Men A, Masters 35+, Masters 45+, Men C: Spandex and moustache
By Brooks Porter, VOX-Higher Gear

It's Sunday, I could be at home (with the heat on) watching the Bears play the Packers, but I'm here in the cold asking "Why?" while trudging across the snow covered Montrose Harbor parking lot to Cricket Hill - the Chicago lakefront's highest point and only real run up for the Illinois State Cyclocross Championship.

Why does someone jump off a perfectly operational bike and do some sort of clumsy steeplechase dance on a nonsensical course for the better part of an hour?

Regardless, they're here in every bad spandex ensemble imaginable. A quiet clump of racers attempting to warm up (if possible) on stationary trainers for the final throw-down of the Chicago Cyclocross Cup: a painful session of plodding around on bikes that weren't designed for the road or mountains - a sloppy free-for-all on technical, off-camber corners, barriers and muddled singletrack. Again, "Why?"

The temperature never got far above freezing for the race, making the morning's snow wetter than usual. "As long as you keep your hands, feet and (privates) warm, you're okay," team VOX-Higher Gear's Paul Swinand explained to an onlooker encroaching upon the brat-filled grill near the registration tent.

It's a week before Cyclocross Nationals, and the Men's A race is a tune up for some before they head East to Rhode Island.

David Sachs (Vision Quest) took an early lead in the A's race but could never get comfortable with Bobby Williamson (unattached) never more than 12 seconds behind his wheel. Sachs and Williamson were within ten points of each other for the overall series coming into this final race.

Williamson lost the overall in last year's Cup to Zach Fiocca. He ends up doing the same in today's State Championship - Sachs was untouchable.

When Williamson drew close (within eight seconds) with less than two laps to go, Sachs simply drilled it to end any speculation about a two-up finishing sprint. Brian Conant (Revolution) and Lou Kuhn (2CC Pony Shop) picked up the remaining scraps for third and fourth place.

The Men's Masters 35+ race (known by many as the "moustache pack") saw another duel between Chris Dimmick (Turin) and Tim Boundy (Active Endeavors). The snow contributed to the outcome and had Dimmick and Boundy exchanging the lead briefly at first, until Boundy pulled away for the win. Todd Metz (Revolution), Chris Henning (Alberto's), and Randy Warren (XXXRacing-AthletiCo) rounded out the top five in a chasing group.

Third was good enough for Metz to take the overall series.

The Master's 45+ race (even more moustache) was just more of the same: James Real (North Branch) putting on a cyclocross clinic for the rest of the graying, yet remarkably spry, field. He won the race (again) and the series. Tom Knoebl (ABD) and Josh Mallan (2CC Pony Shop) held on for second and third on then podium.

It's funny, after four hours of this (numb hands, feet, etc.), the Bear/ Packers showdown is the furthest thing from my mind.

"I'm either going to go hard or go down hard," was James Holton's (VOX- Higher Gear) prediction for the Men's C race. Holton had been terribly unlucky in the cross series: a mechanical in the first Challenge Park race forced him out while in the lead - another mechanical plagued him while riding in the top three at Jackson Park. He had nothing to lose today, and rode with more spirit than most other racers in higher categories could muster.

The C race was the last of the day and the largest. Several would-be spectators decided to join the fray by purchasing a one-day license and checking it out. It had a very "run what you brung" feel to it with riders pulling up to the line with glorified track bikes, commuters and other things with two wheels that had to pass for cyclocross bikes.

By the time the C riders took off, the course had changed significantly compared to the morning's "main" events. The Pit of Despair, an oddly technical portion of the course before the finishing straight, had started to resemble its moniker - mud, two chicanes and low hanging tree branches caused several "incidents".

The lead was exchanged numerous times between Holton, Cary Gwin (Michael's Cycles) and Jerome Harrison (Planet X). With less than one lap to go, all three leaders were together at the foot of Cricket Hill. Harrison gunned it. Gwin and Holton got caught in lapped traffic on the twisty "descent" of the hill.

Harrison pulled away with less than a half lap to go to take the Championship and the points series. This left Holton with the possibility of finishing second, but Gwin had a handful of seconds on him heading into the Pit Of Despair. Yes, a wicked pisser for Holton, who took the muddy corner a bit too hot and ate it in an all out attempt for second place.

Footnote: Bears 19 Packers 7.

Women A/B: Dust wins and regains Illinois State Cyclocross Championship title
By Imelda March, XXXRacing-AthletiCo

The City of Chicago was greeted to a snow covered morning as riders would soon be lining up for the last race of the series, just like the European creators envisioned it - cold and snowy.

I arrived at the famed Cricket Hill of Montrose Harbor and the snow- covered hill was littered with kids and their parents tobogganing down to the base. This would be short-lived as cyclists where already swarming around doing their warm-up up the hilltop course.

Ten women towed the line in this cold and snowy day in the Windy City. The temperature was hovering around 22F (with wind chill) and the snow continued to fall. The women were sent off and briefly stayed tightly together. Debbie Dust (Kenda Tire) was looking great as she pulled a Bessette by taking off early. The chase group, Samantha Schneider (Advantage Benefits), Andrea Myers (Dice), and Patti Kaufmann (Team Wisconsin) were hanging pretty tight. Oh no! A woman is down; it is Myers but she quickly gets up, remounts and regroups to catch up to the other women. Heading into the SRAM tunnel is the race leader. The chase group is coming right behind and Myers is back with the group. Team Kenda had the bases covered as Myers (racing with Kenda kit) stayed primarily at the back to avoid helping the group chase down Dust.

At thirty-one minutes of racing, Dust is coming thru the SRAM tunnel. Forty five seconds separates the leader from second place. It is just incredible how comfortable our race leader looks. She is spinning comfortably and has the look of concentration on her face.

Forty-one minutes into the race, the wind has died down, the sun is coming out and there is no sign of snow falling. I am at the East side of the Cricket Hill and I see Dust followed by the chasers, Myers and Kaufmann, descending the hill.

The last lap and Dust is winning in a comfortable fashion. She has just come out of the SRAM tunnel and is gunning the final half lap. Debbie has truly "dusted" the competition and is going up the hill for the last time. Dust dismounts, jumps over the barriers, and heads thru the twist and turn trail down the hill. She can see the finish line and continues to push through. The crowd anxiously awaits the champ. Crossing the finish line - Dust wins the Illinois State Cross champion by over 45 seconds. She is followed by Kaufmann, Myers, Schneider and the rest of the group.

Catching up with the women's champ after the race, "How does it feel to be the Illinois Cross Champion?", I asked. "It's been a season of ups and downs this year, it feels really good to come out here to win and regain the crown". She continued to say that, "The conditions were really tough so I put in a good performance and had good results." Lastly she added, "Everyone out there really... it was a hard race and I give them a ton of credit for coming out here." Dust also took the point series win.

When questioning Illinois State silver medalist Myers about why she came out for today's race, "I was racing the Iowa Cyclocross series because I have been visiting my family in that region and a lot of those races were closer for me." She added that "Today's course was great, a lot different from the Iowa races - it was a lot of fun. I really liked the barricades, Cricket Hill and the snow definitely made it challenging, and as a result I fell several times but luckily I was able to pick it up and catch up with the group. I will definitely be back here next year".

Illinois State bronze medalist Jennifer Harrison (Planet X) is a triathlete who does cyclcocross races for cross-training and for fun. She added that, "I felt as if I was breathing thru cotton, and it was a hard slippery course."

Schneider, a junior-aged racer, reported that she was at this race as a tune up. Next week she is heading to the Cyclocross National Championships in Providence, RI to be held from December 9-11.

Masters 45+: Braving the elements
By Brian Leverenz, Velo Club Roubaix

Chilly temps and a slick, open course did not deter fifteen 45+ racers from lining up Sunday, December 4th for the Chicago Cyclocross Cup's final event of the six-race series. A few brave souls even laughed at mother nature's 20F degree temps, snowy lakefront conditions and brisk wind by wearing shorts! The course had only one section of barriers, but it was at the bottom of big Cricket Hill, where the snow and ice forced most racers to run up a 40 yard section before remounting for the descent. Being the first races of the day, the Master 45+, 35+ and the Women's A/B division saw the worst conditions, the descent being especially treacherous with several 180 degree turns on snowy/icy patches where many a rider was seen sliding down the hill with his feet out of the pedals, struggling to stay upright and on course. The rest of the course was equally technical, with several short uphills after sharp, narrow turns, and most of the course slick with falling snow. Those in the know kept their tire pressures a little lower than usual! James Real (North Branch), the 45+ series leader, continued his dominance by winning again for the 5th time in six races. However, 2nd through 7th places saw a lot of attacking, drafting and position changes over the first half of the 45 minute race before the field began to spread out. The long uphill run-up and the slippery downhill, as well as riders sliding out at inopportune times, played key roles in separating the field of riders though only 20 seconds separated 3rd through 6th place. And no one complained about the weather because crossers suffering the elements is all part of the fun!

Men B: Cyclocross race or lingerie show?
By Joe Doyle, XXXRacing-AthletiCo

Zig Zag of Death... The Chicane of Despair... The Impaler!

These are just a few of the sections of the ultra-cool course that our friends Pete Rolewicz (Vox-Higher Gear), Chris Dimmick (Turin) and Jason Alvarado (XXXRacing-AthletiCo) came up with for our Illinois State CX Championship race.

At 12:45PM, a group of 25 riders lined up in the warm December sun to race in the Killer B's category. The demanding course was starting to become loose and one rider from a previous race actually said "it's muddy out there?" Oh yeah.

The same crew was present. The Brandt Brothers from Team Wisconsin, eventual series winner Joe Farris (unattached), good friends Terry Gould and Jonathan Tenney from University of Chicago Velo Club. I also noticed my XXXRacing-AthletiCo teammates Adam Clark, Greg Heck, Brother Brian Boyle and newcomer & all-around fast guy Brian Parker. It's great to race with the same people time and again. Many people crossdressed for the extra series points. I saw guys in lingerie and others in dresses. Jonathan donned a cheerleading outfit. He looked so natural in it! (I jest.)

Fast start as usual. I was happy to see that I was with the main group all the way through the first lap. This race course had a bit of everything, including many natural obstacles, like off camber turns and wet, slick, muddy/leafy sections that slowed down the pace and made sure those who would win could handle the bike.

The course stayed on grass for awhile and cruised through tight trees before you went up another underpass embankment and flew down a nasty, muddy, off camber downhill into an immediate 180-degree turn. We raced through a two-way underpass, which was cool because you could yell encouragement or nasty things at your opponents as you saw them pull through. In fact, this course doubled onto itself often, which I really like. Gives you a good perspective of the whole race.

Just before the first tunnel section I noticed Matt Brandt off the side of the course. He appeared to be trying to fix his bars. I imagine he went down. Right after I saw Matt, fellow teammate Adam Clark came flying through. I wished him well and he did just that. Eventually he finished 5th - this guy can scorch a course.

After the tunnel you went up n you guessed it n another embankment. Sounds easy, but it was slick and washed out and tough at times. Back onto grass then straight for Lake Michigan where you completed a loop- dee-loop in the sand. Many people had troubles here and I saw my share of riders wipe out. Then down more grass and into The Impaler... more nasty off-camber grass descents with wooden posts all around. Back into the tunnel and out, up and embankment and a long, flat section that took you right into the wind about half way through.

After getting your heart rate nice and high in the big-ring flats, you hit two barriers on Cricket Hill. The run up switched directions right before you entered the Zig Zag of Death! The hill was loaded with people all day, and even the parents of sledding kids would ask 'what they heck kind of race is this?' It was great fun.

At first the race officials wanted us to revise this section (ZZoD), but then they talked themselves out of it. It was a section of four sweeping downhill turns. Each one not very far from the next, set at about 90 degrees or so. Most people peg-legged their way down the slippery slope, myself included. This was a great section for me to add some time into my opponents.

After the downhill was more flat, fast stuff, including the Chicane of Despair. The section didn't look like much to any of the riders... it was a simple right, then left through some trees. But for some reason about 30 riders fell here. It was right across from the start / finish, so all the CX groupies and even the officials anxiously awaited a rider to head into the chicane with too much speed. A quick 180-degree turn and you where back where you started.

I traded places often with a guy from Wisconsin in a Beans & Barley kit. I don't know him, but I saw him a lot (from behind). Eventually I was stuck in no man's land with Jonathon behind me and the B&B guy just out of reach.

There was encouragement at every corner. Thanks to all the hill-top hooligans who kept our minds focused on getting up a hill, or making it through the technical sections. It really helps to have this great support. The course design allowed you to yell things to other races as you passed each other several times, so there was lots of encouragement.

The race finished before I arrived at the line. Farris won, Aaron Brandt (Team Wisco) was second. Michael Berman (Albertois), Thomas Bender (Team Wisco) and Adam Clark (XXXRacing-AthletiCo) rounded out the top five. I was 15th, 10th overall in the series.

Long live the Chicago 'Cross Cup!

Singlespeed: Killjoy lives up to their name
By Amy Weik, XXXRacing-AthletiCo

Sunday's race proved to be the finale of the Killjoy brothers laying down the Chicagoland singlespeed cyclocross decree. Kevin Heppner and Tom Flynn wrapped up their series-long, leg-burning dominance with a resounding victory on the Chicago Lakefront Montrose Harbor course.

Although the singlespeed field leaned towards the skimpy-side (usually less than 10 entrants per race), many riders showed up religiously for each series event. Heppner and Flynn could be seen racing together in tight formation at each event like a band of outlaws in their black skulled-out kits, usually up until the last lap when they'd gun it out mano a mano for the win. John Peterson (Sigma Sport) joined the series at race three and gave the KJ bros some well-deserved competition.

Although Flynn won four of the six series races to secure his series win, Heppner finished first at Montrose earning himself quite possibly the first ever title of Illinois State Singlespeed Cyclocross Champion. Flynn finished second, with Peterson, Gerald Torrance (unattached) and Avi Neurohr (unattached) rounding out the top five.

Women's C
By Emily Macdonald, XXXRacing-AthletiCo

By the start of the Women's C Race at 2PM, the air had warmed to a balmy 28F degrees. Some of us pre-rode the course just before the start and observed that plenty of mud and slush had formed in the sunny spots while the shady spots were still ice, snow or frozen sand. We discussed the course on the starting line and agreed that though it had only one forced dismount, in the form of a double barrier at the base of Cricket Hill, it was the work of evil genius. The designers had used every available hazard, from ditch, to tree branch, to drainage pipe, to bridge and berm to create a course that twisted and turned diabolically. They had even named one descent the "Zig Zag of Death", which speaks for itself! Of course, we were all a little nervous on the starting line but mostly we were excited about the fun we were about to have. Of the six of us on the line, three had really gotten in to the spirit of the sport by cross dressing with neckties or fake facial hair! At the starters signal, I went out as fast as possible to take advantage of the relatively smooth ground before the first sharp turn and muddy uphill section. Since that part would be single-file, I wanted to get there first! Later, I was forced to a crawl by the difficult off-camber descent down a slick berm followed by a sharp turn around a tree and into a dark underpass. The following section included a frozen ditch-sand dune combination, and another tricky climb up and down the berm on the other side of the underpass. Going around the base of Cricket Hill to the West, I tried to make up some time on a flat section, but it was hard work riding into the wind. After the barriers, the run up the hill left my lungs and legs burning. There was only about a five foot section at the pinnacle to remount before starting the icy descent into the Zig Zag of Death where the raucous crowd would sound a siren whenever anyone wiped out. My own wipe-out occurred on the snowy U-turn just before re-crossing the start line. I got cheers and the siren for that too! During the race I could not tell where the other women were as it seemed foolish to take my eyes off the path to look around. I had to concentrate, so when I heard someone coming up behind me, I could only hope it was a rider from the Men's C race.

After thirty minutes of this kind of fun, I was nearing exhaustion, and was very happy to see the "one lap to go" sign. I was elated to reach the finish in first and amazed to see, as I dismounted, that the 2 inch thick coating of mud on the down tube had already frozen!

Emily Macdonald (XXXRacing-AthletiCo) sweeps races two through six to earn the series win in addition to the title of Illinois State Women's C Cyclocross Champion. She was followed by Kristen Lohn (Bianchi GP) and Amy Dykema (Team Mack) to round out the silver and bronze champs!

Juniors: Mud didn't stop the fun
By Adam Spitulnik, XXXRacing-AthletiCo

This race was fuuun. There were times that I didn't want it to end, and there were other times when I wanted to just finish the race on that lap. The race started alright - I stayed with the front until the second downhill when a kid went down in front of me. I was able to stay up but wasn't able to keep my path. After the turn and sharp uphill, I was doing fine, but then came Cricket Hill. At the base were the only two barriers on the whole course. After the run up, I remounted, turned and entered what Joe Doyle called the Zig Zag of Death, or something like that. Basically it was three or four 180 turns, one right after the other. After the remount at the top of Cricket Hill, I wasn't able to get into my pedals until I reached the bottom.

For the rest of the race, I had problem after problem start to happen to my bike. First, stuff started to accumulate on my fork and triangles. Next, so much mud got onto my front derailleur that it didn't function. At about the last lap, my rear derailleur failed also.

On the second to last lap I caught up to Jason Alvarado (XXXRacing- AthletiCo) racing with the Men's C. We hung together until the final stretch when I beat him out in a sprint for the finish. I finished 5th in the Juniors. Matt Brandt (Team Wisconsin) won the Juniors race followed by Luca Lenzi (Turin) who won the Illinois State Junior Cyclocross Championship.

After all of the points were added up, I earned 2nd in the point series and walked away with some cool prizes including a bronze cowbell for my third place in the Illinois State Junior Cyclocross Championships. Separate race and series prizes were distributed for the Junior girls, although no Junior girl from Illinois was present to claim the State Championship title.

About the Chicago Cyclocross Cup

The Chicago Cyclocross Cup was formed in 2004 by a group of crossers from local teams that had a strong desire to race in their neighborhood. They spoke to other people who had similar goals and before you knew it a series was born. 2005 marked the inclusion of some great new venues in the suburbs with spectacular support and all the fun that you expect at a cyclocross race. The goal of the Chicago Cyclocross Cup is to create a series that you can enjoy with fantastic sponsorship, great competition and lively courses. We hope it lasts for years to come.

A great group of sponsors came together to make the 2005 series possible: SRAM & Truvativ, Yojimbois Garage, Kenda Tire, Turin, Zensah, Clif Bar, Pyro Apparel, Velo Promotions, Purple Extreme, Torelli, Main Street Bikes, Vandenburg Insurance, D'Arcy Motors and more! Frames for series winners were provided by Blue, Giant, Raleigh, Redline and Scott.

Yojimbo's Garage generously provided three new Fuji cyclocross framesets for raffle (men, women, juniors) - with each race entry was a chance to win. Elated winners were: Julian Coupland (Alberto's), Beth Christiansen (XXXRacing-AthletiCo) and Marcie Weiss (Team Mack).

Chicago Cyclocross Cup
www.chicrosscup.com