Photo courtesy of Snowy Mountain Photography

The Chicago Cyclocross Cup, with exceptional help from people like Paul Swinand and Lou Kuhn from the PonyShop, has done something spectacular.  It is not unusual to see 100+ juniors line up at any given race!  It gives a lot of hope for the future of our sport and CX is finally feeling a little less fringe.

According to Paul Swinand “Kids want to have fun.  If it is not fun they’re gone”.  The Pony Shop crew doesn’t have structured training for their juniors, but rather rides and events.  It keeps them interested because it keeps it fun.

Chris Lombardo, father of the fastest kid to come out of the cup, shared much the same sentiments.  “Even when David was showing a strong interest and ability in the sport we kept it light.  We did do training at intensity at a certain point, but we’d be laughing while trying to beat each other up a hill”. Chris also points out that too much intensity can actually stunt a child’s ability to grow and develop to their full physical potential.  And not only is David Lombardo an amazing bike racer, he also goes through life with proper balance and that is a testament to parents who helped him keep the big picture in mind.

Oh ya, they’re serious

Interest is at least as important as talent.  Odds are that the most naturally gifted endurance athlete in the world is hanging out somewhere right now not thinking about endurance sports. There are many at the top of their respective game though that were mid-pack in the beginning.  Music, academics, sport….whatever.  Kids that love something can become great at it.

One of the challenges you face as a parent is that there are not always a group of fellow juniors to ride with.   In this case you’ll walk a fine line between fun, encouragement and preparation.  We’ve created a schedule for this very situation that blends skills, fitness and fun together.

Monday – off

Tuesday – skills.  Easy ride with some work on starts, barriers and cornering.  All fun, no hard efforts unless they want to do them.

Wednesday – bandit CX if available.  Otherwise just a fun ride on a challenging course.

Thursday – off

Friday – off

Saturday – Kid Opener.  Essentially the same as Tuesday’s skills ride.

Sunday – CCC race

Keep in mind that this is an example of the most training that we would recommend in a week.  Wednesday turns into more of a fitness oriented effort and Sunday is the hard ride. Two days with some intensity is plenty and keep them fun.  Regardless of the schedule that you have in mind, an important part of the mix is to listen, learn and change things up if that is what your child needs.

Kids are awesome!

• Wow, who’d a thunk Dan Ryan Woods would be muddy? What is already one of the series’ more challenging courses turned into an outright tractor pull. Thanks to everyone who came out to race, run, climb, & swim… and everyone who stuck around all day to cheer on all our riders. All the results you seek are linked here.
• Speaking of results, for those of you who are new to the series, and a reminder for you old timers, we put up a “Pics, Vids, and Race Reports” post on each race’s page the day of each event. Apologies if these pages have gotten buried in the new website design. Please use these pages to post links to all the great photos & videos you are taking throughout the day as well as race reports and comments. We can’t manually scour the web to curate all the content out there, so please give us a hand. Everyone enjoys seeing themselves on Monday morning.
• Speaking of comments, keep sending them our way. We read all the comments on the CCC website & Twitter and reply back to every email within 24 hours… usually much faster. The CCC only gets better based on constant rider feedback.
• Next up the CCC travels Northwest out to Carpentersville… or at least somewhere very nearby. An 11th hour construction project at Carpenter Park will have us moving to another (hopefully) temporary location up the road. We’re still working out the final details with race director, CCC series director, Main St Bikes owner/operator, Belgian beer connoisseur, and all around great guy Jeff Provisor. But if anyone knows how to pivot on a dime and pull an event together its Jeff and his Main St Sasquatch Squadron… squad. Stay tuned for details and look for the updated course preview at the regular time Thursday morning. In the meantime tell all your friends who never visit this website to come here and read this website.
• And finally…  if you’re looking to get involved with the rad ladies of Chicago Women’s Elite Cycling next season, please attend their “Get Involved with CWEC in 2017” event tonight at BFF Bikes in Bucktown. See more info on their The Facebook page here.

This weekend is the 8^th year Beverly Bike*VeePak is bringing you some fun adventures on Chicago’s Southside!  It’s stop #3 of the Chicago Cyclocross Cup (CCC) at Dan Ryan Woods-CCC#3.

• On Sunday for all PRE-REGISTERED racers, BBVP has once again graciously contracted some good eats for all of our racers. This year we are trying something fun and new. We will be offering a Taco Bar with beef, turkey, and bean options. BBVP is again covering all of this food… so preregister and ENJOY! Tickets will be stapled to your bib #’s for redemption. Do not lose the ticket and if you enjoy it, make sure to tip your cooks.
• Water: BBVP will NOT be supplying water (saving the world with less plastic). There are two water fountains on site, but please bring your own hydration.
• For the 4th year in a row (for this event) One2Go Event Services will be with us for professional timing and results. All preregistered riders (with valid email addresses included in their BikeReg profiles) will receive race results and lap times for via email shortly following their finish. Riders MUST be preregistered to enjoy this feature. Results will also be tweeted by @One2Go_Results on twitter following each event.  Bib numbers (always) go on your LEFT SIDE! Failure to follow properly place bib #’s risk you not being scored and potentially a $20 fine. Live scoring of the races will be found at www.livelynxresults.com.
• Don’t know if your email address is correct in BikeReg? Use the “Edit Entry” link in the “My BikeReg” section of your BikeReg.com rider profile.
• Parking: Parking is free, and the best spots are off of the 8500 S Western Ave entrance to the park… follow parking lot to the South.
• The Chicago Marathon is again being run on Sunday so please plan your travel times to and from the race accordingly.
• Online pre-registration on BikeReg.com closes TONIGHT. Please remember on-site registration closes 30 minutes prior to each race’s scheduled start time. All bib #’s must be picked up prior to registration closing so please be timely and considerate to all those you race with and DO NOT show up 15 minutes before your race expecting to still get in, even if you preregistered. Your numbers must be picked up no later than 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start of your race. We will be doing a hard cut off 30 minutes prior to handle any waitlists. If you’re late, you go to the end of the wait list. No exceptions so come early and get your numbers!
• For 2016, we have rented out the pavilion/chalet and we will be hosting registration inside. Please allow yourselves a few extra minutes to safely make your way from parking to the pavilion to get your bib numbers.
• For the kiddies…  kids under 9 years old should come to the main viewing area of the race on Sunday at 11:40 am for a free prize from Beverly Bike & Ski Shop.
• Weather looks great with 100% chance of awesome.
• Preliminary staging will be posted here by Saturday.
• Forgot to pick up your payout from Hopkins Park? Winnings can be picked up at Comrade Cycles 1908 W. Chicago Ave, and at Dan Ryan Woods on Sunday.
• The Course: Runs counter-clockwise. The course will once again be offering a little something for everyone. It will have straightaway power sections, hills (and we do mean hills), technical turn sections, and the infamous bunny hops will be transformed into something magical this year. Energy management will be key. Bring your awesomeness!

• Hopkins Park was again well worth the drive out to Dekalb. Thanks to Comrades Cycles Racing for hosting the event. All the results are here. We know we’re missing the Cat 4/5’s and the Women Cat 3 need to be fixed. Stupid Microsoft auto-updates have us running to the pits but we’ll have all those loose ends tied up later this week.
• Speaking of results, if you have upgraded from a Cat 4 to Cat 3 since LaBagh Woods, please email us and let us know so 1/2 your points will follow you to the next category. Also, if you upgrade before Carpenter Park, please email us. Otherwise you will not be staged or possibly awarded a Pactimo Series Leader jersey correctly.
• Speaking of being correct… the CCC matches all team names to what you have listed as your CX team or club name in the USAC rider database. If its not listed there, then we don’t print it. If you need to make a change or update your CX team name, please call USAC and kindly ask them to change it. We can manually change team names for LaBagh and/or Hopkins if need be, but otherwise its up to you to update your info accordingly.
• Next up the series heads back to the South side of the city for Dan Ryan Woods. Plenty of power sections, tricky bits, and hills. Look for the course preview at the regular time on Thursday.
• Series sponsor Tipping Point Photography has some updates over on the TPP blog including race pics from Hopkins Park, news about pre-holiday family portrait and headshot sessions, and an opportunity to purchase a custom framed print of “Colder Days Ahead”–the iconic snowy Montrose Harbor shot from a few seasons back. Read more here.
• Series sponsor Snowy Mountain Photography also takes some rad photos, check them out over at snowymountainphotography.com
• And finally… GREAT NEWS from our friend over at the Bonebell… Construction at Big Marsh is nearing completion and park opening will soon be upon us!!! If you would like to get a first-hand look prior to official park opening, join Friends of Big Marsh and partners this Saturday morning, October 8 in a volunteer effort to lay woodchips on the first hiking trail. Sorry, there will be NO BIKE RIDING at the park yet, although you are encouraged to ride to the event.
  And it’s not too late to be a CHAINRING DONOR with your name permanently emblazoned in the bike park as a magnanimous grassroots supporter! And finally, those sexy and slimming Big Marsh KITS will be available for sale again soon for delivery by the holidays with all proceeds benefiting Friends of Big Marsh for continued build-out of park features. Check for updates at our Facebook page.  #buildbigmarsh #putaringonit
  Volunteer Event: goo.gl/Ji4jMQ

  CHAINRING DONOR: bigmarsh.org/#build

  Facebook: facebook.com/bigmarshchicago/

• The CCC returns this weekend to Hopkins Park in Dekalb, IL. Online pre-reg closes tonight on BikeReg. Still plenty of room in all categories.
• Sorry for any confusion we may have caused at Labagh Woods but the Single Speed category will start before the Jr 15-18 at Hopkins and for the rest of the series. Slower single speeders, please make way for the fast juniors in a way that does not affect their race.
• Be on the lookout for all those Pactimo Series Leader Jerseys that Kenny Labbe awarded a few weeks back at Labagh Woods.
• Speaking of wearables, Comrade Cycles will be selling limited edition Hopkins CX t-shirts as well. Men’s and women’s sizes will be available. 
• Preliminary staging will be posted here. Numbers (always) on the LEFT!
• Alcohol is NOT ALLOWED at Hopkins Park. Please respect this DeKalb Park District policy.
• Dave’s Slow Food will be rollin’ in hot and heavy with BBQ and vegan chili so pack your appetite.
• Other Brother and Heritage will have coffee for you in the morning.
• One2Go Event Services will be keeping lap times and emailing results with live results onLiveLynxResults here.
• Kiddie Cross at 2pm! Parents need to sign a waiver. Ages 10 and under. 5 age groups: 2 and under, 3-4y/o, 5-6y/o, 7-8y/o, 9-10y/o.
• Do Not drive on the grass.
• No Parking in the parking spaces right by the playground, see map. No Parking in the lot right outside the shelter where registration is, see map.
• Use the park entrance that is south of the light at East Dresser Road, you will not be able to get through the park on East Dresser Road because the course crosses it.
• There are three large parking lots highlighted on the map. You can park along side the road where you see the white pylons.
• Other Brother Coffee and Comrade Cycles Racing have teamed up to provide separate payouts for the Cat 3 Women in the Women 1/2/3 race following the same payout schedule as the Men Cat 3 race.
• The course: Runs clockwise. Plenty of flow with not a ton of changes from years past… with the notable exception that the CCC’s original flyover is gone and moved on to greener pastures (read: Michigan). Course designer and race director Josh Arends is also taking us through the SouthEastern portion of the park where we’ve never raced before. Quadruple the number of barriers from last year (there will be four including a telephone pole) and the classic hill is out.

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), also known as Tabata, has had resurgence within the fitness realm. Among other benefits, HIIT may improve VO2 Max as well as Anaerobic Capacity. HIIT is particularly good for cyclocross training because the efforts mimic the hard punches out of corners, attacks and the first lap of a CX race. HIIT is also beneficial when you have a busy week of “real life” without much time for training.

I use the term “Tabata” when referring to the HIIT workouts. Japanese Professor Izum Tabata incorporated high-intensity intervals when he trained speed skaters. The muscles that are put to work when skating are similar to the muscles used in cycling. Izum Tabata had his speed skaters use exercise bikes for their short interval training.

Tabata intervals should be performed at maximum effort. They hurt, in a good way. Burning legs, a fiery chest and a pukey feeling at the end of a set are all signs that you are doing this right. You may implement Tabata on a hard training day (3-5 sets), or throw in one or two sets on a medium-intensity training day between your Z2-Z3 efforts.

Here is a good go-to Tabata workout, but keep in mind the length of the intervals and recoveries may be adjusted:

• Warm up for at least 20 minutes. Implement two 15 to 30 second hard efforts in the last 5 minutes of the warm up.
• As mentioned above, 3-5 sets will make for a hard workout when done right.
• Start each interval like you’re on the start line of a CX race. Since you’re going all out right off the bat you may as well work on your race starts as well.
• One set is a 4 minute session of riding for 20 seconds at maximum effort with a 10 second recovery before hitting it hard again for 20 seconds. Repeat until your 4 minutes is up.
• Keep your legs spinning during the 10 second recoveries. Complete recovery between sets, which usually takes 3-5 minutes depending on your fitness level.
• Warm down for at least 15 minutes, eat and stretch.

Post Tabata

Give Tabata a try! I won’t take it personally if you curse me during this particular workout.

Peter Kelley

• Lots of great racing over the last week. Congrats and well done to everyone who raced, supported, drove, spectated, heckled, and took in the big shows at Trek CXC Cup, Cross Vegas, and Jingle Cross. Lots of results, videos, interviews, picture, etc all over the interwebs so too many to link here.
• The CCC picks back up this coming Sunday 10/2/2016 in lovely Dekalb, IL at Hopkins Park. Online Pre-reg is still open until Thursday.
• For those of you who like to travel, remember this Saturday 10/1/2016 is the Beer City Growler Cyclocross and 5K Steeplechase in Wilcox Park in Grand Rapids, MI! http://www.usacycling.org/register/2016-2085
• Up North across the WI border we received this note yesterday from the race director about their race NEXT Saturday:
  • Grafton PumpkinCross is Saturday, October 8, 2016 at Lime Kiln Park, 2020 S. Green Bay Rd., Grafton, WI. We’re proud to announce Grafton PumpkinCross is back for 2016 and more rad than ever! We will have ridiculous payouts and awesome course features: a several hundred meter paved start & finish, PRO only section, a grueling sledding hill climb with a DJ hillside, a stretch through the beer tent to quench your mid-race thirst, and lastly, the death grip slalom descent!
  • Local food vendors, Hop In Smoke BBQ, Blue Cow Creperie, Slow Pokes Slow Food & Grocery Store will be serving up deliciousness and our title sponsor, Body Renovation Physical Therapy will be on hand in our expo area providing injury evaluations and pre & post race tune ups!
  • If that’s not enough the FIRST TWO riders to use the promo code: “TOLL” gets free entry to PumpkinCross. Take our prize money! If you weren’t quick on the draw, “CCC” gets $5 off entry fees.
  • Flyer & Registration: http://www.usacycling.org/register/2016-2558 Technical Guide: goo.gl/VzVlxH
• And finally… wouldn’t that be grand?

Thanks @TrekCXCCup @CrossVegas @JingleCross @ChiCrossCup . See you next year. pic.twitter.com/VcG2lQp7qZ

— Sven Nys (@sven_nys) September 26, 2016

• Quick update for another off/rest week.
• Yes, we are aware the results from LaBagh still need some fixing. We’re working on it and will have everything squared away by Hopkins Park. Sorry for the delay.
• We saw some great results from CCC’ers up at the Trek CXC Cup. Congrats to everyone who raced. Lots of videos up from the weekend here.
• Cross Vegas is tomorrow (Wednesday 9/21). The live stream starts at 9:15pm CDT here.
• Jingle Cross is this coming weekend. Safe travels and good luck to all Chicagoland racers, parents, support staff, etc heading out to the event. Being a World Cup event there should be a live stream as well.
• The CCC starts back up next weekend (10/2) at Hopkins Park in Dekalb.
• And finally… a quick word about passing etiquette and behavior during a CX race. Yes we’re all excited and its totally fine to race aggressively. However, it is NOT okay to use foul/abusive language, throw elbows, or lord forbid purposely hit someone. That’s not only NOT cool, but you risk being suspended, fined, or someone calling the real police. We all get hot under collar sometimes once the adrenaline starts flowing, but let’s keep it civil and fun. Okay? Now please enjoy the rest of the CX season.