The USPRO criterium national championship, which in August was held in Glencoe after a long run in Downers Grove, moves to Grand Rapids, Mich., and the Grand Cycling Classic in 2011. Just as momentous a change will be restricting the field to American riders only.

Podium Insight has a full report.

The 2011 event will take place the last weekend of July, which since its inception has been home to the Tour of Elk Grove, rumored to have been one of the four races and only Chicago race to bid for the national championship. Update: USA Cycling has updated update its release to clarify that no date has been set.

• » The Fall Fling opened under cool, blustery fall conditions this weekend, but Chris Mosora (Verizon Wireless) heated things up by making the break in the combined 1/2, 3 and 40+ crit on Saturday, finishing 2nd after the threesome nursed a 15-second gap for much of the race, then finishing 2nd in Sunday’s time trial. He takes the lead in the 1/2’s omnium, trailed closely by Ryan Freund (Verizon u25) and two Bicycle Heaven mates: Patrick Fasse and Rob Kelley. On the women’s side, Stacy Appelwick (Bouledogue Tout Noir) swept the weekend and has a two-point lead over Alexandra Navas (Northwestern). Racing continues with circuit races Saturday and Sunday. Full criterium results. Full time trial results. Full omnium standings.
• » VeloNews takes a look at Verizon u25.
• » Mainstream media cover this weekend’s cyclocross races in Madison.
• » Downstate cyclocross riders — or 4’s who got aced out of Sunday’s race in DeKalb — may be interested in the Ronde Von Jakob.

• » Spidermonkey Cycling hosts a women’s racing Q & A with Kristen Meshberg (Flatlandia) on Thursday, Oct. 7.
• » The Olympics might have been nice, but word out of Guatemala is that Chicago’s bid landed 2012 Cycle Messenger World Championships.
• » A record 541 riders opened the Chicago Cyclocross Cup season Sunday. The next race is in DeKalb on Sunday, Oct. 3, and will include the 2nd Annual Officially Unofficial Illinois State Cyclocross Single Speed Championship.
• » Cyclocross magazine had kind words for the Chicago Cyclocross Cup ‘09 photo book.
• » The New York Times’ Nichoals Kristof profiles World Bicycle Relief.

It’s time once again for our autumn classic, the Fall Fling, a four-race omnium series. Riders can do just one race or as many as four, although anyone angling for the overall prizes must do at least three.

The Fling is an excellent way to get in some final licks and take advantage of any lingering summer fitness, and the beginner fields can be excellent initiations for new racers. Cat 3’s will race with the 1/2’s and 40+ fields

— all scored separately —

making for a good opportunity to experience racing at the next level.

There’s no road race this year. Instead we’ll start with a criterium Saturday on the “Pelladrome” loop that ABD has used for its Wednesday races. After a time trial Sunday, the following Saturday will be a circuit race on a 1.5-mile loop across the street. There’s no elevation to speak of at either course, but wind can be a formidable foe on the wide-open terrain. Finally the series

— and season —

will close Sunday, Oct. 3, with the 1.6-mile Wood Dale circuit course ABD used for its Memorial Day masters races.

Saturday Pella Factory Criterium ABR criterium West Chicago, Ill. Distance from Chicago: 1 hour Previous wrap-ups: 2007 I, 2007 II, 2008 I, 2008 II, 2009 I, 2009 II

Saturday, Oct. 2 DuPage Tech Park Circuit Race ABR circuit race West Chicago, Ill. Distance from Chicago: 1 hour

Sunday, Oct. 3 DuPage Tech Park Circuit Race ABR circuit race Wood Dale, Ill. Distance from Chicago: 0.5 hour

 

• » Dekalb’s Alex Bowden (Team Type 1) has been called up to the bigs. Look for him Sunday at the USPRO road race national championships.
• » Fire has again struck Blackstone Bicycle Works.
• » Verizon u25 is wired.
• » Breaking news: Expensive bikes cure middle-age blues.

Sunday’s Kenosha criterium has been canceled because of a safety situation with the planned course.

For anyone who hasn’t switched gears to cyclocross, we still have Fall Fling to look forward to. That kicks off Saturday, Sept. 25.

VeloNews reports that Dewey Dickey (Mercy-Specialized) has accepted a lifetime ban effective Sept. 1 for testing positive for EPO and for refusing a test in May, as previously reported.

He must forfeit all results and prizes back to April 2, 2007, which VeloNews says is when he first violated anti-doping rules. According to Dickey, however, he had a three-year therapeutic use exemption effective from 2006. It’s unclear how the 2007 violation squares with his TUEs.

Dickey had more than a dozen wins in the past four seasons, including a masters race at this year’s Superweek.

 

Update: This VeloNews story sheds a little more light on the situation.

Update: Dickey starts to admit things.

CyclingNews reports that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has sanctioned Andy Crater (Aerocat) for testing positive for "Carboxy THC, a metabolite of marijuana in the class of Cannabinoids" at August's Tour of Elk Grove.

Crater received a suspended three-month suspension and must forfeit all results since the Tour of Elk Grove, where he placed 1st and 2nd in the Cat 1/2 criteriums. In the following weeks he also won a masters road race national championship and placed 2nd in the Cat 1/2 race at the Glencoe Grand Prix. (Congratulations, Rob Kelley (Bicycle Heaven): You just made the Glencoe podium.) He earned some significant prizes for those results, including more than $700 at Glencoe. I'm curious whether that can or will be redistributed. Though currently a resident of Asheville, N.C., Crater has been a prolific racer in the Midwest, racing with Milwaukee's Wheel & Sprocket from 2005 to 2009. This is not the first time a rider has been popped at the Tour of Elk Grove, one of the few races that can afford USADA testing. In 2007, overall winner Nathan O'Neill, then racing for Health Net, tested positive for phentermine.

• » Chicago riders picked up several titles at this weekend's masters track national championships in Frisco, Texas. Stacy Appelwick (Bouledogue Tout Noir) and Jon Fraley (WDT/Allvoi) won multiple jerseys: Appelwick in the 35-39 pursuit and points, Fraley in the 30-34 sprint and team sprint. On Sunday, Reid Schwartz (Midwest Masters) won the 60-64 time trial and 60-69 team sprint, and Josh Ryan (Bouledogue Tout Noir) took the 30-34 kilo, just a half-second faster than Fraley. Also earning silver medals were Chris Mosora (Verizon Wireless) in the 40-44 points and Jeffrey Whiteman (Flatlandia) in the 30-34 sprint.
• » Sunday is ABR's four-man time trial national championships, reputed by many to be the most fun event of the year.
• » ABD has information for this year's Fall Fling. As always, this is a highly recommended event to wrap up your season -- or to get a early start on the next.
• » Project 5 is again hosting an end-of-season ride and picnic for women on Saturday, Oct. 9.
• » Beverly Bike/Vee-Pak's Oct. 10 cyclocross race will be Elvis Cross: Free peanut butter-and-banana sandwiches and fried chicken, plus $5 off if you dress as the King.
• » Ted Ramos (Iron Cycles) and Well-Fit offer a biweekly cyclocross class.

• » Stacy Appelwick (Bouledogue Tout Noir) is a new national champion in only her second season of racing: She won today's women's 35-39 pursuit at the masters track national championships in Frisco, Texas.
• » 2 Bici Bicycle Shop has a photo of Laurent Fignon racing in Chicago.
• » Our city was represented well at last week's Canadian-American Police Fire Games in Ohio, with medals going to Ronie Lopez (Beverly Bike/Vee-Pak), Jim Price (Iron Cycles), Tony Rienks (Beverly Bike/Vee-Pak) and Mike Seguin (XXX Racing-AthletiCo).
• » Enjoy some of the race reports, photos and videos from Sunday's inaugural Cyclocross Relay Race in Jackson Park. With a capacity 50 teams in the co-ed race, I believe this may have been the most women to ever line up for a bike race in Illinois. The Chicago Cuttin' Crew was already in mid-season form, winning two races and providing endless LOLz from the heckling couch.
• » Registration is open for the Chicago Cyclocross Cup. The 4A's at Jackson Park are already more than half full, the women's 4's a quarter full, and I would not be surprised if many of the 4A's and 4B's races reach capacity weeks ahead of each race.
• » Team Pegasus is hosting a free cyclocross clinic for women in Humboldt Park on Monday. Next Saturday, Half Acre Cycling holds its own cyclocross clinic for women.
• » Verizon u25 gets some press in the Sun-Times.
• » The Huntington Bicycle Challenge is a two-day, 140-mile race in Indiana.