Category Archives: Cyclocross
2024 Cyclocross State Championship Bidding Open
The ICA is now accepting bids for the 2024 Cyclocross State Championships. Any race wanting to be considered has until Wednesday June 26 to fill out the application.
Races will then be present in order for a vote to take place. As before all teams/clubs have a single vote each. The club system is responsible for all races that take place in the state. It was reaffirmed at the board meeting on 6/12/24 that by choosing not to participate in the club system, unattached riders are sacrificing their opportunity to participate in deciding what club’s race will be state championship. If you are currently unattached and want to be heard we encourage you to find and join a club. There is a tool at USA cycling that will help you find a club
Also the ICA is in fact also a club within the USA Cycling system and if nothing else will work then unattached riders do have the option of “joining” the ICA club within USA Cycling. They are then asked to send their “vote” for consideration in to the ICA email at ilcyclingassociation@gmail.com
Questions can be sent to the same email address.
2024 Early News
With the 2024 season quickly approaching we have quite a few things to go over.
Applications for the 2024 State Championships are now open. Races can put their name in the hat for selection by sending an email to ilcyclingassociation@gmail.com and including their race name, date of event, a flyer if available, and a couple of paragraphs that will be sent to all voting teams for consideration. The following championships are now open for application through Jan 27, 2024:
- Criterium
- Road Race
- Mtb
- Gravel
- Time Trial
Voting will then take place from Jan 28 through Feb 9th. Each registered club with USA Cycling will be allowed 1 vote as a club. The board of the ICA will be allowed to vote as a “club” with a total of 2 votes (discussed and confirmed during the last open board meeting). Due to the ongoing low number of races applying we will once again forego having a State Championship Committee for 2024.
Track championships will once again be a part of the programs at the Ed Rudolph Velodrome. Refer to https://www.northbrookcyclecommittee.org/ for any pertinent information as it develops throughout the season.
We will open applications for the 2024 Cyclocross State Championship in June 2024.
Speaking of the board we have 3 board positions that are currently up for vote:
- Treasurer: Currently held by Brenda Feehrey (South Chicago Wheelmen) who will run for the position again.
- Vice President: Currently held by Michael Kelly (South Chicago Wheelmen) who will run for the position again.
- Secretary: Currently held by Kevin Pietka who has stated he will continue to fill the role if no one steps up but would like to see someone new step up to take it over.
To nominate someone please send your nomination in to ilcyclingassociation@gmail.com through Jan 27, 2024. Do us all a favor and please discuss your nomination with the individual you are nominating before submitting it and save everyone some time and refrain from submitting it if that individual has no intention of filling the role. Voting will take place at the same time as the Championships voting.
All Clubs must be in currently good standing with USA Cycling and a member of the Illinois Cycling Association as their Local Association designator in order to place a vote.
Our annual Race Director Meeting will once again be held during the 2024 Chicago Winter Bike Swap. Interested parties may attend in person or virtually. Please use the following link to RSVP for the event so we are prepared. http://tinyurl.com/ICA-RD-Meeting At these meetings we usually cover upcoming changes in store for race directors in 2024, answer questions and generally share ideas and contacts, etc.
Speaking of race directing a new web series is being hosted by USA Cycling for all who are interested. Topics and dates are as follows:
- Tuesday, January 23: CHAMPIONING USA CYCLING’S SAFE SPORT PROTOCOL AT SANCTIONED EVENTS
- Tuesday, February 20: DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION 101
- Tuesday, March 19: EVENT INSURANCE
- Tuesday, April 16: STRATEGIES TO ELEVATE YOUR EVENT
- Tuesday, September 17: STRATEGIES FOR MARKETING YOUR EVENT
- Tuesday, October 15: STAFFING YOUR EVENT FOR SUCCESS
- Tuesday, November 19: BUILDING ROBUST CLUB AND COLLEGIATE CYCLING PROGRAMS
More information about the series as well as registering is available at https://usacycling.org/2024-event-organizer-webinar-series
Illinois Cup is being finalized but may see as many as 7 events take part in this years series so keep your eyes open for announcements.
State Cyclocross Championships 2023
Montrose has won the voting for State cyclocross Championships for 2023. Look to their race flyer for State Championship information.
Cyclocross State Championships 2023
After a long process we have 2 races that have requested to be the Illinois State Cyclocross Championships for 2023. As such we will post a statement from each race here and open voting up to the teams in Illinois. Each team gets 1 vote. In order to vote a team has to be a currently registered club with USA Cycling. Voting opens 8/14/23 and will close at 5pm on Monday 8/21/23. Votes may be submitted in email to ilcyclingassociation@gmail.com or via the contact form on this site. Please spread the word to all you know.
Option 1 – Pumpkin Hop Cross – Beardstown, IL Oct 7
“Greetings, cycling teams of Illinois and beyond! I’m Nathan Carls, and I’m the race director for Pumpkin Hop Cross in Beardstown, IL. In 2021, we were fortunate to be able to host the state championship races. I was so pleased to have such a great representation of riders from across the state. It was a privilege for me to be able to show and share this event that I love so much with a lot of new folks. We held two days of races, making the trip a little more worth it for those traveling longer distances. This year will be no different, and in fact even better. Night races will be on offer again (after being off for a few years) on Friday evening, followed by full days of racing Saturday and Sunday. We are running October 6th through the 8th this year, on multiple courses, and plenty of race opportunities for everyone! Since 2021 was still a little iffy regarding distancing and such, we didn’t offer food. But last year we brought that back and fed everyone! And our facilities are the tops, as well. Not luxurious, of course, but, “hot showers,” surely says a little something. For lodging, there are several AirBnB properties around, as well as hotels/motels in and around Beardstown (and camping at the park). Last year, I offered a one-price-race-all-day entry fee, and I am working on a similar model for this year, likely a weekend rate. If selected as the host venue for the Illinois State cyclocross championships, those races will be held on Saturday, October 7th. Pumpkin Hop Cross: if you know, you know. If you don’t…you should. Thanks so much for considering adding us to your CX racing schedule for 2023. Be sure to visit the Pumpkin Hop Cross Facebook page and @mid_life_cxrisis on Instagram.”
Option 2 – Montrose Harbor – Chicago, IL Dec 3
“The Montrose Beach CX race committee is asking to be considered for the Illinois State Cyclocross championship event. The event last hosted the championships in 2018. As the largest cyclocross event in the state year-over-year, both by overall participation and by Illinois residents, it is an ideal event to crown worthy champions.
As well, the December date, the week before nationals and the end of the domestic racing season, gives participants a sense of finality to the season. The event itself has both high production value and a challenging course. The natural sand dunes provide a challenge not found at any other venue in the region. Since it last hosted the State championship the event has served as the Midwest Regional championship, and in doing so added a pavement start and expanded the pit to upgrade the racing experience to be in line with international standards.
For these reasons, along with its history as the state championship, the race committee will ensure a competitive and high-quality experience for all racers.”
Voting is now open. Please submit your votes as quickly as possible.
2021 Early News
Let’s start by saying that any racing that is planned for 2021 is being done so “tentatively” at best.
State Championships
Applications are now available for 2021 State Championships. If you are interested in hosting a State Championship this year then please apply. The current deadline for applications is by our board meeting on Tuesday March 9, 2021. That deadline may be extended, by discipline, if we don’t receive any applications.
The 2021 Illinois State Cyclocross Championships will be contested on Saturday October 2, 2021 at the Pumpkin Hop Cross (#resurgenCX2021) at Roy Roberts Park, Beardstown, IL 62618. The race is a 2 day event but State Championships will be contested on the first day – Saturday – to help avoid conflicts with Sunday race series out of St Louis and Chicago.
From the promoter – Nathan Carls – “Wheel Fast Cycling Team is privileged to be hosting the Illinois State Cyclocross Championship in 2021 at Pumpkin Hop Cross, in Beardstown, Illinois. The championship races will run on Saturday, October 2nd, the first of two days of racing. In addition to the 6 daytime runnings, Pumpkin Hop Cross has also hosted 4 years of night races, and at the moment is planning on a fifth year! These will commence in the final hours of the day once the sun has set on the State Champs. Free camping will be available at Roy Roberts Park on Saturday night, with racers rising to a new dawn of racing on Sunday the 3rd, when a cross-series day will unfold. Points will be awarded for both the Heart of Illinois Cyclocross Series (HICX), and the St. Louis area-based Bubba Memorial Cyclocross Series. A beautiful geographical mash-up in the heart of our great state! We’re excited and delighted to be hosting the state races this year. And what a culmination this could be, as great promise is in on the horizon. We are full of optimism for the summer and fall months and will continue to persevere. Today’s announcement from the Illinois Cycling Association has just made the light at the end of the tunnel that much brighter!”
Pumpkin Hop Cross was the only application received for the 2020 season and was awarded the Championship then but was not formally announced. Because racing was cancelled last year their bid and award was carried over to 2021.
We need individuals to serve on the State Championship Selection Committee. We need 5. Please let us know by emailing the ICA at ilcyclingassociation@gmail.com
Board Elections
Three years ago the ICA Board split up elections for board positions so that we could eliminate having a completely new board that has to start from scratch after elections. As such 2 of the 5 positions are up for election this year: President – currently held by Robert Curtis, and At-Large – currently held by Chad Briggs. Nominations are open now. Submit nominations in writing to ilcyclingassociation@gmail.com . In order to save time please confirm the individual you nominate is interested in filling the role before you nominate them. Self-Nominations are acceptable. Nominations will be accepted on our monthly call Tuesday February 9 at 8:00pm CST (details– zoom link). Nominations will close by the subsequent meeting – Mar 9, 2021 08:00 PM. Voting – Each team registered with the ICA receives 1 vote for each office. Voting will be conducted the following week and results announced by or before our meeting Apr 13, 2021 08:00 PM.
Robert Curtis is planning to run for the position again but would like to say, “I love the sport and if I’m the best person to keep advocating for it then I am happy and honored to keep doing so. If there is someone out there who can dedicate more time, or thinks they’d do a better job then I’d welcome them to run as well. I want what’s best for all of us whether or not that’s me and I will help make that a reality either way.”
Chad Briggs feels similar about his position, “I would be willing to run again if there are no other candidates. I do enjoy organizing the IL Cup, but willing to defer to someone coming in with new ideas and enthusiasm for carrying that on.”