- Thanks to the entire PSIMET crew for another great Groundhog PSI-clocross. What looked like it would be a completely soggy day turned out to be just a little wet and not too cold or muddy. All the results you’re looking for are here.
- Next up the series heads to the West suburbs again for its only double weekend at Pheasant Run Resort hosted by the South Chicago Wheelmen. Look for the usual preview on Thursday.
- PLEASE NOTE –> Online prereg for Pheasant Run closes on Wednesday, NOT the usual Thursday. The SCW have to set up the course and reg a day early too. Make sure you are reg’ing for the correct day Saturday and/or Sunday. Please tell all your friends who are usually late to the party. And yes, placings on Saturday will affect staging on Sunday.
- On Saturday at #PRRcx the “Ultimate PB&J’s” cordially invite the women racers to post race refreshments at the Ultimate Pro Bikes tent. UPB will also be selling raffle tickets for $1. For your $1 you will get to throw a name in the jar of any of the Women 3/4 racer and if their name is selected, they win the Ultimate Pro Racer treatment at the IL State CX Championships at Montrose Harbor. See details at the UPB tent on Saturday!
- And finally… A little further down the line, Friends of Big Marsh invites you to #OptOutside Friday November 24th, for the second annual Black Friday CX Race @ Big Marsh Park. This year promises: a new course layout, expanded USA Cycling categories for all ages, live lap timing from One2Go, plus more! Donate a bag of non-perishable food items, and receive a priority starting spot. Staging will be done in order of (1) food donations, followed by (2) date/time of registration, so don’t delay! Save $5 by pre-registering today at bikereg.com/bigmarshcross. All proceeds from the event will go towards future development of the park. Check out the Friends of Big Marsh Facebook event page for additional details & updates.
- Happy Halloween! Please be safe and courteous out there today/tonight.
- Yet another fun and exciting Campton Cross and Halloween costume show this past Sunday. Thanks to everyone who came out to race, spectate, get rad, get sendy, eat candy, and have a ghoulish time. Links to all results and Overall Standings are here: https://goo.gl/EM5UCD
- Next up the series heads to its farthest NorthWest point for Groundhog CX (#PSIcx) at Emrickson Park in Woodstock hosted by Psimet. Usual details at the usual time on Thursday.
- Looking for a race for this Saturday (11/4)? Do you like FREE BEER (and a FREE brat)? Hampshire Cycle Club, located in Milwaukee, WI is hosting the Estabrook Park Beer Garden Cyclocross Classic once again in partnership with the Estabrook Park Beer Garden. Estabrook Park is located just 5 miles north of downtown Milwaukee, right off of I-43. This race is the longest standing race in the WI CX series and offers a free brat and beer to every registered racer (of legal drinking age). An announcer will be on hand to keep the crowd entertained and the beer garden is sure to provide both polka music and hecklers right alongside the course. Pre-reg is available on USA Cycling through Wednesday evening and more information can be found on the event Facebook page.
- A bunch of very important things we need to remind everyone:
- Everyone gets a new bib number for every category at every event. Period. Please do not wear a number from another category, or even worse a different, previous event altogether. Scoring 700 riders every lap of the day is a lot of work even for One2Go and not wearing your correct number throws a giant wrench in the gears.
- Now that’s getting colder we are all wearing jackets and other things to keep us warm before the start. However, our USAC officials must be able to see you number as you are being staged. Also, your numbers need to be on your LEFT sides, not your backs or hidden under another garment or your hair. Pin the bottom of your number to the bottom of your jersey side panel… see the finish line photo sent by One2Go to all pre-reg’d riders before each race. We want everyone to be safe and warm, but we still need to be able to identify you for proper scoring.
- Please respect the rules of the parks we race in. We know you all enjoy having a good time, and we want you to have a good time. But if a park has a no alcohol policy please obey those rules or at the very least be discreet in your activities. Thanks!
- Similarly, if a park does allow alcohol and you choose to imbibe, bring it in a can that can bend or pour it into a cup or mug. The number one rule of beer at bike racing is no glass, ever. Thanks!!
- A few upcoming events:
- And finally… if you hadn’t already notice the Melas event is moving locations! Same date and team, but the event will be a little farther North this year to Heritage Park at 333 W. Dundee Road in Wheeling. This is actually a move BACK to Wheeling as this park hosted the 3rd race in the very first CCC season in 2004. More details to come but we have opened the BikeReg page back up, updated maps, and the event page here on this site. The hashtag will also be changing to #WheelingCX. Please tell all your friends who don’t have Internet access.
- Rain, wind, cold… that was some “traditional” cyclocross weather at ABD Sunrise Park. Thanks to Jim Nowak and the entire Athlete’s By Design crew for battening down the hatches and hosting yet another great Sunrise Park event. Links to all results are here.
- Next up the series heads just a little farther West to Campton/St. Charles for Campton Cross hosted by Training Bible Cycling and Bicycle Heaven. Look for the course preview on Thursday morning. This is our annual Halloween race, so bring your “A Game”.
- You spend countless hours training, practicing remounts and starts, working on your bike, and thinking about CX… please take 15 minutes to read through our Rules and FAQ page and learn the rules of engagement and how the CCC works. If you still have questions never hesitate to email us at ChicagoCrossCup at gmail.
- And finally… Kristen Hosey and Ultimate Pro Bikes Juniors (aka Ultimate PB&J’s) are hosting a social event on November 11th (Saturday of the Pheasant Run Resort weekend). They would love for you to join them and help further shape women in cyclocross. See more details here.
- Thanks to the Sasquatch Squadron and Main Street Bikes for another great, if drier than expected, Carpentersville race on Sunday. Turns out ground that hasn’t been rained on in 4 months absorbs a lot of water. All the updated results you are looking for are on the CCC Overall Standings GoogleSheet.
- Next up the CCC travels to Barlett for the ABD Sunrise Park (#ABDcx) event. Veteran CX hero Jim Nowak always has a few tricks up his sleeve to create one of, if not the hardest courses in the series. Online pre-reg on BikeReg closes Thursday night. Looks for the usual preview Thursday morning.
- Hotel rooms for $92/night are still available but filling quickly at Pheasant Run. Here is a link to make your reservation, or call the hotel at (630) 584-6300 and use the code ‘cyclocross’.
- Speaking of registering, online pre-reg for 2018 (i.e. this season) CX National Championships in Reno, NV opens in just under 2 weeks on Monday 10/30/17.
- Have you recently upgraded and need to transfer to a different race? Have you ever signed up for the Cat 4 race but then realized you need to be home in time for Crazy Aunt Sue’s 83rd birthday party? You can now actually transfer yourself into another category directly through your BikeReg rider profile. Its true! Just log on to your BikeReg rider profile and follow the directions. You’ll automatically be charged any difference in entry fees. You can also transfer your entry to someone else.
- Speaking of upgrades, remember you must upgrade before this weekend if you want to take 1/2 your points with you to the next category. See all the rules here.
- Did you know you can also update your contact info, emergency contact info (please, please do this), etc. yourself through your BikeReg rider profile? That is also true. Be aware however that we match all first names, last names, USAC CX categories, and team names to the USAC rider database. So those we will change for you.
- Did you start the season on a One Day license and have since purchased a USAC annual license because CX is so rad? No problem. Just update your BikeReg rider profile (and any races you’ve already pre-reg’d for, see above) with your license number. Then email us that number and we’ll update our data so you are staged properly (based on your USAC annual license number). Otherwise we won’t catch the One Day and Annual license difference.
- And finally… we’d like welcome back to the CCC Sponsor and Partner family CMIT Solutions of Chicago. CMIT Solutions is an IT consulting firm organized to support midsize & small businesses with offices in downtown Chicago. They take care of all hassles associated with computers and networks and offer a predictable flat rate service delivered by a friendly local team – sometimes by bike.
- Thanks to the entire Beverly Bike crew for hosting yet another leg buster on the hills of the Dan Ryan Woods. All the results you’re looking for are here. We had a little mix up in the Single Speed results (which are now corrected), but please check your results, no matter which field you raced in. Our goal is 100% accuracy, but we’re all human and make mistakes everyone now and again.
- Next up the CCC heads Northwest to the banks of the Fox River where race director and series director Jeff Provisor and the Main Street Bikes Sasquatch Squadron host stop #4 of the series in Carpentersville. We’re back at the Woodland Elementary School again this year (same as last year) where Jeff and the guys have found some new terrain to use. Look for the usual preview on Thursday. Online pre-reg for #CarpenterCX closes Thursday evening on BikeReg.
- Another friendly reminder, please do NOT sit up at the finish line. One2Go reminds us they are having a bit of trouble reading bib numbers of riders sitting up at the finish line, especially with the juniors. So parents, coaches, etc., please remind your juniors to keep their hands on the bars until after the finish line.
- And finally… a big, big, big, big, big shout out to our series announcer Kenny Labbe for keeping us all on time, playing DJ, providing great color commentary, and most importantly presenting and organizing the best podiums in CX. Make sure to swing by the Kenny Kompound and say hello, throw a Hi-Five, and show him a little extra CCC love. Thanks Kenny!!!
- Thanks to Comrade Cycles and the entire crew that made Sunday’s race at Hopkins Park in Dekalb a success. The course was both flowy and turny depending on which side of the park you were on. And that log jump! All the results you’re looking for are updated here.
- Next up the CCC travels to the South side of Chicago for Beverly Bike CX at Dan Ryan Woods hosted by Beverly Bike. Online pre-reg on BikeReg closes Thursday night.
- Remember the Chicago Marathon is happening Sunday. Please plan your travel times accordingly.
- If you want more Hopkins Park-esque goodness and are into road trips… The Beer City Growler Cyclocross is heading into it’s second year on Saturday 10/7/17 in Grand Rapids, MI. There’s $2500 in cash prizes up for grabs, including a $1500 Women’s Open prize purse. The Hopkins Park flyover of yore lives there now, and the beer garden will be flowing all day long! One2Go Event Services will be running timing, and the course will be fast, flowy, and hard with at least three unavoidable dismounts (unless you are Cody Kaiser). Register at https://www.usacycling.org/register/2017-1496!
- Slightly closer to Chicagoland, Grafton PumpkinCross is also on Saturday 10/7/17 at Lime Kiln Park, WI. They will have great payouts and awesome course features: paved start & finish, freshly minted off camber river bank run up & woods section, a grueling sledding hill climb with a DJ hillside, and a stretch through the beer tent. Local food vendors, Boneshaker BBQ, and Blue Cow Creperie, will be serving up deliciousness and their title sponsor, Body Renovation Physical Therapy, will be on hand in our expo area providing injury evaluations and pre & post race tune ups! The FIRST TWO riders to use the promo code: “TOLL” gets free entry to PumpkinCross. Take their prize money! If you weren’t quick on the draw, “CCC” gets 25% off entry fees. Registration: https://goo.gl/8X5844
- And finally… ladies (and guys), if you have long hair, please please please make sure it is up off your back and more importantly your bib number. We’re not asking just to be difficult. As you can see from the finish line camera images below from One2Go, it is very, very, very difficult to score you when we can’t see your number. Bib number placement has generally been great, but please get those long locks in a pony tail. Also, please do NOT sit up at the finish line. Thanks!!!
- Congrats to everyone who raced over the weekend up in Waterloo, WI at the Trek CXC Cup at Trek HQ. Plenty of great results from a bunch of CCC’ers.
- Thanks to everyone who came out to the live recording of “In the CX Hairs” podcast at the Rapha Chicago Clubhouse last Tuesday.
- CCC series racing returns this Sunday 10/1/17 at Hopkins Park in Dekalb, IL hosted by Comrades Cycles. Online pre-reg on BikeReg.com for #HopkinsCX closes Thursday night.
- Please update your USA Cycling App on your iPhone. There is a completely new app (i.e. not just an update of the old ‘My USAC’). Right now the app only displays your license(s) but USA Cycling will be adding features in the future.
- And finally… It may officially be Autumn but just like CCC racing, Chicagoland temperatures are still still hot, hawt, hot. Please make sure to stay hydrated while riding (racing and training) and don’t over do it. Its a long season and we don’t want anyone ruining their CX season due to heat exhaustion or other related issues. Bottoms up!
- Congrats to everyone who raced at Jingle Cross in IA over the weekend. Lots of great results by CCC’ers.
- Tonight, Tuesday 9/19/17 at 6:30pm, Bill Schieken of “In the CX Hairs” will be at the Rapha Chicago Clubhouse for a live podcast . Details are here, please RSVP.
- Tomorrow, Wednesday 9/20/17 Cross Vegas will be held for the last time in fabulous Las Vegas before moving to Reno next year.
- This weekend is the Trek CXC Cup and World Cup event in Waterloo, WI at Trek HQ.
- The CCC series returns to its regularly scheduled time and place on Sunday 10/1/17 at Hopkins Park in Dekalb, IL hosted by Comrades Cycles.
- Thanks to SuperGirl for the reminder. If you use the USA Cycling App on your iPhone, it currently won’t work if you upgrade to iOS 11. So take a screenshot of your license or wait to upgrade to the new iOS 11 until USAC’s app is approved and updated by Apple.
- And finally… we’ll be into the thick of CX season before you know it, so get those bikes tuned up at your local shop, have spare parts ready, keep up your fitness, sharpen those skills, and remember to say thanks to all of your supporters at home and at the races. See you all soon!
- Thanks again to xXx Racing-Athletico for hosting another great Caldwell Woods and to everyone, and we mean everyone, for coming out to race, cheer, high five, and put on a show. Links to all results and series standings are here on the Overall Series Standings GoogleSheet. Let us know if you see any errors.
- There were a few comments on the Pic, Vids, and Race Reports post with links to videos but no photos. What’s up with that? We saw plenty of cameras out there, so please post links to your photos so everyone can see them.
- Speaking of photos… we still need some help taking podium pics at each race. If you are willing and able please email us so everyone hitting the podiums can get their 15 seconds of Twitter Internet fame. And if you do take some pics and post them online, please make sure to use the official #hashtag for each event so we can find them later.
- Next up the CCC takes a 3 week break but continues Sunday 10/1/17 at Hopkins Park in Dekalb, IL hosted by Comrades Cycles. See you there!
- But if you want to keep your CX legs spinning this weekend you have 2 options. Good luck to everyone racing this weekend!
- Patriot CX is on Sunday 9/17/17 in Rantoul, IL.
- Jingle Cross weekend in Iowa City, IA. Three days of racing and Sunday is a World Cup.
- The following weekend is the Trek CXC Cup and World Cup event in Waterloo, WI at Trek HQ.
- In between World Cup weekends Bill Schieken of “In the CX Hairs” will be at the Rapha Chicago Clubhouse for a live podcast at 6:30pm on 9/19/17. Details are here, please RSVP.
- Series Sponsor F3 Cycling is offering the CCC community a 17% discount off anything on their website between now and Montrose. Swing by their tent, starting at Dekalb, say high, and get all the details.
- And finally… we’d like to welcome new Series Sponsor VeloFix Chicago North Shore to the CCC family. Look for the red and black VeloFix fan at future races and swing by to say high or even use their services if your bike needs some love.
- Here we go! The Chicago Cyclocross Cup series officially starts this coming weekend as xXx Racing-Athletico hosts Caldwell Woods. Online pre-reg ends Thursday evening. No rain in the forecast all week so (hopefully) no flooding this year. That being said, always watch here on the site or on Twitter for last minute updates. Note xXx’s website has not been updated and still shows LaBagh Woods, which is old info. This year we are back at Caldwell Woods.
- Also this weekend, xXx Racing is hosting 2 clinics with 2 guys named Sven who know a thing or 2 about CX. These are not free clinics however as airplane flights from Belgium are not free. Get all the details of the Return of the Svens on xXx Racing’s site here.
- Speaking of international CX superstars, congrats to local racer Maria Larkin for teaming up with Nicole Mertz to start their ‘Meteor p/b Allied’ CX team. You’ll find these ladies racing on Allied Bikes (founded by local coffee guy Doug Zell) all over the country at UCI events but also here in the CCC later in the season. Check them out at facebook.com/nocoastracingCX
- Speaking of rad ladies on CX bikes, Maria and Nicole along with the Cuttin’ Crew will again be hosting (for the 4th year in a row) the Junior Girls CX Clinic p/b Park Tool at the Trek CXC Cup this year. Full details TBD but save the date for Friday 9/22/2017 at 6pm to learn from 2 of the best; Katie Compton and Kaitlin Antonneau-Keogh. See the Trek CXC Cup site for details.
- And finally… we’re making a few more changes to the series this year, especially with the women categories, than we’ve been comfortable doing in the past. So bear with us as we work out the kinks and please go back and re-read our 5/30/2017 post where we detailed all the changes. Seriously, please read it and ask all your peers to read it. If you have questions email us or ask a USAC official, but please don’t assume any random joe on the side of the course has the correct answer, or that we see every little thing that didn’t go perfectly. Please provide us with feedback (constructive criticism is great!) and help us improve the series as much and as quickly as possible. The CCC is your local series and only as good as the community that builds and supports it. Now let’s race!
