Amateur cyclists tour country collecting best jokes

Evanston natives Dan Ettinger, 24, and Simon Goldberg, 25, aren't professional bicyclists or humorists, but they're just about to finish a cycling journey from Oregon to South Carolina in which they're searching for America's funniest jokes.

"A lot of people we've met along the way can't believe we're actually doing this. Some days it surprises us too," said Goldberg in a press release. "But we just keep telling them that every bike ride is a bike ride across America. You just don't always go the whole way."

So why set about such a daunting and seemingly impossible task? The pair plan on compiling the side-splitting material collected along their journey into a forthcoming book, tentatively titled "Why Did the Bicycle Cross the Country?" To learn more about this fascinating adventure, visit www.jokesacrossamerica.net.

Racing cyclocross

What does a mountain bike or road racer do in the winter when the cycling season is essentially over? For a growing number of Midwest riders, they race cyclocross. In fact, across the globe, cyclocross racing is the fastest growing segment in bicycle racing.

Cyclocross races normally only take place in the autumn and winter and involve taking many laps around a 1-2 mile course. The courses usually feature a combination of dirt, grass, steep hills, pavement and obstacles that require racers to dismount, carry their bikes past the obstacles, and remount their bikes as smoothly and quickly as possible.

Naturally, there is a special breed of bicycles designed just for cyclocross racing. These bikes look like a road bike from a distance because of their similar drop-style handlebars, but up close you'll notice that they have wider, knobby tires and cantilever brakes to allow for mud clearance. As with any other racing bike, lightweight frames are coveted.

It's not clear exactly when and where cyclocross racing began, but it is believed to date back to the early 1900s in Europe. In order to stay in shape over the winter, road cyclists would race each other from town to town by taking shortcuts through farmers' fields. In addition to keeping their fitness, they found that their bike handling skills were increasing because of the difficulty in staying upright in treacherous terrain.

The sport took hold in the United States in the 1970s and the first U.S. National Championships were held in 1975.

In our area, cyclocross has really bloomed recently due to the formation of the Chicago Cyclocross Cup series of races. In 2004, a group of riders from local teams decided to create races in their own backyards, rather than settling for long trips to faraway events.

The final two races of the year in our area will take place on Nov. 18 in Lansing, Ill., and Dec. 9 at Montrose Park in Chicago. For more information about the sport and the Chicago Cyclocross Cup, visit www.chicrosscup.com. Beginners are welcomed with open arms.