South Side 'Cross

1. You got the cyclocross bug and don't wanna shake it off.
2. You really wanted to do 'cross this season and didn't do it because of X, Y or Z.
3. You need a good excuse to avoid church.

If you fit either of those descriptions, you are a prime candidate to participate in...

THE SOUTH SIDE ICE CROSS series

A bunch of folks got together on the Thanksgiving weekend and decided to do a scrimmage 'cross race, just for fun. The experiment went well, and now they want to share the share the experience with all of you Chicagoan 'crossers out there.

They do a modified version of the Jackson Park course. Only your honor, and modest goodies and refreshments, are on the line.

The format of the race(s) will accommodate riders of all levels.

The first race will be this Sunday, December 14, at 10am.

RSVP & more information: j@taticycles.com (J is the mastermind behind Tati Cycles and Team Tati.)

Stuff to do this winter

A few weeks from now, the 'cross season will be over and we'll face three long months of coldness, snow and darkness. But do not despair, we have quite a few events around Chicago to keep us bleeding lactate over the winter:

ABD Indoor time trials

January 11: Flat
February 1: Rolling
February 22: Flat
March 14: Rolling

VisionQuest Indoor time trials

Dec 14: Bong 40k
Dec 21: Masters National 39k
Jan 04: Tour de France Stage 4 Cholet 29k
Jan 18: Bong 40k
Jan 25: Masters National 39k
Feb 08: Tour de France Stage 4 Cholet 29k

Stair climbing (OK, not cycling, but not bad for your quads...)

Nov 11: Go Vertical (Sears tower)
Jan 25: Step up for kids (Aon tower)
Feb 22: Hustle up the Hancock (Hancock tower)
March?: Climb MS (Franklin Center/AT&T corporate center)

This wekend's events 10-17-2008

I suppose that most Chitown folks will head for Carpentersville for their weekly fix of CX racing. "Mature trees, off-camber turns, a short hill, asphalt and a famous sandpit" sound hard enough.

I wanted to remind you about two alternative events:

1) Badger Prairie in Verona, WI, which is 2h and 45min away from Chicago, on Saturday.

2) Gibbs Lake County, WI, which is about 2h and 15min away from Chicago, on Sunday.

Happy CXing!

This weekend's events

Yes, of course, the grand finale of Fall Fling and of the road season. Time trial on Saturday, crit on Sunday. The omnium is still pretty open in most categories, so we should see some aggressive racing on Sunday. The TT might not matter that much, if a bunch of specialists enter the race but are not contesting the omnium.

Cyclocross junkies will get their fix on Saturday in Wisconsin, and on Sunday in DeKalb (part of the Chicago Cross Cup) and Delafield, WI.

For the recreationally-minded, there is a wonderful urban tour of the south side on Saturday, leaving from Hyde Park. I am ashamed to admit that in my several years in the neighborhood I've never done it, and this year won't be the first (but at least this time I have a good reason). University of Chicago faculty will lead the ride, but as far as I know participation is open to everyone. E-mail dhays@uchicago.edu to register. Riders will convene on the corner of 57th and University Ave. at 10 AM. FYI, the weather forecast is sun/clouds and temps in the 60s. More info about this event here.

This weekend's events

Aside from the obvious choice (Fall Fling), there is two days of CX racing up in Sun Prairie, WI, which is part of the Wisconsin Cyclocross Cup. No Chicago Cross Cup this weekend.

This weekend's events

My earlier weather forecast will most likely be wrong. It'll probably be sunny and dry for the rest of the week. No mud then at Jackson Park. Smile or cry, whatever you prefer.

A short video from last year's race:


For those disinclined to riding off-road, let me suggest that you join the North Shore Century ride. It starts in Evanston and, if the route hasn't changed, takes you all the way to Kenosha, WI. Food aplenty, friendly riders and pretty roads (some of the time). Part of the route feels like a real estate tour of the north suburbs.

CX clinic+bike swap+polo

Tomorrow (Saturday 9/13), IIT and Cycle Smithy are hosting a bike swap and a cyclocross tutorial. Both activities start at 9am. The tutorial for beginners goes from 9 through 12, whereas advanced CX riders can polish their skills from 1 through 4. Coach Ben Turner, manager of TIAA-CREF, will lead the sessions.

With no racing in a 200-mile radius around Chicago, I can't imagine a better way to spend a Saturday morning.

They'll also host some three-on-three bike polo, on grass.

Registration closing tonight at nine. Admission to the swap costs five bucks. The CX session costs $45 if you purchase it in advance ($55 at the door). Registration includes lunch and Hammer samples.

Bike Polo

This weekend's coolest event has got to be the North American Bike Polo Championship, hosted by the Chicago Bike Polo Club.

The championship begins with a two-on-two, winner-stays-on "friendly" competition, on Friday at 8pm. Unfriendly competition will happen on Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday there will be some exhibitions too. Registration for the tournament is at 5 W Hubbard St. (Corner of Hubbard and State).

Bike polo was formally invented in Ireland in 1891. Did you know that the original form of the sport was field polo, on grass?!?!

Here in Chicago, CPCC hosts games regularly in Garfield Park, at the tennis courts south west of the intersection of Central Park and Madison. According to their website

Regular pick-up games start on Sundays at 2pm. Skills and team practice plus more pickup games on Wednesdays 6:30pm until about 9 pm. Loaner bikes are available usually Sundays only.

Come out and watch (and play?) this weekend!

Chicago Crit. No excuses.

Come out and watch the most spectacular bike race in Chicago this season: the Chicago Criterium. Click on the link to see the schedule of races. This is the first time the city puts on this particular race, and who knows if they'll ever do it again.

When: This Sunday
Where: Grant Park (the finish line is on Columbus, right by Buckingham Fountain)
Who: The very best from the Chicago cycling scene and beyond. (Including Team Tati. Advice: Watch the clockwork orange at their best in the men's 4 race. I believe Liz will be racing in the women's 4 too.)

And if this doesn't convince you, this will: Jumbotron. That's right. The city is installing a giant screen for your viewing pleasure. Watch the riders sprint, bridge, corner and suffer to the max, in the maximum possible size.

Aside from the finish line area, I would recommend turns 2 (Michigan Av with Jackson) and 4 (Columbus with Balbo) for spectators. Watch cyclists take those downhill turns screaming fast, and probably some live crash porn. The hard kind. (Hopefully none of us Tatitos/UCVCers will star in that movie.)

This Sunday in Chicagoland

Enjoy a beautiful day of bicycle racing this Sunday (July 20). Evanston is putting on its annual Northwestern Healthcare Grand Prix, part of the prestigious International Cycling Classic/Superweek series.

The organizers have put together an excellent website, including a guide on how to watch a criterium race. The course is smack in the middle of town, so you'll have plenty of coffee shops and outdoor seating to enjoy the festivities in comfort. (Leave the sweating and puffing to the racers...)

I would say that this is one of the two big events within rideable distance of Hyde Park this summer, so don't miss it! (The other one is the Chicago Criterium, on July 27.)

The morning and early afternoon will see the lower category races. Tati will be present at the Men's Cat 4/5 race at 9:00am, with its trio of creamsicles Liam, Dan and Bernard, provided that the former two recover from their recent injuries (I am not ok yet). (Warning: the race might be delayed a few minutes.) Then the duo of tangerines Carly and Liz will make their appearance at 1:00pm in the women's 3/4 race. I presume that our stars Devon and Aspen will be there too, albeit in Get a Grip colors. And we might even have one or two guys racing for UCVC. Cheer for them all.

There will be some sort of concert/dancing with live music at 3.00pm, kids races also at 3.00pm, and the pro races after 4.00pm.

Matteson is back

Just in case you don't read CBR (and everyone should), the Matteson crits are back this Tuesday. Free entry to everyone who shows up early to sweep the course this week!

(I wrote about the Matteson practice crits before here.)

The race site has been under construction recently and the South Chicago Wheelmen folks have had to put the event on hold for a coupl' weeks. It looks like there's gonna be a narrow window of three weeks during which it'll be possible to hold the event again. Thanks to SCW for putting on these races!!

Matteson practice crits

UPDATE (5/18/2008): the practice crits are temporarily suspended due to construction work on the course. Check the website for updates.

I want to bring the Matteson practice crits to people's attention. This is a series of crits that takes place in an access road around a factory, in Matteson, IL. Matteson is about 40 minutes away from Chicago, by car. The event is held on Tuesdays at 6 pm. Check out the website.

Depending on hours of sunlight, they hold two or three crits on any given Tuesday. The first one is about 15 laps, the second one is about 40 laps, and the last one, if it's not too dark to keep riding, is either 10 or 15 laps.

They split riders into two groups, A and B. The A's start first, followed by the B's shortly after. In theory, if you're a cat4 or 5, the officials will make you do the B race. After a while, when you've proven that you are a safe and fast rider, they'll let you do the A race. (I was lucky to know someone at the event who could attest that I was strong enough to start with the A's right away, a year ago.)

Good things about the event:

a) Good atmosphere.
b) Safe course.
c) Very low racing fees.
d) Good cornering practice. Since the course has four corners, you end up doing over 200 corners in one evening.

Not-so-good things:

a) Easy corners. It's a flat rectangle with a wide road and excellent pavement. You can zoom by the corners; you don't even have to stop pedaling.
b) Riders are quite less aggressive than in a real race, because there's nothing at stake.