• Thanks again to EMC2 / Elmhurst Masters for a great day at Quarry Cross at The Forge. A new venue always brings not only new challenges but also new opportunities, and Jostein and the gang knocked it out of the park. We had our largest number of racers of the series which we don’t normally see at this point in the season. Links to all results are here.
• The last five weeks flew by in a flash, so now its time to take a quick break. We wish everyone a great weekend off and hope you are able to spend time with family and friends and enjoy a great Thanksgiving!
• The CCC returns the following week on Sunday 12/3/2023 for the series finale and Illinois State Championship at Montrose Beach presented by SRAM and Specialized Chicago, hosted by Half Acre Cycling and Chicago United. The local event at noon will be an Adaptive Sport Demonstration p/b Shirley Ryan Ability Lab.
• We tried our best this year to come up with a new overall series scoring schedule that would make as many categories as possible not be decided until the last race of the year. But try as we did, many riders have already mathematically sewn up their category overall titles after Quarry Cross. Riders highlighted in yellow on the overall series standings are >=40 points ahead of second place and no matter what happens at Montrose Beach have already won their overall category. So congratulations to those riders, and for everyone else… get ready and stay sharp for Montrose.
• Speaking of staying sharp… USA Cycling National Cyclocross Championships are again in Louisville, Kentucky this year the week after Montrose. Good luck to everyone heading South to race at Nationals!
• And finally… as we head into the end of the CCC season, we’ll still have one more event to put a bow on the series and celebrate everyone’s accomplishments. We’re speaking of course of the End of Season Awards Party on Saturday January 6, 2024 at Specialized Chicago’s Fulton Market location. The event is free for everyone but we ask that you please RSVP through this form so we know how many people to expect. And while you’re filling out forms, fill out the one here and purchase a raffle ticket for a chance to win one of two Specialized Crux CX bikes. The proceeds go towards series operations (i.e. buying more plastic stakes to replace all the ones broken this year) that benefit everyone.