– Thanks to Beverly Bike-VeePak for another great Dan Ryan Woods event. In the third race of the series we once again saw huge fields thanks in part to racers commuting from out of state.  That was pretty much the story in the elite ranks as both our men’s and women’s top races had out-of-towners take the top spot.  In the Cat 1/2/3 race Sven Baumann (Wolverine Sports Club) of Michigan escaped in the later laps of the race after a tight race with David Reyes (Heritage) to take the win with Michael Dutczak (SCW) in 3rd.  In the women’s elite field Samantha Schneider (Tibco/To the Top) from Milwaukee won her field with plenty of time to look around in front of Kelli Richter (PSIMET) in 2nd and sister Skylar Schneider (Tibco/To the Top) in 3rd. BBVP changed things up a bit in the course design, but returned with their infamous half barriers, this time adding a long jump contest to the last barrier to add even more excitement for the spectators.  There were plenty of records broken as the day went on along with plenty of crashes as racers went for it. Full results are on USAC and all pre-reg’d riders were emailed results and lap times immediately after their race thanks to One2Go Event Services. Overall standings are updated here.

– Next up the CCC series heads NorthWest to Carpenter Park in Carpentersville. Look for the regular course update on Thursday but in the mean time read the static preview here.

– Remember the CCC series is only 11 races this year, so please do not show up at the Golf Farm in Wauconda on Saturday. Enjoy the day off, or better yet go check out the Big Marsh. This Saturday The Bonebell and SRAM are putting on the Big Marsh Mashdown, an informational event geared toward showing riders around the Big Marsh Bike Park Project. The day kicks off with tours of the site to learn about the eco-restoration effort and development plans for a world-class bike park on Chicago’s southeast side. Tours are free, open to the public and attendees have the option of a 10 a.m. hiking tour or 11 a.m. biking tour. After the tours everyone is invited to join in the afternoon’s three fun, casual races, which are each open to all skill levels and all off-road bicycles. Race proceeds will benefit Friends of Big Marsh. Registration for tours and races closes Thursday at noon, but walk-ins are welcome Saturday morning. More information will be posted on The Bonebell throughout the week.

– A gentle reminder about pre-riding the course. If you are not racing, you should not be on the course until given the okay by the chief USAC ref. And after given the okay you may only enter the course past the finish line and even more importantly do not ever, ever, ever ride in front of racer still racing. This is especially important during the designated course preview before the Cat 3 race. The Women Cat 4’s and Junior 9-14’s are still finishing up their race, so please for the love of all that is good and green on this earth, do not ride in front of that last Junior who is finishing up his/her race.

– And finally… let’s have a short chat about alcohol. Its great that this year we have plenty of free flowing beer from Lagunitas, Goose Island, Half Acre, etc… but please remember that part of drinking that sweet nectar responsibly is NOT providing it to anyone at an event who is underage, on the course or off. We know giving a beer handup sounds like a great idea but we can all get in a lot of trouble if those suds end up in the hands of someone under 21 years old. Many times in the excitement of the moment riders will grab whatever you are dangling out in front of them even if they have no idea what it is. Think about it this way, if someone is handing up a Twizzler or Twinkie or bacon… or a bacon wrapped Twizzler filled Twinkie the rider knows for sure what that is. If they are handing up a bottle or cup with no label… they have no idea. Therefore it is incumbent upon you, the handup-er to be aware of who the handup-ee is, and more importantly, their age. If you really want to give a great handup, especially to a junior, break out the lincolns, hamiltons, jacksons, grants, or benjamins! And for all riders, don’t just grab the first thing someone dangles in your face. Be smart and think about what you are doing, or better yet… keep riding your arse off. This is a race after all, not just a party.