New for 2010 Steve Feerhery, Mike Kelly, and the South Chicago Wheelmen move their race venue from Lansing to the West Subrurb’s Hilton Indian Lakes Golf Course and Resort. This course promises to be fun and exciting… and that’s all before race sponsor New Belgium Brewing starts serving Fat Tire Amber Ale. Apparently all of you think so to… since 365 of you pre-reg’d… or maybe its just the $5k in prize money and prizes up for grabs?

• First and foremost… remember the race is TOMORROW which is Saturday. If you show up on Sunday people will be playing golf on what was the course.
• If you missed our post earlier in the week there’s a party tonight in “The Cave” out at Indian Lakes. Great adult beverages and schwag all hosted by the (other) CCC’s own Andrew Nordyke.
• Unlike a few CCC races we’re very lucky the Indian Lakes Resort is a one-stop-shop overflowing with plenty of amenities including…
  – All Day, all you can eat buffet for $13.95: burgers, chicken, soup, fruit.  Probably open at 11 AM and go to about 6 PM.
  – $2 Pints of Fat Tire Ale (New Belgium Brewery is a sponsor of the event).
  – Room rates at $79.  Up to 5 people can stay in one room at no extra charge.  Roll away beds provided at no extra charge. We’re not sure if you can still get this deal… but if the hotel still has rooms left they might cut you a deal. Contact the hotel here and let them know you’re with the CCC.
  – Outdoor patio seating with open fire pits burning all day long. Did someone say smores hand-ups?
  – Indoor heated pool.  All ages welcome.
  – Indoor locker room.  Change in the warmth.  Take a shower after your race.
  – Spa, including steam room and jacuzzi.
  – Live Band.  Probably start at 3ish and playing until 6ish.
• The SCW will be holding a raffle to benefit the their Junior Development Program. Items will include schwag autographed by Christian Vande Velde and SuperGirl.
• We’ve gotten lots of questions about how this venue came to be… mostly… “How did you convince a golf course to let us race bikes on their property?” Well, truth be told, ILR approached us about holding a race. It seems November is usually a slow time of year for a golf course and being the resort has a staff of professional lawn fixers… they don’t anticipate any problems fixing the grass after a few hundred ‘crossers ride around on it. That being said… the course isn’t presently scheduled to ride across any putting greens… so unless that changes, please say off the greens.
• SCW’s Mike Kelly has confirmed that dogs are allowed on the premise. However, please remember we are always guests at the parks we visit, and much like driving a car or racing a bicycle, owning and bringing a dog to a race is a privilege, not a right. The CCC loves dogs too, but they’re not always allowed, so please respect the land owners’ rules. We try to supply as much info as possible on this site but can’t always get to everything.
• All of you spectators hecklers continue to be creative in your hand-ups. At Northbrook we heard reports of candy-corn mouth-ups, saw dollar bill Pegasus flag-downs, and saw photographic evidence of hot-dogs on sticks and bags of sand for sandbaggers. We can’t wait to see what golf-inspired hand-ups/downs/laterals you’ll come up with this week. Just remember to keep it safe and fun and don’t interfere with the racers!
• Speaking of golf… this week’s course will likely visit a few sand-traps and we need rakers. Feel free to help out, but please do NOT interfere with riders during their race.
• If you’re not a loyal follower of ChicagoBikeRacing.com you might have missed that Luke Seemann will have CX calendars for sale for just $15 at the race. Aside from a few great panoramics these calendars include close-ups of a few CCC celebrities such as super-star Brian Conant, pretty-boy Henry Loud, the killer Brittany Barran-Stanley, Nevada Dave Norton, the cutest couple in CX Tim Boundy & Andy Daley, Hand-up King Jacob Thom, and of course… SuperGirl. These calendar make great stocking stuffers at a great price.
• The rain has disappeared from the current forecast, but just in case we do get some precipitation there is plenty of room inside the resort for everyone.
• Registration will be just inside the closest building to the Start/Finish line. The wheel/bike pit will be double sided and right next to the Start/Finish line.
• Finally, the general course direction (anti-clockwise) is shown below. There will be quite a few more twists, turns, and wiggles… but this should give you an idea of what to expect. As always, the course may change due to weather and ground conditions.

J. Tati of Tati Cycles in Hyde Park is offering to pay your 2010 CCC race fees.

All you have to do is purchase an Ibis Hakkalugi or custom Tati Titanium frame or complete Dolan Cyclocross bike.
Or, if you really want a deal, buy a complete Ibis Hakkalugi or complete custom Tati Titanium and not only will you race for free in 2010 but Tati will retro-actively pay your 2009 race entry fees.

See complete offer and rules here http://taticycles.com/p/339 or contact Tati directly for more info at 773.598.TATI (8284).

Three fer Thursday

We present Paul Michna‘s 2nd installment “The Hecklers” documenting the 2010 CCC.
Paul also has his own company called Paul Michna Video Productions.
Contact him at [email protected] or 1-630-605-0836 if you’re interested… sorry, but he’s already booked this coming Saturday and the next few Sundays.

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Also, DePaul students Genesis Mejias, Heather Kortan, and Zubar Khan were at Northbrook making their own documentary.

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And finally… we thought SuperGirl, Gumby, and the Geisha were a riot… but apparently in Oregon you MUST race in a ‘crosstume’ on Halloween.

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Remember online pre-reg for Indian Lakes closes tonight at midnight. Order your 2010 CCC t-shirts online here.

We just found out about a fun little soiree (call it the CCCCCCCCCCW) happening this Friday evening from 8-11pm… and its not too far away from the race next morning. Make sure to reserve your room by tonight (11/10/09). Details on the party here.

– Thanks again to Chris Henning, the Northbrook  Garner Bicycle Club, Flatlandia, and the town of Northbrook for having us back again. Also, a big thanks to everyone who stuck around to watch the sprint finish between Flannel Mike and Rodrigo at the end of the 4B’s race (we hope someone got pix or vids?). These guys might not be as fast as the 1/2/3’s… but they’re just as exciting to watch… some would say even more so after reading their stories in the comments section here. Greg (4B’s) and Petra (Women 4’s) are no less amazing either… they’ve all become our CCC celebrities.

– The Northbrook race and the CCC were also featured in a TribLocal article here.

– A set of keys was found near the Sunset Food wagon at Northbrook. Please email us at [email protected] if you’re looking for your keys and we’ll mail them to you.

– Speaking of lost and found… we have a good deal of clothing accumulating in our car trunks that has been left at races. We’ll have it all next to the Results board at Indian Lakes. Please pick up your lost items or contact us offline to coordinate a return of your items.

– Next up… racing on a golf course with the South Chicago Wheelmen at the Hilton Indian Lakes resort. Please remember this race is on SATURDAY… but online pre-reg is still open until midnight on Thursday here. Lots of prizes, schwag, and fun up for grabs. Come back Friday for the usual preview.

– Need a post race pick me up? EAS will be at Indian Lakes and Woodstock to hand out free samples of their recovery drink. You may remember EAS from Carpentersville where they were camped out at the start line for most of the day.

– Concerning the CCC t-shirts we have some good news and we have some bad news. The  good great news is that Joe Kallo’s design is at the printer and the proofs of the shirts look fantastic… we’ve also received a ton of orders and raised a boatload of money for both WBR and the CCC. The bad news is that American Apparel doesn’t have enough fashion sense to have a couple hundred orange t-shirts laying around and apparently the world demands more than even the happy AA elves can produce. Yes, that’s right… you all ordered so many orange shirts that they’re now on backorder until next week. We’ll post updates as we get more info, but as of right now expect all t-shirts (yes, even the other colors) to be delivered at Woodstock.

– You can still order your shirts online here until this coming Sunday (11/15/09) at midnight and they all should be in by Woodstock.

– If you missed it the first time the Race Across The Sky movie about the Leadville 100 will be playing again in theaters on Thursday November 12th.

– One more for you from Northbrook…

Photo: Luke Seeman

Another big thanks to Chris Henning, the Northbrook Garner Bicycle Club, and Flatlandia for putting on another great race in Northbrook today.

Full results here.
Series Standings and Team Standings here.

UPDATE: A set of keys that were found near the Sunset Foods wagon. Please email us at [email protected] if you’re looking for your keys and we’ll mail them to you.

We’re putting in the first order of t-shirts at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning. If you’d like a shirt by Indian Lakes please make sure to have your order in tonight (Sunday)! See the BikeReg order page here.

Photo credit: Duane

Photo credit: Duane

Back again for 2009 Chris Henning, the Garner Northbrook Bike Club, and Flatlandia bring many riders’ favorite course from 2008 back to the CCC. Sorry for the big post with all the rules, but they are all very important, so please read this entire post if you plan on racing at Northbrook.

Chris Henning spent more time over the last few months than anyone can imagine to get the Northbrook venue back this year… please abide by his wishes so we can all come back and race again next year! The Park District Board and Executives will be at the race throughout the day so please let’s knock them over- with feathers. ; )

• We’ve had great weather all week, so as of right now the race is still a go. Check back tomorrow (Saturday) for any last minute updates… but as of right now the race is on!
• The first thing you’ll notice about this year’s course (below) is that it is completely different from last year. Part of the Park District’s stipulations to be able to hold the race at this venue was that we were not allowed to use the sled hills. Yes, we’re really bummed too… but its better to have a course with no sled hill run-ups then no course at all. The course goes clockwise.
• Remember the Jane Addams Hull House Association in Chicago will also be at the race accepting bicycle donations. Bikes collected are rewarded to young students for their commitment and achievements in school. Find more details at www.gopedalpower.com.
• Food and drinks will be available on site. Stewart’s Coffee will be there with a java wagon (free coffee!) and Sunset Foods is bringing their popcorn truck and a grill.
• George Garner Cyclery will have a tent at the race providing free neutral support… swing be and say hi to George and his crew. Rhythm Racing will still be at the race providing support as well. Rich Delgado will be on hand giving out free samples of GU Energy Gels.
• There is a kids playground near the tennis courts (please DO NOT leave your children unattended). Also, fishing is allowed in the nearby lakes! Have fun with that one.
• Very important… No alcohol or open fires in the Park or on the Camp ground. We know many of you enjoy a nice well earned brew and roasting a pig over an open flame after a hard fought CX battle with your mates… but please leave the PBR and Old Style at home this weekend. Again, this is a specific request from Chris Henning as we don’t want to jeopardize holding the race here again next year. Thanks. For future races though, you may want to keep your hands warm.
• Courtesy of Kalas Clothing, the winner of the 1^st lap of each race will receive $20. Also, all Juniors will be get prizes.
• Note that the main parking lot (yellow below) is on the other side of the athletic fields from registration and the start/finish. You all did a great job at Bartlett with that parking situation and we’re expecting great things from you again this weekend. Please be mindful of the parking map below, posted signs at the race, and residents who live in the area. There will be volunteers wearing orange/yellow vests who will help direct you to available parking.  If you park at the Jr. high, ride south on the sidewalk in front of the school to Walters, then ride west on Walters to registration. Yes, this means DO NOT ride across the athletic fields or those nice people’s backyards.
• There are also a limited number of spot along the access road a little closer to the reg/start/finish area. Feel free to park here, but when the spots are gone… they’re gone. Please DO NOT double park, park on the grass, do stupid things, etc.
• Also note the Red NO PARKING areas. As you might expect… DO NOT park in these areas.
• Please DO NOT warm up on the park paths. There will be local residents using these paths and we don’t anyone’s Shiitzu getting run over. Chris suggests Walters Ave or East of Sanders Rd for warm-ups. Watch for cars though and make sure to be on time for your race’s start. The CCC always starts on time.
• Don’t have a car? Want to keep your carbon emissions low? The Northbrook course is about a 15 minute bike ride from the Northbrook Station Metra stop on the Metra/Milwaukee District North line. Bring your train ticket and Chris will reimburse you the cost of your ticket. Find schedules here and a map here. Up to 9 bikes are allowed on a train… Make it a party with your buds.
• Don’t forget to order your t-shirts. All proceeds go to WBR and to help the CCC pay for new equipment, etc. We also added a new “Women’s Cut” category for the ladies. If you’d like one or many women’s cut t-shirts… simply pay for them on BikeReg and then email us what sizes and colors you’d like. Shirts ordered by tonight on BikeReg should be available at Indian Lakes. Please pre-order your shirts as this helps us with our inventory.
• Finally, a big, big thanks to everyone who donated money to WBR directly. From this race alone we’ve raised $134.50! That’s enough for one whole bike!

Below is and estimate of how the course will run on Sunday. As always, the course is subject to change depending on weather and ground conditions. The wheel pit as labeled above will also likely be next to the start/finish line… probably in the tennis courts.

We know many of you have already seen this one in the comments from St. Charles… but we think it deserves to be on the front page for a while.
Thanks to Paul Michna for the great video.

Also, remember pre-reg for Northbrook closes tonight at midnight… and don’t forget to order your t-shirts!

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