Good luck to all those ‘crosser racing in this weekend’s Palos Meltdown!

Hi all,

Several of you have asked questions regarding pre-registration and the increased costs for the Chicago Cyclocross Cup (CCC) this season so we’d like to address them all here.

1. First off, thank you all for racing and for all of your comments. Not to sound cliché but the CCC truly values all of your opinions and we try to improve the CCC every year based on rider input. We want to have the most challenging and fun CX series as possible and your feedback is absolutely essential for us to deliver on that idea.
2. None of the CCC directors, promoters, or volunteers are compensated for their work and none of us are forced to do what we do. We all are involved because we love ‘cross and want to have a lot of fun. In addition to jobs, families, etc (and occasionally playing in the dirt ourselves) there is a lot of hard work that goes into making the CCC happen every year and there are only so many of us. We encourage anyone who is unsatisfied or wants to help to get involved with the CCC.
3. The number one complaint we heard from racers in 2008 (besides the lack of mud?) were that results were both untimely and incorrect. While overall there weren’t really that many issues, the CCC is making every effort this year to have results done correctly first… and then also quickly after the end of each race. Remember the officials are standing out in the cold all day (you only have to race for less than an hour) and basically volunteering too (their compensation is ridiculously small). Keeping track of 75 riders all over a cross course is not an easy thing to do. If you doubt it, we invite you to try it some time.
4. Which brings us to pre-registration. Compiling results does not start when the first person crosses the finish line, but rather when the first person registers for the race. Preregistration is not, and will likely never be, mandatory for any CCC race. But just as the ICA did on the road this summer, the CCC is trying to incentivize as many people as possible to pre-reg, to make the entire registration through results process better. The basic idea is “Garbage In, Garbage Out”. If we can’t read your chicken scratch handwriting on the release form, how can we be expected to score you in a race?
5. So what’s the catch? All fields (excluding juniors) will see a $5 increases in online registration from last year. Remember though that all CCC races have deeply discounted 2nd races… for only $10. We know this only really applies to masters racers and Cat 3’s, but we think being able to do two quality races for $40 within an hour drive from the city is a pretty good deal.
6. The nice round number of $5 was chosen to incorporate both the additional $1 USAC insurance fee charged to the promoter (up from $2 in 2008 to $3 in 2009) and the $2.80 BikeReg service fee. All CCC promoters will be absorbing the BikeReg online service charge so at the end of the day, the promoter is only gaining an extra $1.20. We could have asked promoters to increase their fees by $3.80, but we simply didn’t want anyone fumbling around for change in the cold in registration line while 20 other people are waiting behind… plus there would be no economic incentive to register online.
7. Anyone who has ever been promoted a race knows that bike races operate on the slimmest of margins. Even with an additional $1.20 per racer, no promoter is going to get rich and those additional monies are eventually plowed back into the race to make it a better event. If your gripe is that the promoters will be making more profit, remember that day-of registrations always bring in more money for the promoter since there is no online service fee and there is also an additional $5 late fee. So why wouldn’t you pre-reg?
8. Also remember that for most teams/clubs their race is their main fund raiser. In some cases (Woodstock) all of the profits go to charity, and in many cases the promoters are donating portions of registration fees back to World Bicycle Relief.
9. While probably 90% of you have used BikeReg for a road race this summer, we realize there may be a few hold outs. If you need help using BikeReg, shoot us an email at [email protected] and we’ll gladly help you through the process. However, we choose BikeReg.com because we think its hands down the easiest online registration site to use… and we know you’re all smart people anyway… why else would you be racing your bike in the dirt and mud in sub-zero temperatures?
10. BikeReg.com was chosen as the Illinois Cycling Association’s preferred online registration site after an extensive due diligence process to find the best online provider. While most online registration sites are similar in many ways, BikeReg is unique in that it:- Focuses only on bicycle racing (i.e. not running, triathlons, etc.),  Has a dedicated section of their site for the ICA (look for Illinois Cycling Assoc logo on the main page) and hence the CCC, Has many other relationships with local USAC associations, teams, and event series (including several CX series), and most importantly, Is giving back $0.25 of each racer service fee to the ICA to be put towards things like safety equipment, state championship jerseys, finish line cameras, computers, etc. So in a way, your registration dollars are coming back to you.

I hope the above points have helped you to understand why the CCC is using BikeReg.com this season and why there is an increase in registration fees.
If you have any questions, concerns, ideas, or just want to get involved, don’t hesitate to contact us directly at [email protected]!

Jason Knauff
Director – Chicago Cyclocross Cup
ICA Registration & Results Coordinator

Here’s something that just never seems to get old… CX bloopers… this week courtesy of the Oregon Cross Crusade.

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Online registration for Jackson Park and Hilton Indian Lakes is now open on BikeReg.com.

Just go to BikeReg.com and navigate to CycloCross/Midwest.

The nice folks at BikeReg have added the CCC logo to all our races so they’re even easier to find… not that it was hard in the first place!

Just another friendly reminder… make sure your BikeReg rider profile is up to date so we can keep track of you and give you the points you’re working hard to earn.

– Felt issues recall on 2007/2008 CX bikes.

– New this year the CCC we’ll be keeping track of team standings. That’s right… you and your teammates will be competing for the best all around team. Complete rules will be posted to the Series Rules and FAQ page soon, but here’s the general idea… The overall series points from the top 5 riders (men/women/juniors/masters) for each team will be combined and ranked. If you race more than one category (i.e. Cat 3 & Masters 30+) only your highest point total counts towards the team competition. We haven’t done the math, but a certain team in green probably would have won last year… does anyone dare challenge them this year?

– Winning isn’t always everything though… but here’s a guy who has done it a few times. Watch, learn, then go practice!

– We’ve mentioned it a few other places, but we’ve been fielding a few questions recently regarding online pre-registration for CCC races. We’re still working out the permits with the parks and villages for most of the races, but Yes, we will have online pre-reg for all CCC races on BikeReg.com. We’ll put up notices and links here on the CCC site for each race as soon as registration is open (or scheduled to open), and you’ll be able to recognize CCC races by the little blue logo next to each race. That being said, please head over to BikeReg.com now and make sure your rider profile is up to date with your correct USAC license #, CX category, Team name, Emergency contact info, etc. Updating this info now will make all our lives much easier this season.

– Planet Bike just signed a rider to their squad. She’s won a few times herself.

– They’re not a sponsor, and we’re not sure we’ve ever even seen a set here in Chicago, but there are new CX wheels out there.

– And finally… cross in August?

How about some 2008 highlights courtesy of Beverly Bike-Vee Pak?
Also, check out more vids on the BBVP YouTube channel.

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– The Chicago Cyclocross Cup is proud to announce and partner with our new and returning sponsors. We’re still looking for more sponsors of the series but a few organization are back again and we’ve signed up some partners whose names you ought to already know… Blue Competition Cycles, Cyclocross Magazine, Deuter, EJ’s Place, Main Street Bicycles, Planet Bike, The Pony Shop, SRAM, and Village Cyclesport. Please let these sponsors know how much you appreciate their support! If you, your company, best friend, dog, etc would like to be more involved and help the CCC in 2009… please contact us ASAP at [email protected].

– More preseason CX action Sunday August 23rd.

– We recently gave the new website another make over. Tells us what you think in the comments section below. What else would you like to see? What works for you? What doesn’t?

– We know that with the summer road season winding down many of you are starting to build up your CX rigs. Have pix? Send us the links and we’ll post them on the media section of the site so all of your competitors can ooohh and aaahh at your new steed.

– Last Thursday about 20 or so of us gathered at the Well-Fit training center to talk about ‘cross. For those that missed it we  hope to find some pix at some point… but several new CX’ers walked away with some nice, nice door prizes… like a new Javelin CX Frame, a helmet, a Well-Fit thermal jacket, and bike tunes and fittings from Get-A-Grip Cycles. Yeah, you’re sad you missed it aren’t you?

– Jackson Park is roughly one month away… are you ready? Have questions? Send them to [email protected] and we’ll get you ready.

How about that… urban Cyclocross!

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SRAM makes great stuff and is a series sponsor of the CCC.
Hopefully you’ve all seen this on other sites, but we figured we’d post it here as well to make sure everyone knows about the 10 Speed PowerLock recall.
Check your chains ASAP and if need be visit your nearest local SRAM dealer.

– Don’t forget this Thursday at 7:00pm is the Well-Fit CX Roundtable. We’ll be at the Well-Fit Training Center, located at 1700 West Hubbard Street.
Take this survey before the event to be eligible for freebies at the meeting:
http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB229H568QD73

The theme of the night is CX is a FUN way to stay in shape and anyone can do it. The discussion should last about 30 minutes with a Q&A/meet and greet after.  There will also be some food and drinks at the event!

– The season kicks off with Jackson Park in just over a month and we know some of you have already started building up you new (or perhaps just rebuilding old) CX rigs. If you have pix or vids to share please send them to [email protected] and we’ll add them to the CCC gallery.

– The summer road season is winding down and we’ve heard rumors of CX practices starting up all throughout the city and suburbs. If you’d like some company and competition, send your date(s) and location(s) to [email protected] and we’ll let everyone know where the mid-week action is.

– The CCC is still looking for series sponsors. If you or someone you know would like to be a sponsor please get in touch with us offline.

– Do you have any ideas on how to make the CCC better this year? If so, please leave us a comment below. We want to make 2009 the best year yet and need your feedback!