• This weekend’s CCC event, Beverly Bike CX, is at Dan Ryan Woods on Chicago’s South Side, hosted by… Beverly Bike. Please use the hashtag #drwCX.
• Preliminary staging will be posted here sometime Friday. Please let us know if you see any errors.
• More info over on the static race venue page which is still named Dan Ryan Woods.
• Keep in mind the series rules concerning upgrades. If you have upgraded in the last week please email us ASAP so we can transfer 1/2 your points to the next category for staging and overall standings.
• Juniors 9-14’s: Due to a very generous donation from an anonymous local source many/most of you will receive a special safety related gift when you pick up your number on Sunday.
• Due to the hill and potentially muddy/slower conditions, the Women Cat 4/5‘s and Junior 9-14‘s will more than likely be doing shortened laps. Final decisions will be made between the Beverly Bike crew and USAC officials at the venue on Sunday. We’ll try to tweet that info as soon as we know.
• Kiddie Cross at 2pm assuming the weather cooperates.
• Food: Pollo Locuas www.pollolocuas.com will be back on site with their taco cart.
• Plenty of parking, please use it. Don’t park on the grass.
• The Chicago Marathon is also being run Sunday morning. See the official site here for info, course maps, and road closures. Please plan your route and timing to the venue accordingly.
• Weather: The forecast is calling for rain on Friday and Saturday. Given some sensitive areas of the park the Beverly Bike crew may have to make some drastic changes to the course below in order to stay in the good graces of the park managers. Having any course at all is better than having no course at all, so please recognize any changes and/or a potentially less exciting/challenging course are done so we can still host the event at Dan Ryan Woods for year to come. Check back here Saturday evening and on Twitter for last minute updates.
• The course: Beverly Bike brings yet another different course. The course runs Clockwise (numbers still always on your left side) starting in the North East corner of the venue. Fast (if its dry), flowy, and hilly. Beverly Bike is hopefully bringing back a section that hasn’t been used since 2010. Think toe spikes.

• Just another quick update this week…
• Congrats to everyone who raced at Jingle Cross this past week. We saw plenty of great results including a few podiums by the Chicago Cuttin’ Crew, F3 Cycling pb 7 Mile Cycles, and the Pony Shop.
• This past weekend was also the CX Eliminator hosted by Half Acre at Big Marsh.
• Next up, the CCC returns home to the south side of the city for Beverly Bike CX at Dan Ryan Woods. Look for the course preview at the regular time on Thursday.
• Speaking of Beverly Bike CX… our regular Kiddie Cross organizer can’t make it this weekend, so if anyone could help set up/tear down the mini-course and organize a few heats of “races” for the U-9 crowd we would really appreciate it. Please email us for details. UPDATE: our #CCCWhipoftheWeek organizer Brandon Conine will organize the Kiddie Cross this week.
• If you’re thinking a little further down the line, our friends up in the great white North at Silver Goose CX are hosting the 2018 Pan American Cyclocross Championships on November 3rd and 4th in Little Lake Park, Midland Ontario. If you’re thinking about going please email us for discounted entries.
• And finally… it seems like a good time to remind everyone that old saying of, if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say it at all. Please show EVERYONE the respect and dignity we all deserve, whether on the course or off, whether you agree with their point of view or not. We’re all out there to enjoy a little competition and have some fun, so let’s keep it that way.

• Just a quick update this week.
• Congrats to everyone who race up at the Trek CX Cup over the weekend. We were watching via our partners One2Go and saw a lot of great results. Series photography Robert Clark was also snapping pics again and even Sven Nys liked his work. Extra congratulations to Jacob Huizenga of the Chicago Cuttin’ Crew who scored the hattrick and won all 3 Single Speed races (we heard the 2nd from the last row after missing his call-up). No wonder he’s in the CCC Leaders Jersey in that category.
• Speaking of, we had six new series leaders after Caldwell Woods, a few of whom we missed giving jersey to. The follow riders should see Kenny before the start at Beverly CX at Dan Ryan Woods… McCarthy (Masters 55+), Roth (Masters 65+), Zakrajsek (Men Cat 3), Christiansen (Women Cat 3/4), and Kaufman (Men Cat 4).
• Speaking of overall results, we’ve seen a few different team names not matching and the usual One Day to Annual USAC licenses skewing results. Please make sure to double check your results as posted in the Overall Results GoogleSheet and on USACycling.org. We also make mistakes here and here… so please, please let us know if there are errors and we can make changes easy peasy lemon squeezey.
• Up next the CCC has another week off as the UCI World Cup visits Jingle Cross in Iowa City, IA for round two. Good luck to everyone heading west to race, spectate, cheer, or just hang out in the corn fields.
• And finally… remember there is local racing this weekend. Half Acre Cycling‘s CX Eliminator is at Big Marsh this Saturday 9/29. Details are on BikeReg

Robotfresh Media

• UPDATE: Today is unbelievable series announcer Kenny Labbé’s birthday. Please wish him all the best!
• Thanks to xXx Racing for hosting another hot and humid Caldwell Woods. The Svens were there and so were the mosquitoes. Robert Clark was also there snapping pics again and has a gallery up on robotfresh.com.
• Links to all results are here. Note that we are now uploading total and all lap times to USAC. Also for all the propeller heads, over on our consolidated lap time GoogleSheet we’ve been doing some data analysis and aggregation. Let us know if you see anything surprising or want to dig in more yourself.
• Our results data are only as good as the inputs into them however, so please make sure you register with your correct USAC license number, have your team name correctly listed in USAC, and if you earn an upgrade, change your name, etc. please email us so we can make sure you are staged properly and results are correct. Thanks!
• Next up, the CCC series takes a 2 week break before heading South to Dan Ryan Woods for Beverly Bike CCC #3. The Beverly Bike guys always have some kind of surprise in store for us, and a nice hill, so it should be fun.
• But this coming week is the Trek CX Cup in Waterloo, WI. This event is also the opening event of the Telenet UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, so all the big name Euro pros will be there along with plenty of locals and Americans from around the country. Good luck to everyone racing in WI this weekend!
• And the following week everyone heads to Iowa City, IA for Jingle Cross, which is the 2nd event in the World Cup. Both of these events are very well run, with amazing courses, and plenty of competition… and that’s even before the top level pros ride them. Definitely make it there if you can.
• But if traveling to far off neighboring states isn’t your thing, check out Half Acre Cycling‘s CX Eliminator at Big Marsh next Saturday 9/29 (same weekend as Jingle Cross). A portion of the proceeds will go towards further development of Big Marsh making future races there even more fun and challenging. Further details are on BikeReg
• If you’re not traveling to Jingle Cross or CX Eliminator is too close, our friends North of the cheddar curtain are hosting Lion Cross in Waterford on 9/29. The venue is only a 1.5 hour drive from downtown Chicago, and they will have a food and coffee on site, plus a kids course.
• A quick reminder that if you are an “experienced” racer, meaning above a Cat 5, but don’t want to commit to buying a full annual USAC license ($75 adults, $40 juniors), you do have the option to purchase a USAC Experienced One Day license  for only $25 (per day of course). These license are only available for purchase online on USA Cycling’s website but are a handy way to get back into racing on a budget. You can even apply the cost to an annual license if you do decide to go all in. Also a reminder that if you have your license listed as “One Day” in your BikeReg rider profile you will automatically be charged $10 when pre-reg’ing online.
• And finally… we need officials. While we’re all out there racing there are a very small number of USA Cycling officials who run each event, apply the rules, and sign off on official/final results. Illinois is in desperate need of officials and without them we cannot race. If you, your significant other, or anyone else you know are even remotely interested or are just curious as to what is involved in helping shape and support our sport, please contact the Illinois Cycling Association (ICA) or see Brenda Feehery at an upcoming event.

Please post links in the comments to your pictures, videos, and race reports.

• This week the CCC returns to Caldwell Woods hosted by xXx Racing-Athletico.
• Live results by One2Go_Results will be here: http://www.livelynxresults.com/  Watch races scored in real time!
• Online pre-reg on BikeReg closes tonight.
• On site number pick up and Day-Of Registration will be in picnic pavilion near start finish line. Remember reg closes 30 minutes before the schedule start time of each category.
• Please not fold or crumple your numbers. If you do you risk not being scored. Numbers on your LEFT side (not your back!) .
• Staging for the rest of the series is; First row by CCC series points and then everyone else by CrossResults.com ranking. See here for preliminary staging on Friday. Also, please check the discrepancies page. If you name is on this page you need to either edit your BikeReg registration (and profile), renew you annual USAC license, etc.
• Results will be posted as soon as possible on the CCC’s 4 sided results board and for all pre-reg’d riders with correct/valid email address in their BikeReg rider profiles results will be emailed to you shortly after you finish. Also, One2Go will have its LiveLynx site updated in real time. Full results will be posted on USAC online Sunday night and series standings will be updated shortly afterward.
• Porta-potties will be located in the small parking lot nearest Devon and Milwaukee adjacent to registration.
• Teams can set up tents anywhere, but xXx Racing recommends doing so in the field North of the reg pavilion for viewing the finish line or the field to the North East for viewing the hill.
• Parking: Parking is limited in the lot next to the park, and we can’t promise that there will be room for trailers.  Until 8am, you can drive (slowly!) down the bike path into the park to drop off tents and gear.
• Double sided equipment pits staffed by SRAM NRS.
• Food: Chicago Pizza Boss will be on site and Superdawg is across the street.
• Alcohol: IS permitted at Caldwell Woods.  There will be a beer garden p/b Finch’s Beer Company near the run-up.  If you bring your own, DO NOT bring glass bottles, cans or box wine only please.
• Look for “Kiddie Cross” near the staging grid around 2pm.
• Additional info over here on the static preview page. Make sure you read the info about Caldwell Woods NOT LaBagh Woods.
• Remember to use the hashtag #CaldwellCX so everyone at home or in other parts of the country can follow along.
• There are still spots available for the Sven-nado CX clinic.  Registration for the Sunday clinic (4:30-7:00) is 50% off for juniors! Register at xxxracing.org/thesvens
• The Svens will be on site during the day, but sadly, Stan Nice will not be joining the 4/5 race this year. So yeah, get your fanboy and fangirl selfie-sticks ready and show these world champions (again) how we do things around here (btw they LOVE it!).
• Weather: Looks fantastic but there might still be some standing water in a few places next to the river.
• There have been a lot of mosquitoes out at the park lately, so bring some bug spray just in case.
• The course: Tentative course is below. Clockwise starting from the staging grid. Reg, staging grid, finish line, and pit are all on the SW corner of the park.

Robotfresh Media

• A big, big, big thanks to Josh Arends and the entire Comrade Cycles crew for hosting our first race of the series out at Hopkins Park. The weather was absolutely CX perfect and it was great to see everyone racing the track. Links to all the results are here.
• Also, many apologies to the Women Cat 4/5. You were supposed to start in front of the Junior 9-14’s. That’s a snafu totally on us. We’ll get it right at Caldwell Woods and going forward. Again, we’re sorry for the mix-up.
• Next up, xXx Racing hosts Caldwell Woods on the NW side of the city.
• Also this week:
  • The Wicker Park Trek Store is hosting a A Night with Sven Nys on Thursday Saturday at 7pm.
  • And xXx Racing is hosting the Sven-nado clinic with Sven Nys and Sven
• Just a reminder that while we do have access to who is applying for and getting category upgrades, we can’t always keep up with everyone, so please shoot us an email if you earn an upgrade so 1/2 your points can go with you to the next category.
• And, if you race on a One Day license and then get an annual USAC license let us know that too so you will be staged properly at the next race. Otherwise you may be at the back.
• Which is also a reminder, please always check the preliminary staging sheets to make sure your CCC series points and CrossResults.com points flow through properly. We make plenty of mistakes but want to make sure you are staged properly and have a fun race. Its a whole lot easier to correct those things on Friday or Saturday then on the start line on Sunday.
• Team names – We match all USAC annual licenses to the USAC rider database, meaning, if you have an annual license we grab your CX team name from there, NOT from BikeReg. So please make sure you have your CX team and/or club name correct with USAC. Thanks!
• Next week up at the Trek CX Cup join Maria Larkin and a bunch of other local rad ladies at the Junior Girls Clinic p/b Parktool.
  • Date 9/21/2018 (Friday of Trek Cx Cup)
  • Location: Trek Cx Cup, Waterloo, Wisconsin
  • Time: 6pm
  • Instructors: Katie Compton, Kaitie Keough
  • Open to girls aged 9-18.
  • You’ll be doing some basic instruction and riding the juniors course with the Ka(i)ties.
  • Helmets are required, cross bikes preferred but mountain bikes with knobby tires are welcome.
  • As usual there will be pizza/snacks available post ride. Please contact Maria with any dietary restrictions. [email protected]
  • Registration is here; https://legacy.usacycling.org/register/2018-1759 and there are 8 spots left.
• The week after next the CX (Eliminator) hosted by Half Acre Cycling will be at Big Marsh on Saturday 9/29/18 . Online pre-reg is, where else, over on BikeReg (https://www.bikereg.com/cx-eliminator).  HAC plans to have a food truck, Specialized demo rig, and some prizes for those stepping up.
• And finally… We have a new photographer snapping pics at races this year. Check our Robert Clark‘s galleries over at robotfresh.com. If you see a good photo of yourself or someone you know consider throwing a little scratch Robert’s way and if so please make sure to give Robert credit for the photo. Once SnowyMountain recovers from their summer we’re sure they will be out at the races as well. We saw lots of other cameras out at Hopkins Park too, so please share your photos/videos with links in the weekend posts, like this one!

Please post links in the comments to your pictures, videos, and race reports.