Congratulations to Holly Klug (Courage) and Scott McLaughlin (SRAM Factory) for winning the B Women and B Men 40+ races out in Bend, OR. Also congratulations to Kevin Klug (Courage) for taking a close 2nd in the B Men 30+ race. Full results are here.

Montrose promoter Chuck Judy asked us to share the note below with all of you. Also, if you were in the money in the expanded prize list and didn’t pick up your reward, please contact Chris Mailing at Turin ([email protected] or 847.864.7660 x 16).

To all Montrose Illinois State Championship Racers and Participants

On behalf of Turin Bicycling Society as this year’s promoter of the Illinois Cyclocross Championships, I would like thank everyone whom helped make this race a wonderful success. This includes, The Chicago Cyclocross Cup for having an great series of events and providing me with their guidance through the race promotion process; Our sponsors whom came forward with their generous support; The Officials for running the races; The Volunteers who helped in every aspect of this event, to which no race could be possible without. The Spectators for your fantastic support and enthusiasm. Special thanks to you the Racers whom came out and gave it your all. What more can we say, its all for you!

I am also grateful to the clubs and individuals whom pitched-in helping us with the course breakdown and park clean up. Although not without a trace, we did tread lightly and the park looked better than I could have imagined. This goes along way in securing this park and other Chicago Parks for the sport of Cyclocross in coming years.

I’m not quite certain how Jason and the rest of the CCC gang do this week after week. I was exhausted in the end but this truly was a rewarding experience. I learned a great deal and received loads of appreciation and encouraging feedback on the race. I look forward to continuing my efforts with the Turin Bicycling Society to make this event even better in 2010.

Thank you all,
Chuck Judy
Turin Bicycling Society

ICC Committee:
Anne Barnes
Matt Hollihan
EJ Lenzi
Chris Mailing
Alex Randhava
Meredith Shull
George Vargas

– That’s right… give yourselves a big pat on the back. Following the last race of the year at Montrose we’ve been getting lots of emails and posts on the site about this person did this, and that person did that to make the season so great. Well, there would be no CCC at all without all of you who show up week in and week out to race, heckle, give handups, give postups, be awesome, do whatever this guy’s doing, crash, get back up again, and ride your bikes like there’s no tomorrow. If you look back at our very first post ever on this new site we said “The ChiCrossCup is all about you, the racers…” Well you all ran with that idea and transformed our little Sunday party into something truly special. So for that, we at the CCC THANK YOU!

– The 10th and final race of the CCC at Montrose was amazing. We figure there were probably 300 people watching and heckling the 4B’s at the end of the day… just crazy. Big thanks again to Turin for putting on another great race and for wrapping up the IL CX season in style.

– While we’re all winners at the end of the day… congratulations again to those riders who earned a few more points than everyone else in their respective CCC overall categories. We have something special for each of you at the CCC Awards Banquet on January 10th at EJ’s Place in Skokie. Tickets are on sale now here!

– Congratulations also to the IL State CX Champions.
Masters 40+ – Christando Lombardo (Verdigris Cycling)
Masters 30+ – Eric Sondag (The Pony Shop)
Masters 50+ – Wayne Simon (Verdigris Cycling)
Women 1/2/3 – Debbie Dust (Roscoe Village Bikes)
Men 3 – Ron Bridal (Bloomington Cycle & Fitness Racing Team)
Women 4 – Gina Champion (Team Mack)
Junior Boy – Brandon Feehery (South Chicago Wheelmen)
Junior Girl – Jessica Prinner (ABD Cycling Team)
Men 1/2/3 – Scott McLaughlin (SRAM FACTORY)
Men 4 – Jason Rassi (Proctor Cycling Team)

– In case you still want more CX before the holidays, CX Nationals are being held this coming weekend in Bend Oregon. We know at least a few CCC’ers are heading out west… so good luck to you (Holly, Scott, Ben, Mike, Steel, Kevin, and Bob) and anyone else we don’t know about!

– If you didn’t pick up a t-shirt you ordered or left anything else at the race (or any other race), please contact us at [email protected] to arrangement a handup (in the Loop or Wicker Park) . We have a very small random assortment of extra t-shirts left over. If you can fit into a Men’s XL (Blue) or Women’s M (Blue or Orange) we have a shirt for you. Main St. Bikes, MOX Multisport, The Pony Shop, and Tati Cycles have a small inventory of shirts on sale as well.

– And finally… would you like to be part of the team that makes the CCC happen in 2010? Please email us at [email protected] to get involved.

We leave you for now with a few pix from Montrose…

SuperGirl and Jacob

Photo: Amy Dykema

Flannel Mike

Photo:Liz Novak

The 3 stages of CX… Riding, Running, Falling

Photo: Arnold Klein

Pretty

Photo: Luke Seemann

Mmmm Bacon (see what West Coasters have to say here).

Photo: Luke Seemann

Betcha didn’t know a chicken could lay a dollar bill did ya?

Photo: Amy Dykema

Thanks to the 474 starters who bravely stormed the beach to make Montrose the largest CCC race ever.

Full Results here.
Final Overall Standings here.
If you didn’t pick up your t-shirt or left anything else at the race (or any other race), please contact us at [email protected] to arrangement a handup.
Also… don’t forget to purchase your tickets for the Awards Banquet on January 10th.

Congratulations to our 2009 Chicago Cyclocross Cup Overall Winners

Masters 40+ – Scott Arrigoni (Verdigris Cycling)
Masters 30+ – Eric Sondag (The Pony Shop)
Masters 50+ – Wayne Simon (Verdigris Cycling)
Women 1/2/3 – Jessica Hill (The Pony Shop)
Men 3 – Ryan Cooper (Flatlandia Cycling Team)
Women 4 – Jannette Rho (L’équipe Bouledogue Tout Noir)
Junior Boy – Brandon Feehery (South Chicago Wheelmen)
Junior Girl – Gina Johnson (Smart Cycling)
Men 1/2/3 – Scott McLaughlin (SRAM FACTORY)
Men 4A – Russ Kuryk (Iron Cycles)
Men 4B – Bryan Lee (The Pony Shop)
Team – The Pony Shop

We’ll have a full Montrose and Season wrap up next week after you all have had a chance to upload your photos. But here’s a little taste…

Yes we had a sighting (note blurred photo)…

And a decapitation?

This is a long one, especially with no race this coming weekend… but there’s lots of important info, so please read it all…

– Another big thanks to Dr. Jim Kearns and all of the volunteers who helped to make Woodstock a success and the 2nd largest race of 2010 (based on # of starters). 418 racers toed the line for hills, woods, hills, grass, more hills, and some very creative hand ups. Oh, and the Dr. raised a boatload of money to help fight Leukemia and Cancer! We also witnessed the first ever dollar bill hand-back! Luckily our CCC hecklers knew just what to do (see below).

– Up next (and sadly the last CCC race of 2010) is Montrose Harbor hosted by Turin Cycles which also serves as the IL State Championships. Turin is looking for volunteers with course set up and breakdown, so please contact them directly if you’d like to help and get a discounted entry fee. We’ll have the usual full preview next week, but as we mentioned to the group on the hill at Woodstock… anyone dressed up like Santa (beard required), Misses Claus, or a Christmas tree (Chanukkah bush if you swing that way) will get a special call up after the top 10 in the overall standings.

A few notes on Race vs. CCC Series (individual and team) vs. State Champion scoring.

– Like any race in the series the winner of each Category or Age Group race will be determined by the first person to ride around in circles faster than their competition and cross the finish line first (duh).

– CCC Individual Series winners are determined by your points earned according to the rules posted here at the beginning of the season. Some racers have already locked up their respective overall competitions, and they don’t need  to even race at Montrose to pick up some tasty schwag… but we have a pretty good idea they’ll be there to race anyway. On the complete other end of the spectrum, some categories are still totally up in the air. The Cat 3 Ryans are only separated by 9 points, while Janette and Courtney in the Women 4’s are separated by 14 points. The top 4A’s and 4B’s are separated by a few more points, but anything can happen at Montrose and nothing is for sure until you cross the finish line. Point breakdowns can be found here or on the ‘Points Breakdown’ tab here.

– CCC Team Series winners are also determined by points earned by each team according to the rules posted here.

– State Champions will be determined by the first rider to cross the finish line who is a.) an Illinois resident, b.) a US Citizen or permanent resident, and c.) holds a valid and current annual road or mtb USAC license. State of residence is determined by what is listed on your USAC annual license (or drivers license/ID card if you’ve recently moved). You must satisfy all 3 requirements to be named IL State Champion at Montrose. If you’re a master or cat 4 without an annual license and think you have a shot at the jersey, we’ll have annual licenses on sale at registration for $60. We’re going to try and hold some sort of podium ceremony immediately after each race, so if you finish in the top 3 please make your way back to the reg/finish line area as soon as you finish. Actual jerseys will be distributed to you from the ICA at some point in the future.

– Unfortunately we do not award a state champion in the 4B’s, so if you’re a Cat 4 and want to win a jersey, you’ll need to race the 4A’s. Somehow we don’t think too many of you that race in the 4B’s are worried about a jersey anyway. However, what you may be interested in is a little tradition Ben Popper started last year… but we’ll let him explain.

– Turin has once again commissioned a race poster for the Montrose Race (this year by artist Jay Ryan) which is on sale now here.

– Speaking of things on sale… you can still pre-order a 2009 Joe Kallo designed CCC T-shirt on BikeReg here until Midnight this coming Sunday (11/29/09). We will NOT be ordering extras, so if you want a shirt, order it now and we’ll have it for you at Montrose. After that, they’re all gone! All proceeds go to World Bicycle Relief and helping the CCC in 2010.

– The Annual Awards Banquet and series prize distribution will again be held at EJ’s Place in Skokie on Sunday January 10th. More details will be posted soon and we will again pre-sell tickets on BikeReg.com but please save the date on your calendars now.

– We were going to make a list of all the great hand-ups we saw at Woodstock… but there were simply too many to remember. Feel free to post in the comments below what your favorites were. For Montrose we’re expecting a fantastic end to the season… candy canes, sugar cookies, dreidels, gefilte fish, hot chocolate, hot toddies… we can’t wait to see what you all come up with.

– Another good luck to all of you heading out to Jingle Cross this weekend. Whether you’re racing CX or eating turkey, safe travels to all and Happy Thanksgiving!

– Fill up turkey, stuffing, and cranberry this week because we’re making a special request from all of you at Montrose. Many of the Masters racers don’t stick around to watch the 4B’s… and many of the 4A’s and 4B’s don’t show up early enough to watch the Masters. We at the CCC want to see what you all are really made of… so clear your schedules all day for Sunday December 6th. We want to see the course lined with spectators hecklers all day long. Yes, that includes all the 40+, 30+, 50+ Masters AND all of the 4A’s and 4B’s. Let’s blow out the end of the season with a bang and make it a big party… and no, that does NOT mean driving to Indiana for illegal fireworks! Its been such a great season and we’d like to get everyone who has participated in one place at one time and see what happens.

– Finally, we were all deeply saddened to hear about fellow CCC’er Sean Callahan of Team Pegasus who passed away last week. We will doing something special for Sean at Montrose. Please stay tuned for details.

– You all are taking some really, really, really great photographs of this little circus we call the CCC. We wish we could highlight them all, but here are just a few that caught our eye from Woodstock…

It only took 9 races… but SPAM finally made it to a CCC race… and Steven Tyler was there to hand it out… wrapped in a handed-back dollar bill.

Photo: Liz Farina Markel

The Gobbler rides alone into the setting sun…

Photo: Michael Shea

… and then takes a quick break.

Mini

Photo: Luke Seemann

Thanks to Dr. James Kearns for hosting the race and the 418 starters who came out to race today in Woodstock!

Full results here.
Individual and Team Overall Standings here.

Good luck to everyone heading to Jingle Cross… and Happy Thanksgiving to all.
We’ll see you in 2 weeks at Montrose.

Also, many of you were asking and we will do one more t-shirt order which will be ready at Montrose. However we will NOT have extra shirts available beyond what is pre-ordered. If you’d like a 2009 CCC t-shirt, please pre-order it here on BikeReg.com

Finally, please mark your calendars for Sunday January 10th for the annual End Of Season Awards Banquet. We’ll be back again at EJ’s Place in Skokie. More details to come next week.

Gooble Gooble Gobble Gobble!

Full results here.
Overall individual and team standings here.

If you lost your wallet or anything else please email us at [email protected] with details and we’ll get it back to you.

The Pony Shop has extended its lead in the team competition, but never count out the Green Machine of Verdigris.

Also, as we get closer to the end of the series (so soon?) we will highlight (in yellow) those riders who have already wrapped up the their respective categories. However, take note that with only 2 races left, many categories are in virtual dead heats and still anyone’s game. For instance;
Ryan Gingerich and Ryan Cooper are only separated by 6 points in the Men’s 3 category,
Courtney O’Neill and Jannette Rho are only separated by 1 point in the Women’s 4 category, and
Eric Willcox and Russ Kuryk are only separated by 7 points in the 4A’s. Good luck to everyone!

OMG… there are too many great pictures from Saturday… here are a few of our favorites

And at the 8th race they ascended into CX heaven…

The 4B’s taking a quick break…

You’d prefer a cupcake?

Or perhaps bacon?

Photo: Liz Farina Markel

Going for it…

“Bacon Alley”…

Nice glasses…

How to enter a sand pit with your BFF…

Photo: Liz Farina Markel

Flannel Mike (otherwise known as BC = Business Casual) is recruiting.

Thanks to Flannel Paul for coming out to race this weekend!

Photo: Liz Farina Markel

And finally… why you should never, ever, ever let your friends watch your kids…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/benschomatic/4103893241/in/set-72157622680219067/

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

Big thanks to Bicycle Heaven for putting on another great race in St. Charles/Campton… and thanks to the 379 starters who came out to eat some mud.
There were a lot of great costumes and we can’t wait to see the pix and vids roll in this week. Here are two to get you started.

Photo: Jason Knauff

Photo: Nikki Cyp

Full results here.
Overall individual standings here.
Team overall standings also here. If your team isn’t listed next to your name in the individual standings please email us at chicagocrosscup at gmail dot com and we’ll get your updated.

More big numbers for the CCC… 403 starters today at Bartlett!
Thanks to everyone who came out to do it in dirt mud. Can you believe we’re already half way through the CX season?

Full results here.
Overall standings are here.
Per usually, please give us a day or two to compile the team standings.

Photo: Liz Farina Markel www.tippingpointphoto.com