The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog… because who doesn’t love Liechtenstein?

Here’s an excerpt:

About 55,000 tourists visit Liechtenstein every year. This blog was viewed about 320,000 times in 2012. If it were Liechtenstein, it would take about 6 years for that many people to see it. Your blog had more visits than a small country in Europe!

Click here to see the complete report.

Six-Time National Champion Tim Johnson Headlines Elite Men’s Field at New Year’s Resolution Cyclocross UCI C2 Weekend

Nation’s top cyclocross racers head to Chicagoland to prepare for 2013 National and World Championships

Chicago, Ill. – Six-time National Champion Tim Johnson headlines the men’s elite field for the 2013 New Year’s Resolution cyclocross weekend, featuring a pair of UCI C2.0 races at the Hilton Indian Lakes Resort in Bloomingdale, Ill., on Saturday and Sunday, January 5-6.  Johnson, of the Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com franchise, comes to Chicagoland in preparation for the following weekend’s National Championship in Madison, Wis., where he will be among the title favorites. The second edition of New Year’s Resolution will feature opportunities on Saturday and Sunday for local competitors to race the same course as the elite and professional riders. Hilton Indian Lakes will be open and no admission fee will be charged for spectators.

Johnson, holder of six junior, U23 and Elite National titles, last captured the stars and stripes jersey in 2009. His recent results bode well for his national ambitions, including a pair of victories in Iowa’s Jingle Cross weekend and a win over a stacked field at the USGP Cyclocross-Deschutes Brewery Cup in Bend, Ore.  The New Year’s Resolution stable of racers will feature notables Adam Myerson (Team Mountain Khakis / SmartStop) and Tristan Schouten (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) on the men’s side and Amanda Miller (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) among the women’s lineup.  A native of Iowa, Miller is a dual road-cyclocross threat who has done battle at the sport’s highest levels, including the 2011 UCI World Road Championships.

Elite competitors can look back at New Year’s Resolution’s inaugural edition to gain inspiration for Nationals. On New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, 2011-12, elites Ryan Trebon and Jeremy Powers battled head-to-head through wintery conditions, including frozen mud and windy fairways that rewarded the powerful Trebon with back-to-back wins. A week later in Madison, Powers would rebound and go on to win the first Elite National Championship of his career.  In 2013, Tim Johnson will be among the elites not only eying the National Championship, but the looming World Cyclocross Championship, to be held February 2-3 in Louisville, Ky.

“We are excited to host the lead up to Nationals and to have competitors from around the country here in the Chicago area, making final preparations for their biggest race of the year,” said Chicago Cyclocross Cup Series and NYR race director Jason Knauff.  “Getting ahead of the curve, we are also matching the UCI women’s payouts to the men’s with the help of the Chicago Women CX fund. We’re grateful to have so many talented athletes join us and for the local community to witness the sport at its highest level.”

Registration for the New Year’s Resolution closes at midnight CT on Wednesday, January 2 at BikeReg.com.  The event is hosted by the Chicago Cyclocross Cup and governed by USA Cycling. Valid 2013 licenses are required for all races. Competitors should visit ChiCrossCup.com/NYR or BikeReg.com for details. Rooms at the Hilton Indian Lakes Resort are available by calling (630) 529-0200 or visiting indianlakesresort.com.

Photo: Snowy Mountain Photography

– Thanks again to everyone who raced in the mud last Saturday at Afterglow and for donating a ton (literally) of food. This enormous show of generosity is a perfect example of how great our Chicagoland CX community has become. The weather was the worst (or best depending on your point of view) of the year but  ROBOTS <3 and the Chicago Cuttin’ Crew handled it all in style. The coffee was great too.

– Well, if you like racing on a 3 hole golf course with astroturf, you’ll love racing on a 36 hole golf course complete with a pro shop, bar, restaurant, pool, bar, hotel, spa, did we mention a bar?, and of course… a hot tub. The CCC’s New Years Resolution is back at the Hilton Indian Lakes Resort 1/5/13 and 1/6/13. A certain former national champion and current energy drink drinker will be there, as well as a rad dude with lots of tatoos, plus a lot of other really fast guys and gals. Come test your pre-Nationals legs and have some fun too. See the NYR page for more details. We still need volunteers though so please help out and race for free.

– Andden (finally) USA Cycling’s CX National Championships in Verona, WI on 1/10/13 – 1/13/13, Masters World Championships, and World Championships on 2/2/13 – 2/3/13 Louisville,KY.

– This past Sunday the CCC was at EJ’s Place in Skokie and handed out a few overall series winner cowbells (as well as a bunch of schwag). We also presented our season long donation to World Bicycle Relief to the tune of $2,200. We think that’s pretty awesome, so thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who donated throughout the season! Also, since the ‘send David Lombardo to Euro Cross Camp‘ fund reached its goal of $5k and went well over, Verdigris-Village CX team captain Tim Boundy made a $900 donation back to the CCC for a future CCC junior development fund. Stay tuned for details! David leaves for ECC tomorrow (Wednesday) and we all wish him the best of luck racing in Belgium! 

– Series Sponsor Update from the desk of Morning Bird Studio: We’re fired up for the New Year, Hope you are too! The Bird has a ton going on in January with new workshops and the continuation of the Engine Building “off bike” throwdown series. It’s truly time to start thinking about your 2013 goals and the best way to get faster on the bike is to be the best version of yourself off the bike. This year, the class size is smaller for a better experience with an improved student teacher ratio. You will develop solid technique with more personal attention, With the goal of getting really strong, becoming more mobile and most importantly, to stay healthy all year round’. EB101 2011/12 Alumni have claimed multiple state championships, a hoard of victories and even more podiums. Lets get after it 2013!! Engine Building 201 will start Saturday January 26 and run for 8 consecutive weeks, at a cost of 240.00. Space is limited, so please register soon! Link to reg.

– If we don’t see you this week… and we likely won’t since there is no CX racing in Chicagoland for 2 weeks (gasp!?!?), have a great holiday season! If you’re riding (and you likely will since the weather is balmy) be safe and make sure to thank your family for allowing you to play bikes with us all during this past CX season. We’ll see you all at NYR!

– And finally… we can’t  believe we’re linking to this.

– The Afterglow team has scored a brand new location–Douglas Park Golf Course! When registering to race, please consider donating those extra dollars you’re saving on the cheaper reg to the wonderful people at Blackstone Bicycle Works right from the registration page. Look for all the Blackstone kids (along with our friends West Town Bikes!) in the Juniors and 4s, and cheer them on! Intelligentsia will also have that coffee you’ll need for your second race for sale to help support West Town Bikes. Registration closes tonight.

– Continuing the theme of giving, Greater Chicago Food Depository has paired with the team on a food drive at the event–everyone who brings a non-perishable food item gets a coveted CALLUP. And if that’s not enough motivation to lend a hand to the needy during this holiday season, a Team Competition is in place–the team that brings in the most amount of food BY WEIGHT wins a fabulous item to impress your friends for an entire year! Sign up for the team competition here. You have until Friday at 4pm to register for the team competition (but we will of course accept day-of donations!). The award will be given out after the Cat 4/FatBikes/Etc race. UPDATE: Please see RpbL for more information about the food drive.

– If you’re coming in from somewhere that doesn’t have easy public transportation (hint),  figure out your parking strategy now! There will be parking along S Thompson Drive (leading toward the fieldhouse). Please leave the fieldhouse parking lot for volunteers and park patrons, as we aren’t the only ones at the park on Saturday. There’s also parking along Inner Ogden Drive.

– Congratulations to all the CCC’ers who raced up North at Badger Cross and down South at Miller Chill CX. Looks like some very solid results going into the end of the year.

– Up next, CX racing returns to Chicago with the Afterglow on SATURDAY. The Afterglow team has scored a brand new location—Douglas Park Golf Course! When registering to race, please consider donating those extra dollars you’re saving on the cheaper reg to the wonderful people at Blackstone Bicycle Works right from the registration page. Look for all the Blackstone kids (along with our friends West Town Bikes!) in the Juniors and 4s, and cheer them on! Intelligentsia will also have that coffee you’ll need for your second race for sale to help support West Town Bikes. Registration will be open until Thursday night at 11:59PM. More details here.

– Speaking of coffee, ROBOTS <3+Comrade Cycles+Just Coffee Co collabo CYCLOCROAST will be around to drink and maybe to buy if we can work it out to purchase.

– Continuing the theme of giving, Greater Chicago Food Depository has paired with the team on a food drive at the event–everyone who brings a non-perishable food item gets a coveted CALLUP. And if that’s not enough motivation to lend a hand to the needy during this holiday season, a Team Competition is in place–the team that brings in the most amount of food BY WEIGHT wins a fabulous item to impress your friends for an entire year! Sign up for the team competition here. You have until Friday at 4pm to register for the team competition (but we will of course accept day-of donations!). The award will be given out after the Cat 4/FatBikes/Etc race. UPDATE: Please see RpbL for more information about the food drive.

– Check back Thursday morning for the course preview, including details on an epic REMATCH.

– If you have any money left for Christmas presents after all of that the CCC merch page is still open and we can deliver to you at Afterglow or via USPS before 12/25.

– On SUNDAY (12/16) the CCC hosts its annual End of the Season Awards Party at EJ’s Place in Skokie at noon. Please pre-purchase your tickets here. The coveted CCC series winner cowbells will be awarded to the overall winners, our season long donation will be made to WBR, we’ll have a bunch of fantastical door prizes, and of course the world famous Lost & Found grab.

– Need more CX racing? The CCC’s New Years Resolution is at the Hilton Indian Lakes Resort 1/5/13 and 1/6/13. See the NYR page and help us finish off the season right. We still need volunteers. Help out and race for really cheap free.

– Then USA Cycling’s CX National Championships in Verona, WI on 1/10/13 – 1/13/13 (nearly the same course as Badger CX but entry fees increase tonight at 11pm). Andden Masters World Championships and World Championships on 2/2/13 – 2/3/13 in Bourbonland (i.e. Louisville,KY).

– And finally… winter time means its cold and dark here in Chicago, but that’s not always so bad.

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?