Congrats to everyone who traveled North behind the cheddar curtain this past weekend to race at the Trek CX Cup. Conditions looked cyclocrossy to say the least.
Next for us, the CCC picks back up this coming weekend on Sunday 10/22/2023 at ABD Sunrise Park, a deceptively difficult race and the home of the original Heckle Hill. Get ready for a sweet, sweet 5 week block of racing. Here we go!
Another reminder that if you upgrade your USAC category you can take 1/2 your points with you to the next category (for overall standings and staging), but you must do so before 1/3 of the way through the season plus 1 race. This year that’s BEFORE Campton CX, so this coming weekend will be your last chance to earn overall points before upgrading. Details on the Rules and FAQ page and if you do upgrade you need to email us and let us know.
And finally… there’s always a lot going on in the world… some great… some down-right horrible, especially this past two weeks. Remember we’re all here as bike racers and more alike than we are different. So flash a smile, let out a laugh, give someone a high-five, make your day and someone else’s better than it started… and have fun racing your bike!
Thanks to xXx Racing for keeping us racing this past weekend and using every last shred of available land in Jackson Park to fit the course it. Results are on USAC and CrossResults, lap times are here… and as always we have links to all results and overall standings here. There were a bunch of photographs and videos recorded as well which are posted in the comments of the Jackson Park Course Preview here.
The CCC takes a break next weekend but there’s some hot & spicy CX action up in Waterloo, WI at the Trek CX Cup. Good luck to everyone traveling to race, spectate, and get their photo taken with Sven.
The week after on 10/22/2023 the CCC continues at ABD Sunrise Park which is the start of 5 week block of racing every weekend. Buckle up, the season’s just getting started!
A quick note on Team Names. We match all riders’ USAC license numbers to the USAC rider database, not the team name you have listed in BikeReg. You need to have your CX team name correct in your USAC rider profile for it to properly flow through to CCC results and to contribute to your team overall standings. We can update previous results in the CCC overall standings, but please let us know now and not at the end of the season. Email us at ChicagoCrossCup at gmail.
Speaking of overall standings, remember if you upgrade your USAC category you can take 1/2 your points with you to the next category (for overall standings and staging), but you must do so before the 1/3 of the way through the season plus 1 race. For those following along at home that’s BEFORE the 4th race of the series (i.e. Campton CX). More details here on the Rules and FAQ page. We no longer have a way to track USAC upgrades, so if you do you need to email us and let us know. Congrats to those of you who have already upgraded!
And finally… a huge thanks to our USAC officials, camera/results crew, and of course the best announcer a CX series could wish for Kenny Labbé for making our first 2 races operate and run efficiently. Its not easy being at our venues all.day.long. and all.season.long. and ensuring things flow smoothly. So make sure to thank them, give them a high five… or a hug, or maybe just a tip of your helmet at the next race and the rest of the season! Thanks everyone!
Jackson Park? Weren’t we just there? Yes – xXx Racingreceived short notice that Schiller Woods was not available and Indian Lakes is definitely no longer available so we’re back at Jackson Park in the Chicago Park District. REPEAT: The race is at Jackson Park on Sunday. There’s not a lot of space in this location, but we’ll make it work, and its better than no race at all. Let’s all pitch in and make it another great CCC race.
Pre-registration is open on BikeReg until tomorrow (Friday) night at midnight. Don’t delay, reg today!
Directions: Set your GPS to 1987 E Hayes Drive in Chicago. While there is still construction in the area for the Obama library, Hayes Drive should once again be accessible both from Stony Island Ave and Lake Shore Drive. Check the link below for any last-minute road closures: https://jacksonparkimprovements.org/traffic-updates
Parking: DO NOT PARK in the boat launch lot adjacent to the course. Ample parking is available in the PAID lot on the north side of Hayes Drive. You can drop off equipment, tents, etc. in the boat launch parking lot but then you MUST move your vehicle. Thanks!
The Chicago Marathon also takes place on Sunday morning and while there are no closures on the highways, Lake Shore Drive, or any of the nearby surface streets, please allow for extra travel time just in case.
Food: Unfortunately with the late venue change xXx Racing was not able to arrange for a food truck so please plan to be self-sufficient for food and beverages.
Autumn weather looks to be heading our way with Sunday morning temps in the 40’s. Please dress and pack extra clothes accordingly.
Bib numbers are always on your left side for all CCC races.
The course: while we are using the same patch of land as Relay CX, we’ll be changing things up by running the course counter-clockwise (i.e. backwards from the direction Relay CX was run), with an all new start/finish and other tweaks throughout.
We hope everyone had a great weekend off and got out on your bikes in some amazing Autumn weather.
The CCC is back again this weekend for race #2 on Sunday 10/08/2023 at Jackson Park. We’ll be at the same venue as Relay Cross, but with a different course. Please pre-reg over on BikeReg.com before Friday night at midnight.
We take another break the following weekend 10/14 & 10/15 but if you want to see some pro-level racing and event production, head up to Waterloo for the Trek CX Cup. They have amateur racing all weekend as well as the World Cup on Sunday, not to mention the Legends Race on Saturday.
And finally… as we do every year we ask everyone to race hard but also make it as easy as possible for our USAC officials and timing/results pros on the finish line to identify everyone so we can get accurate results out as quickly as possible. Below are a few images from Glenwood of what those folks actually see on the camera at the finish line. #252 was awarded best bib placement of the day, #224 was solid, #1 and #2 were also good… #266 was too high but it was the first race of the year so we know you’ll do better going forward. Thanks everyone for your attention to detail and consideration!
Thanks to everyone who came out to Glenwood Academy to enjoy the first race of the series. And thanks to the South Chicago Wheelmen for hosting such a great event.
Full results are online here and here and series standings are here and directly here.
Next up the series takes a week off and then heads into the city at Jackson Park CXhosted by xXx Racing. Note this race is on Sunday 10/8/2023… NOT 10/1… and at Jackson Park in the same venue as Relay CX (NOT Schiller Woods). This is also the same day as the Chicago marathon so please plan your travel time accordingly.
And finally… all series events are now open on BikeReg.com. You’ll still notice Wait List categories at the bottom of each event, but those will only open if the actual categories completely fill up, which probably won’t happen. Pre-Reg closes for all events at midnight the Friday before a race. Please remember to have your correct USAC license number in your BikeReg profile as we match everyone’s name, team name, age, etc. to that license number for consistency throughout the series. If something is wrong, just email us. And if you pre-reg we also pull in your CrossResults.com points for staging (beyond the first row). Just remember to check the preliminary staging posted on Saturday before the race. Everyone did great with all of this before Glenwood, so let’s keep it up for the rest of the season. Thanks!
The South Chicago Wheelmen host the series opener of the 2023 CCC this Sunday at Glenwood Academy CX in Glenwood, IL.
On the South side of the city, set your GPS to 500 W 187th Street Glenwood, IL 60425. Then please drive slowly through the campus to the parking area. This is an active school with children, so please drive carefully.
Registration closes on Friday night over on BikeReg.com. Its way easier to reg online as opposed to at the venue (which you still can do), and we’ll have your CrossResults.com points if you reg online. If you sign up at the venue you’ll be staged at the back of the grid.
Look for preliminary staging here some time on Saturday. As this is the first race of the series, everyone will be staged by CrossResults.com points. Then on 10/8 at Jackson Park the first row of 8 will be staged by series points and everyone else by CXR points. See the Rules & FAQ page for more details. Please check the preliminary staging on Saturday and let us know on Saturday if there are any errors as it’s a lot hard to fix Sunday at the race. Thanks!
Please renew your USAC annual license BEFORE Saturday evening before you go to bed.
Weather looks great!
There will be a Food Truck from 11-3 but that’s all we know. If you have dietary restrictions please pack your own food/drinks. There’s also plenty of stores on Halsted St just around the corner. BYOB if you’re an adult.
Parking: You can use any parking lot. Plus use the grass. DO NOT park in any cottage (residence) driveway.
Registration will be located next to officials at the finish line.
Reg is NOT in Kenny‘s tent. Lost or not sure where to go and what to do? Listen for his voice.
Staging will be at the North side of the access road at 187th St. which is reverse from the last 2 years.
The course will be open on Saturday afternoon for inspection and pre-riding.
And finally… we’re not making too many changes to the series this year, but putting on any bike race is still not easy, even if the South Chicago Wheelmen and our USAC officials make it look that way. Please be courteous to everyone and remember to say thank you to everyone making our events happen. See you all on Sunday!
Here we go, the series starts this coming Sunday 9/24/2023 at Glenwood Academy hosted by South Chicago Wheelman. Please register over on BikeReg.com. Look for the course preview at the regular time this Thursday morning.
We’ll have Kenny Labbé on the mic again this year. Listen for the dulcet tones of his soothing voice all day long.
Please help us welcome our newest Cowbell Level series sponsor Specialized Chicago. The folks at the Fulton Market location hosted our awards party earlier this and we plan to have the 2023 season awards party there again after the end of this season. In addition, both the Specialized Chicago Fulton Market and Lincoln Park locations will be providing the series with some very special raffles prizes worthy of everyone’s attention. Stay tuned for details to be announced very soon.
Still interested in being a series sponsor? There’s room for everyone. Please contact us ASAP.
We are (finally) changing the series scoring points this year (still 30 deep) to better balance out participation and placings so more categories are NOT decided until the last race of the series. Only the top 10 are affected. In years past some categories were already decided by the 2nd to last race. Shout out to Kirk Jozwiak and Nathan Snydacker for helping us figure out the new points. See the point schedule over on the Rules & FAQ page and on the last sheet of the Overall Standings.
Speaking of, now is a great time for everyone to head over to the Rules & FAQ page to (re)familiarize yourself with how the series works and all the details that makes it tick. Have questions or suggestions? Our inbox is always open at chicagocrosscup at gmail dot com.
While we’re at it, here’s your friendly beginning of the season reminder to please make sure you have your bikes tuned up, tyres pumped and pressure checked, USAC licenses renewed, online waivers initialed within BikeReg, Team name is updated after Relay CX, and all your fancy new kits, gloves, shoes, neck thingies, & helmets, ready. Need something last minute… skip Amazon and support your local bike shop(s)!
Speaking of bikes, we’re reviving the CCC ‘Whip of the Week’ program. Look for Ty Kurth as he roams the series seeking out the neatest, nerdiest, coolest CX bikes he can find.
And finally… as we do every season we’d like to remind everyone that we really do have such precious little time together. Yes in life generally, but specifically during the short CX season. Let’s have yet another great CX season with each other and enjoy each other’s company as much as possible. We’re all here because we love racing bikes and getting rad… so leave your cares and weekday life at home and embrace each Sunday while we have it. See you all soon!
Hey everyone, we’re less than 2 weeks out from the first race of the series on 9/24/2023 hosted by South Chicago Wheelman at Glenwood Academy. Please register (do we even need to call it pre-registering anymore?) over on BikeReg.com.
As mentioned last week, the 2nd race of the series should be hosted by xXx Racing with location TBD. However the date has now been pushed back 1 week to 10/8/2023. We’ll have the race on BikeReg.com as soon as everything is ready to go. Hold tight for details.
All other events are on BikeReg.com (filter by Event Type = Cyclocross, Event Location = Illinois, and Event Name = chicrosscup). We’re still waiting on permits to be finalized for Campton and Wheeling and then those events will open for registration.
We’re very happy and excited to welcome back some long-time series sponsors to 2023. We’ve completely lost count how many years all of these folks/businesses have supported the series and we are forever grateful for your support! Whether you’re looking for a new house, a new bike, a new bike helmet or lock, a new bike coach, legal help if you’ve been in a bike accident, or a new culvert and civil engineering help… please consider one of these businesses. Thanks!
And finally… we realized there was some old information on our FAQ page which has been updated. Please take a few minutes before we start the season to review and familiarize yourself with the Rules and FAQs page and the USAC RuleBook and multiple Policies. Thanks and see you all soon!
We hope everyone had a nice Labor Day weekend, riding bikes, enjoying the last bits of summer, and trying not to melt. Seriously, its hot.
We have most of the races up BikeReg.com, some are open for registration, and others will open as soon their USAC permits are in process.
The first race of the series will be at Glenwood Academy CX on 9/24/2023 hosted by the South Chicago Wheelmen.
The 2nd race will hopefully be hosted by xXx Racing, but they’ve had some trouble securing a venue with the Forest Preserves of Cook County and Chicago Park District. Look for more details soon concerning the final location (hint: it will not be Indian Lakes).
All other events are on track to be held at their scheduled venues.
And finally, we’re still looking for a few more series sponsors to help make the series happen financially. If you or your business would like to pitch in, please contact us at chicagocrosscup at gmail. Thanks!
Voting is open until next Monday 8/21/2023 at 5pm for the 2023 Illinois State Cyclocross Championships. Please see instructions here on the ICA website and vote accordingly if your team is registered with USAC.
The CCC Schedule page is updated including the map of events. One change to the daily schedule this year, shortening the Men 1/2/3 race to make room for local events, TBD by the individual race directors. Look for family friendly events, costume parades, doggo runs, adaptive cycling, etc. during this time.
Our friends North of the infamous Cheddar curtain kick off their series on Saturday 9/9/2023 at the Flyover Silver Creek CX race in Manitowoc. Details here, here, and here.
And finally… it is with sadness we learned last week that OG CCC member and organizer Erik Weisenburger passed away. Erik had moved away from Chicago a while back, but some of you may remember him as the designer, builder, and keeper of the initial height-convertible and foldable CCC race barriers. Erik also designed the first courses at Jackson Park and Montrose Harbor. He was a threat on the bike too, capturing the first CCC Champions Jersey for Cat 3 in 2004. R.I.P.
