FAQ


Welcome to the Club!

You probably have a lot of questions about the club and want to know how you can start getting involved.  The following information will provide you with a general overview of our club and should be sufficient to get you started.  If not, please don't hesitate to email us at ctcinfo@chicagotriclub.com and we'll do our best to answer any questions you may have.

We are a pretty large club and sometimes it can be hard to meet people at our monthly meetings.  We encourage you to take part in the group rides and smaller clinics and races to get to know other club members.  The message board is also a great tool for finding training buddies.

Membership

Membership Fee:

$50 for new members/$40 to renew. Your membership is valid for 12 months from the date you sign up. The discounted renewal rate is valid for 30 days after your expiration date.

Your membership fee gives you access to all club events, including monthly clinics, group workouts as well as discounts with our sponsors.  You also receive a free club t-shirt (see below).  The membership fee does not cover the cost of the custom Voler club uniform.

Paper Applications:

Paper applications take longer to process because a member must go to our post office box to get them.  Then, they must be manually entered into the database.  Since we can't guarantee that someone can get to the post office weekly, paper applications may take a few weeks to process.

Member ID's

Once you're entered into our database, we will send out an email to you with your member ID and password.  This will allow you to log into the web site's member-only sections.  If we are tardy in sending out the emails, or you're anxious to get involved, you can check the web site to see if your application has been processed.  You may click here and enter the email address you entered on the application.  If your information is in our database, then we will email you your User ID and Password. 

Member Cards/T-Shirts

You can pick up your member  card/T-shirt at the next monthly clinic (The first Wednesday of each month).

If you have your member ID/password, then you can print out a card on-line at any time.  Print Card here.


If you can not make the meeting, then you can pick up your t-shirt at our sponsor - RUNNING AWAY, (1634 West North Avenue, Chicago IL 60647, 773.395.2929) during regular business hours. Please bring a copy of your temporary membership card with you. Unfortunately we can't mail your shirt to you.


Club Newsletter

Each week (usually on Tuesday mornings) we will send out an email newsletter with the week's activities/announcements.

If you are NOT receiving this newsletter, then please let us know.

If you do NOT want to receive the weekly newsletter, you can indicate so by editing your membership information/preferences.  Go to the MyInfo page and change the "Receive Newsletter" field to "NO".

Member Information/Preferences

If you change your address/phone number/email address, etc, please update our membership database so we have the most current information.  Go to the MyInfo page and edit the fields as necessary.

If you would like the newsletter sent to a different email address, or do not wish to receive it anymore, you can edit your preferences here as well.

Since email is our primary method of communicating with your members, please provide a current email addrss that you check frequently.

Meetings/Clinics

Tri Club monthly meetings are held on the first Wednesday of every month (with a few exceptions).  The meeting is preceded by a happy hour so come early and mingle with the members.  Here's the list of upcoming clinics.

Meetings are currently being held at Fizz Bar and Grill

3220 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago

Just north of the intersection of Belmont/Ashland/Lincoln.

Public Transportation: Brown Line to Paulina, walk a couple blocks south on Lincoln.

Parking: In addition to street parking there are several public lots near Fizz. The first choice is the city lot directly behind the bar. Enter on Melrose (just north of the bar). Please note the sign says "hours of operation: 8am - 6pm" -- we've confirmed with the owners of Fizz that the lot is available 24 hours a day, you just don't need to feed the meters after 6pm. So yes, it's free! If that lot fills, there is an additional city lot about 2 blocks south on Ashland. Enter on the west side of Ashland at the corner of Barry--this place has similar signage and rules.


Social Events

The club has social events throughout the year.  We have a kickoff meeting in the spring with a guest speaker and food.  We also have a club party at the first major race of the season:  Galena.  We have a pasta party for the Chicago Triathlon and finish off the year with an end of season party at the December monthly meeting.  This is where you get the end of the year schwag, trophies and yes, more food.  Throughout the summer we have other social events, mostly involving food after a group workout.  There are also baseball games, hockey games, even paintball if we can get enough people interested.  Stay tuned to the newsletter and message board for upcoming social events.


Member Profiles

Member profiles are a great way to introduce yourself to your fellow members.  Let us know what your athletic background is, your goals, your strenths/weaknesses, etc.   You can also include a small photo of yourself. 

Profiles are voluntary and the only information in your profile should be information you feel comfortable sharing with the other club members.  Keep in mind that the information in the profile is separate from the membership database.  Some of it may seem redundant, but we feel that it is important to protect your personal information as much as possible.

Click here to add your profile: Member Profiles


RAV (Racing and Volunteering)

RAV is the club's program for encouraging our members to race/volunteer at various local (and in some cases  not-so-local) events.

Members who race OR volunteer at these events will earn RAV points.  Points will be accumulated over the season, and will earn raffle points to be used in the season-ending party.  Raffle prizes in past years have included Profile Carbon-X bars and  Mavic wheels so make sure you get involved.

However, to earn points, you must follow the rules.

See RAV  for RAV races and rules.

Chicago Racing Series

We also have a race series where you can earn points.  The Chicago Racing Series races are selected based on an annual member survey.  These are the best local races run by race directors who deserve our support.  CRS races are listed (along with all races) under the racing page.  You can learn how the point system works here.  CRS winners will get trophies at our end of the year party!

Club Uniforms

Custom designed Voler club uniforms are available for purchase at Get a Grip cycles at 4359 W. Irving Park.  This is a service that Get a Grip provides to the club for free.  Here's the cost for the uniform items that we carry:

Women's shimmel (tank top) $40

Men's sleeveless jersey $50

Tri shorts (men's and women's) $50

Short sleeved bike jerseys (men's and women's) $60

Group Workouts and Training Plans

We have regular group workouts through out the year.  Click here to see all of the upcoming group workouts.  If you would like to set up another workout, just post on the message board.  

This year we have put together training plans for new triathletes.  You can download them here.  They are designed for the "newbie" race at BigFoot, but you can adjust the dates for any race.

Club Bike Boxes

As a member you also get access to the club bike boxes.  This is a free service, but you have to sign up well in advance to reserve them.  Click here to learn more about using the bike boxes.