAsI/Kyw1fyVmC8A/s1600-h/Picture.jpg
Who would’ve thought 8 years later I’d be 80 pounds less and Cat 3 cyclist?! Do it.
Mike, I was ~320lb in 2003 and had a similar epiphany. I hope that you’re able to find similar satisfaction and results from cycling.
Also – if you start breaking stuff, feel free to ask me about durability before you buy replacements. I’ve broken one of everything (except a stem) on a bike.
Greg, it seemed to me like you have a challenge from WALID, and I’m definitly shooting for the Doritos…
It was great to read your story, but let me add something I noticed at Bartlet. During the second lap, first quarter of the way, that was when you passed me and after that I was just trying to catch up. But the best part was at the end, through out the whole race you never got up on your bike until the last turn. I was up on my bike trying to catch you, when on the last 50 feet of the race you got up and started HAULING ASS, I figured you must have seen me coming, and that is what I call “FINISHING HARD”, I take my HELMET off to you for that finish. I’ll see you and every one else at St Charles.
Greg, if you beat both Rodrigo and Flannel Mike at St Charles, Van Wagner is going to donate a $100 bucks to the Cutting Cruiser trust fund.
One condition: other than the required heckling…. the couch people are not allowed to ‘interfere’ with Mike and Rodrigo during the race !!
Also,
If Mike beats you he gets a can of PBR.
If Rodrigo beats you he gets a bag of doritos.
If they both beat you they have to share their winnings with you.
If anyone of you three DNF’s nobody gets anything.
Thanks all for coming out to Bartlett!!! It was really great seeing everyone go nuts on what will now affectionately be called “Heckle Hill”. Typically I race the first two races in the AM and then head home for family stuff, but having to stick around and watch the 4s race was really cool. You are really the backbone of the CCC series.
Hopefully everyone had a great time. I know that there were a few people who are now the walking wounded (myself included). Heal up quickly because I know St. Charles will be “fun”.
We are already planning on next year’s race. We plan to have food out there next year. We didn’t get the proper permits to be able to do that and we now know what we need to do (always a learning experience).
Thanks again. See you on Sunday.
Greg that is really a great story! One thing that I notice when I see you is that you always have a huge smile on your face and thats awesome man. No matter how much pain or torture we go through in that 30 minutes of hell you always look like your having fun and thats what cycling is all about. Keep doing what your doing! Hope to see you at the races!
Yeah, Greg, thanks for chipping in. You and Rodrigo have certainly been the talk of the series! I find your commitment incredibly inspirational. One of the lasting memories I’ll take from my first cross season is the sight you of you puking(?) at the top of the Dan Ryan run-up on my 3rd lap…and then seeing you finish. Keep it up man!
Greg, that is an awesome backstory!! I’m actually in your races with you, this is my first yr doing cross so it’s a new racing variation to me. Thank you for sharing! It immediately took me back to my memories of my first bike races years gone by.
My team mates and I enjoy seeing you race week in and week out with that big smile every time no matter how hard it is or where you are. Thats what racing bikes is about. Thanks for the reminder.
Hey I’m famous! Well… that guy in blue is me. Greg Teiber.
I suppose there’s a little story to tell. The guy in jeans and a flannel is mike? I think. But you’d have to ask Rodrigo that. The guy who crested the hill just before me was Rodrigo.
I rode in jackson park. Rodrigo was at the race watching, because one of his friends suggested it. He saw me riding, and decided “if he can do it, so can I.” And after dekalb, he did.
It was cold, I was spaced out from a party the night before. Rodrigo came up to me at Dan Ryan woods, and said something that creeped me out a little at first. “Hey man, you know, you’re my inspiration for being at this race.” Who am I to reject a friendly comment, soon after we were off and racing. Turns out the spaciness wasn’t just party remenants, I was coming down with the flu.
Cue carpentersville. Where Rodrigo introduced me to Mike. The man in the flannel and jeans. Sick as I was, I wasn’t going to miss the racing. I was there as everyone piled into the first hairpin. And I think I still had company when I crossed the creek the first time. The whole time I was able to keep Mike and Rodrigo at least in my field of view, if not someone I could catch.
And then came bartlet. I am still no master of clipless pedals, so the man in black got the jump on me. I got past him again somewhere after the barriers, and he returned the favor in the back field. His family was waiting for him right after the finish line. We were all yelling at him to put some distance on. I don’t remember where the final pass happened, but I led most of the second lap. Not by nearly as much as I’d have liked.
I hope to see him at st. charles. I hope to see mike too. I hope to see all of you. The gym and trainer are starting to get on a first name basis with me, and i’m not sure if they have my best interests in mind.