Just in case you’ve been living under a rock for the last month, Verdigris-Village CX junior David Lombardo has been tearing up the local scene (2nd by a tyre width at Montrose Harbor) and is on his way to Euro Cross Camp over the Christmas holiday. Donations are being accepted until 12/15 to help pay for the trip. David has been racing for years in the CCC, first as a junior, and now with the big boys in the Cat 1/2/3 race and we couldn’t be more excited for one of our home grown speedsters to show the rest of the country (and world) what the CCC is made of. David’s parents and especially his father Chris (who is no slouch on the CX bike either) are equally excited and wanted to share the following note with everyone in the CCC Community…

Dear CCCer’s, Chicagoans, and all who have reached out from surrounding communities and beyond,
We would like to express my deepest gratitude to each of you for your support and generosity! David has worked hard, sacrificed, but most of all grown in this community and been shaped by it. Thank you for all the kind words about David, and while we may have had something to do with that, he’s spent a lot of time with all of you too. Thank you for making our job easier. Your positive outgoing attitudes, sense of community, leadership, guidance, and plain good old fashioned friendliness, well who wouldn’t want their son around that. If it couldn’t get any better than that it does. Having one the best cyclocross series in the country, The ChiCrossCup in our own back yard certainly made a difference, what a gift. You all are deeply imbedded in David’s accomplishments.

Thank you again for helping make one of David’s dream’s Euro Cross Camp a reality. We couldn’t have done it without you!

Sincerely,
Chris & Tammy Lombardo

Photo: Amy Dykema

– Wow… what a Sunday at Montrose Harbor. Thanks to Ten27 Cycles, all the sponsors, volunteers, USAC officials, spectators, friends, families, dogs, horses with 1/2 a million views, and especially all the racers who made the 12th and final stop of the CCC and Illinois State CX Championships something special… again! Lots of pictures and videos below in Sunday’s post, but please add your links to the comments.

– The CCC series may be finished, but there is still plenty of CX racing to do in and around Chicago:

– Next weekend you have the choice of traveling North to the double Badger CX weekend in WI or South to Miller Chill CX in Bloomington.

– The weekend after that The Afterglow moves to a new venue in Douglas Park here in the city on Saturday.

– Not racing per se, but on that Sunday the CCC hosts its annual End of the Season Awards Party at EJ’s Place in Skokie at 12/16 at noon. Please pre-purchase your tickets here. The coveted CCC series winner cowbells will be awarded to the overall winners, we’ll have a bunch of door prizes, and of course the world famous Lost & Found grab.

– Then a break for Christmas… then a break for New Year’s Eve. Then racing picks back up in earnest with the CCC’s New Years Resolution weekend back out at the Hilton Indian Lakes Resort. See the NYR page for more details including reserving your room at ILR at a discounted race. The CCC also still needs volunteers to make the race happen. Help out and race for really cheap (read: free).

– The following week USA Cycling’s CX National Championships take place just up the road in Verona, WI. Remember entry fees increase on 12/11. Even if you don’t race Nationals is a great event to see in person and cheer (and heckle of course) your friends and others from around the country.

– If all that racing isn’t enough for you, head to Louisville, KY for Masters World Championships and World Championships on 2/2/13 – 2/3/13.  After that… well, you’ll just have to wait until next season!

– If you need Christmas presents we still have CCC merchandise available. Head on over to our merch page for all the goods.

– USAC recently changed their upgrading policy. At this time it is unclear how this may affect the 2013 CCC season… stay tuned.

– One rider who has already upgraded is youngster David Lombardo of team Verdigris-Village CX who is going to Euro Cross Camp over the Christmas holiday. Donations are still being excepted here to help defray the cost of the trip.

– And finally… how soon until we see this in a CX race?

Photo: Luke Seemann

– One more to go! Ten27 Cycles once again hosts the last stop in the 2012 Chicago Cyclocross Cup… which just happens to also be the Illinois State CX Championships at Montrose Harbor. You all have been racing all season long with plenty of ups, downs, highs, lows, podiums, crashes, and heckles and we’ve finally made it to the finalé. We at the CCC and Ten27 again ask everyone to bundle up, bring your cowbells and cameras, and make a day out of Montrose… which means the Cat 4’s should show up early and heckle the 40+ field, and the Masters should stick around and cheer on the Cat 4’s. Lots to review below, so buckle up…

– Registration: We’ll be running reg the same way as every other CCC race. Please allow all 40+ racers to reg first since they have to get ready first. Several fields are already full but we’ll run wait lists starting Sunday morning. Combined categories have a combined field limit of 100 so once No-Shows are removed its first come, first served until we hit the 100 rider limit. As of this morning there are >625 of you pre-reg’d (we AND Ten27 thank you!), which is already more than last year. Online pre-reg closes tonight at midnight… so if you’re not yet reg’d, do everyone (yourself included) a favor and reg now!

– Staging: Since we know down and mid-state IL riders can’t make it up to Chicago every weekend but may still be racing CX outside of Chicagoland, staging at Montrose will incorporate CrossResults.com points for those riders (especially from downstate, but even out of state) without CCC series points. Riders with OUT CCC series points in a category but better (lower) CrossResults.com points will be staged ahead of riders WITH CCC series points in that category and worse (high) CrossResults.com points. Riders in the CCC overall who have better CrossResults.com standings than other riders in the CCC overall will NOT move up in position… you keep your overall CCC position. Also if you have raced in a category but not earned CCC series points (yes, we’ve been keeping track) you will NOT be moved up if your CXR points are better. See the procedure here.

– Preliminary staging will be posted here tomorrow (after pre-reg closes).

– State Champion Requirements: The CCC along with Ten27 and the ICA will be presenting 13 14 CX State Champion Jerseys (on the podiums) to the first IL rider to cross the finish line in every category (excluding the 4B’s). This means Juniors 15-18 AND Juniors 10-14… boys AND girls. Remember that in order to win the state championship you must be a permanent Illinois resident (we’ll be checking ID’s), a US citizen or permanent resident, and hold a valid and unsuspended 2012 USAC annual license before the start of the race (yes, we’re looking at you Cat 4’s). There must also be a full podium of IL riders (that means 3) to win the state jersey. This should not be a problem in any category.

– Speaking of… as of Saturday (12/1/12) you can start renewing your annual USAC license. Annual licenses purchased on or after 12/1/12 are good until 12/31/2013. We highly suggest renewing/purchasing your license online at USACycling.org as this is the easiest (for everyone) and most efficient method, especially if you plan to race with us at the New Year’s Resolution race.

– Podiums presentations for each race (top 3 overall in the race) AND and for the IL state championship (top 3 IL riders in the race) will occur immediately after each race finish… so pay attention after your race, we may be calling your name! The two exceptions will be for the W123/Master50+/60+/Single Speeds podiums at 12:15 pm and the Women 4 and Juniors races when the podiums will be awarded at 2 pm.

– Ten27 Cycles has secured several additional prizes beyond championship jerseys and the 2012 CCC minimum payouts thanks to their generous sponsors:

• EJ’s Place: the North Shore’s premiere supper club since 1997 with a menu of prime aged steaks and chops, pristine seafood, and traditional Italian specialties, presented by a mature and experienced wait staff.  E.J.’s Place is located on Skokie Blvd., just north of the Old Orchard shopping mall.
• Chicago Chiropractic and Sports Medicine: where they specialize in helping athletes and active individuals achieve optimal performance in sports, as well as body balance for every day activities through chiropractic care, Active Release Techniques® (ART), Rolfing, education, and exercises.
• Team Kenda presented by RACC (Racers Against Childhood Cancer): supports a strong US Domestic Elite Team with a mission to build the sport of women’s cycling by developing Junior, U-23 and Collegiate riders through their regional programs in the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and Western United States.
• Ten27 Cycles: located in on Davis Street in downtown Evanston, is conducting a going-out-of-business sale with really good deals now on the bikes, tires, shoes, and parts you’ll need for the 2013 season.
• Wheel and Sprocket: a nationally recognized bicycle shop from the Milwaukee, WI area, has announced they’ll be opening a new shop inEvanston early next year.  They look forward to supporting cycling clubs, events, and activities in the Chicago metro area in the years to come, starting with this year’s Illinois State Cyclocross Championships at Montrose Harbor.
• The American Diabetes Association’s Tour de Cure bicycle ride is held every June to raise money to fight diabetes, through research and patient support.  This event now includes a wide variety of rides, ranging from 15 to 100 miles, so there is something for all levels of cyclists.

– Thanks to these sponsor’s generous support, Ten27 Cycles has upgraded the prize list to $2,660, their largest ever and almost double what it was last year.

• Category 3: $275
• Category 1/2/3: $580
• Women 1/2/3: $580
• Category 4A: $200
• Women 4: $200
• Junior Boys 10-14: $30 (3 places)
• Junior Girls 10-14: $30 (3 places)
• Junior Boys 15-18: $30 (3 places)
• Junior Girls 15-18: $30 (3 places)
• Category 4B: $30 (3 places)
• Cash prizes for the other races will be as usual
• The winner of each of the 13 races will receive a Body Shape Kit from the American Diabetes Association’s Tour de Cure.
• Furthermore, the Illinois State Champion in each of the Masters 30+, Masters 40+, Masters 50+, Men 1/2/3, and Women 1/2/3 categories will receive a $200 dining card from EJ’s Place restaurant, ensuring they can celebrate their hard-earned victory in style.

– The Chicago Cuttin’ Crew will also be awarding extra prizes and trophies for Junior categories. The (other) CCC will be giving out junior girls awards as usual (5 deep, medals and ribbons) for the race as well as trophies (3 deep) for final CCC overall standings in Boys 15-18, Girls 15-18, Boys 10-14, and Girls 10-14.

 – Ten27 will be selling Jay Ryan designed posters (at left) for this year’s Cyclocross Championships.  Those of you who have been collecting these posters every year will want to add to your collection.

– While a few riders have already locked up their CCC overall titles (see riders in yellow), there are quite a few very, very, very close categories still to be decided on Sunday. Overall titles will be  announced Sunday, but all official overall series awards will be presented at the CCC Awards Party on Sunday December 16th at EJ’s Place. We look forward to celebrating with all of you.

– Neutral race support will be provided by Ten27 Cycles, in the heated tent next to registration. This year’s equipment/wheel pit should also be plenty big enough for everyone, but please do NOT leave your spare bikes and wheels in the pit after your race. The next category needs to use the pit too.

– Food: Thanks to Ten27 the Big Star truck will again be serving Champurrado Hot Mexican Chocolate, Tacos al Pastor, Tacos de Pescado, and the Tacos de Papas con Rajas from 11am – 3pm. Hand-ups encouraged!

– Series sponsor NovaCare Rehabilitation will once again have physical therapists (and CCC participants) at Montrose providing free injury screens and stretching. We’re getting to the end of the season, so take care of yourself and bring your beat up body over to the green NovaCare tent between 10am – 1:30pm to get checked out. Also see us for a free energy bar or for information on our bike fit services and physical therapy services.

– More than any other factor, the weather usually makes Montrose the legend it is. However right now the forecast is rather benign). In any event the weather can always change on a dime, especially next to the lake, so bundle up, dress appropriately, and come prepared with extra warm (& dry) gear.

– Todd Busteed will be announcing the race.

– We will have all pre-ordered CCC merchandise (t-shirts, socks, & embro) at the race and available for pick-up. Socks are sold out but we will have t-shirts ($15), Mad Alchemy embro ($20), and Contigo coffee mugs for sale (cash only). You can still pre-order your merch here.

– Parking: Like the last 2 years, the parking lot at the east end of the park is closed (now boat storage). Parking will be on the street only along Simonds Dr. Several parking spaces near the restrooms and registration will be roped/coned off (for officials, CCC staff, BigStarTruck, etc) so please do NOT move the cones. We also need this area clear for pedestrian and bike traffic.

– The Course: Course designer Chuck Judy brings back several of Montrose’s classic features course while incorporating a few new twists and turns. The course goes anti-clockwise, beginning at the staging grid which will be just East of the finish line due to a few new trees planted over the summer. The finish line, wheel/bike pit, and registration will be in nearly the same location as years past, just off the road and near the main sand pit. Note the equipment pit is backwards (unless you get off your bike on the wrong side) but its the best place to put it given the layout of the course. Please be careful when pitting and have your mechanics stay out of the way of other riders entering/exiting the pit. Feel free to set up your tents near registration and the sand pit, but given the potential for strong winds, bring weights and stakes. Yes the main sand pit will be back, where spectators are all but guaranteed a great view of all the action. The 2nd sand section close to the bath house will likely not be in play. As always the final course route will be determined Sunday morning and may be altered from the map below.

Photo: Mary Bates

– Thanks to Rob Curtis and team PSIMET for hosting another edition of the NORGE Ski Jump CX race. Temps were chilly but the racing was hot.

– Next up, the 12th and final stop of the Chicago Cyclocross Cup which is also the Illinois State Championship at Montrose Harbor hosted by Ten27 Cycles. Reg is open on BikeReg but full for a few categories (normal waitlist protocol will be in effect). Look for the normal course preview Thursday morning. But in the meantime, you should get ready for tacos.

– Reg is also open on BikeReg for The Afterglow and the CCC New Year’s Resolution races. Bloomington Cycles’s Miller Chill race in Bloomington is on USAC. There are also a few Wisconsin races in December before USAC National Championships in Madison (Verona) in January. Entry fees for Nationals increase substantially on 12/11/12 so you may want to think about reg’ing soon.

– The CCC’s end of the season awards party (we think the term banquet sounds a bit too formal for CX) will be held at noon on Sunday December 16th at EJ’s Place in Skokie. Overall series winners will be awarded as well as a few extra door prizes. Please purchase you tickets ahead of time on BikeReg here.

– Help support Verdigris Village-CX junior David Lombardo in his travels to EuroCrossCamp over the Christmas holiday by donating here. Also thank you to everyone who donated money to David’s wheel fund at NORGE.

– And finally… just in case you thought you were fast.

– We at the CCC wish each and everyone one of you a Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy the turkey, enjoy the cheer, but most importantly enjoy your family and friends and be thankful for their company.

– Verdigris Village CX junior David Lombardo was selected to attend Euro Cross Camp over the Christmas holiday. There are significant costs associated with the trip and David’s teammates have set up a donation page for the CCC community to help. Any funds above and beyond the goal will be donated back to the CCC to help with junior development programs.

– The CCC is thankful for many things, especially our series sponsors. For the 4th year Iron Cycles has been the CCC series title sponsor. We recently caught up with owner and all around CX racer Brandon Elliott to see what’s been happening at the shop.

– This year marks the second installment of the NORGE ski jump cyclocross race hosted by PSIMET racing and Enzo’s cycling products. Racers will once again be treated to a series of fieldwork, climbing, technical off-camber, and even possibly a table-top feature in what can be considered one of the most interesting backdrops in cyclocross – actual full size ski jumps.

– The schedule is slightly different than a CCC schedule so please make sure to check the flyer before driving to the venue. There are plenty of chances for racers to race all day long, and with on site alcohol sales, we’re sure you won’t go thirsty.

– Staging will be by CrossResults.com points then order of registration… just like at Jackson Park.

– Even Chicago local, but international man of awesome – Jose Alcala will be there providing SRAM neutral support.

-Come out and ride off your turkey and Black Friday cloud, leave it all out on the course and still have a day to recover before going back to work (this race is on Saturday).

– Online reg is here and closes tonight!

– 2011 bar cam video.

– The 2011 course is below: Hills, and off camber turns. CX through and through.

Photo: Tim Homola

– Thanks again to Chris Henning and the entire Northbrook Bicycle Club for hosting stop 11 of the CCC at the new venue at Melas Park. Reports coming in so far are that everyone loved the new course and we would have to agree. The absolutely fantastic weather helped too!

– Here’s a link to photog Josh Dreyfus’ portraits. 100% of all purchases go to World Bicycle Relief and the Arlington Heights Fire Fighters Charitable Campaign.

– The CCC series takes a break this coming weekend to eat turkey, but one guy who never passes up the stuffing and cranberry is Rob Curtis who with his crew from PSIMET host the 2nd annual installment of the NORGE Ski Jump CX race. Online pre-reg on BikeReg closes Wednesday (tomorrow) night at midnight. Look for the course preview tomorrow morning.

– After we all wake up from our tryptophan induced turkey and mashed potato comas the CCC finishes up with the 12th and final stop at Montrose Harbor which just also happens to be the Illinois State Cyclocross Championships, hosted again by Ten27 Cycles. Since many of you have been asking, yes the shop is closing but the club is separate and is full steam ahead for hosting the race. More details to come next week but in the meantime please reviewing the staging procedure.

– In case you didn’t hear Verdigris-Village CX‘s youngster David Lombardo (pictured above leading the Melas CX Cat 1/2/3 race) was recently selected to be one of six <18 year old juniors to represent the US at Euro Cross Camp over the Christmas holiday. David will go head to head with Europe’s top rising talent on some of the toughest courses of the season. Many of the United States’ top riders are alumni including names like Trebon, Wicks, Summerhill, Matter, Selander, Townsend, Anthony, Wells, Driscoll, Eckmann, Lindine, etc as well as current U23 and Elite national champions Zach MacDonald and Jeremy Powers. This is great not only for David and VVCX but the entire CCC series which has encouraged and helped our juniors develop their talents. We can’t wait to see the next wave of CCC juniors head to Europe.

– Speaking of juniors racing CX, Tim Johnson has started a Mud Fund to help fund juniors racing CX.

– CCC Merchandise is still on sale.

– Tickets (registration) for this season’s End of Season Awards Party at EJ’s Place are now on sale.

– Online pre-registration is open for the CCC’s UCI New Year’s Resolution race. All details are on the NYR page here.

– And finally… Let’s have a quick chat about spectating shall we? We’ve had more than a few comments here on the site (and direct emails from concerned adults) recently that spectators during the Cat 4 races have been getting a little too… shall we say… aggressive. Everyone loves a good heckle or Twinkie handup, but we all need to know where to draw the line. Our USAC officials have been very lenient in the past to allow for this fun, but they can just as easily take it away and then the CCC would be boring with just a bunch of fast guys riding around in circles like they do in New England. So if you don’t want to lose it, here are five simple rules that no spectators should never, ever, ever, evar do…

1. Never change the course after the promoter has set it up unless you’re helping to fix broken stakes or course tape, etc. Do NOT take it upon yourself to decide where the course should be routed so people will crash. This also includes adding elements like water, tacks, snakes, dog hair, or dirty baby diapers,
2. Never enter the course during a race. Sure we all lean in a little bit to get closer to see the snot running out of the oxygen deprived racers’ faces, but the course if for the racers… not the spectators. If a racer isn’t looking for a hand up, there’s a pretty good chance they don’t want one in the first place. Racers should never be impeded because you are on the wrong side of the tape and blocking the course,
3. Never throw things… like sand, boiling oil, flames, lawn darts (you laugh but it happened one year in Madison at the Planet Bike USGP at UCI3 in Cincy) at riders or anyone else for that matter, racing or otherwise. You are spectating, if you want to be a part of the race that bad, pay an entry fee and pin on a number,
4. Never introduce glass to the race. Sure an aluminum beer can might mess up a rear derailleur, but it won’t cut a 3″ gash into someone’s face that will last a lifetime. No one wants that on their conscience. Dog poo probably falls into this category as well,
5. Never yell out a truly mean spirited heckle you wouldn’t want to receive yourself or would be embarrassed having your grandmother hear coming out of your mouth. As professional heckler Rob Curtis said… “Heckling cross….any d bag can yell ” You SUCK”. Intelligent people heckle gently. It’s an art. If you don’t get it drop the mic.” Follow @TheRealPSIMET and search for #HeckleClinic on Twitter for more info. Can’t think of anything better to say? See our Heckle Hall of Fame for inspiration. Or here’s an idea… just use enthusiastic words of encouragement (but please leave the F-bombs at home).

These general principles go for riders in the race as well. Sure we all want to grab that dollar bill, piece of bacon, or the European Twizzlers, but if you’re stopping in the middle of the course to do a Malort shot you are most.certainly.doing.it.wrong. Handups are fun, but part of that fun is trying to grab them while still racing. We all want to have fun, but the Cat 4 races are still USAC sanctioned races where rules apply and hopefully common sense prevails. So let’s all keep it under control and have fun without endangering our fellow racers and making a the CCC look like a frat party gone horribly wrong. K? Thanks, now let’s ride!