– Welcome to 2011… we hope everyone had a safe, fun, and Happy New Year. From what we’ve seen and heard on the innertubes many of you rang in the new year in style… and then got up early the next morning to ride you bikes… no rest for the wicked!

– We’ve also heard from a few of you that you really miss cyclocross season and can’t wait for September. Well, we won’t disagree with you, but we would like to suggest that you get on your bikes and start training now. Besides the fact that CX Nationals is practically in our backyard (Madison), Masters Worlds isn’t too far away either (Louisville), we’ve seen a boatload of Cat 4’s and Cat 3’s (both men and ladies) upgrading, and there are several new Chicagoland CX projects currently in the works that will extend the season, make it more fun, and faster at the same time. We won’t spill the beans yet, but we’ll post notes as more info becomes available.

– But just in case you’re looking for more CX and a party at the same time, remember the CCC Awards Dinner is this Sunday at noon at EJ’s Place in Skokie. If you plan to attend, please pre-reg here by noon on Friday so EJ and his crew can order enough food. Thanks. We’ll have music, door prizes, and of course CCC cowbells and awards for the overall winners. We hope to see you all there.

– Still need more CX? Look who has a new blog.

– We’re still looking for a full recap of last weekend’s CAMBr Fundraiser which featured Jason McCartney, Christian Vande Velde, John Vande Velde, and Robbie Ventura. But from the few pictures we’ve seen the event was well attended.

– UPDATE: The CCC was mentioned in today’s WBR blog post here.

– And finally, CCC series sponsor The Bonebell has been posting some great content recently, including an interview with Barry Wicks and New Years Toast. While the CCC site sees plenty of traffic during CX season we’ll go dormant in a week or two while some of us ride around in smaller circles on the pavement. So for all your dirty news head on over to see what el Maya, Stiggity, Nevada Dave, DaDoubleG, and Julia Goolia have to say. And if you don’t want your roadie and trackie friends to know you hang out with us CX’ers while they’re watching large men play with oblong balls made of animal hides, keep Chicago Bike Racing open in your browser just in case.