• Spidermonkey and Half Acre cycling clubs are excited to bring Montrose Harbor/Beach back! Please read the info below for some important notes. #MontroseCX
  • Preliminary staging will be posted here on Saturday morning. We want everyone to be staged correctly, so please, please, please for the love of all that is good and green check your staging Saturday morning. We can make corrections at that time but it is highly, highly unlikely we’ll be able to do so on Sunday. Thanks!
  • Since this is the Midwest Regional Championship AND CCC finale, podiums are a little more complicated than usual. Please help the best announcer a race series could ask for and if you are top three in the race or the overall, report to the podium ASAP following your race.
  • The weather looks great with a 30% of awesomeness, but as always, the wind coming off the lake is no joke; please make sure to secure your tents and spheres.
  • Here’s your friendly reminder that this is a city park where people who might have no idea what cyclocross is WILL be wandering through on their usual Sunday strolls (the lakefront path now cuts through the course). Yes, we’ll be celebrating the return 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.
  • ** And now let us pause for the annual message from the fun police … it’s Chicago Park District property and alcohol is not allowed. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 
  • There will be THREE food truck options this year with Firecake Donuts arriving at 07:00 with donuts/coffee, and Aztec Daves tacos and Gilty Pig coming for lunch, so come hungry.
  • Big thanks to our generous sponsors for helping make the Ald. James Cappleman Midwest Regional CX Championship presented by Specialized Chicago possible:
  • Speaking of Specialized Chicago, pre-reg riders can head to the Fulton Street location on Saturday from noon to 4:00 p.m. to get your bib number early. Pin your number from the comfort of your own home! While there, you can pick-up the event poster you already ordered on BikeReg when you registered early. If you didn’t, there might still be some available for purchase at either Specialized location or at series sponsor Tailwind Cycles.
  • Simonds Drive is closed to thru-traffic and parking within the barricades is restricted to officials, food trucks, sponsors, porta-potties, and the like. Regular parking will be along Simonds Drive and Montrose Drive either to the north or south, entering and exiting the way you came in.
  • Per the Park District, NO PARKING ON THE GRASS OR PATHS, ANYWHERE! We cannot emphasize this point enough and yet still had vehicles break this rule in the past. Please adhere to marshals regarding your vehicle parking and movements.
  • Speaking of, a few parking spaces within the barricades (near the finish) are available with a donation on BikeReg to help defray the overall event costs. Entry for this is from the NORTH END of Simonds drive — check in with the nice volunteers and show your receipt. (If you have a trailer please count that as a second space).
  • Teams are welcome to drop off equipment at the turn-around on the south-end of Simonds Drive near the staging grid. 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 with everyone coming at the same time so help your teammates.
  • Speaking of team tent placement, all are welcome, nay encouraged, to drop/place tents and other large items on Saturday afternoon! There is hired security for overnight watch (though of course SMC, USAC, CPD, et al. cannot take responsibility for what the weather/acts of gods could do to items left overnight, so make sure it’s secured/laid down/tied down). And hey, stick around to lend a helping hand with course setup.
  • Speaking of helping hands, Spidermonkey could use a few more hands during the race on Sunday for course marshaling spots required of the new course design and lakefront path interaction. Volunteers get free coffee & lunch! Check the sign-up sheet.
  • 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 during setup on Saturday, to enable course construction AND to keep it in nice condition for game day. Again, please drop the bike and pick up some course stakes and tape to help — it takes a village!
  • Onto the course: We had such great feedback on the course in 2019 we are sticking (mostly) to that same design, featuring the start on pavement. Bonus, the city repaved the road! However, that includes new six-inch curbs, so we will have a ramp transition after the first turn. All this is to say, please stay friendly on the starts, remembering that you can’t win the race there, buy you can surely lose it. Same expanded pit with neutral support provided by Jose from NRS & Events!
  • UPDATE: Please stay off the sand shown in the picture below which has been designated a Protected Natural Area by the city and park horticulturalist.
  • We can’t wait to see everyone and close out the CX season in style on the lake front in our namesake city. See you all on Sunday!  
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