Photo: C. Norris

– Thanks to Robots <3 and the Cuttin’ Crew for another wonderfully muddy Afterglow. Results are on USAC.org here. Special congratulations to Mike Kelley for winning our hearts and minds, and taking Sweet Justice home again for another year.

– If you missed the CCC Awards Party at EJ’s Place on Sunday, well then you missed a good one. Cowbells, schwag, and good cheer. Thanks to everyone who attended and thanks again to everyone for making 2014 yet another memorable year of the Chicago Cyclocross Cup.

– One last thank you to all of the CCC’s 2013 Series Sponsors and in particular our Title Sponsor Iron Cycles for another great season. For those that don’t know, Iron Cycles has recently teamed up with Embrocation Cycling Journal to bring you not only great content but also great products. Check out their website and stay tuned for how ECJ is helping to bring you even more great CX coverage.

– And finally… a letter from Lindsay Knight who not only races fast but is also the Youth Program Coordinator for Blackstone Bicycle Works:

Dear Chicago Cyclocross Community:
As I’m sure many of you have seen, particularly for the past few seasons, the youth racing scene in Chicago is growing by leaps and bounds. Many of those kids that have been racing in the Chicago Cyclocross Cup are active participants at Blackstone Bicycle Works. For those of you that don’t know, Blackstone is a non-profit located on the South Side of Chicago. For those of you already familiar with Blackstone because you’ve seen them tearing it up on the courses these past two years, what you might not be aware of what other services and opportunities Blackstone offers to its participants. Yes, some are our kids race — but more importantly, this organization provides for academic, vocational, and social resources that help set up our participants for lifelong success. In 2013, through our summer and after-school programs, Blackstone Bicycle Works taught almost 200 youths from Woodlawn and the broader South Side to work in a real business, giving them a productive and positive alternative to the streets, and teaching them mechanics and business skills as they participate in the civic life of the bike shop and Experimental Station. Many of our kids have now been with the bike shop for 3-6 years. As they look forward to graduating from high school, we are now helping them choose career paths and apply to college and vocational schools.
We are facing a monetary shortfall this year because a few of the grants we had been depending on recently fell through. If any of you would like to help support Blackstone please visit our website experimentalstation.org/donate or contact me directly (Lindsay Knight [email protected]).
Thanks for all the cheering and support that as community you’ve already provided for these kids!
Happy Holidays to you and yours,
Lindsay Knight
Youth Program Coordinator, Blackstone Bicycle Works
Heritage Race Club