• Thanks again to EMC2 / Elmhurst Masters for a great day at Quarry Cross at The Forge. A new venue always brings not only new challenges but also new opportunities, and Jostein and the gang knocked it out of the park. We had our largest number of racers of the series which we don’t normally see at this point in the season. Links to all results are here.
• The last five weeks flew by in a flash, so now its time to take a quick break. We wish everyone a great weekend off and hope you are able to spend time with family and friends and enjoy a great Thanksgiving!
• The CCC returns the following week on Sunday 12/3/2023 for the series finale and Illinois State Championship at Montrose Beach presented by SRAM and Specialized Chicago, hosted by Half Acre Cycling and Chicago United. The local event at noon will be an Adaptive Sport Demonstration p/b Shirley Ryan Ability Lab.
• We tried our best this year to come up with a new overall series scoring schedule that would make as many categories as possible not be decided until the last race of the year. But try as we did, many riders have already mathematically sewn up their category overall titles after Quarry Cross. Riders highlighted in yellow on the overall series standings are >=40 points ahead of second place and no matter what happens at Montrose Beach have already won their overall category. So congratulations to those riders, and for everyone else… get ready and stay sharp for Montrose.
• Speaking of staying sharp… USA Cycling National Cyclocross Championships are again in Louisville, Kentucky this year the week after Montrose. Good luck to everyone heading South to race at Nationals!
• And finally… as we head into the end of the CCC season, we’ll still have one more event to put a bow on the series and celebrate everyone’s accomplishments. We’re speaking of course of the End of Season Awards Party on Saturday January 6, 2024 at Specialized Chicago’s Fulton Market location. The event is free for everyone but we ask that you please RSVP through this form so we know how many people to expect. And while you’re filling out forms, fill out the one here and purchase a raffle ticket for a chance to win one of two Specialized Crux CX bikes. The proceeds go towards series operations (i.e. buying more plastic stakes to replace all the ones broken this year) that benefit everyone.

FOR THIS RACE ONLY if you’re racing more than once you’ll wear the same bib number for all categories. However you still need to check in for ALL categories at the Reg desk. Thanks!

• The first new venue in the CCC in a while, Quarry Cross at The Forge is hosted by EMC2 / Elmhurst Masters and the DuPage Cycling Foundation.
• Race flyer and website at elmhurstcyclingclassic.com
• Venue provided by The Forge  forgeparks.com
• Online pre-registration on BikeReg is open until midnight tomorrow (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 are welcomed on The Lawn in front of the stage. The Forge has two large community tents permanently set up, so not bringing your team tent can be an option.
• 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.
  
• 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 a “Lemonsters” t-shirt compliments of Lemont Downtown.
  – A variety of podium prizes compliments of the DuPage Cycling Foundation.
  
• There will be a special first lap Reaper Prime for the  first racer over the Lemontstairs for each field.
• The winner of the Cat 5 race will win the first ever Golden Turkey Trophy sponsored by honeyacrewoods.info.
• All racers 21 and older will get a ticket for a free beer provided by Pollyanna Brewing of Lemont. The tap is in The Foundry on site, where they also sell beer, pop, wine hot coffee and hot chocolate all day.
• Food: Big Ed’s Shed BBQ & Grilling of Lemont. Award winning Texas Red Chili and All Hallows Eve Pumpkin Soup (Vegetarian).
• Tacomotora of Chicago. The best Mexican Tacos. “Full Stop!”.
• Racer will have access to a hospitality tent for stretching/massage before or after races courtesy of Rehabitconciergephysicaltherapy.com
  
• The Course: Runs counter clockwise. Brand new venue = new for everyone course with six distinct features.
  – The Runway = a long gravel start
  – The Bedrock Pond = a long off camber challenge
  – The Range = a series of tunes on loose mulch
  – The Arena = A run-up followed by tree slalom. 
  – The North Shore = A & B line singletrack choices ending with three wood plank banked turns.
  – The Hoogerheide = our version of the famous Dutch course with a hay bale run up “The Lemontstairs”

• Thanks to Sasquatch Squadron powered by Main Street Bicycles and the Northbrook Garner Bicycle Club.for hosting another great Wheeling Heritage Park CX. We had our largest number of racers this past weekend. The great weather probably helped. Links to all results are here.
• Next up the series heads to Lemont for Quarry Cross at The Forge hosted by EMC2 / Elmhurst Masters. Looks for the course preview at the regular time on Thursday.
• If you haven’t been checking the comments, Ned Bowen and Tim Radcliff have been taking lots of great photos at all the race. Check them out and give them credit if using a photo online.
• And finally… we’ve very happy to announce the CCC’s newest series sponsor Specialized Chicago! They’re not new to the series as they hosted our 2022 season Series Awards and 2023 Town Hall at the Fulton Market location, and we’ll be back for the 2023 Series Awards party. But besides being great people and wonderful hosts, Specialized Chicago is donating not one, but TWO Specialized Crux CX bicycles to the series for a raffle. See our post here on how to enter. Winners will be selected at random at the CCC Series Awards Party at the Fulton Market location on January 6, 2024.

Enter to win one of TWO Specialized Crux bicycles provided by Specialized Chicago!

Fill out this Form first: https://forms.office.com/r/GGdm572mt5

Purchase $5 raffle tickets via:

• Cash –> In person at CCC events only
• Venmo –> Hannah-Miller-95
• Zelle –> [email protected]
• PayPal –> [email protected] or scan below

If you’ll be attending the awards party on 1/6/2024 at 6:30pm please let us know by filling out this form.

• 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.
• Preregistration on BikeReg closes at 11:59 pm Friday. Race day entries will be available only through BikeReg for an additional $10 upcharge. Registration closes 30 minutes before the scheduled race time. 
• Preliminary Staging will be posted here on Saturday.
• All are invited to attend a free Health Fair in the Community Center from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. Check out the presentations, class demos like spin, activities for kids’, screenings, and more. The Center also has public rest rooms with hot showers available. The park hosts activities throughout the year, so get on their e-mail list. 
• 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.  
• 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.  
• Weather looks great, but its cold out there. Please plan and dress accordingly.
• Staging is in the northeast corner nearest the North Parking lot access road. The finish line and registration are to the south of staging. The two-way pit is just east of the aquatic center.  
• Bring your hops at “high” noon. Our local event is a bunny hopping contest. Sign up for free in BikeReg. The course runs anti-gravity. Go higher than everyone else and receive some high-calorie fare to make future hop contests fairer. 
• 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 finish will be extra CX. Remember to look through the corners. 

• Thanks to PSIMET for hosting another great Groundhog PSI-clocross. Links to all results are here.
• Next up the series heads to Wheeling for Wheeling Heritage Park CX hosted by Northbrook Garner Bicycle Club and Sasquatch Squadron / Main Street Bikes. Looks for the course preview at the regular time on Thursday.
• Please note, we do not actively monitor the comments here on the website. Please email us directly at ChicagoCrossCup at gmail if you see wrong information or have questions. Thanks!
• And finally… Set your calendars, the CCC Awards Party will be hosted on Saturday 1/6/2024 at Specialized Chicago Fulton Market. More details to follow but we’ll have swag, raffles, series winner jerseys, cowbells, food, and drinks!

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.

• Registration closes Friday at midnight. There will be day of registration available at a higher price but only through BikeReg.
• Preliminary Staging will be posted here on Saturday.
• Remember that Daylight Savings ends the morning of the race so be sure you have the right time!
• 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 are ticketing and will patrol throughout the day
• Enter from the Park’s North entrance (Kishwaukee Valley Rd) then you can drive right up to the “tent city” field and drop off gear. The Jackson Entrance will be closed this year. You can park in the lower lot by entering off of South St but will not be able to drive through to the rest of the course or park.
• Speaking of Deja-Vu – Rob had a hankering to see old throwback Chicago Kits this weekend. So if you have an old school kit bring it out and help celebrate Chicago Cycling Heritage.
• There is an Open Event at Noon. The course will be shortened (will stay on the East Side of the course with no road crossings for this even only). Everyone is invited to ride the course. No Fee. 20 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.
• 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-5pm. The menu for race day is available on their site now – https://perknpickle.com/crosstown-classic
• This park has “always” had a “no alcohol” policy. So when you bring in cups for your soda and lemonade PSIMET asks that you pack out what you bring in. It helps PSIMET make sure the park doesn’t think we’re a drinking series with a cycling problem if there aren’t a lot of juice boxes laying around.
• Equipment Pits will be single width and will not use the orange fencing this year. There will NOT be any water or washing facilities at the race though, so if conditions look to be getting worse please plan your own support accordingly. The city sent notice they shut off all the outside water at the park but would turn on one spigot for race day. Maybe you can find it if you’re lucky.
• Weather looks great, but chilly. Please dress and plan accordingly.
• 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 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 voucher from the PSIMET coordinator.
• As another reminder, if you are pre-riding while anyone is finishing up, please make sure you are NOT inadvertently riding in front of people still racing. Just ride slowly behind them and offer words of encouragement or ring a cowbell. Thanks!
• 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 X and Instagram.
• The Course: A collection of no less than half a dozen pinwheels/toilet bowls Roughly the same course as last year with a few small modifications.

• Happy Halloween!
• Thanks to Guaranteed Rate Cycling for hosting another great Campton CX. Lots of great racing and costume out there. Thanks to Tim Radcliff and Ned Bowen for taking pics!! Links to all results are here.
• Next up the series heads to Woodstock for Groundhog PSI-clocross. Note for the ‘Local Event’ PSIMET will be holding a free Open Event at noon. Get on the course with everyone! Course will be shortened (will stay on the East Side of the course with no road crossings). Everyone is invited to ride the course. No Fee. 20 Minute event. This is your opportunity to try a cross course or wear a great costume and ride with your friends. Anyone can participate, we just need you to sign up and sign a waiver.
• If anyone lost a Wahoo Element Roam at Sunrise Park CX, please email us, a local resident found it on Monday.
• If you’re free on Saturday 11/4 from 12-3, Big Marsh is hosting an event to launch the ‘Big Hill’ and present more details on the big hill alongside the debut of the Chicago Park District’s new master plan.
• And finally… we know there are still a bunch of you out there who haven’t updated your CX team name on your USAC license. Please check your team name in the Overall Standings tracking GoogleSheet. If your team name is not listed next to your name then we do not have it and you are not contributing to your team’s overall total. If you’re not worried about that, then that’s okay. But if you are, please email us this week so we can correct the situation. Thanks!

• The Guaranteed Rate Cycling team host us again at Campton CX for the series’ second hilliest race.
• 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 be serving up some fantastic BBQ.
• Sorry, but NO alcoholic beverages are allowed in the park.
• Campton is our Halloween race. Wear a costume, or not… keep it fun, maybe a little weird! There may be a costume contest. We can’t wait to see what you all come up with this 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.
• It’s warm right now, but temps will be dropping quickly and the forecast is for a chance of rain all day. Please plan your clothing accordingly.
• There is plenty of parking on site. Please do not ride or drive on the grass surrounding the course.

• Thanks to ABD for hosting yet another great day at Sunrise Park. Results links are all here.
• Next up, the CCC heads a little further West to Campton on Sunday 10/29/2023 for Campton CX. This is of course the Halloween costume race (if you want to). We can’t wait to see what great costumes you all come up with this year.
• Final reminder that if you upgrade your USAC category you can take 1/2 your points with you to the next category (for overall standings and staging), but you must do so THIS WEEK. Details on the Rules and FAQ page and if you do upgrade you need to email us and let us know.
• And finally… here’s your annual reminder that in order to race not only does your body need to be in tip-top shape, but so does your equipment. There are many, many amazing local bike shops in the Chicagoland area that are ready to help keep your rides in fully functional working order, especially after the punishment you may have been dealing them over the last few weeks. Schedule some maintenance to make sure you keep flying through this CX season!