Photo: Villiage Cycle

– Looks and sounds like everyone had a great time at Jackson Park. The weather was nice, results were quick, and some people even got to pee in a cup. Thanks to xXx Racing for hosting another great event and everyone who came out to race, spectate, and and get back into the CX spirit. Only 9 more weekends to go!

– Juniors (and parents) remember the Chicago Cuttin’ Crew has prizes and schwag for everyone so make sure to get back to the podiums after your race!!!

– Up next the CCC heads West to Hopkins Park in Dekalb. Look for the race preview on Thursday, but of course a bunch of info is already up on the static preview page.

– Remember the afternoon of each event a post will go up here on the CCC site for you to post links to your pics and vids on Flickr, Google+, the Facebook, Instagram, MySpace, GeoCities, etc for everyone to see. Also, if you are Tweeting along the way make sure to use each race’s specific #hashtag so anyone not at the race can follow along. We’ll remind everyone in the Thursday previews what those hashtags are, but you can also find them on each event’s static preview page.

– Online prereg is now open for all Chicagoland area CX events including Psycho Cross After Dark and the Midwest Regional Championships. The exception is Montrose Harbor which we’re still working on. Just hold tight for a little bit longer.

– Speaking of pre-reg, if you have already reg’d for a lower category and upgraded, need to cancel, or change which race you’re doing for any reason, please contact the promoter of the race through the “Contact Event” link on the race’s BikeReg page. We can always forward your email to them, but its just easier if you contact the promoter directly. Thanks!

– 2013 CCC Series T-Shirts are on sale now on the store page. Pick one or three up today!

– In conjunction with BelgianWerkx Bicycle Studio, Bike Science Coaching is pleased to offer up a 25% Tollway Discount for the BelgianWerkx Pumpkin Cross race, October 12 in Grafton, Wisconsin, approximately 15 minutes north of Milwaukee. While the venue remains the same, the course will be more awesome with lots of off camber, a big climb, slaloming descent, gravel and more! Course was designed by My Wife Inc CX team member Patrick Brock with input from MWI team director, Mike Heenan – so you know it’s going to be rad. To access the discount, use the pre-reg in USA Cycling and enter discount code “IL” for 25% off entry fees.

– And finally… Just a reminder that Friday is National Taco Day and October is National Pizza Month… ‘nough said.

– Two more weeks to go until Jackson Park and the official start to the CCC series!

– Online PreReg is now open for Melas Park. We’ll have a few special announcements coming soon about Montrose Harbor (IL State Championship) but until then pre-reg will remain closed. Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of time to reg before December. Online pre-reg for all other races is open.

– Already some great results by Chicagoland racers up North behind the Cheddar Curtain at Lake Geneva CX. VVCX came home with 4 wins, including 2 by (another) up and coming junior Maxx Hall.

– The CCC series has a few rules. Please read all about them here. Cyclocross racing also has rules set by USA Cycling. Read them here.

– Overall series standing will be posted here starting after the first race, or bookmark the GoogleDoc here.

– Good luck to everyone racing this coming weekend at the Trek CX Cup!

– And finally… for all the metalheads out there, chocolate cake indeed! HT Jim Brady.

– Patriot CX results are here and Relay CX results are here. Remember that due to the combined nature of Relay CX those results will NOT be counted on CrossResults.com and therefore will NOT affect staging for CCC events.

– Reg is now open on BikeReg for all races except Melas CX and Montrose. Reg for these two events will open soon. Note that Indian Lakes Resort is now split into two separate events on BikeReg.

– A few notes on pre-reg waitlists on BikeReg.com since more than a few people seem to be confused. As of this writing all categories for all events are still open and NOT filled. When a category fills up on BikeReg there will be a red Closed in front of the category name. BikeReg will also display a red Only XX Spots Left in front of each category name once there are 10 or fewer spots left. Another way to discern the number of riders in a category is to click on the ‘Who’s Registered?‘ link at the top right of each page and see how many riders are reg’d for each category. All categories have a Field Limit of 100. Combined categories (dark blue header above outlined categories) have a limit of 100 riders on course at a time, based on a first come, first served basis. So if 100 Single Speeds reg before any Masters 30+, the 30+ are out of luck.

– Waitlists: Pre-reg Waitlists will remain closed for each category until that actual category has filled to its field limit. Once a category is filled (there will be a red Closed in front of the category name) the waitlist will open. When signing up for a waitlist you will not be charged until transferred into a race, if a spot opens up before pre-reg closes. Day-Of waitlists will be started when registration opens at each race.

– Day-Of waitlist protocol: 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start of each race category, sign-in for pre-registered riders will close. At that point, any unclaimed start spots will be given away in order of waitlist registration date/time. Racers must be present at registration in order to be given a number. Pre-reg’d waitlisted riders will of course be in the queue ahead of Day-Of waitlisted riders.

– Course previews: Since all of the courses in this season’s series are the same as last year, and many have been at least similar the last few years, the CCC website now has a Course Preview Section. Look in the menu bar above and hover over the ‘Preview’ link. Each course specific page has (or will shortly) the basics about each venue that would normally be in the Thursday course preview posts. We’ll still have those Thursday posts but they will be shorter and more tailored to any specific announcements and/or information the individual race promoters want to let you know about this season’s event.

– Speaking of information, did you know you can always search the entire CCC website for all the juicy details you’re looking for? Just type in your query in the search box up there on the right side of any page (above the CCC logo).

– Sponsors: We’ve finished up this season’s series sponsorship drive and in addition to all the great series sponsors that have returned from last year (many have been along for the ride for much longer) we have a bunch of great new sponsors to introduce you too. If you’re still interested in being a part of the series we’d love to have you, but the official USAC flyers and t-shirts have already gone to print.

Village Cycle Center – The CCC is built on the backs of the local bike shops that support our racers.  Village Cycle Center officially jumps into the mix for 2013.

 – Clif Bar – Dare we say the best energy bar? Look for the Clif Bar crew out in a big way at Jackson Park and Montrose as well as samples at all other races courtesy of Spidermonkey Cycling.

Cycling Republic in Algonquin also gets into the LBS action this year. Join the republic!

Performance Bicycle – Sure its a national chain, but the guys who work at the Chicago shop are local and race CX with the rest of us. Performance also joins the LBS crowd for 2013.

 SnowyMountain – Capturing not only photos but moments in time, just as they have the last few CX seasons.

 – Moorhead Law Group, LLC – Who doesn’t need a commercial real estate attorney?

– And finally… We’re working on the 2013 CCC playlist. If you have a song or songs you’d like to hear while deep in oxygen debt let us know either in the comments below or email us directly at [email protected].

– Early edition… please read this post before pre-registering for races on BikeReg.com.

– Most races open for reg today at 9am on BikeReg with the exception of Campton, Melas Park Basin’ Racin, Indian Lakes, & Montrose. Our race directors still have to cross a few t’s and dot a few i’s on their USAC permits. We hope to open reg for all of these events soon. Yes, of course we’ll let you know here and on the twits.

– Please update your BikeReg rider profile with, at the very least, your USAC license number. No, pending is not a valid license number. Even if you are racing on a One Day license and had an annual USAC license in the past, make sure that number is in your profile. If you forget what your license number is, go here, and type in your last name, then a comma, then your first initial. This helps us out more than you can imagine. Thanks!!!

– Regardless of what nickname, team name, etc you use in BikeReg we match your license number to the information in the USAC rider database, so the place to make sure your team name is correct is there. Get on it!

– USAC added a Men Category 5 to CX this season, so if you have a Y chromosome and are brand new to CX you’ll be racing Cat 5. Masters, Juniors, and Single Speed are all open category, meaning anyone from Cat 1 to Cat 5 can race in these fields.

– The downside to the new Cat 5 is that if you raced as a Cat 4 last year on One Day licenses you’ll likely need to have an annual license this year. Please make it easier on everyone and apply for your annual license here on USACycling.org.

– Other USAC category related info is over on our Series Rules and FAQs page and in the USAC rulebook.

– Remember we stage by CrossResults.com points at Jackson Park. For the love of all that is green and good on this earth, please search for yourself on on CrossResults.com and make sure all of your results are there.

– Reg is open for Patriot CX .

– Reg is also open for the Trek CXC Cup in Waterloo, WI on 9/21 and 9/22. This is the former USGP Madison race (but a new venue) and just happens to take place the weekend before the CCC series kicks off in Jackson Park. Head behind the Cheddar Curtain, watch some pros, maybe get on TV, and prep yourself for our local series. Staging is done by order of registration.

– And finally… What’s the one thing about the CCC you can’t live without? We want to know! Please leave your comments below…

– Evening edition!

– Looks like a bunch of people learned a bunch of great stuff on Saturday with Tim Johnson, Pete Webber, and the Spidermonkeys.

Photo: Edmund White

– Looks like even more people had a great time at the unofficial kickoff to the Chicagoland CX season at xXx Racing’s Relay Cross. Thanks again to Tim Johnson for having some fun with us and to everyone who donated cash dollars to the Junior Mud Fund. See photos here, here, and here. Please post links to your photos in the comments below.

– Next up CX season takes a little break so everyone can work on their remounting skills, turning skills, hand up skills, you know… skills. But get back into the action on Saturday 9/7 in Rantoul at Patriot CX. See the full schedule for the rest of the season over on our Schedule Page.

– Speaking of schedules, a few really great people are working behind the scenes to bring the Mid-West Regional CX Championships to Chicagoland this December. Stay tuned for details!

– The CX Sitters are available again this season to watch your kiddies while you race. The sitter(s) won’t be at every race, but will play it by request… so please contact them ahead of time.

– Speaking of ladies, BBVP Racing Team is looking for dedicated, hard working women, predominantly from the south side of Chicago or surrounding area who are riding at any level to form a Elite Women’s Team. More details on the BBVP site here.

– Speaking of women, check out the recently formed Women’s Cycling Association.

– Last call for Series Sponsors and Series Volunteers!!! We can always add you in mid-season, but we have to send some soft goods to print very soon. Let us know ASAP if you want to be involved.

– Just for fun.

– And finally… like coffee? Okay, do you love really great coffee? Starting Friday (August 30th), Intelligentsia is giving all cyclists 15% off drinks at any of their 6 Chicago stores. To be eligible for this discount, one must be an identifiable cyclist, wearing at least one of the following:  Helmet, Cycling jersey, Cycling shorts, or Cycling shoes. Follow @intelliCHI

– Not much new this week.

– Sounds like the Village Verdigris CX Juniors Clinic last Saturday was a hit. We can’t wait to see all the young guns putting their new skills into action this season.

– For everyone else, the Tim Johnson & Pete Webber clinic hosted by Spidermonkey Cycling is this Saturday.

– Then on Sunday its the CX Relay hosted by xXx Racing. Even if you can’t or don’t want to race go watch the high-5’ing spectacle that is Relay CX. See xXx Racing’s website for more info and follow them on Twitter for updates before, during, and after the event. The Coed Open and 30+ fields have filled but there are still spots in all other fields.

– And finally… Come to Maine, the riding is great!

– Its August, CX season is almost here!

– Speaking of, xXx Racing hosts the unofficial kick off to the season with their funasallgetout ‘JACKSON PARK TAGTEAM TWO PERSON RELAY CYCLOCROSS RACE‘ on Sunday 8/25/13. Grab a partner, throw a few High-5’s, and get into the CX swing of things. More details to follow and online pre-reg should be open soon opens Fri morning at 12:01am on BikeReg.

– Speaking of BikeReg, make sure to update your rider profile with your USAC license number (no, PENDING is NOT sufficient), and then take a look here and set your alarm clocks.

– Rob Kelley has developed a training program via Training Peaks for the the Chicago Cross Cup. See here for the training plan and Rob’s website at www.ROKcoaching.com. Rob has coached a bunch of folks through the CCC for a few years and he says he has a lot of confidence in his schedule. The core philosophy is based on Joe Friel’s method of periodization…tried and true.

– Spots are still available for the Tim Johnson/Pete Webber CX clinic. Sign up today or be chasing your competitors around all season.

– UPDATE 1: Verdigris is also a hosting a Junior CX Clinic on Saturday, 8/17/13 from 10AM – 12PM at Melas Park in Arlington Heights with David Lombardo. Space will be limited to 30 juniors. More details to come.
– UPDATE 2: Reg is open on BikeReg here! David Lombardo will share some of his Euro Cross Camp & other high level junior experience to lead the camp with the assistance of Chris Lombardo, SRAM’s Scott McLaughlin, Tim Boundy, and other VVCX team members. Topics discusses will be equipment fit, bike handling, barrier technique, training tips, etc.

– A group of downstate race promoters are starting the Heart of Illinois Cyclocross (HICX) race series.  Most races will be on Saturdays. See the Facebook page here. The first race in the series is Patriot CX in Rantoul on 9/7/13 and reg is open. This is the third time Wild Card Cycling is hosting this race. This year along with the usual great prizes, all racers will get raffle tickets for a set of Easton Carbon 38mm clincher wheels. Other races are:
Peoria on 10/26/13 by Bushwhacker
Peoria on 11/9/13
Bloomington Miller Chill 12/15/13

More information to follow as the races get closer. HICX is also working on adding additional races.

– If you’d like to be a 2013 CCC series sponsor please get in touch with us ASAP. Details are here.

– And finally… We know many of you are already heading out for mid-week CX practices in your local park or forest preserve. While the CCC does not promote or condone these practices we would ask that you use good judgement and common sense when using our public spaces. Don’t ride after a good rain, don’t buzz or ride exceptionally close to other park users (especially children), stay away from chronically wet areas, etc, etc, etc. We all share these public spaces and it only takes one disgruntled, very vocal, non-CX’ing park user to make it difficult for our race promoters to host their races in other parks. Make sense? Cool! Plus, its still summer and you can do your intervals on the road!

– Two weeks in a row!

– They’re back! For the 4th year in a row Iron Cycles returns as the 2013 CCC Series Title Sponsor. Thanks to Brandon and his crew for stepping up yet again. We’ll have more announcements regarding Iron Cycles in the weeks to come.

– Also back for another year, but now officially, the Beverly Bike-Vee Pak crew will be the official EMS and First Responders for all CCC races. If you fall down go boom, just look for the white medic tent near the BBVP tent. Oh, and these guys race hard too, so thank them for taking care of your boo-boos.

– Spidermonkey Cycling sends in an update concerning the Tim Johnson & Pete Webber CX Clinic and tells us there are only 14 spots left for the advanced, 15 for intermediate/beginner tracks. Also this clinic is of course open to junior racers and Tim Johnson’s MudFund will support four scholarship spots  for athletes ages 14-19… two girls, two boys. To apply, send an email to [email protected] describing how a scholarship to the camp would help you reach your cyclocross goals. Include the event you are applying for, your name and contact information, CX race age for 2013, actual age, racing category and racing history. For riders under 18 actual age, please include your parent’s contact info. Please apply as soon as possible, final deadline for applications is 14 days prior to each camp… which is Friday 8/9/2013 for the Chicago clinic.

– Ultimate Pro Bikes in Countryside, IL is seeking a part-time sales associates and service techs. Candidates must be passionate about cycling and be dedicated to excellent customer service and quality of work.  Please submit resume with salary history and references to [email protected].

– And finally, we are always amazed how many people volunteer and work tirelessly behind the scenes to make all the races in the CCC happen every year… but the series could always use a little extra help. If you have some time to lend a hand, especially to help set up before racing begins or afterwards to help break down, please let us know. There is no monetary compensation, but we can make race discounts happen.

– Its 90 and humid outside… so of course you’re thinking about CX season, right?

– Staging: The CCC is considering applying the State Championship staging procedure to all races. Essentially, if you’ve never raced in a category you would be bumped up ahead of the first rider who has lower CrossResults.com points than you. The idea is to give riders a chance to try other categories and not be staged at the back of the field if you’re fast enough to start closer to the front. Or if you are out of town for the first few races, but we know that would never happen. However, the bump up would only be granted once. After that each rider is staged by his/her CCC series points, then by her/his CrossResult.com points, then by order of registration. We want to know what you think. Please leave your comments down below.

– Feel like traveling? Minnesota is hosting a CX clinic with current USA National Champ Jonathan Page.

– Want to stay closer to home? Spidermonkey Cycling presents – Cracking the Code: Tim Johnson’s Cyclocross Secrets.
Date: Saturday, August 24
Location: Chicago (exact location TBD)

– Village-Verdigris CX is also planning a Junior focused clinic for mid August. Stay tuned for details.

– The 2013 CCC Series Sponsorship proposal is finally ready.

– And finally… Now is a great time to update your BikeReg.com rider profile with your USAC license number. Also, make sure your USAC license has your correct team information. Did you know you can race for different road, mountain, and CX teams?