– For anyone counting, there are roughly 8 weeks until the CCC starts in Caldwell Woods, hosted by xXx Racing. So get your bikes in working order now(!) by visit your favorite local bike shop… but enjoy the rest of the summer weather while we still have it. #cxiscoming

– But before the CCC officially starts, the good folks over at Half Acre Cycling are having a Women’s CX clinic. The details: Go faster. Attack that barrier. Clear that obstacle. Have more fun. Cycle-Smart Solutions for Cycling and Half Acre Cycling are committed to helping Chicago area women achieve their racing goals. Focusing on intermediate/advanced skills, this clinic is designed for Cat 3s (and those planning to make that upgrade soon) as well as experienced Cat 1 and 2 racers. Half Acre is also very pleased that their clinic will take place at Big Marsh Chicago.  Big Marsh Chicago is on its way to being the premier bike park and eco-recreation area in the Midwest. For more information see the event page register: https://www.bikereg.com/hacwomenscxclinic. Topics include: explosive starts, dismounts and mounts, barrier work, bunny-hopping obstacles, cornering at speed, off-camber cornering, race strategy, training, and race preparation. Your coaches: Shaun Adamson (Cycle-Smart) and Kelli Richter (Vision Quest Coaching) .

– Also, because CX all.the.time… Half Acre Cycling is pleased to present the inaugural CX Eliminator: an elimination-style cyclo-cross race.
1) Race starts with a non-elimination round, one or more heats of eight racers who complete one 3km lap to determine heat placement for the first elimination round.
2) Next comes the elimination rounds, heats of eight racers again complete a 3km lap. The top four finishers move to the next round, while the bottom four are eliminated from competition.
3) And finally the championship round, the final eight racers will complete the lap, head­-to-­head, with the top three racers earning podium spots.
Check out the HACCXE website for all the details: http://cx-eliminator.blogspot.com/p/about.html.

– Not to be outdone, xXx Racing will again be hosting their Relay Cross back in Jackson Park on Sunday August 23rd. Loads of fund at this event and another great way to ease into the season. So grab a partner and get ready to high-five.

– Sadly, Psimet has informed us that Norge CX will not be back this season. So enjoy your Thanksgiving weekend to the fullest, eat lots of turkey, or tofurkey if that’s your thing, and get ready for the State Championship at Montrose the following weekend.

– And finally… as if we had to remind anyone, its still hot, and muggy, and hot, and did we mention hot(?) here in Chicago. So while out training either on the road or the trails (please go outside and stay off Zwift), make sure to stay hydrated and take breaks so as not to overheat. Heat stroke is a real thing and we want to see you all in the staging grids this Autumn.

– Back for another year the CCC will again have Pactimo Leaders Jerseys… this year with a women’s cut version for the ladies.

– In case you missed it 2 weeks ago the 2015 and 2016 CCC series will be “Powered by SRAM“.

– All 11 events in the 2015 CCC will have One2Go timing, lap times, and new for 2015 real time LiveLynx Results. Please make sure to search for LiveLynx Results and not just LiveLynx… just trust us on that one. Because of the increased accuracy of having a camera running all day long the series is also increasing the self imposed 100 rider field limits of a few categories. No this is not a money grab, we’re just opening up a few more spots for the fields that tend to sell out on BikeReg.com so there are fewer waitlists to deal with.

– Speaking of BikeReg, the individual race directors are working on getting their races permitted with USAC and we’ll have pre-reg pages up on BikeReg sometime around the end of July or beginning of August and open pre-reg for most if not all events at the beginning of September.

– All 11 events will also include SRAM Neutral Race Support as well as Kenny Labbe announcing all day long.

– Speaking of all day long, the CCC series directors thought long and hard and tried to figure out a better race day schedule, but without any luck. There are just too many people in too many categories who want to race CX from September to December where we have less daylight to work with. Despite a few predictions to the contrary we think last year’s schedule worked as well as any could have. Considering the new staging changes (see below) and raising of field limits we feel leaving the race day schedule unchanged from 2014 will work fine again.

– Speaking of same schedules, the same 11 events from the 2014 season will be back for 2015 with the exception of Carpenter Park. Due to construction at Carpenter Park the crew at Main St. Bikes and the Sasquatch Squadron are temporarily moving the event 3.5 miles to the West to Randall Oaks Park. Race director Jeff Provisor tells us Randall Oaks has more space and even though there may not be a corn field (or Chubby Spud) the racing will be just as rad. We’ll update the series Google Map soon.

– No changes to the series minimum purse. Some events may increase payouts if they have the means, but given the scoring upgrades, neutral support, announcing, etc… and the fact that entry fee prices have remained the same for at least the last 5 or 6 years, all riders in the series are getting more bang for their buck than ever before. Remember payouts for the Men & Women Cat 1/2/3 races already scale up with the overall number of pre-reg’d riders.

– If you are interested in becoming a 2015 CCC Series Sponsor please review our 2015 proposal and contact us at ChicagoCrossCup@gmail.com.

– And finally… we did some spreadsheet magic (see Hopkins and Montrose, all races to follow eventually) and found that CrossResults.com rankings are actually very indicative of where riders should be staged during the entire season, regardless of CCC points. That being said this is still a series with series standings so it wouldn’t make sense not to use them at all. We initially considered staging the first 2 rows by CCC points for the whole season, then all others by CXR rankings, but then we thought that staging mid/downstate riders no better than the 3rd row at Montrose didn’t make sense either. Since riders good enough to win the state championship could probably win from the 4th row (see 35 seconds in) we decided staging the first row by CCC points and all other rows by CXR rankings for the entire season was a good compromise. Long story short, if you’re fast but not racing the entire series and earning CCC series points (traveling to far off lands, injury, ate too much ice cream, etc) you’ll be staged no worse than the 2nd row. Also CrossResuts rankings already handle DNF’s so those of you who have asked over the years to have your worst placing thrown out kinda, sorta get what you’ve been asking for. The Series Rules & FAQs page will be updated soon.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

SRAM Becomes the 2015 Chicago Cyclocross Cup Title Sponsor

After 11 years of continuous growth, the Chicago Cyclocross Cup (CCC) has announced bicycle component innovator SRAM will become the 2015 series title sponsor.

“We are excited to welcome SRAM as the 2015 CCC Series Title Sponsor,” said series director Jason Knauff. “SRAM is the cycling industry equivalent of Chicago’s hometown team and it makes complete sense for everyone involved. We greatly appreciate all of our series sponsors, including last year’s title sponsor The Pony Shop, and look forward to improving the ‘Best Amateur CX Series in the Country’ even more.”

Headquartered in Chicago, SRAM engineers bike components that are depended on by many cyclocross racers, including both the men’s and women’s current U23 national champions, the men’s current 23+ national champion, as well as countless Elite, Masters, and Junior racers. Respected for pushing the industry standard, SRAM’s support allows the CCC to raise the bar again by introducing three new features to unify the eleven race series.

One2Go Event Services, the premier timing and results company in the US, will be present at all races this autumn, providing lightning-fast and accurate race results, including lap times. A few individual events used One2Go’s services in the past, but this season all races will see electronic timing for every field. One2Go will also debut LiveLynx Results for CX, where anyone with an Internet connection can see lap times and standings in real time.

SRAM Neutral Race Support (NRS) will be providing neutral support at all of the 2015 CCC races. Jose Alcala and his SRAM NRS team are well known in the cycling community for fast problem solving and mechanical expertise – getting athletes back in the race, or just to the start, when they need help the most.

And last but certainly not least, the CCC welcomes Kenny Labbé as the official voice of the CCC, announcing at all races. A former member of the US Postal Service professional cycling team, Kenny’s wealth of experience in competitive cycling and deep knowledge of the region’s cycling landscape are embedded within his lively and insightful race commentary.

The Chicago Cyclocross Cup 2015 season takes place between September 20th and December 6th around the greater Chicagoland area. The CCC is the largest CX series in the Midwest, drawing top competition from neighboring states while fostering new racers in a family friendly environment.

For more information visit: www.chicrosscup.com
Written by Kelly Clarke

– Congrats to everyone who traveled to Austin, TX for USAC CX National Championships. Waaaay too many names and results to mention here but check out full results here and collegiates here. BTB TV also has full replays of Sunday’s Monday’s junior and elite races. Congratulations to defending champions Katie Compton and Jeremy Powers who again rode to commanding wins in their races.

– The cyclocross season is essentially done here in the good ‘ole USA, but there’s still quite a bit of racing to be had in Europe. USA Cycling will announce (soon) its selection of riders for CX World Championships, which take place Jan 31 and Feb 1 in Tabor, Czech Republic. Say it with us Tah-bore, not Tae-bor.

– And finally, the CCC site will be going into hibernation for the winter but we’ll have occasional updates as needed. We’d like to say again we had a great time again this season and look forward see you all in ~9 months!

– Good luck to all Chicagoland and MidWest CX racers heading to Austin, TX this week!

– Behind the Barriers TV will be live streaming USAC CX Nationals this weekend!

– And finally… weather you’re riding your bike, walking in Bogs boots, or driving through Nebraska (or was it Oklahoma?) please bundle up and be safe outside as temps fall to record lows.

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The Louvre Museum has 8.5 million visitors per year. This blog was viewed about 310,000 times in 2014. If it were an exhibit at the Louvre Museum, it would take about 13 days for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

– If you haven’t heard Behind the Barriers TV will be live streaming USAC CX Nationals. Watch it there next weekend!

– Speaking of… good luck to all Chicagoland and MidWest CX racers heading to Austin, TX next week where it looks like you’ll be racing in shorts and maybe arm warmers!

– This spring, Craig Abrams will be conducting the second round of a study on the effect of core strength training and VO2max in cyclists.  He is working with Josh Friedman, owner and coach at ATP Race Consulting and Neil Krulewitz, medical student at the University of New England in Portland, Maine. The first round of their study, which they conducted this past summer was very successful.  Abrams saw trends in the data that suggest a correlation between core strength and both power output and VO2max.  He plans to repeat the study in early April, and would like to recruit as many cyclist as possible to participate.  Because he are using calculated VO2max, individuals can complete the study anywhere they have access to a power meter and the open road (or trainer). The researchers believe they have some great insights on the horizon for cyclists everywhere. Sign up here: http://nkrulewitz.wix.com/vo2max-study

– And finally… Happy New Year!

From all of us here at the Chicago Cyclocross Cup, to all of you out there, whether you race CX or not… have a Very.Merry.Christmas.

– A day late, but hey… its the Holidays!

– We know everyone had a great time last Saturday at Afterglow – A Cyclocross Race, hosted by the Chicago Cuttin’ Crew. This event is more about fun than race results, but more than a few riders are still racing strong in preparation for CX Nationals in Austin, TX in just 2 weeks! In any event, full results are here and here.

– More importantly than fun or results, Afterglow helps raise funds for West Town Bikes and Blackstone Bikes, two fantastic youth cycling programs based here in Chicago. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all the individuals who donated, all the parents who donated their CCC junior entry fee reimbursements ($1,000 total which the Chicago Cyclocross Cup matched), and the Pony Shop and ROBOTS <3 who both donated >$1,000 to the event. At the end of the day the Chicagoland CX community raised >5,000 total for West Town and Blackstone. This is fantastic and great way to end the Chicago CX season.

– Speaking of donations, the Chicago Cyclocross Cup has been collecting money for World Bicycle Relief throughout the season and on Monday wrote a check for $350 to WBR. In the month of December all WBR donations are matched by a wealthy member of the Chicago cycling community, so that is $700 going to WBR, enough for 5+ bikes. Again, well done everyone!

– After all the racing and donating on Saturday we weren’t done yet and the CCC (Chicago Cyclocross Cup not the Chicago Cuttin’ Crew) gave away even more awards, prizes, and gear on Sunday at the CCC Awards Party at EJ’s Place. Some tasty food, a few bottles of cheer, and pretty much everyone went home with something, not just the series winners. Thanks again to The Pony Shop, SRAM, ABUS Mobile Secuirty, Sheila Moon, Yojimbo’s Garage, Spy Sunglasses, Smart Bike Parts, Spin Doctor Cyclewerks & Red Writing for supplying the gear.

– CX racing around the country, and the world, still isn’t done yet for this season. Good luck and safe travels to everyone heading to Austin, TX for USAC CX Nationals January 7-11. And Cyclocross continues in Europe until the end of January, culminating with CX World Championships in Tabor, Czech Republic Jan 31/Feb 1. We haven’t heard of any Chicagoland riders going, but CX Masters World Championships are January 3rd and 4th in Gossau, Switzerland.

– And finally… we here at the CCC are very thankful and feel grateful to have shared another CX season with everyone. Sure its a bit of work to put the series together every year, but the memories and friends we gain every year, and the ones we keep from year to year to year to year to year are more than worth it. So whether you are celebrating Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, Diwali, or nothing at all over the next few days, remember this time of year is all about friends and families. And as Newt Cole said way back in 2009 (at 9:25, but seriously, rewatch the entire video), the CCC is all about the people, and we couldn’t agree more. Happy Holidays!

Photo: The Bonebell

– It looks and sounds like everyone had a good time at MWRCXC and a few Chicagoland CCC’ers even hit the podium (of course) before hitting the beer garden (of course). Congratulations to everyone who traveled and raced. Results are not yet online.

– We’re not done racing here in Chicago though… Afterglow – A Cyclocross Race is this Saturday in Douglas Park hosted by the cool kids at the Chicago Cuttin’ Crew. Prepare yourselves for the INSANEDEMONIUM 2014! Online pre-reg closes Thursday night on BikeReg.com.

– Then on Sunday we wrap it all up (quite literally) at the 2014 CCC Awards Party at EJ’s place in Skokie. Everyone is invited to attend but please purchase your tickets ahead of time so we know how many people to expect. And given the prize donations that have been coming in from The Pony Shop, SRAM, Sheila Moon, ABUS, Yojimbo’s, SmartBikeParts, Spin Doctors, Spy, Main Street Bikes, and Red Writing we’re pretty sure everyone will go home with something.

– And finally… Waaay back in August we announced Junior racers would have to pay entry fees but (if they qualified) could request an entry fee reimbursement at the end of the season. We will obviously still honor those requests but a very generous and forward thinking “cutting” edge parent asked if they could donate their child’s reimbursement to the West Town and Blackstone youth programs, which we are more than happy to do. Then the Pony Shop caught wind of the idea and their entire junior team donated their reimbursements to West Town and Blackstone… even before winning the Afterglow awesomeness award. So juniors and your parents, please contact us at ChicagoCrossCup at gmail this week to let us know how you would like your reimbursement handled. Thanks and Happy Holidays!