Photo: SnowyMountain Photography

• What a great two days of racing at the Hilton Indian Lakes Resort hosted by the South Chicago Wheelmen. We saw plenty of great racing with different winners both days in nearly every category. We also saw more than a few series leader jerseys change hands. The racing was so hot that even our USAC midwest regional rep and USADA came out to see what all the buzz was about. Results links are all here.
• Next up the CCC travels closer back to the city for Melas CX Basin Racin’. The weather forecast is calling for possibly some precipitation but definitely colder temperatures. We haven’t really needed them yet, so make sure those space heaters are working and dress/pack appropriately.
• Speaking of Melas CX, the race promoter is still in need of a little help. Volunteers race for free and get lunch. Sign up here: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0b45aca6292-melas4 
• Speaking of signing up, registration for everyone’s favorite post CCC series race, which is also a fundraiser for rad Chicago youth, and also held on a gold course… “Afterglow – A Cyclocross Race” hosted by the other CCC… The Chicago Cuttin’ Crew… is now open on BikeReg here. This is the last official Chicagoland CX race of the year and a great way to have some fun while doing good for the community.
• Also speaking of signing up, tickets are now on sale on BikeReg for the 2015 CCC Series Awards Party at EJ’s Place in Skokie at noon on Sunday 12/20/2015. Please don’t call it a banquet, there are no black ties or doilies.
• As the weather starts to turn The Pony Shop is beginning their Overhaul Special. Their special is a pro overhaul for 185.00, normally 250.00 and includes… strip the frame bare of all components, wash and wax the frame and fork, overhaul and or replace the bearings in the headset, bottom bracket, front and rear hub, and in the derailleur pulley wheels, soak all parts in our environmentally friendly ultrasonic parts washer, then reassemble your bike with new cables, housings, and handlebar tape.  This is roughly a six to eight hour job for the mechanics, which is why they choose to do this as a special only during the fall/winter when they have more uninterrupted time to work on your bike.  Parts are not included in the overhaul price. Please email or call the shop with any questions!
• Speaking of sales… take a look at long time series sponsor Tipping Photography’s new online store.
• And finally… for everyone worried about their CrossResults.com score and/or CCC points and/or the minutia of our staging protocol… if you weren’t there on Sunday afternoon to witness it first hand, we’d like to point out that Brian Matter’s plans to go mountain biking were cancelled so he decided to race CX, reg’d Day-Of, was staged dead last in the Cat 1/2/3 field, and then proceeded to ride steadily through the entire field to win the race by 11 seconds. While we’ll admit the start and first lap of a CX are very important, the cream always rises to the top.

Photo: SnowyMountain Photography

• #ILRcx More venue/course info here.
• Preliminary staging is posted here for Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s CCC points will affect Sunday’s staging.
• The Hilton Indian Lakes Resort still has about two dozen rooms left for Saturday night, please call the front desk directly (630.529.0200) and ask for the race rate.
• As per usual this time of year the forecast is for wind but temperatures should be quite pleasant. SCW asks that everyone take down your tents, all the way, Saturday night. You may leave your tent(s) on premise overnight.
• There should be a hose available to wash your bike(s), but not in the equipment pit. The hose is located next to the pro-shop just outside the door to registration.
• Do not bring your bikes inside when coming to the registration room. Please leave them outside. Thanks!
• Registration is inside, next to the pro shop and the Masters restaurant.
• Remember to pick up your Sunday bib number on Sunday. You will have a different numbers both days for each race and you will NOT be scored on Sunday if you wear your number from Saturday.
• No warming up on the fairways or west of the course. The other courses are still open to golfers… yeah, they think we are crazy too for riding our bikes in this type of weather.
• Please stay off the putting greens at all times.
• Bring your bathing suit for the pool and hot tub.
• The Cave Bar will be open as well as an all you can eat buffet in the Masters restaurant.
• Speaking of the Cave… there will be an informal party Saturday night. Come say hello!
• The course: Classic ILR course run anti-clockwise. Approximation of this weekend’s course is below and may change slightly from Saturday to Sunday.

Remember online Pre-Reg on BikeReg for BOTH DAYS of this weekend’s races closes TONIGHT. You must register separately for BOTH DAYS.

Mojo is a funny thing.  It is, as defined by who the heck knows via the internet, “a magic charm, talisman, or spell”.  It’s an ethereal entity that resides within your body and mind.  At this point in the season some are not feeling it, or about to lose it, and that is a direct result of a flawed training and racing program.

So get up off the couch, stop feeling sorry for yourself and……get back on the couch.  Signs of overtraining include irritability, listlessness, a lack of interest in riding your bike, muscle soreness, muscle fatigue, insomnia and loss of concentration.  It also increases the risk of sickness and injury.  At the least you’ll not have as much fun doing what you love, and at the worst you’ll bail on it completely.

Photo Courtesy of Corey Brink

A more exacting method of identification is to keep track of your Delta Heart Rate.  Take your Resting Heart Rate just after you open your eyes while still laying in bed in the morning.  Get up, walk around and do your thing for a minute or so and then take your heart rate again (Standing Heart Rate).  The difference between the two is the Delta.  Less than 10 is excellent, 10-20 is pretty good, 20+ is a sign that you need a day or two off and 30+ is cause for real concern.  We work with a professional marathon mountain bike racer who came to us with a Delta Heart Rate of about 35.  It took 3 weeks to bring it down to a reasonable level prior to his being able to begin training for the next season.

If you’re seeing signs of any of the above and haven’t layered recovery into your program don’t panic because it’s a very easy fix.  Take a recovery week, forget about cycling for a few days and allow yourself to re-charge:
Monday – off

Tuesday – off

Wednesday – easy 1-1.5 hour ride

Thursday – easy 1-1.5 hour ride

Friday – off

Saturday – easy 1-1.5 hour ride

Sunday – race or 1.5 hour ride with 30 minutes of tempo (zone 3 HR/pwr)

I’m not gonna lie, Sunday is going to feel like a punch to the gut if you decide to race at the end of a recovery week.  There is a physiological cost to a sedentary week.  It is as necessary as training hard though so take the leap and it will pay off during the last few races of this season.

Big thanks to the South Chicago Wheelmen!  Two races in a weekend is more than one club should subject themselves to.  See you at Indian Lakes.

Rob Kelley

TRAINING BIBLE CYCLING

Need a wheel? I know a guy. Photo: SnowyMountain Photography

• We’re not sure how they did it, but Rob Curtis and the Psimet crew managed to find even more bumps to go along with the hills in Emricson Park for their Psi-clocross For Life event. The reversed course direction worked and the weather was fantastic. Results links are here.
• Next up the CCC has its one and only double race weekend at the Hilton Indian Lakes Resort hosted by the South Chicago Wheelmen. Racing on a golf course at a resort with a bar, pool, and hot tub. Rooms are still available, so make a weekend out of it and meet us at The Cave Saturday night.
• Remember onling pre-reg closes Wednesday for both days of the Indian Lakes Resort weekend, so don’t delay and reg now.
• Speaking of pre-reg’ing… there are only 4 races left in the 2015 CCC series. The season is flying by, but there is still plenty of racing and fun to be had.
• Speaking of fun, the CCC end of season awards party will again be at EJ’s Place in Skokie on Sunday 12/20/2015 in the early afternoon. More details to follow. Good people, good food, and good cheer… and more than a few door prizes.
• And finally… the holidays are coming soon and we know you have plenty of places to spend your hard earned cash dollars. But if you aren’t giving to one of the several great local charities we’d ask you show some love to our series sponsors that help to make the CCC happened every season. Whether its bike parts, bike accessories, bike coaching, photos of you on bikes, environmental or IT services… there are plenty of great places to spend you money. The CCC greatly appreciates our series sponsors so please support them.

Yes, Andy cleared it! Photo: SnowMountain Photography

• #PSIcx More info here.
• Preliminary staging will be here before Sunday.
• PSI-clocross For Life hosted by Rob Curtis and the crew from PSIMET at Emricson Park in Woodstock, IL.
• Please pay attention when you are racing and entering the park in your car. There are 4 road crossings on the course and while there will be course marshals at each crossing, please look both ways before crossing. Better safe than sorry.
• Speaking of cars, no parking on the grass – anywhere.  There is plenty of parking available throughout Emricson Park, please use it or you will be ticketed. This includes team vehicles intending on dropping off team tent and compound equipment.
• Speaking of tent compounds – please try to keep the team tents in the areas near start/finish and Heckle Hill.
• The Pizza food truck many of us have seen at events like Caldwell Woods will be there around 10:30. There are also plenty of places to eat in downtown Woodstock on the square and we encourage all hungry racers to spend their money there.
• The weather looks great if a little chilly. Please dress appropriately for both before, during, and after your race(s).
• No inside bathrooms or the warming hut again this year. All Porta-potties near the Start/Finish.
• Rt 47 through Huntley is not under construction this year but still subject to traffic, so please plan your travel times accordingly. Your best bet directions are to exit I90 on Route 47 into the town of Woodstock. A left on Lake Ave and another left on South St should lead you right to Emricson Park (on your right).
• Now that the official sunset time is literally minutes after the end of the Cat 4/5 race, PSIMET and the South Chicago Wheelmen would appreciate any help tearing down the course after the Cat 4/5 race.
• While Rob Curtis LOVES the festivities on Heckle Hill, he asks that if you bring it in you pack it out… or at least drop it in one of the trash cans. It is often tough to see trash on the ground after the last race due to sunset.
• The SRAM NRS equipment pits are a fair distance away from the start/finish area, so please plan your time accordingly.
• The course: New direction, with the course running anti-clockwise. Hills, and some bumpy fields, and a high-speed trip through the woods, and hills.

Cyclocross racing is made to take you to your limit.  You have a power profile (Peak Power at different durations) and it’s important that you take inventory and identify the different efforts that you have in your arsenal. 

The start is like a sprint. The entire first lap is a VO2max nightmare. The middle of the race is normally more on the FTP side of things with wicked little ebb and flow situations necessary to either drop or stay with others. The last lap is usually an FTP normalized power/VO2max feeling death march with a possible sprint at the end. Take inventory, know what you have to work with and develop every aspect:

.02 (12 seconds, explosive power): This is your start and finish. Starts are pretty straight forward.  The finish is more intricate so know what distance suits you best – usually 150-300 meters. When you get to a race course make note of a stationary object that is your sweet spot distance away from the finish line and key in on it as a place to launch yourself into the final sprint. This type of effort will also get you over short hills and, if necessary, short gaps.

1 minute, lactate clearance: Jam up short hills, close small gaps or go into “cling-on” mode when things really get tough. If you’re feeling awesome then go ahead and let it fly from a kilometer out from the finish.

6 minutes, velocity at VO2MAX: Work this duration out and it goes a long way.  The first lap of a race is often as much about who can suffer as it is about who is the strongest.  Peg it as long as it takes and things will calm down at some point long enough for you to recover and settle into a group.

12 minute: See CP6, but with twice as much misery and pain! Also consider this as a way to help make an attack stick in the last couple of laps.

CP30 (30 minutes, lactate super threshold): The field is made up of those that have this type of muscular endurance and those that don’t. It is a more useful number in road racing should you find yourself off the front, but still an important one to build for cyclocross as it represents the sustained power that will get you to the end with a little something left.

Use your tools to build a good result. Get a great start, bridge up to the group just ahead, attack at THE critical point of a race, maintain good position……these are all necessary evils in the pursuit of happiness (winning will make you a happier person). Don’t do anything unless it is a direct benefit to you or a teammate. Pulling at the front of a long headwind section with no help from anyone else in your group is like running sideways at a marathon. Have a plan, know what you have going for you and use it to win!

Rob Kelley

TRAINING BIBLE CYCLING

Photo: SnowyMountain Photography

• Good times all around at Campton Cross this past weekend. Thanks to the entire Bicycle Heaven and Training Bible Cycling gang. The weather was stellar with no wind which allowed everyone to show off their best Halloween costumes. Links to all the results are here.
  

  Photo: SnowyMountain Photography

• Next up the CCC travels a bit North to Woodstock, IL for Psi-clocross for Life hosted by Psimet. Look for the course preview at the normal time on Thursday.
• Just a heads up, if you do not have a Wordpress account and you post comments here on the CCC site that WordPress thinks might be spam (e.g. lots of links, etc), the comment has to be manually approved (by us). We try to approve all comments in a timely manner, so just hang tight before re-posting
• The Lost and Found bin (which is always at registration or near the CCC trailer) is getting a little big. So please, be kind to our race promoters and don’t lose your stuff.
• And finally… we kindly ask that when you are out pre-riding the course or even just spectating and if you see course tape broken, mangled, etc… please take a minute and fix it. We know mistakes happen and no one would purposely ride through stakes or course tape, but while not racing, please lend a hand and help us out. Thanks!

Photo: SnowyMountain Photography