• Wow, just wow… Montrose Beach never disappoints. We had tons of great racing, the largest turnout of the season, and more high-fives, hugs, cheers, and awards than we can keep track of. Thanks again to Half Acre Cycling, our USAC officials, the best announcing any sport anywhere is lucky enough to have, and of course mother nature for fantastic weather to close out the season.
• If you won your overall series category, please check your inbox as we just emailed you asking for some information. Thanks and we look forward to seeing you at the awards party (see below).
• Links to all Results are here for Montrose and the entire series. We pride ourselves on posting all kinds of timely and accurate data from the season, so please take a look, let us know if you have any questions, and if you’d like to see anything else.
• Next up, the CCC racing season is over, but we know several of you are traveling to Louisville, KY this week to race at  USA Cycling National CX Championships. Good luck to everyone traveling and racing!
• And finally… we’re holding our end of season Awards Party on Saturday 1/11/2025 at Specialized Fulton Market. Don’t miss out on the raffle for two Specialized Crux framesets provided by Specialized Chicago as well as tons of other prizes. Purchase your “random drawing” tickets between now and the close of the drawing on BikeReg in order to win any prizes. We also added a free “attending” option so you can let us know you’re coming to the party. Please

• Half Acre Cycling is once again excited to bring you Montrose Beach CX – also once again the Illinois State CX Championship race. Please read all of the info below for some important notes (yeah, it’s a lot).
• Big thanks to our generous sponsors for helping make this event possible:
  • 46th Ward Alderwoman Angela Clay
  • Dr. Erin Ayala, Sport Psychologist, of Skadi Sport Psychology, sponsoring free reg for any BIPOC, woman, nonbinary or trans racers
  • Rehabit Concierge Physical Therapy and Dr. Aleks Kerzee-Stamatelopoulos onsite with free injury screening, manual therapy and cowbells
• Registration is still open on BikeReg, where you can also pre-purchase limited edition posters for pickup on Sunday. The weather looks to be dry but brrrrrrrrr… and as always, the wind coming off the lake can be strong; please make sure to secure your tents.
• Since this is both the Illinois State CX Championship AND CCC series finale, there are many, many, many podiums to get through. Please help the best announcer a race series could ask for keep things moving… if you are top three in the race or the series overall, report to the podium ASAP following your race. See below for how state champs will be awarded. Note the only real difference from last year is the Women Cat 4 state champ will be awarded from the Women Cat 4/5 instead of the Women Cat 3/4.
  • 
• Staging: As the race is part of the CCC, we’ll follow standard protocols — the front row is staged by series points, every other row by CrossResults points.
• PRELIMINARY staging will be posted here Saturday morning. If you see an error email us (we won’t be monitoring the comments here)
• Here’s your friendly reminder that Montrose Beach is technically within Lincoln Park — a large city park where civilians who have no idea what us weirdos are doing WILL be coming through on their usual Sunday activities (the lakefront path cuts through the course). Yes, we’ll be celebrating the local finale of the best amateur cyclocross series; probably with drinks** and food (trucks) and more dranks**, but please be on your best behavior and show the locals 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 … it’s Chicago Park District property and alcohol is NOT permitted.
• We have two great food truck options this year with Aztec Dave’s tacos returning with veggie options, and Soul & Smoke BBQ. (Unfortunately Firecake’s donut truck Billy suffered a mechanical and is unable to attend this time, so BYO coffee/breakfast).
• Simonds Drive is closed to thru-traffic and parking* within the barricades is restricted. Regular parking is along Simonds Drive and Montrose Drive either to the northwest or southeast, exiting the way you came in. Per the Chicago Park District, NO DRIVING ON THE GRASS OR PATHS, ANYWHERE! We cannot emphasize this point enough and yet still have vehicles break this rule. Please adhere to parking marshals’ instructions regarding your vehicle parking and movements.
• Speaking of parking, 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).
• Teams may drop off tents/equipment at either end of Simonds Drive 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 below 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 stick to where we have marked tents.
• All are welcome to drop/place tents and other large items on Saturday afternoon! However, HAC, USAC, CPD, DCASE, et al. cannot and will not take responsibility for anything 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 super important lakefront path crossings. Volunteers get free lunch! Sign-up here.
• We understand the desire to pre-ride, especially with so many CCC’ers living nearby. However, we kindly request you DO NOT RIDE the course before the event, especially during setup on Saturday, to enable course construction AND to keep it in nice condition for game day. Again, drop the bike and pick up some course stakes and tape to help — it takes a village!

• The course:
• YES, we are aware there is bridge construction. Because of this we have to shift the start farther southeast, and have a gentle curve before turning onto the grass via the ramp transition. Again, please stay friendly with your fellow racers at the start; remembering that you can’t win the race here, but you can ruin it.
• 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.
• The loss of off-camber bits have been replaced by some fun use of the natural sand dunes. We will have a couple of course modifications for the young juniors and the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab Adaptive category.
• Finally, the finish has relocated to the walking path location used in the past, so heads up for spectators crossing, and please use caution when you are a spectator crossing.

• We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! 🦃
• The final race of the series is this coming weekend at Montrose Beach. More details on Thursday.
• There are specific rules about who can win a State Championships. See the event notes or our FAQ page for details.
• Half Acre Cycling needs a handful of additional volunteers to make Montrose happen especially the 9:25am, 11:25, and 12:25 shifts. Volunteers get lunch from Spoke and Bird and shifts are only an hour. Sign up here –> https://volunteersignup.org/QA38B
• And finally… we’re holding our end of season Awards Party on Saturday 1/11/2025 at Specialized Fulton Market. Don’t miss out on the raffle for two Specialized Crux framesets provided by Specialized Chicago as well as tons of other prizes. Purchase your “random drawing” tickets between now and the close of the drawing on BikeReg in order to win any prizes.

• A great and surprisingly warm day of racing at Quarry Cross at The Forge. Thanks to EMC2 / Elmhurst Masters and the DuPage Cycling Foundation for hosting another fun event. Links to all Results are here.
• This week the CCC takes a quick break for Thanksgiving. We hope everyone has a great holiday and gets to spend it with family and friends.
• Next up the series finished up at Montrose Beach on Sunday 12/8 for the series finale and Illinois State CX Championship hosted by Half Acre Cycling. Rest up, each some turkey and mashed potatoes, and we’ll see you in the sand.
• For those looking for a little extra racing, the USA Cycling National CX Championships are the week after Montrose (12/12 – 12/15) in Louisville, KY. Good luck to everyone racing at CX Nats!
• And finally… the CCC will hold our end of season Awards Party on Saturday 1/11/2025 at Specialized Fulton Market. We’ll award the series overall jerseys provided by Pactimo, the coveted personalized cowbells, and raffle off not one but two Specialized Crux framesets provided by Specialized Chicago as well as tons of other prizes. The event is free to attend but you must purchase your “random drawing” tickets between now and the close of the drawing on BikeReg in order to win any prizes. We look forward to seeing you all there!

• The second annual Quarry Cross at The Forge is hosted by EMC2 / Elmhurst Masters and the DuPage Cycling Foundation Sunday November 24th.
• Saturday, November 23rd: Open Practice 10am-4pm. The course will be fully set up. A great chance to familiarize yourself and practice the unique features.
• Race flyer and website at elmhurstcyclingclassic.com
• Venue provided by The Forge  forgeparks.com
• Online pre-registration on BikeReg is open until midnight Friday.
• Preliminary Staging will be posted here Saturday morning.
• The Forge Zip Line Park will be open for normal operations. The Kids Adventure Zone adjacent to the race is $20 for an all-day pass.
• Team tents Due to landscaping, last years’ reserved space is no longer available. Team tent space is very limited. However, The Forge has three huge permanent tents that can host up to 500 people. If there is one race to not haul your team tent to, this will be the one.
• Directions: Please use 227 Heritage Quarries Drive in your GPS. Follow signs from there to the main parking lots. Please obey the 10mph speed limit on the mile plus drive in. 
• Parking: There is plenty of parking, please park in designated lots and do not block entry/exit roadways.
• No vehicles are allowed to drive across the bridge. This is per the The Forge’s insurance policy. Also, please do not ride bikes on the fenced-in, re-seeded areas in front of the main stage. Let’s not jeopardize our welcome at this great venue.
• Prizes:
  – All podium finishers will receive park vouchers compliments of The Forge.
  – Age Group and Category Winners will receive THE GOLDEN CROWN OF CHAMPIONS provided by Walden Florist of Downers Grove.
  – Juniors that make it to the Candy Podium will receive Thanksgiving Swag.
• The winner of the Cat 5 race will win the second annual Golden Turkey Trophy sponsored by Honey Acre Woods. 
• All racers 21 and older will receive a ticket for a free beer provided by Pollyanna Brewing of Lemont. The tap is in The Foundry on site, where you can also find The Creamery where they sell concessions.
• Food: Big Ed’s Shed BBQ & Grilling of Lemont. Award winning Texas Chili and Vegetarian Black Bean and Corn Chili.
• Tacomotora of Chicago. The best Mexican Tacos. “Full Stop!”.
• Racers will have access to a hospitality tent for stretching/massage before or after races courtesy of Rehabit Concierge Physical Therapy
• The noon local event is a Adaptive Cycling Demonstration Race, in cooperation with The Shirley Ryan Ability Lab. If you pre-ride at this time, remember these riders have the right-away!
• The Course: Runs counter clockwise. The course has developed, for the better. Gone are the the gravel turns and haybales! Every elevated wood feature has a optional bypass line. If the boards are deemed too slick, the “B” line will be the only option. The pit is accessible twice per lap.
  – The Runway = a long gravel start
  – The Bedrock Pond = a long off camber challenge
  – The Range = a series of turns on loose mulch
  – NEW BELGIAN STAIRS RUN-UP 
  – The Arena + tree slalom. 
  – The North Shore = A & B line singletrack choices ending with three wood plank banked turns.
  – The FINISH is now on a long straightaway.
• Click here to see the course in Google Maps.

• 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.