• Another great and rather balmy (for a change) day at Wheeling Heritage CX. Thanks to  Sasquatch Squadron powered by Main Street Bicycles and the Northbrook Garner Bicycle Club. Links to all Results are here.
• Next up, the weather is getting colder and we head SW of Chicago to Lemont for Quarry Cross at The Forge is hosted by EMC2 / Elmhurst Masters and the DuPage Cycling Foundation. This is the second year at this venue and the EMC2 gang have made a bunch of improvements to the course. More details on Thursday at the regular time but just a heads up there will be an Open Practice on Saturday from 10am-4pm. The course will be fully set up and a great chance to familiarize yourself with the unique features of this course.
• And finally… we’ve received quite a few emails recently about Lost & Found items. This seems to happen every season around this time when the weather starts to turn and it’s dark at the end of the day. Please make an effort to remember to take all your gear with you. But just in case you leave something behind please leave a comment in either the Course Preview post or the Tuesday update post, or both. There is a box of Lost & Found that gets loaded into the CCC equipment trailer each week, but the series cannot be responsible for everyone’s gear. Stay warm, race hard, have fun. Thanks

• The Wheeling Park District welcomes us back for another day of cyclocross racing at Heritage Park cohosted by the Sasquatch Squadron powered by Main Street Bicycles and the Northbrook Garner Bicycle Club.
• Preliminary staging will be posted here Saturday.
• Please park in the North Parking lot east of the course to be closest to registration and the start. Please do not park in the lot adjacent to the Community Center to keep spaces open for folks heading indoors. All are welcome in the building where you’ll find additional rest rooms and hot showers, but please leave your bicycles outside.
• The Cart will be put before the course once again with Mario’s Cart providing midday Mexican food. 
• Lots of open grass and paved pathway for warming up, but as always, be mindful of pedestrians and other patrons of the park. Please refrain from riding on the playground surface and don’t set up tents in the pavilion grass due to underground electrical. 
• No drones are allowed to take flight within the park due to the proximity of the Chicago Executive Airport. PWK for those of you booking last minute arrivals.
• Staging is in the northeast corner nearest the North Parking lot access road.  
• The course runs clockwise. Flat at the start and finish, but in between you’ll ride the camber along the pool embankment until you hit the course elevation; enjoy the views of the lake and surrounding area from the top before heading back. The two-way pit is just east of the aquatic center.  It ain’t midway ’round so don’t get a mechanical in the techy sections. Get it ’em somewhere in the easy part near tent city. We’re toying with the idea of an A/B line option on the far side of the course. Opt for A longer unobstructed route that may or may not be rideable or a shorter Barriered route that may or may not be rideable. Be choosey (if it happens).
• Course map is here if you like GoogleMaps.

• Two days, two races, too much fun? Thanks to the entire PSIMET crew for another great Groundhog PSI-clocross weekend. Links to all Results are here.
• This coming weekend the series returns to Wheeling for race number seven Wheeling Heritage Park CX hosted by Northbrook Garner Bicycle Club & Main St Bikes/Sasquatch Squadron. As we do every week, more details on Thursday, Reg closes Friday at midnight.
• And finally… as we enter the holiday season and start dreaming of new bikes and gear for ourselves, consider a donation or helping hand to those in our community that are less fortunate. For many years the series has supported West Town Bikes, Blackstone Bicycles Works, and Friends of Big Marsh. Lots of people donate on Giving Tuesday after Thanksgiving, but in reality any time of year is a great time to help if you can. THANK YOU!!!

Phil : Do you ever have déjà vu, Mrs. Lancaster?
Mrs. Lancaster : I don’t think so, but I could check with the kitchen.

Why is this race called Groundhog PSI-Clocross? Well, in 1992 the downtown square of Woodstock, IL was used to film the movie Groundhog Day. Rob Curtis and the PSIMET crew have carried some parts of the movie into the venue.

• This is the first double race weekend we’ve had in a few years, brought to you by PSIMET Racing at Groundhog PSI-clocross. Note there are TWO BikeReg pages, Saturday and Sunday. If you want to race both days you need to register for BOTH days. Each race day is separate so there is not a multi-race discount across days. The multi-race discount still does apply for the same day. Online reg for Sunday’s race will still close at midnight on Friday, but online reg for Saturday’s races will close at midnight on Thursday. Saturday’s results will affect staging on Sunday, meaning overall series points and CrossResults.com points will be updated Saturday night for Sunday’s race. If you have any questions, email us.
• SATURday Preliminary Staging will be posted here
• SUNday Preliminary Staging will be posted here
• There is plenty of parking throughout the park. As with all previous years there is NO PARKING ON THE GRASS. This is the strictest rule the park and city have for the facility. This also means no vehicles on the grass to drop off gear early in the morning <looks at masters teams>. We say this every year and yet it still ends up being a problem at some point in the day. No cars on grass anywhere for any length of time. Police WILL BE PRESENT all day and may be ticketing
• Speaking of tents – there is a large construction project in the area we have previously used for tent city. This year will take some getting used to as we don’t have a readily obvious place to locate tents. PSIMET recommends following the lead of others who arrive before you or if not sure then simply ask one of the PSIMET crew for a recommendation for location. There will no on-site security overnight but there will be regular police patrols through the park Friday and Saturday night for those that would like to leave tents or gear overnight at their own risk.
• You will receive a different bib number each day for each race. Please do not re-use your Saturday number on Sunday.
• Enter from either of the Park’s North entrances (Kishwaukee Valley Rd or Jackson St). Parking is available throughout the park. The entrance on South St as well as the lower lot near that entrance will be closed to allow for staging.
• There is an Open Event at Noon on both days. The course will be shortened. Everyone is invited to ride the course. No Fee. 15 Minute event. This is your opportunity to try a cross course or wear a great costume or throwback kit and ride with your friends. We are hoping we can get some of the family friendly circus of the CCC of old to help cheer everyone on. All can participate we just need you to sign up so we have a waiver. Sign up on the BikeReg page or we will have waivers available on site at reg. if you have already registered to race that day you do not need to fill out an additional waiver.
• Food: Perk and Pickle Food Truck will be on site all day long serving breakfast, lunch and an early dinner if needed. Serving hours will be from 8am-4pm. The menu for race day is available on their site now – https://perknpickle.com/woodstock-cycle
• This park has “always” had a “no alcohol” policy but… For the first time we will have a BEER GARDEN hosted by Holzlager Brewing. They will have a myriad of options for adult beverages including wine and popular non-beer beverages in addition to all sorts of beer and non-alcohol options. In order to have this opportunity the City of Woodstock requires there to be a Police officer on duty in the venue. Sales from the beer garden will go to help pay for this large expense. A collection will be taken in the beer garden for those that want to help defray the cost of the required police. Alcohol will be served from 11-4 each day and must remain within the beer garden.
• In the event of rain or mud there is no water source readily available within the park so please plan for your own needs and refrain from making a mess or destroying turf outside the course.
• There won’t be much if any daylight left after the last race ends, so please plan accordingly. Also if you can, please help PSIMET tear down the course on Sunday so they aren’t doing it all in the dark.
• There is an informal Car Show that we are hosting on site like we did last year. If you bring a notable car for display (classic, antique, etc.) we will have an area for you to park at the top of the hill near the food truck. You will also receive a free food truck meal and/or beer garden voucher from the PSIMET coordinator.
• Kerrie Kurth will be hosting a Canine Cross on Sunday any time between 12:15 and 2pm. You will run a course with your pup. Award for fastest and not so fastest. Donations go toward All Herding Breed Dog Rescue.
• If you’re interested in looking over the filming locations for the movie there is a great map for self-guided tours here: http://www.woodstockgroundhog.org/walking-tour/
• Remember to use #psiCX on Twitter and Instagram.
• The Course: Hill repeats and toilet bowls. Actually it is a similar course as previous years with a few small modifications. We will run the same course but different directions for both days with minor variations. Day 1 Counter-clockwise and Day 2 is Clockwise.
• See the map of the course here at this link click here on these words thanks.

• Hills, Weather, Halloween, and more… Campton Cross again provided it all for us. Thanks to the entire Guaranteed Rate Cycling crew for another great Campton Cross. Links to all Results are here.
• It’s Election Day. You’ll never, ever hear us talk about politics or who you should or should not vote for. But… not every country in the world gets to elect their leaders on a regular basis, and we do, so don’t waste your opportunity to get out and vote today.
• This coming weekend the series has the first double race weekend we’ve had in a few years, brought to you by PSIMET Racing at Groundhog PSI-clocross. Note there are TWO BikeReg pages, Saturday and Sunday. If you want to race both days you need to register for BOTH days. Each race day is separate so there is not a multi-race discount across days. The multi-race discount still does apply for the same day. Online reg for Sunday’s race will still close at midnight on Friday, but online reg for Saturday’s races will close at midnight on Thursday. Finally, Saturday’s results will affect staging on Sunday, meaning overall series points and CrossResults.com points will be updated Saturday night for Sunday’s race. If you have any questions, email us.
• Also for Groundhog PSI-clocross… don’t feel like driving to and fro Saturday night and Sunday morning… there was a block of rooms available in Woodstock for the night of Saturday November 9. There was a special rate at AmericInn by Wyndham in Woodstock but we’re pretty sure it’s expired. Call 815.575.9093 and use GROUNDHOGCX to see if it’s still available.
• And finally… a note about USAC categories, upgrading, and what we call sandbagging. As everyone knows there are USAC categories 1-5 (Category is now called Novice). You start as a Cat 5 and based on your fitness and skills (which leads to race placings) you earn your upgrade to a high (lower number) category. USA Cycling has a very clear page here specific to cyclocross on how, when, and why you can and should upgrade. Some upgrading rules apply across disciplines on this USAC page, specifically how Juniors and Masters accrue points. Note also the CCC is NOT a series in regards to these rules since each race is hosted by a different race director. These are the rules we play by and if you’re racing in the CCC you should know, understand, and abide by those rules. Sandbagging is when a person knowingly disregards these rules or tries to game the system. No one wants to be a sandbagger, and no one wants sandbaggers in their race. Upgrading is a reward, not a punishment. Now all that being said, we think the only thing that’s worse than sandbagging is being a jerk anonymously about someone else sandbagging instead of improving yourself. If you think someone is sandbagging, speak to him/her in person at a race and encourage them to upgrade. If that doesn’t work speak to our awesome USAC officials at a race and/or send an email to USAC (several riders have already been auto-upgraded this year). The CCC does not issue USAC upgrades, but we’re always willing to listen to anyone’s concerns and speak to racers (and give them a nudge if need be) who are not improving the series by improving themselves. The bottom line is this, if you’re not here to help make the CCC series better for everyone then you’re not helping at all.

• Guaranteed Rate Cycling are back at it again at Campton CX for the series’ second hilliest race. Third if you count both days of Groundhog this year.
• Anderson Park in Campton Township (5N180 Brown Rd, Campton Hills, IL 60175). Need directions? From I-90: Randall Road South, to Rt. 64 West, past LaFox Road, turn right onto Brown Road and park is on your left. There are other Anderson Parks in the Chicagoland area, so please go to the correct one. The map on BikeReg is correct.
• Pre-reg closes Friday night on BikeReg .
• Preliminary staging will be posted here on Saturday. Make sure you double check your preliminary staging on Saturday, not Sunday.
• Dave’s SLO Food will again be serving up some fantastic BBQ.
• Sorry, NO alcoholic beverages are allowed in the park.
• Campton is our Halloween race. Wear a costume, or not… keep it fun, keep it safe! There will hopefully be a costume contest. We are always waiting on the edge of our saddles to see what you all come up with each year.
• Please do NOT warm up on/around the soccer fields to the East of registration. The village has asked us to keep off the areas visible when you pull into the park. If you carefully ride North on Brown Rd for about 200 meters you can hop onto the Great Western trail, which is a great place to warm up. Thank you.
• Temps will be dropping between now and Sunday and the forecast is for a chance of rain all day. Please plan and prep your clothing, nutrition, and pressure washer accordingly.
• There is plenty of parking on site. Please do not ride or drive on the grass surrounding the course.
• Remember if you have already done so or plan on upgrading your USAC category… and you want half of your series points to follow you to the next category for overall placings and staging purposes… you need to do so AND EMAIL US THE DETAILS before this weekend’s race… meaning no later than Saturday at noon. Details are pretty straightforward over on the Rules and FAQ page.

• Another great day of racing at ABD Sunrise Park hosted by none other than Athlete’s By Design. Links to all Results are here.
• Next up the series heads further West to Campton for Campton Cross. More details on Thursday, Reg closes on Friday, weather looks wet, so bring a change of clothes and a pressure washer if you got one. Oh and Campton is our Halloween race. Dress up if you want to, just remember the officials and finish line camera still need to see your bib number, so please make sure it’s visible or you will not be scored.
• Speaking of being scored properly, please remember to pin your bib number on the SIDE of your jersey… not the top, not the back, not anywhere else. The officials and finish line camera are on the side of the course… not in a blimp high above, not in a drone following you around, not behind you. Thanks!
• And finally… we’ve been trying to get the word out that lots and lots of people still don’t have a team name in our results. We match all team names from the Cyclocross Team or Club on your USAC license, so if it’s not there or correct we don’t have it. It doesn’t matter what you have in BikeReg or what shows up on CrossResults.com or what jersey you’re wearing at the race. Please check your results here (the sheet is sorted by team name then last name) and after you confirm your USAC license is updated, email us and let us know. This is the last time we’ll mention this for the rest of the season. Congrats to Southeastern Lakes Scholastic Mtb who are currently in the team competition lead!

• This week’s race takes us once again to Bartlett for ABD Sunrise Park hosted by Athletes By Design (ABD).
• Please use the hashtag #ABDcx where appropriate.
• Preliminary staging will be posted here Saturday morning. Please check your staging on Saturday, not Sunday morning. Thanks!
• Remember to check your CX TEAM NAME on your USAC license. If its not there or incorrect you’re not contributing to the Overall Team Standings.
• Pre-reg on BikeReg closes Friday night.
• PLEASE no parking on grass.
• Parking on Foster Ave is usually allowed but on NORTH side only. There should be “No Parking” signs along the park (south) side. If not, please respect this. Also Parking is allowed on Struckman Blvd (better option), or at Sycamore Trails School (preferred).
• No alcohol.  Sorry Park rules.
• Chicago area Autumn weather continues to impress, but temps are getting chilly in the, so please bundle up and come prepared for anything. Also, please remember to collect your clothing from the staging grid after your race!

• Thanks to xXx Racing for hosting another Jackson Park CX. The weather was 100% and the racing was even better. Links to all the results you’re looking for are here.
• Up next the series heads west to Bartlett for ABD Sunrise Park hosted by ABD. More updates on Thursday.
• We have added a ‘Team Names’ page to the Overall Standings GoogleSheet. If your team name is missing here or incorrect that means a) you are not helping your team in the Team Overall Standings and b) your USAC License does not have your correct team name and you need to rectify the situation. We match all USAC annual license numbers to your CX Team or Club name. Once you’ve updated your USAC license, email us and we can update the overall standings.
• This year PSIMET is hosting not one, but TWO days at Groundhog PSI-clocross, both of which are part of the series. Reg is open for both Saturday and Sunday. There is also a block of rooms available in Woodstock for the night of Saturday November 9 for those in need of lodging and/or less travel. A special rate can be obtained at AmericInn by Wyndham in Woodstock, Illinois by using the code GROUNDHOGCX when booking by phone: 815.575.9093 or on the website. The block of rooms expires October 26 so act now to reserve your spot!
• And finally… this season’s CCC Awards Party will once again be held at Specialized Fulton Market on Saturday January 11, 2025. We’ll have a set-up similar to last year with food, dranks, raffles, and of course the coveted CCC series winner jerseys and cowbells. Look for more info later in the season… including very soon info about a Specialized Crux frames raffle.

• 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!