– Back for his 3rd year in a row Dr. James Kearns along with the crew from Psimet Custom Wheels brings us this year’s 8th stop in the Chicago Cyclocross Cup at Emricson Park in Woodstock, IL. The race’s full name is actually the Ed Brophy Memorial Cross for Life race in memory of Ed Brophy who lost his battle with cancer. 100% of all proceeds from race entries go towards Leukemia and Cancer Research.

– Just a reminder that Dr. Kearns is a naprapath which is a doctor that specializes in treating muscle and skeletal pain. So if you’re hurting after Sunday’s race, see the Dr’s website.

– We’ve received reports there is a bit of construction on Rt 47 through Huntley. Dr. Kearns tells us the best bet is to exit I90 on Randall Road (North), left (West) on Algonquin Rd, right (North) on Route 47 into the town of Woodstock. A left on Lake Ave and another left on South St should lead you right to Emricson Park (on your right). Once you get to the park, there is plenty of parking (see map below) so please use it.

– Please pay attention when you are racing and entering the park in your car. There are 4 (four) road crossings on the course and while there will be course marshals at each crossing, but please look both ways before crossing. Better safe than sorry.

– Registration this year will again be in a tent next to the Start/Finish. There will still be heated restrooms in the warming hut, but Dr. Kearns has added two porta potties near the main parking lot next to reg/start/finish for all your “last minute” needs. The food tent will also be back again with pizza will be served from 11am to 3pm.

– Dr. Kearns reminds us again that alcohol is prohibited in Woodstock parks, so if you’re going to sneak it in, keep it under wraps. We don’t think anyone wants the CCC to lose a venue because of a silly thing like a can of Old Style. So please be on your best behavior… which also means do NOT leave evidence like a mini keg on the ground next to the trash can… take it home and recycle it!

– We’ve already had out little chat about hand ups, so we won’t discuss it again here.

– The weather forecast looks exceptional again, so don’t forget your sun screen! However, remember to change your clocks Saturday night before you go to bed. With going off of day light savings the sun will set in a real hurry after the 4B’s race… so we ask that if you’re just hanging around after the race, please help us tear down the course so we’re not cleaning up in the dark.

– Congratulations to Magnum PI Dan Pollard for being the first person to have his picture taken in front of the CCC’s 2010 billboard. Dan races in the 4’s and will receive a call up after the top 10 in the overall standings. Big thanks again to Van Wagner, Chip Williams, Luke Seemann, and of course the lovely Kristina Young from Iron Cycles for letting us use her picture on the billboard.

– We’re still collecting donations for World Bicycle Relief on each race’s BikeReg.com page… but if you have even more extra change stuck in your couch, check out the WBR Superbike Raffle. Just $5 puts your name in the pot to win this sweet ride, the winner of which will be announced by Johan Bruyneel on Twitter this Saturday, November 6th from Zambia. All proceeds go (of course) to WBR.

– Speaking of proceeds going to WBR… yes, we’ll have the 2010 series t-shirts at the race this weekend. REKLAIM Apparel will be on site distributing shirts for everyone who bought them online. Our friends at RELKAIM are donating 100% of all profits to the CCC’s WBR donation drive.

– The Course: The Woodstock course the past two years has been very spread out, basically tracing the outline of Emricson Park. For 2010 we’ve taken steps to keep the course more contained and spectator friendly but removing the NW and NE sections of the course. However, with so much delicious terrain (read: hills) it will still be a suffer-fest. We’d like to remind everyone that there are some sections on the far West side of the course that are quite a ways away from everything else… so CX rules still apply. If you suffer a mechanical you must go forward on the course and you cannot cut across the park. The wheel/bike pit will be in the same location as last year… just beyond the S/F, and the course will still run clock-wise (so numbers on the left). The course now also has a double sand pit, and potentially and off camber toilet bowl/spiral. The last 1/2 mile or so should again provide the most excitement for spectators with the up hill barrier(s), lots off-camber sections, twists, and turns, and yes… HILLS! As always, the course map below is subject to change on race day.