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! 

Hi all, its been over three months since our last update here on the site. Normally we’d be providing results from the previous week and getting ready for the next week, but… Covid.

Yesterday USA Cycling announced they are officially cancelling US Cyclo-cross Nationals, which had originally been scheduled to take place here in Chicagoland and then re-scheduled to take place in Iowa City, IA. This cancellation should not be a surprise to anyone. But in any event, while no one is racing this year in the US, we hope everyone is staying safe & healthy and still riding bikes.

Speaking of riding bikes, while most of us have not been racing and traveling, and spending that money fixing up houses or new bikes, not everyone is that lucky or has that luxury. So, if you have spare parts or money just burning a hole in your pocket, why not help out our friends at Blackstone Bicycle Works and West Town Bikes. Last season’s rain & mud did a number on everyone’s bikes, and the young men and women in these programs are still replacing worn down parts on their bikes. Both locations are still accepting donations (obviously with necessary face coverings and social distancing) so if you have anything to donate, please stop by and help these folks out.

Additionally, Ride Spot, along with the Newberry Library and the CRR1919 Commemoration Project, invite you to join their virtual event to benefit Blackstone Bicycle Works. Their goal is to get 300 riders to complete the 10-mile route before October 31, 2020. 

If successful, generous sponsors (and CCC series sponsors), SRAM and ABUS, will donate $7,500 to Blackstone’s work providing resources and opportunities to Chicago’s BIPOC youth through bicycle education and mentorship. 

The 1919 Chicago Race Riot Route, created by the Newberry Library and the CRR1919 Commemoration Project, visits 10 historical sites through the Bronzeville and Bridgeport neighborhoods of Chicago relevant to the riots and the events that followed. Download the free audio tour or purchase a limited edition 1919 CRR Route Guidebook to complete the educational experience and learn more about this historic Chicago event. 

Learn more about the route at crr1919ride.com and download Ride Spot to join the 1919 Chicago Race Riot Route challenge.

• We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving weekend full of family, food, fun, and maybe even some bike riding!
• For anyone who raced at Region Riot CX or care to know, results are here and our very own Kenny Labbe did a bit of tweeting with pic/vids during the event.
• Next up, the finale, the big chimichanga, the extra hot double trente soy non-foam latte with extra foam on the side and three pumps of almond syrup… Montrose Beach CX – Midwest CX Champs. Not only is Montrose the last race of the CCC series, but this year it also doubles as the USAC Midwest Cyclocross Championships. See the BikeReg page for notes and “make a donation” for VIP parking. Full course preview notes will be posted Thursday at 9am.
• PSA for those of you living under a mud-soaked rock for the past 12 months, Montrose is NOT the Illinois State CX Champs… those took place a month ago in Woodstock the day before Groundhog PSI-clocross.
• And finally… if you’re already done all of your Christmas shopping or maybe not and you’re just feeling generous on this #GivingTuesday, please consider an extra donation to our series causes Blackstone Bicycle Works and West Town Bikes. Both of these organizations do amazing work getting and keeping kids and young adults on bikes and having fund. If you’ve ever seen these young shredders at the races you know how awesome it is to see them competing and enjoying the power of bicycles. Thanks!

• The season is almost here!
• The xXx Racing Relay Cross is this coming Sunday in Warren Park (please do not show up to Jackson Park). Some great team names in there. We’ll have a course preview up on Thursday.
• Get your bike(s) cleaned up and ready to race now, don’t delay. There are many local bike shops that will be very happy to help you. Many of them are even series sponsors, so help them, help you, help us, help you.
• Speaking of series sponsors, last call for series sponsors. Please let us know if you’d like to be involved.
• Speaking of being involved, the CCC official kick off party will be at the Rapha Chicago Clubhouse on Thursday 9/6/18 at 6pm. There will food and dranks, a silent auction and raffle with proceeds going to West Town/Blackstone, Kenny will be MC, we’ll say a few words from the series, and there may even be a mechanic’s challenge. Please make sure to R.S.V.P. and join us, we look forward to seeing everyone!
• And finally… as we are all getting ourselves and our bikes ready for the season, remember there are a bunch of kids and young adults that race alongside us that could use a little help with their bikes. If you have extra equipment (especially frames) or clothing that is collecting dust and could use a good home, please consider donating it to Blackstone Bicycle Works or West Town Bikes. Either organization will gladly accept your gear or clothing during regular business hours.

• We hope everyone had a great holiday season and has stayed warm through the coldest few days we’ve seen in a while.
• This will more or less be the last post here on the site for a while. We’ll be back sometime in late Spring or early Summer with updates for 2019.
• But follow us on Twitter and Instagram as we’ll be watching the rest of the National and International CX races there.
• Speaking of Nationals, today kicks off the 2018 USA Cycling National Championships in Reno, NV. Our fantastic timing and results company One2Go will be supplying real time results for the rest of the week so follow them or watch on LiveLynxResults. Good luck to everyone, but especially any Chicagoland racers headed West to race.
• And finally… a big, big, big thank you to everyone who purchased tickets for our end of year Zipp Wheel Raffle. There was one lucky winner but we will not be releasing that person’s name right now. However the real winners were Big Marsh, Blackstone Bicycle Works, and West Town Bikes. Because of everyone’s ticket purchases we raised $3,590 to be split 3 ways between each group (i.e. $1,197). And when including everyone’s donations throughout the series ($995) and the series’ match ($1,005) we all raised a total of $5,590 and donated $1,865 to each group on behalf of the entire CCC community. So thank you again!!!

• Lots of CX events coming up. But if you haven’t checked out this site in a while, please have a look at our 5/30/17 post outlining the changes we’re making to this year’s series.
• Thursday 8/24 CCC Kickoff Party at the Rapha Clubhouse
• Saturday 8/26 Half Acre CX Eliminator at Big Marsh
• Sunday 8/27 xXx Relay Cross in Jackson Park
• Also remember the Trek CXC Cup (WI) and Jingle Cross (IA) are both in September and both are UCI World Cup events this year. We purposely do not have CCC events on these weekends so you can go and see these big shows.
• Want to be involved with the CCC as either a series sponsor or a series volunteer? We have plenty of room for anyone and everyone in both. Contact us at ChicagoCrossCup at gmail so we can discuss details.
• And finally… today we are officially and sadly saying goodbye to the green machine, the Village-Verdigris CX team after 11 years of being a part of the CCC. From Juniors to Women to Masters, VVCX has produced some of the best riders in the CCC both on and off the bike. But fear not as Tim, Vince, and the guys have recast the mold, in eye searing orange, as Team F3 p/b 7 Miles Cycles. You may already know F3 Cycling as the group that brought us FormMount (and more to come) and 7 Mile Cycles is the rebranded Village CycleSport in Elk Grove (Note the Arlington Heights and Barrington VCS locations are still there and separate owners). Look for this team to pick up right where they left off last season.

Quick update for a hot and humid still-Summer but #cxiscoming update.

• Half Acre hosts the CX Eliminator on Saturday 7/26 at Big Marsh and registration is open.
• xXx Racing hosts Relay Cross on Sunday 7/27 in Jackson Park and registration is open. High Fives!

• Join the Chicago Cyclocross Community for a season kick off party at the Rapha Chicago Clubhouse in Wicker Park on Thursday 8/24/2017 at 7pm!

1. The party starts at 7pm, and everyone is invited, but please RSVP here.
2. Mingle with and hear from series and race directors about the series and upcoming season while raising a pint.
3. Meet and chat with sponsors such as SRAM, ABUS, PSIMET, Pony Shop, SnowyMountainPhotography, Illinois Bicycle Law, Clif Bar and more.
4. Raffle of $5 per ticket with 100% of all proceeds going to West Town Bikes and Blackstone Bicycle Works!

• Holy cow its September, all the Labor Day sales have passed, Road is Officially Dead, its still hot as 7 inches from the midday sun, and CX IS.FINALLY.HERE.!!!
• Reminder that the first race in the CCC series is THIS SUNDAY 9/11/2016 in LaBagh Woods hosted by xXx Racing-Athletico. Online pre-reg is open on BikeReg and there is still room in all categories, but please, please, please don’t wait until the last minute to reg. The weather looks great for Sunday and pre-reg is so much easier on everyone than reg’ing at the venue. Look for the course preview on Thursday.
• Speaking of online pre-reg… all CCC races are now open on BikeReg if you’d like to part with your hard earned cash dollars now.
• If you didn’t see the announcement on their website, due to a scheduling conflict xXx Racing-Athletico had to reschedule the cyclocross clinic with the Svens from Tuesday 9/13 to Sunday 9/11 (the Monday 9/12 clinic will proceed as scheduled). Immediately following the last race of the day on Sunday at LaBagh Woods, the Svens will host a skills clinic right on the race course, focusing on mounting and dismounting, cornering, picking fast lines, barriers, shouldering, equipment setup, and other techniques. All funds from the clinic go directly to the Pieter Ombregt Scholarship Fund at Columbia College with the Svens volunteering their time as a favor to the Ombregt family. The Sunday clinic will be 2.5 hours long (4:30-7:00 pm) and is $125. Limited spots are still available! Also, Sven and Sven will may be hanging out starting around noon, so if you want autographs or the Svens to be on the podium with you, this may be your chance. Still no word on whether they will racing the Single Speed category.
• CCC Alumnus and all around cycling enthusiast Christopher Jensen sends us this note from Michigan… Great fun coming up on October 1, at the Beer City Growler Cyclocross and 5K Steeplechase. $2500 in cash prizes (equal payout between the Open Men and Open Women), a beer garden, The (original CCC) Flyover, One2Go Timing and Results, and a 5km run in the morning Also a special prize for the fastest combined run and “open” category CX finish time for the men and women. October 1, Wilcox Park in Grand Rapids, MI  –  http://www.usacycling.org/register/2016-2085
• The CCC would like to welcome 2 new series sponsors partners to the CCC family:

Achieve Orthopedic Rehab Institute Sports Medicine – We pride ourselves in personal attention, through each step of the process. You literally feel the difference, every day.

Stio – Designed and tested in Jackson Hole, Stio clothing blends modern mountain style with technical performance. The Stio Mountain Studio™ at 1719 N. Damen Ave is bringing mountain soul to Chicago.

• And finally… before we get started with the season a quick PSA; its cyclocross, we’re all excited, we’re all competitive, there’s plenty of #hype… but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a little lot of fun. Let’s keep the egos, attitude, foul language, and any behavior unfit for public display in check and enjoy the season with each other. We only have a little bit of time so we should use it the best we can. Now let’s race CX!

• Aaaaaand… we’re back!
• We’ve had a bunch of updates to the event calendar, see everything on the Schedule page.
• Pre-reg for all CCC series events will again be hosted on BikeReg.com. Pre-reg for most events will open at 10am on Monday 9/5/16 with LaBagh Woods opening up Monday 8/22/16.
• xXx Racing is back with their Relay CX on Sunday 8/28/16 in Jackson Park. This year there will be yet another category, the Relay Roulette, which will serve as a fundraiser for a local area cycling charity/cause of the winners’ choice. Find more details here.
• Half Acre’s CX Eliminator will be on Saturday 9/10.
• The CCC’s first race of the series will again be hosted by xXx Racing and held in LaBagh Woods on Sunday 9/11/16. Due to Jingle Cross and the Trek CXC Cup changing dates, xXx Racing moved LaBagh Woods earlier on calendar so more Chicagoland racers could experience those larger races.
• A quick note from our neighbors across Lake Michigan… Looking to get your ‘cx season started off a bit early with a quick road trip to Michigan? Check out the Snap Fitness Alma Grand Prix of Cyclocross & 5k in Alma, Michigan (about a 4-ish hour drive from Chicago) for some good early season fun. The race website is AlmaGP.blogspot.com and pre-registration is available through USA Cycling. Camping on site Friday night, as well as an early number pick up option at Snap Fitness in town. Swag coming out of your ears!
• And as if that was enough CX in September for you… xXx Racing is Bringing the Sven’s to Chicago for a CX clinic. Check out all the details here.
• Interested in being a 2016 Series Sponsor? Please review our 2016 Series Sponsorship Proposal here and get back to us ASAP.
• And finally… did you notice we spruced up the place? Thanks to the guys at Bark Design for freshening up our website and logo.