Author Archives: chicagocrosscup

2024 Jackson Park Preview

  • We’re back at Jackson Park in the Chicago Park District. REPEAT: The race is at Jackson Park on Sunday. As you should all know by now there is not a ton of space in this location so get cozy.
  • Pre-registration is open on BikeReg until tomorrow (Friday) night at midnight.
  • Staging: Remember for the 2nd race and the rest of the series the front row of each category will be staged by series points, while everyone else is staged by CrossResults.com points. See full staging protocols over on the Rules/FAQ page.
  • Preliminary staging will be posted here on Saturday. Here’s your annual reminder that sometimes the link between BikeReg and CrossResults is not correct, especially if you forget your USAC license number, so please, please check your staging on Saturday and not Sunday on the start line. We will NOT be able to adjust incorrect CrossResults points on Sunday.
  • Directions: Set your GPS to 1987 E Hayes Drive in Chicago.
  • Parking: DO NOT PARK in the boat launch lot adjacent to the course. Ample parking is available in the PAID lot on the north side of Hayes Drive. You can drop off equipment, tents, etc. in the boat launch parking lot but then you MUST move your vehicle. Thanks!
  • The Chicago Marathon was last week, so no need to worry about it unless you’re Marty McFly.
  • Food: Unfortunately there will NOT be a food truck.
  • If you’ve been riding outside at all the last 2 weeks you know Autumn weather is already here. Sunday morning temps will be in the 40’s so please dress and pack extra clothes accordingly.
  • Bib numbers are always on your left side for all CCC races.
  • The course: While xXx Racing are using the same patch of land as Relay CX, the course will be different… running counter-clockwise (i.e. backwards from the direction Relay CX was run), with a layout similar to last year’s series race.
  • See you Sunday!
Published October 17, 2024

CCC Tuesday Updates – 20241015

  • We’re back at it this coming weekend when xXx Racing host Jackson Park CX at… Jackson Park. Reg is open until Friday night.
  • Registration is open for USA Cycling National CX Championships in Louisville, KY. Sign up here.
  • And finally… if you have a few cash dollars burning a whole in your jersey, consider donating to Big Marsh here. This campaign has a matching contributor so it’s the best place for everyone’s donations have the maximum impact.
Published October 15, 2024

CCC Tuesday Updates – 20241001

  • Thanks to everyone who came out to start the season off right at Glenwood Academy. The South Chicago Wheelmen know how to put on a race and Sunday did not disappoint. All the results you’re looking for including USAC, CCC Series Overall, and CrossResults can be found here at the bottom of the page.
  • If anyone lost a Garmin 530 at Glenwood, please email us because someone found one in the parking lot. In general, if you lose anything at a race (and it was found by the race director) it will travel with the CCC equipment trailer in the Lost & Found box to the next race so please look for it there. Anything not picked up at the end of the season will be donated to a local cycling charity.
  • The series takes the next 2 weekend off before returning at xXx Racing‘s event. Note the venue location is still not confirmed but we should know very soon and will post all the information here on the CCC site. Stay tuned.
  • In the meantime head up to the Trek CX Cup to either race or watch a national level event. While it’s not a World Cup this year, the folks up at Trek always put on a stellar event on a great course. The weekend after that is the Chicago Marathon. Go run, maybe?
  • And finally… if you missed in the Course Preview comments, check out Ned Bowen’s photos from Sunday.
Published October 2, 2024

2024 Glenwood Academy Preview

  • The South Chicago Wheelmen again host the series opener of the 2024 CCC this Sunday at Glenwood Academy CX in Glenwood, IL.
  • On the South side of the city, set your GPS to 500 W 187th Street Glenwood, IL 60425. Then please drive slowly through the campus to the parking area. This is an active school with children, so please drive carefully.
  • Registration closes on Friday night over on BikeReg.com. Its way easier to reg online as opposed to at the venue (which you still can do), and we’ll have your CrossResults.com points if you reg online. If you sign up at the venue you’ll be staged at the back of the grid.
  • Look for preliminary staging here some time on Saturday. As this is the first race of the series, everyone will be staged by CrossResults.com points. Then on 10/20 at Jackson Park the first row of 8 will be staged by series points and everyone else by CXR points. See the Rules & FAQ page for more details. Please check the preliminary staging on Saturday and email us on Saturday if there are any errors as it’s a lot hard to fix Sunday at the race. Thanks!
  • Please renew your USAC annual license BEFORE Saturday evening before you go to bed.
  • Weather looks great!
  • There should be the Unbeatable Eatables sandwiches Food Truck from 11-3. If you have dietary restrictions please pack your own food/drinks. There’s also plenty of stores on Halsted St just around the corner. BYOB if you’re an adult.
  • Parking: You can use any parking lot. Plus use the grass. DO NOT park in any cottage (residence) driveway.
  • Registration will be located next to officials at the finish line.
  • Reg is NOT in Kenny‘s tent. Lost or not sure where to go and what to do? Listen for his voice.
  • Staging will be at the North side of the access road at 187th St.
  • The course will be open on Saturday afternoon for inspection and pre-riding.
  • And finally… putting on any bike race is still not easy, even if the South Chicago Wheelmen and our USAC officials make it look that way. Please be courteous to everyone and remember to say thank you to everyone making our events happen. See you all on Sunday!
Published September 27, 2024

CCC Tuesday Updates – 20240924

  • Here we go! The season officially starts this coming Sunday 9/29/2024 at Glenwood CX. Online pre-reg is open until Friday night over on BikeReg. After that you’ll have to reg day-of onsite. We’ll have more details on Thursday morning in the Course Preview.
  • Thanks to xXx Racing for hosting Relay Cross two Sunday’s ago in Jackson Park. High-Fives all around and a great way to easy into the CX season.
  • Because we know some of you just can’t wait to depart with your hard earned cash dollars… pre-reg is also open on BikeReg for ABD Sunrise Park, Quarry Cross, and Montrose Beach. The rest of the series races will open just as soon as the events are permitted by the race directors with USA Cycling.
  • Speaking of rules, now would be a good time to review our Rules & FAQs page to refresh yourself on how the series, staging, CX racing age, results, podiums, etc. work. Need more info or have a question? Just email us and we’d be happy to help.
  • Here at the CCC we match all registrant info from your USA Cycling license… so make sure all of your info, especially Team Name, is correct on your USAC license.
  • We’d like to welcome back a bunch of our great long time Series Sponsors for another year! If you’d like to get involved please get in touch with us!
  • And finally… every year we like to remind ourselves and everyone else that we only have a short time to enjoy each other’s company and have fun racing our bikes. So let’s make the most of this cyclo-cross season, race well, and have a blast doing it together… Have a great CX season everyone!!!
Published September 24, 2024

CCC Tuesday Updates – 20240903

  • Hey everyone! We hope you had a great summer. But that’s over now, and it’s time for the cyclo-cross! Expect regular Tuesday updates here going forward.
  • xXx Racing hosts Chicago’s unofficial kick-off to the season at Relay Cross in 2 weeks on Saturday 9/15/2024. Dust off your trusty cx steed, pick a ridiculous team name, get those high-fives ready, and go! Pre-reg only (that means NO DAY OF REG) here on BikeReg.
  • The full Chicago Cyclocross Cup series calendar is on our Schedule page. We’ve done the heavy lifting for you and also listed all the Wisconsin and other area events. Note the CCC is NINE (9) races this year as we’ll have a double weekend (Saturday and Sunday) at Groundhog PSI-clocross.
  • Does your bike (or bikes) need some love? Remember there are plenty of local bikes shops (many of them are series sponsors!) all across the Chicagoland area that are willing and very able to service your machine and get it ready for the season. Stop in, say hello, and get that thang ready!
  • Speaking of series sponsors we could always use a few more to join the amazingly supportive family we have here in Chicago. Contact us at ChicagoCrossCup at gmail if you’d like to get involved!
  • And finally… We’re also always looking for a bit more help during the series. Us old folks can’t keep doing this forever, so let us know if you’d like to get involved and be part of the future of the CCC series.
Published September 3, 2024

CCC Tuesday Updates – 20240521

2024 marks 15 YEARS of Afterglow! 

From our friends at the “other” CCC… the Chicago Cuttin’ Crew and Friends of Big Marsh have come together to bring you a few warmup laps before the races begin.

Afterglow has always been about lifting each other up and empowering our community to THRIVE. It started as just a cyclocross race and has evolved into a bike-run-dance-party. We’re offering events for the whole family!

We’ve partnered with the Chicago Park District to bring the ‘Glow to Big Marsh Park for the second year in a row. Our best people are on the job of taking over the bike park, the Big Hill, and bits of flowing singletrack. Details on the courses… aww it’ll be awesome, just show up!

Registration is free on Bikereg, however, we highly recommend kicking over a donation to FBM’s MightyCause so we can keep Chicago’s only dedicated bike park accessible to everyone. Donate enough, and you’ll get a shirt and/or poster 😎

Donations will also go towards supporting our young friends from Boxing Out Negativity and Lost Boyz who will be rolling deep at Afterglow.

We cannot wait to celebrate bikes with you! 

Published May 21, 2024

CCC Tuesday Updates – 20240102

  • Happy New Year! We hope everyone had a great holiday and got some time off to spend with their family and friends.
  • The cyclo-cross season rolls on, at least in Europe during the Kerstperiode. If you haven’t been watching the racing action has been great and the team names have been amazing!
  • This Saturday starting at 6:30pm at Specialized Fulton Market we’ll host the CCC series awards party. See below. Please RSVP on this form so we know how many people to expect.
  • Like last year we’ll have a raffle for tons of great prizes as well as awarding the series overall winners’ jerseys provided by Pactimo and cowbells as well as a few surprises. There is no cost to attend but the raffles do require a few cash dollars. We look forward to seeing you all there!
  • Also at the party, Half Acre will have a few Montrose Beach posters, stickers and buttons for sale, as well as items paid for but not picked up at the race on 12/3/2023.
  • And finally… remember the Specialized Crux raffle is still live. We’ll sell Crux raffle tickets during the party too but will close things down no later than 8pm to prepare for the drawing.
Published January 2, 2024

CCC Tuesday Updates – 20231205

  • Thanks to everyone who came out to race, cheer, eat donuts and tacos, and enjoy themselves at Montrose Beach. And thanks to Half Acre Cycling and Chicago United for hosting the event! What a way to end the series in the city, on the beach, in the rain, sand, and mud. Montrose once again proved itself worthy of being the Illinois State Cyclocross Championships. Links to all results are here.
  • For all the series overall winners, please check your inbox as we’ve sent you an email.
  • The CCC series may be over, but cyclocross is far from over this season. Good luck to everyone headed to Louisville, KY this week to race at USA Cycling National Cyclocross Championships!
  • And while CX may be over after this coming weekend in the United States, there’s still plenty of European cyclocross between now and the beginning of February when CX World Championships will be held in Tabor, Czech Republic.
  • Speaking of 2024… please join us at the end of season awards party on Saturday January 6th 2024 at Specialized Chicago‘s Fulton Market location. Will have swag and once again more product raffles than you can shake a mud-filled drive-train at.
  • And finally… the end of season raffle will remain open for a chance to win one of TWO Specialized Crux bicycles provided by Specialized Chicago. Entries are $5 and there is no limit to how many you can purchase. Winners will be drawn at the awards party.

Published December 5, 2023

2023 Montrose Beach Preview

  • The Half Acre Cycling and Chicago United clubs are excited to bring you Montrose Beach CX — the CCC series finale AND the Illinois State Championship. Please read all of the info below for some important notes (yeah, we know, it’s a lot). Also more here.
  • Preliminary Staging will be posted here Saturday morning. Please email us if there are issues.
  • Since this is both the Illinois State Championship AND CCC series finale, podiums are a little complicated. Please help the best announcer a race series could ask for — if you are top three in the race or the series overall, report to the podium ASAP following your race. See here for how state champs will be awarded.
  • The weather looks to be … not terrible? But as always, the wind coming off the lake can be strong; please make sure to secure your tents.
  • Here’s your friendly reminder that Montrose Beach is a large city park where people who have no idea what us weirdos are doing WILL be wandering through on their usual Sunday strolls (the lakefront path cuts through the course). Yes, we’ll be celebrating the local finale 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 always race with your head up.
  • ** And now let us pause for the annual message from the fun police … this is Chicago Park District property and alcohol is not permitted.
  • Big thanks to our generous sponsors for helping make the 46 Ward Ald. Angela Clay Illinois State CX Championship presented by SRAM & Specialized Chicago possible:
  • Speaking of Specialized Chicago, pre-reg riders can head to the Fulton Street location on Saturday, December 2 from 11:00 to 3:00 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 limited edition poster you already ordered on BikeReg when you registered early. If you didn’t, there might still be some available for purchase.
  • Speaking of numbers, it goes on your left side and you’ll use the same number for as many races as you do all day!
  • Spoke & Bird Cafe is sponsoring a special designated HAND-UP ZONE on the course, as an alternative line to the wood planks. Skip the bunny hops and see what yummy treats are on offer. And if you have hand-ups to give out, bring ‘em here and make it a party!
  • Thanks to Ellie Thompson + Co. the women’s categories will also be racing a sweet custom belt buckle!
  • We have FOUR food truck options this year with Firecake Donuts arriving bright and early with coffee/donuts; and for lunch Gilty Pig is returning, along with the Tacomotora Tacos truck you may have tasted at Quarry Cross, as well as Soul & Smoke BBQ.
  • 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 is along Simonds Drive and Montrose Drive either to the north or south, entering and exiting the way you came in. Per the Chicago Park District, NO DRIVING ON THE GRASS OR PAVED PATHS, ANYWHERE! We cannot emphasize this point enough and yet still had vehicles break this rule. Please adhere to marshals regarding your vehicle parking and movements.
  • Speaking of parking, if you are a big team with a lot of everything (or just want to ensure you are close to the action) a few parking spots within the barricades 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).
  • On Sunday, teams may drop off tents/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, please see the map with areas designated for tent placement. We have reasons for this, some of which are specific Park District requests. Please help us in keeping this venue and stay within designated team tent areas.
  • 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 HAC, CU, 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, every race could use a few more hands, especially for course marshaling spots required of the lakefront path crossings. Volunteers get free coffee & lunch! Check the sign-up sheet.
  • Onto the course: We are returning to the tradition of alternating between Cricket Hill and sand first, with the hill having the honors this year. Once again we have a UCI-style pavement start and finish, with those who are heading to Nationals the following week in mind. Note the right-to-left shimmy onto a ramp transition after the first turn. We have made the angle here less severe than in the past which will allow for higher speeds, but please stay friendly on the starts; remembering that you can’t win the race there, but you can lose it. (First aid is located next to the start grid.)
  • A full-size pit with race and change lanes, and neutral service provided by Ben and Steven from Tailwind Cycles. Bring cash for tips if they help/save your race!
  • While there is a double planks alternate line, there is also a railroad tie located on the final uphill before the finish that you gotta do!

Published November 30, 2023