Just a reminder that everyone needs to sign in and get a new number tomorrow… DO NOT race with your number from Saturday or you will not be scored

– Back for their 2nd year at this venue Steve Feehery, Mike Kelly, and the rest of the South Chicago Wheelmen host this weekend’s double race weekend at the Hilton Indian Lakes Golf Course and Resort. Besides a great course and loverly surroundings, some of the other amenities ILR offers include an indoor heated pool (bring your suit), an indoor locker room (change in the warmth and/or take a shower after your race), and a spa, including steam room and jacuzzi.

– As we mentioned on Tuesday, the SCW have secured discounted hotel room rates of $79 per night for up to 4 people.  For reservations call 630.529.0200 and for general  info visit IndianLakesResort.com. ILR will have a breakfast buffet from 6:30 am to 11 am and an all-you-can-eat lunch/dinner buffet from 11 am til 6 pm, both for just $12.95 per person Saturday & Sunday.

– The other CCC (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew) will continue where they left off last year and host the Cave Catastrophe Continued Party in the ILR Cave bar (in the middle of the hotel… you can’t miss it). The party starts Friday night and (for those who can hang) will continue Saturday night. New Belgium Brewery will also be at the race again selling $3 pints of Fat Tire Ale.

– Being a double weekend you might want to make sure you save some for Sunday since the SCW have put up a $8,100 prize list over the two days, which is substantially more than the CCC minimum payout schedule. Several categories payout deeper than the standard 5 places… so make sure you pick up your winnings! Also, for those that didn’t notice… the field limits for Cat 4 races were raised to 100 riders.

– West Town Bikes (and various other friends) will be at ILR Saturday AND Sunday to promote, support, and sponsor juniors and new racers.  WTB will have loaner equipment including bikes, helmets, etc. The goal is to make the ILR weekend accessible to as many new racers, adults and juniors, as possible regardless of financial status and are open to all.

– REKLAIM Apparel will again have the 2010 CCC series t-shirts for pick up (if you pre-ordered) and for sale (if you didn’t).

– A chance of rain is in the current forecast, but there is plenty of room inside the resort for everyone… and many of you keep asking for mud anyway.

The Course: Registration will again be just inside the door next to the pro-shop where outside we’ll have a bike rack (hint: use that instead of the golf bag racks or laying your bike on the ground). The wheel/bike pit will be double sided and staffed by SRAM Neutral support all weekend long… and not far away from the Finish line. The SCW are bringing back many of last year’s features, including the main hill, sand traps, and more than a few fairways. Bacon Alley may change location from last year… but we’re sure it will pop up somewhere. Just like last year, the course will not go across any putting greens, and ILR asks that we stay off them. The course will go anti-clockwise on Saturday and then reverse and go clockwise on Sunday… however, you’ll put your numbers on your left both days. Sunday‘s course will also include a short extension on the Northwest edge of the course shortly after the start… bring your sand wedge! As always, the map below is an approximation and the actual course will likely be slightly different depending on weather & conditions.

Photo: John Wrycza

– Thanks to Dr. Jim Kearns & the crew from Psimet Custom Wheels for yet another great race in Woodstock. We were so concerned with the hills we forgot how bumpy the course can be, and that there is sand out that way.

– Weekend update: Lots to talk about from the weekend, but we think the 74 comments on the Pix, Vids, & Race Reports post sums it all up rather nicely. We all show up and race each week for a reason… some do it for the competition, some for personal goals, some don’t even know why. Cross is hard, even painful at times… but its always fun in the end.  In other news… #700 flew in from Albeqwerky and got a call up in the 4A’s for correctly identifying a song on the CCC race playlist. Yeah, you’re going to need some help with that. Here, let Tati show you how its done. Brian Lee & Dave Lombardo duked it out again in the 4A’s while Flannel Mike & Greg T had a stare-down contest before the 4B’s even started. Supergirl was flying, while Kirby’s bike went flying… and so did Scott’s. Sister Sprocket could be found doing what she does best and the first women ever won the Flying Pig Award. Janette is back and so is The Hemme! Luke lost a toof and… holy cow… Rich looks so pro!

– Up next the CCC’s 2nd double weekend at the Indian Lakes Resort (ILR) hosted by the South Chicago Wheelmen. The SCW have secured discounted hotel room rates of $79 per night for up to 4 people.  For reservations call 630.529.0200 and for general  info visit IndianLakesResort.com. We’ll have more in the Thursday preview, but just to whet your appetite (literally) ILR will have a breakfast buffet from 6:30 am to 11 am and an all-you-can-eat lunch/dinner buffet from 11 am til 6 pm, both for just $12.95 per person Saturday & Sunday. Remember online pre-reg closes a day early this week (at Midnight on Wednesday… that’s tomorrow night) so the SCW can get all the binders put together. Look for more details and course preview Thursday at the regular time (9am for those not paying attention).

– The Cuttin’ Cruiser has been MIA from most CCC races this year, but makes its triumphant return Friday (and Saturday) night at the Cave Catastrophe Continued. You won’t want to miss these parties.

– If you’re spending Saturday night at Indian Lakes and want to chat with the CCC directors about what’s on tap (no, not Fat Tire Ale) for next year… we’ll be hosting a very impromptu fireside chat (location TBD) to discuss ways to make the CCC series better and get ready for CX nationals in Madison in January 2012. We’d love to get your feedback/input, so please swing by and get involved.

– Speaking of save-the-dates… the CCC awards dinner will be held on Sunday, January 9th at EJ’s Place in Skokie. More details to come, but we look forward to seeing everyone at EJ’s to wrap up the season, and to chat about what’s to come in 2011!

– Don’t forget our friends at REKLAIM Apparel have the 2010 series t-shirts printed and will have all pre-orders available for pickup at all remaining races. Its easier on everyone to pre-order and pay online, but REKLAIM will also be selling t-shirts at races (where park rules allow). Shirts are only $15 and all proceeds go directly to World Bicycle Relief!

– Just a reminder to the Juniors and 50+ Masters. Since both of your groups start behind the ladies, please be courteous and let them know when you are about to pass with a simple “On your left/right”.

– Check it out… tthe ICA is taking a survey.

– Looks like some of you are already making travel plans for this year’s CX Nationals in Bend, OR.

– Series sponsor Rapid Transit Cycleshop is getting a website makover to compliment their new(ish) shop on Halsted near UIC’s campus. Check out the preview and the shop’s many bicycle maintenance classes (and monkeys on bikes).

– #532 gets even more Internet time on The Bonebell.com.

– And finally… feeling unfulfilled? Half Acre and the Cuttin’ Crew would like to help and will even call you in the morning.

Just a reminder that online pre-registration for next weekend’s double race weekend at Indian Lakes Resort closes Wednesday night (not Thursday).

– Back for his 3rd year in a row Dr. James Kearns along with the crew from Psimet Custom Wheels brings us this year’s 8th stop in the Chicago Cyclocross Cup at Emricson Park in Woodstock, IL. The race’s full name is actually the Ed Brophy Memorial Cross for Life race in memory of Ed Brophy who lost his battle with cancer. 100% of all proceeds from race entries go towards Leukemia and Cancer Research.

– Just a reminder that Dr. Kearns is a naprapath which is a doctor that specializes in treating muscle and skeletal pain. So if you’re hurting after Sunday’s race, see the Dr’s website.

– We’ve received reports there is a bit of construction on Rt 47 through Huntley. Dr. Kearns tells us the best bet is to exit I90 on Randall Road (North), left (West) on Algonquin Rd, right (North) on Route 47 into the town of Woodstock. A left on Lake Ave and another left on South St should lead you right to Emricson Park (on your right). Once you get to the park, there is plenty of parking (see map below) so please use it.

– Please pay attention when you are racing and entering the park in your car. There are 4 (four) road crossings on the course and while there will be course marshals at each crossing, but please look both ways before crossing. Better safe than sorry.

– Registration this year will again be in a tent next to the Start/Finish. There will still be heated restrooms in the warming hut, but Dr. Kearns has added two porta potties near the main parking lot next to reg/start/finish for all your “last minute” needs. The food tent will also be back again with pizza will be served from 11am to 3pm.

– Dr. Kearns reminds us again that alcohol is prohibited in Woodstock parks, so if you’re going to sneak it in, keep it under wraps. We don’t think anyone wants the CCC to lose a venue because of a silly thing like a can of Old Style. So please be on your best behavior… which also means do NOT leave evidence like a mini keg on the ground next to the trash can… take it home and recycle it!

– We’ve already had out little chat about hand ups, so we won’t discuss it again here.

– The weather forecast looks exceptional again, so don’t forget your sun screen! However, remember to change your clocks Saturday night before you go to bed. With going off of day light savings the sun will set in a real hurry after the 4B’s race… so we ask that if you’re just hanging around after the race, please help us tear down the course so we’re not cleaning up in the dark.

– Congratulations to Magnum PI Dan Pollard for being the first person to have his picture taken in front of the CCC’s 2010 billboard. Dan races in the 4’s and will receive a call up after the top 10 in the overall standings. Big thanks again to Van Wagner, Chip Williams, Luke Seemann, and of course the lovely Kristina Young from Iron Cycles for letting us use her picture on the billboard.

– We’re still collecting donations for World Bicycle Relief on each race’s BikeReg.com page… but if you have even more extra change stuck in your couch, check out the WBR Superbike Raffle. Just $5 puts your name in the pot to win this sweet ride, the winner of which will be announced by Johan Bruyneel on Twitter this Saturday, November 6th from Zambia. All proceeds go (of course) to WBR.

– Speaking of proceeds going to WBR… yes, we’ll have the 2010 series t-shirts at the race this weekend. REKLAIM Apparel will be on site distributing shirts for everyone who bought them online. Our friends at RELKAIM are donating 100% of all profits to the CCC’s WBR donation drive.

– The Course: The Woodstock course the past two years has been very spread out, basically tracing the outline of Emricson Park. For 2010 we’ve taken steps to keep the course more contained and spectator friendly but removing the NW and NE sections of the course. However, with so much delicious terrain (read: hills) it will still be a suffer-fest. We’d like to remind everyone that there are some sections on the far West side of the course that are quite a ways away from everything else… so CX rules still apply. If you suffer a mechanical you must go forward on the course and you cannot cut across the park. The wheel/bike pit will be in the same location as last year… just beyond the S/F, and the course will still run clock-wise (so numbers on the left). The course now also has a double sand pit, and potentially and off camber toilet bowl/spiral. The last 1/2 mile or so should again provide the most excitement for spectators with the up hill barrier(s), lots off-camber sections, twists, and turns, and yes… HILLS! As always, the course map below is subject to change on race day.

We’re at it again!

Special thanks to our friends at Van Wagner for the ad space, Chip Williams for the fantastic photo, Luke Seemann for the late night design work, and of course Iron Cycles for being the 2010 series title sponsor and having (many) riders in our races to take pictures of.

Just like last year… the first person to post a photo of themselves (in the comments below) with the billboard in the background gets a special call up at Woodstock. Don’t just write in the intersection… go take a picture! Be safe (that means take the picture standing on the sidewalk… NOT riding your bike through the intersection) and good luck!

Also at Woodstock… REKLAIM apparel tells us the 2010 series T-shirts are ready and will be distributed!

Photo: Luke Seemann

– Thanks again to Rob Kelley and Bicycle Heaven for upping the ante another year at Campton Cross. A slightly new course used many of the favorite and classic parts of the park, while a few new sections challenged and delighted… as did the bag piper! There were costumes in nearly every category, and 454 racers toed the line. Rob and Bicycle Heaven also chipped in an extra $500 to the WBR pot, helping us get even closer to our season long goal of raising $5k!

– Weekend Update: We’re sorry we can’t find links to everyone’s costumes… but you all looked amazing… much better than these people! Sister Sprocket got knocked up, while ghosts roamed the course. We’re not sure what happened to this guy, but you really don’t want to know what’s in that bottle. Luke Skywalker (above left) showed up and won the best costume award (thanks for making sure Yoda was safe with a helmet) and we heard he was headed to the Death Star Canteen shortly afterwards for some Penne alla Arrabiata. Frenchy upgraded and went straight to the front middle of the Cat 1/2/3’s, while eventual race winner Mike Phillips showed off his mtb skills by bunny hopping the barriers! The Hemme is back and showed Rassi how’s to show off Blue Steel. Brandon Leach made his final CCC appearance before shipping off to Norway (we’ll miss you B!) and Soda Popinksi fought his way to his first CCC Cat 3 podium. Gumby stayed at home, but Pokey made it to the race. Buzz Lightyear flew to the top of the juniors podium, even after a 2nd turn tumble… but this weekend’s sportswomanship award definitely goes to Tess Anderson… check out Spin Doctor Cyclewerks’ FB page for the reason why. Meanwhile an Ooompa Loompa was dancing through the Women 1/2/3’s but couldn’t quite make it to the podium to enjoy a CCC Snuggie! The scarecrow used his brain to win some Mad Alchemy and Tati-bot made his debut. Nixternal is always willing to lend a hand to the 4B’s, even if its only a liquid bandage (when is someone going to bring score cards for face plants??)… but Dave Knauff is a true man for others. As far as we know, #532 kept his cookies down… but it looks like he had some trouble with another sensitive area. Magnum P.I. flew in from Hawaii, but still couldn’t win the heaviest bike award… which went to Junior Ryley Zeller.

– Up next this coming weekend, the CCC heads North to Woodstock where Dr. Jim Kearns and the crew from Psimet Custom Wheels have a few new tricks (and maybe treats) up their collective sleeves. Just a reminder that alcohol is “NOT allowed” in Emricson Park. We know some of you will still sneak in an Old Style or PBR… so please be on your best behavior and clean up after yourselves. Look for the course preview on Thursday at 9am.

– There’s quite a spread in the November Chicago Athlete about the CCC… in fact we’re on the cover! Gihugimous thanks to ABD’s Gina Kenny for helping with our response to the magazine.

– For those of you into photography and bikes (we think there are a few of you out there) Thought You Knew has shot and will be selling their TyK 2011 Men & Women PinUp calendars soon. Check out the FB page here. As the name implies, these aren’t your typical pin-ups and Johnny Sprocket‘s own Becky Welbes is Ms. October. 100% of sales go straight to the Chicago Women’s Health Center in Wrigleyville, a non-profit health care and education center that  has been providing sliding scale care to women since 1975. TyK’s Gala launch party will be held at COOP on Fulton Market on Friday November 19th, followed by a Sadie Hawkins Style Ride on Saturday, and then Bike Polo Friendlies in Garfield Park late afternoon Sunday. So if you’re stuck in the city and not able to race Northbrook, swing down and say hello to TyK.

– In case you were living under a rock last week, we’re sure you’ve all heard that the USAC CX national championships will be held just North of the Cheddar Curtain in Madison, WI in 2012 & 2013. Nationals are also being pushed back to January (they are currently held in December). 2012 races will be held January 4th-8th in the Badger Prairie/Reddan Park. We’re not yet sure what that means for the CCC, but if we were betting people (we’re really not) we’d bet there might be a few more races in the Chicagoland area in December and January to keep everyone’s CX legs sharp and entice non-locals to see how we roll here in the Midwest. More to come later.

– VeloNews recently ran a great article from Leonard Zinn on fork chatter and cantilever brake set-up (specifically series sponsor Avid’s new Shorty Ultimates). VeloNews and others also ran an article detailing a bunch of changes being made to the USAC rulebook. Juniors, Helmet Cam-er’s and Single Speeders will want to take notice.

– And finally… speaking of USAC rules… let’s have a quick chat about hand-ups. Our USAC officials have asked us to remind you that food and drink hand-ups are technically considered feeds in CX, which are specifically forbidden in the USAC rulebook unless allowed and announced by the chief referee prior to the race start due to high temperatures. However we all know hand-ups happen in the CCC and we’re not naive enough to pretend the CCC’s success in the past few years isn’t owed in at least some way to the fun, excitement, and shenanigans that the 4B’s bring to each event.

We here at the CCC think know that cyclocross is supposed to be hard yet fun at the same time… but there always needs to be a good balance between the two to ensure rider safety and to make sure no rider is given an unfair advantage. However, that balance doesn’t necessarily need to be the same in every category due to the speeds (or lack there of) involved. So how do we justify letting Cat 4’s take hand-ups but not the Cat 1/2/3’s? We think neither the “rider safety” nor the “competitive advantage” issues are being violated in the less experienced categories and we and the USAC officials are usually watching closely to make sure things don’t get out of hand… and quite frankly you all do a great job of policing yourselves anyway.

So for those people who may gripe about not allowing illegal hand-ups in the Masters, W123, 3’s, and Men 1/2/3’s… we’ll remind you first that our USAC officials don’t have to allow them at all in any race, and 2nd, there are many races around the country where hand-ups are not allowed at all… even in the 4’s… so we’re all pretty lucky here in Chicagoland. We’ll also remind everyone that non-food hand-ups are technically not illegal (since just about anyone would have a hard time reasoning that a dollar bill is considered a feed)… and from some other grumblings we’ve heard, we’re pretty sure the fast guys and gals would appreciate $20 and $50 hand-ups anyway.

So, to be clear as mud…
Categories higher than 4 = hand-ups not okay
Cat 4 = what hand-ups… we didn’t see any hand-ups…

Great… now that we have that out of the way… let’s go race our bikes and have fun!

Photo: Jason Knauff

– One of the original CCC races, Camption Cross returns for another year hosted by race promoter Rob Kelley and Bicycle Heaven. Being held on Halloween and ‘cross being the spectacle that it is, we’re looking forward to all the costumes you all bring to the party. Just remember to make sure you can still ride you bicycle (safely) and wear a helmet.

– What amazes us all the time is how CCC riders and promoters find ways to keep all the things that work but continue to innovate and raise the bar every weekend, year after year. Bicycle Heaven is bringing back $20 first lap primes for each category for another year (its a gamble to go out so fast, but if you do, you will be rewarded)… but Rob says he also has a little surprise in store for everyone that may “blow your mind“. Unfortunately for all of you we were sworn to secrecy so you’ll just have to come to the race to find out what it is.

– A local 4-H club, the Kane County Fantastics, will be having a bake sale. Support a great cause while eating… or feeding someone else.

– Speaking of great causes, WBR donations have been a little light the past few races and we’re still quite far away from our end of season goal of raising $5,000. Please donate anything you can when reg’ing for future races… it may be cliché, but every little bit does help.

– Campton is one of the “further away from Chicago” venues, so give yourselves plenty of time to get there. There are plenty of food and caffeine vendors along Randall Rd on the way out, so stock up as there isn’t much food close to the park.

– We’ve had some rain, and more to the point wind this week, but the weather forecast for Sunday looks like another fabulous day for a CX race.

– The best spectating area will again be near the kids playground equipment… but as always we’ll let you decide. There is however more than enough legal parking for everyone, and spot-a-pots… so please use both.

– In addition to call-ups for anyone in costume, Rob Kelly and crew will have a best costume contest with prizes TBD. Lest we forget there were more than a few gems last year, but we’re sure a few of you can top them this year!

– The Campton course will for a 3rd year be nearly identical to the last two year’s.  As always, the course can change on race day depending on conditions. The course goes anti-clockwise.