• Here we go! The 11th and final event in the 2018 Chicago Cyclocross Cup and the 2018 Illinois State CX Championships Presented by Rapha at Montrose Harbor hosted by Spidermonkey Cycling and Ten27 Cycling Club!
  • Online pre-reg on BikeReg closes tonight. Preliminary staging will be posted here.
  • In order to win a USAC State Champion jersey you must be:
    • A USAC annual license holder
    • An Illinois resident per your driver’s license or state issued ID (or passport)
    • A citizen of these great United States of America
  • The Masters 45+/55+ starting wave is closed and has gone on a waitlist. We will follow the waitlist protocol described at the bottom of the this page. Remember we cannot charge your credit card at the venue so please bring money. Waitlisted riders who prereg online and make it into a race will still be staged by their CrossResults.com points. Riders registering Day Of will be staged at the back of the pack. So make sure to pre-reg for the Waitlist if your category is closed.
  • A reminder from One2Go to please, please, please pin your number properly (see the image below) and put any long hair up in pony tails. If One2Go can’t see your bib number you won’t be scored properly. Great LEFT SIDE Example
  • Also, since this is the State Championship our USAC officials will be pulling riders out of contention early at the finish line. If you are told you are being finished early, please exit the course, you will be scored appropriately. Thanks!
  • The weather looks great but be mindful that the wind off the lake is no joke, so please secure your tents.
  • George Armstrong will be at the event taking rider portraits. Have a look at his work from the Intelligentsia Cup this summer.
  • Here’s your friendly reminder that Montrose Harbor is a public city park where people who might have no idea what cyclocross is might be wandering through. Yes we’ll be celebrating another great season of cyclocross with drinks and food and more dranks, but please be on your best behavior and show the city what a classy bunch we are.
  • Thanks to our generous sponsors for helping make the Illinois State Cyclocross Championships presented by Rapha Chicago possible:
  • Speaking of Rapha Chicago, pre-reg riders should head there on Saturday to get your bib number early and enjoy free refreshments while talking smack with that person just ahead of you on the overall — as well as getting 25% off purchases (which may be necessary depending on the weather!). Please RSVP to let them know you are coming for food planning. And it should go without saying, make sure you put bib number somewhere safe. If you lose your number between Saturday night and Sunday we may not have a extra number for you.
  • Speaking of food, there will be THREE food truck options this year with Big Mama’s soul food, Aztec Daves tacos and the Chicago Pizza Boss, so come hungry.
  • And come thirsty as Heritage General Store will be on site early with COFFEETS and then adding BOOZE at 11:00 a.m. with Larry’s at Lawrence House hosting a beer/cocktail garden, including beers, pre-made cocktails and Malort/Fernet bumps!!! (Oh my.)
  • And now let us pause for a message from the fun police … ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY NO HAND-UPS OR DRINKING/BRINGING ALCOHOL OUTSIDE OF THE BEER GARDEN AREA. It is placed next to the course on Simonds Drive for your viewing pleasure, but we CANNOT have any alcohol outside of the designated area. We knowwwwwww it will be SO TEMPTING to hand a Malört shot to that teammate passing by who is begging you for it, but RULES IS RULEZ. Seriously, Spidermonkey and Heritage had to jump through many hoops to make this happen (including one on fire) and we want to be able to do this in years to come. Please, help us help you.
  • Speaking of alcohol, the park is a Chicago Park District property and alcohol is by default not allowed.
  • Simonds Drive is closed to thru-traffic and parking within the barricades is restricted to officials, food trucks, Autobarn Volvos/VWs, porta-pottie deliveries and the like. Regular parking will be along Simonds Drive and Montrose Drive, entering and exiting the way you came in. Per the Park District, NO PARKING ON THE GRASS, ANYWHERE! Please adhere to volunteer requests regarding your vehicle parking and movement.
  • Speaking of parking, parking spaces within the barricades (near the finish) are again available on BikeReg to help defray increased permit costs. Entry is from either side on Simonds drive — check in with the nice volunteers and show your receipt. (If you have a trailer please count that as a second space).
  • Equipment drop-off on Sunday will ONLY be allowed before the turn-around on the south-end of Simonds Drive near the staging grid, and the driver must remain with the vehicle to expedite unloading and keep traffic flowing, just like at the airport  It’s usually a high-volume operation at the same time so help your teammates.
  • In addition teams are welcome, nay encouraged, to drop tents and other large items on Saturday afternoon! There is hired security for overnight watch (though of course SMC, et al. cannot take responsibility for what things like the weather could do to items left overnight so make sure it’s secured/tied down). And hey, stick around to lend a helping hand with course setup!
  • New this year, CCC racer Maria Larkin is hosting Doggocross to support Team PAWS! What is Doggocross? It’s a 3-lap time trial with you and your doggo. The fastest team will be crowned the official 2018 Doggocross champions and will receive some PAWS goodies. Starting at 10:00 a.m., it’s $5 per attempt and you can try as many times as you like. PAWS volunteers will also be on hand to take your donations if your doggo is not available to assist you to glory. Or you can donate directly to Maria’s page.
  • Kiddie Cross at 2:15pm weather permitting.
  • We understand the desire to pre-ride, especially with so many CCC’ers living nearby. However, we kindly request you DO NOT RIDE the course this week, especially on Saturday, to enable course construction AND to keep it in nice condition for game day. Again, drop the bike and pick up some course stakes and tape to help — it takes a village!
  • Once again the course is a similar footprint to previous years, but as has become custom, the direction will be reversed (now clockwise), so Cricket Hill comes before the sand dunes. However, Spidermonkey has included a fun tough short long sand trough before the hill to whet your appetites. 
  • The Junior 9-14 and Men & Women’s Cat 4/5‘s will have a cut-off section to bypass some sand sections. Please be considerate while the course is being constructed on Saturday.