– Masters racer & super promoter Jim Nowak, Athletes By Design, and Prairie Path Cycles return yet again in 2011 with their classic ABD Sunrise Park course in Bartlett, IL. There’s been lots of discussion recently on differences in course design, and in our opinion what makes CX and specifically the CCC so great is the diversity in our courses. Jim always sets the bar a little higher each year with his course designs and this year is no different as he pays tribute to the SuperCup series of the late 1990’s with the “6 pack”. And of course Heckle Hill will be back in all its glory.

– Two quick warm up events:

– Pretty. Fast. is hosting a ladies meet and greet on Friday at Star Lounge Coffee (2521 W. Chicago Ave) from 6-9pm. Lots of great prizes, drinks, and conversation… and an after party across the street.

– Burnham Racing host their 2011 Apple Cider Donut World Championship Demilitarized Ride Saturday morning. Please RSVP.

– The Bartlett venue always has the trickiest parking situation of all the CCC races. Parking is actually a good ways away at the Sycamore Trails School. See the map below. Please park at the school and follow the signs on the path to the course and registration. Its probably a good idea to ride your bike, but per USAC regulations you must wear your helmet at all times when on your bike at a race. You can’t finish the race if you don’t start because you brains are spilled all over the sidewalk… so please keep it safe and don’t make us ask you twice… better yet once. See page 54 here.

– Please remember registration closes 30 minutes prior to each race start time.  Also, please allow the 40+ racers to get their numbers first thing in the morning so they can warm up for their race. Thanks!

– Online reg via BikeReg.com closes tonight at midnight. Preliminary staging will be posted here on Friday.

– ABD has again increased payouts above the CCC standard payout.

– Sunrise Park is notoriously windy… so if you plan on setting up a tent, bring metal stakes or weights. Sunday’s forecast calls for upper 50’s and a possibility of rain, so please dress and pack accordingly.

– Sunrise Park is smack in the middle of a housing community. Please respect the neighbors at times while at the race… this includes not peeing in places you shouldn’t (we have Spot-A-Pots), using foul language, and anything that would make it so we can’t come back next year. You all are always great about this, so please keep it PG.

– Since the park is in the middle of a residential area there are no food or beverage establishments in the immediate vicinity. However this year ABD has brought in local food vendor Sandwichville who will be serving up wraps, pulled pork, and maybe beef sandwiches.

– UPDATE: All pre-ordered merchandise will be available for pickup. Please see the Spidermonkeys for your shirts, embro, and SockGuy socks!!!

– The course: Sunrise Park is one of the CCC’s longest courses at nearly 2.5 miles. All categories will still be racing the same amount of time as all other CCC races though, but you’ll obviously be completing fewer laps… so pay attention to the lap counters. Since the start chute and Finish line are on the interior of the course… please be careful when crossing the course as racers will likely be coming at you from both directions. The course runs anti-clockwise again this year. Registration will be just NorthEast of the Finish line. The wheel/bike pit is double entry and SouthWest of the finish line. The starting grid will be just to the NorthEast of the finish line next to registration. As always, numbers will go on your left.

– Thanks to Ted Schweitzer, Verdigris-Village CX, Jeff Provisor, and North Branch Cycling for hosting this past weekend’s race. Wind then rain… but all CX!

– Next up, ABD Sunrise Park hosted by who else but Athletes By Design (ABD). Promoter Jim Nowak has something new which is really something old for everyone this year. Payouts have  been increased courtesy of ABD. Look for the course update on Thursday at the regular time.

– If you are NOT racing the 40+ category (first race of the day) please let those 40+ racers work their way up to the reg desks first thing in the morning. The 40+ racers have a very limited amount of time to get set up, pinned up, and warmed up before their race, so please give them all the help possible. There should be plenty of time for everyone else to get their numbers. We and the 40+ racers thank you.

– More mud? That’s two races already and we’re not even half way through the season. Iron Cycles continues to run their CX bike cleaning and maintenance specials.

– If you upgrade from this point further your CCC points do NOT travel with you to the next category (only applies to Cat 4A, Cat 3, Women 4). Please review the Series Rules & FAQs (yes we know we need to update the staging procedure section).

– Sorry for the delay, CCC Overall Standings will be updated by Thursday.

– All CCC merchandise will be available this weekend at Sunrise Park.

– And finally… did anyone eat a Chubby Spud on Sunday?

– For the 4th year in a row the Carpenter’s Park race, hosted by Main St. Bicycles (owned by CCC director and all-rounder Jeff Provisor) & North Branch Cycling, will be held along side the Carpentersville Oktoberfest as stop #5 of the CCC. The festival will once again have a beer garden (which will of course be located right next to the course). Great food vendors, live music, raffles, kid rides (inflatables), and much more. Full details of the festival and a sample of some of the Oktoberfestivities are here.

– Remember the previous day the CCC is just up the road in Wauconda at Psycho Cross. See the preview for Saturday’s race here. Online pre-reg on BikeReg.com is already closed for Pyscho CX but closes tonight (Thursday) at midnight for Carpentersville. All categories are still open.

– Registration should be in the NorthEast corner of the park not far away from the Staging/Start/Finish area.

– The weather forecast again looks fantastic.

– The Spidermonkeys will be back and distributing CCC 2011 series t-shirts and Mad Alchemy custom embro. Sock will be available next week at Sunrise Park.

– Jeff and the village of Carpentersville have asked that we please keep the beer drinking in the beer garden. It always seems there are a few people out there that can’t find access to the Interwebs, so if you see someone with a can or two of High Life on the other side of the course, please ask them to be respectful of the park, other spectators, and racers. Bacon and Twinkies are allowed and in fact encouraged to roam freely.

– Overflow parking will be East of the park – in the school lots off of Spring St (to the South), and at Cross Container off of Maple (to the North).

– The beer garden (did we mention there is beer) will be located on the NE side of the course. There will be many tasty food options as well… however Kenny’s famous Chubby Spud unfortunately will not be in attendance. Apparently Kenny moved to Arizona and no one has been able to convince him to return.

– Bring a canned food item for the local food pantry, and the $2.00 I.D. wrist band fee to purchase adult beverages in the Beer Garden will be waived. Leinenkugel’s Oktoberfest will be featured in the garden.

– For all you kids who aren’t yet old enough to race in the 10-14 category, the Oktoberfest will feature a Free Kids race for 5-10 year olds held at high noon near the bandshell. Just bring your bike and a helmet!  Also for the kiddies, a huge inflatable jumpy thing to keep ’em busy & happy for .50 cents a ride.

– Bikes not your thing? There will also be a Classic Car Show in the Otto parking lot down the road.

– The Course: This year’s course will be nearly identical to last year with such class Carpentersville features as creek crossings, one of the CCC’s longer sand pits, and a little hill which is always great for spectating and taking photos. Returning in yet another variation from 2009 and 2010, the course will again shoot riders through dirt rollers (pump/rhythm section). Take notes from Sven Nys here (0:11). The new wrinkle this year is (unless the farmer decides to take down the corn this week) the addition of a corn maze to the roller section. The corn tunnel (sorry, not our words) is at least 8′ tall on either side and 10′ wide. Warning!!! You will break your teeth if you take a feed corn handup. Speaking of… Twinkies will be sold for a fundraiser by the Carpentersville local Rotary at their booth in the Oktoberfestival… not that you all need convincing but they are waaay tastier than the feed corn.

– Back again for another year race promoter Ted Schweitzer returns with the rebranded Verdigris Village CX team to host stop #4 of the CCC with their Psycho Cross race in Wauconda at the Golf Farm. The race also has a website at: www.psychocrosschicago.com. Pre-reg closes tonight at midnight on BikeReg.com.

– Speaking of night time… Ted is also experimenting with a night race this year on Friday. The Friday Night Race is not part of the CCC series (so no points to gain or lose), but will surely be fun for those of you looking to get in a little more racing. The course will be at least partially lit, but please bring your own lights. Camping spaces are available for $12.00 per person including  a bonfire and a band. Online pre-reg is on BikeReg here and additional details can be found here on the PsychoCross website.

– Speaking of more CX racings… on Sunday the CCC travels just down the road to Carpentersville. See the preview for Sunday’s race tomorrow. Online pre-reg on BikeReg.com closes for Carpentersville tomorrow (Thursday) at midnight.

– Travel Times: There is road construction and occasional major traffic backups in the vicinity of Route #12 (Rand Road) and Old McHenry road, as well as other construction in the area: Route #12 (Rand Road) south of Rt. #22 in Lake Zurich, Midlothian Road in Hawthorn Woods, and Lake Cook Road in Deerfield. Please plan accordingly as registration for each race closes 30 minutes prior to the start of each race.

– Per the owner of The Golf Farm, please leave your beer coolers and/or grills at home. This is private land and there is a restaurant/bar, so we have to play by the owner’s rules. The main parking will be on the South side of the course. Limited parking is available next to the restaurant/bar.

– Verdigris Custom Homes’ “Bridge of Sighs” will be riders’ main obstacle for the day. The flyover is 22’ tall, 51’ long, and 11’ wide with 13 steps that lead you to the top.

– And bobcat was also set  loose on the course and create some other fun features.

– The Gold Farm is a full service facility with a bar, restaurant, and of course bathrooms. Please use them all.

– The Course: There isn’t a terrible amount of terrain to speak of but Ted and the Verdigris Village CX crew have been very creative in designing a fast power course with all the trimmings including grass, dirt, gravel, mulch, twists, turns, straightaways, and of course the flyover.

Photo:Ed White

– Thanks again to Beverly Bike-Vee Pak and Region Racing for another great race at Dan Ryan Woods. This year’s course may have been the best so far, so we can’t wait to see next year’s torture over the hill and through the woods. Thanks also to everyone who came out and raced, cheered, snapped photos, heckled, etc.

– This coming weekend is the first of the CCC’s two double weekends at Psycho Cross and Carpentersville. Online pre-reg closes on BikeReg.com on Wednesday and Thursday night at midnight respectively.  But before the weekend even gets started you have a chance to race in the dark at Psycho Cross After Dark. Additional details at PsychoCrossChicago.com.

– The new staging system worked better than we hoped and from your comments it seems you all liked it as well. Huge thanks to Jim Brady (The Pony Shop), Cliff Golz (The Pony Shop), Lew Chin (Rhythm Racing), and Nathan Schneeberger (Johnny Sprockets) and our USAC officials for helping to make it all happen so well on the first try. Thanks also to you the riders for helping us work out a few minor kinks. We will continue with the same procedure for the rest of the season. The only race that will be slightly different will be the State Championships at Montrose Harbor to accommodate down state riders who can’t make it up to Chicago every weekend (details to come). Please continue to submit your constructive criticism comments here on the site or directly through our email address because, you know, we’re committed to making the series better in every way possible and we need your suggestions to do so.

– Upgrades: If you upgrade please send us a note at [email protected] so we can make sure to transfer your points for staging for you. Remember half of your points travel with you to the next category if you do so before Carpentersville. See the Series Rules/FAQ page for details.

– The Active Transportation Alliance is having their 25th Anniversary Celebration on Thursday, October 13. Word has it that John & Christian Vande Velde and Robbie & Lori Ventura will be there. No reports yet of bacon or Twinkies.

– Friends of the series REKLAIM apparel have a Kickstarter associated with World Bicycle Relief... The Calling. Check it out here and donate if you can.

– – The Spidermonkeys will be back and distributing CCC 2011 series t-shirts and Mad Alchemy custom embro at Carpentersville. Socks will be available next week at Sunrise Park.

– An unidentified rider was spotted at DRW who we have never seen before.

– Two riders we do know were seen and we’re happy to see them together again.

– We saw a few crashes on Sunday. Here’s why you should always, always, always wear your helmet any time you are on your bike.

– The course preview for Saturday’s Psycho Cross race will be posted tomorrow (Wednesday). Sunday’s Carpentersville race will be posted at the regular time on Thursday.

– And finally… we here at the CCC don’t talk much about the really, really, really fast guys all that much, but this story from Sunday caught our attention as we think it exemplifies the spirit we see every weekend in CCC races. Whether its the fastest Cat 1 or a mid pack Cat 4B we all are out there having fun, achieving goals, and making memories. Fantastic ride Scott, and if you need a new derailleur, we know a local company who might be able to help you out.

Photo: Ed White

– This Sunday stop #3 of the CCC heads to Chicago’s South side at Dan Ryan Woods. Hosted by Beverly Bike-Vee Pak with support from Region Racing and food from Strack and Van Til. There is no theme this year so leave your white sequin jump suits at home.

– Food: BBVP will have free chicken tenders, PBJ sandwiches, and bananas from a generous food donation from Strack and Van Til courtesy of Region Racing.

– Water: However, BBVP and RR will not be supplying water (saving the world with less plastic). There are two water fountains on site but hydration might be important with the warm weather forecast. CarboRocket will be on site in the morning with coffee and mix.

– Neutral support from Beverly Bike and Ski will be at registration.

– Parking: Parking is free and the best spots are off of the 8500 S Western Ave entrance to the park… follow parking lot to the South.

– The Chicago Marathon is being run on Sunday so please plan your travel times to and from the race accordingly.

– Speaking of running, our friends at Spidermonkey Cycling are apparently runners too and will be attending the marathon. There is an outside shot we will have the 2011 CCC series shirts for distribution, but if not you’ll be able to pick them up next weekend at Psycho CX or Carpentersville. CCC Mad Alchemy Embro will be available for pick up. Socks are still on schedule to arrive at ABD Sunrise Park.

– Online pre-reg on BikeReg.com closes tonight at midnight. Please remember on site registration closes 30 minutes prior to each race’s start time. Why you ask… see below.