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.

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.

It was a homecoming weekend of sorts in Dixon, Ill., as former pro Bryce Mead, donning a Mead’s Bike Shop kit, and Chicago product Reid Mumford (Kelly Benefit Strategies) took part in the second year of the Ronald Reagan Criterium.

Mumford wasted little time before escaping the P/1/2/3 field alone. Spirited racing followed in attempts to form chase groups, but it wasn’t until Mumford lapped the field a little more than halfway through that a decisive split occurred. Mumford proceeded to tow seven riders around for the balance of the race, now officially a race for 2nd, claimed by Sherman Park revelation Ben Damhoff (Geargrinder).

Making his debut as a 3, Kaleb Koch (IS Corp) received an elite-quality leadout from teammate Peter Davis and handily won the 3/4’s sprint, especially impressive considering he was in junior gears for the downhill and tailwind-aided homestretch.

Also impressive was Joe Berenyi (Psimet) passing riders down the homestretch of the masters 4/5’s to take the first win of his career.  Brandon Diffenderfer (Spidermonkey Cycling) also had a good day, hitting the podium in both the 3/4’s and 4/5’s. And racing three times, Ryan O’Boyle (South Chicago Wheelmen) won the juniors race and placed 2nd in the 4/5’s. O’Boyle has had a fantastic season, and I expect we’ll see him thrive in the elite categories in 2011.

In the masters 1/2/3’s, Todd Metz (Apache) showed that his Winfield performance was no fluke, winning out of a four-up sprint, and in a final tuneup before masters national track championships, Stacy Appelwick (Bouledogue Tout Noir) picked up her latest win in the women’s open.

Full results.

ABD defends its turf yet again.

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Happy Wednesday! This week: Racing this weekend. State time trial. Glencoe video.

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Final USAC races of the year, unless you drive to St. Louis for Gateway Cup.

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One more hot night in the city.

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I loves me some crits with hills.

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