Chicago Cross Cup

-I am unsure about prize equity, though I think that everyone gets the same thing although there are some pity podiums which is good I guess? -Surprisingly the course equity is pretty good across the M & W categories in terms of time, I have noticed that there are occasions when the pulling of riders seems a bit more strict for women riders, and the mens master races are 25% longer than the women's master races. -They have made the decision to remain covered by USAC rules and insurance and as such they have reduced the inclusivity by essentially banning trans women from competing in the women's category. They dont get a zero because last year they had some open categories for inclusivity, although they have walked it back to a single category for cat 1 through 5 which is ridiculous. -Policies are clearly stated on their website, even have an FAQ and while I couldn't find a code of conduct I think it does exist. Each event will also re-iterate any important local rules for their event. Definitely a positive in some negativity. -I think there is a decent effort in this area being made, would classify as doing it sort of accidentally but there are some efforts. -The accessibility depends on the event more than the series, although the series could demand more from their events to make accessibility improvements. -No real swag unless the events have their own swag, but also no policy requiring swag to be inclusive of size. -White straight men feel right at home. The rest of the racers, not as much, depending on their intentional proximity to white cis straight supremacy. -Org has been run by the same white man (presumed to be cisgender and straight) for quite a while. There have been women on the board of the org, and one woman is part of a 'co-director' ascendency with a white man (presumed to be cisgender and straight), but I believe that the long time director is still making the decisions. Unsure if there are any people of color or LGBTQ+ people involved in the board. -Might promote clinics put on by other groups, doesn't do any of their own clinics outreach or community building besides a year end party. Overall - Vibes were better before the USAC ban on trans women, even if the org itself made no explicit mentions of inclusion for any marginalized group. Not super receptive to feedback. side note - while this is not a race or a race series (so they say) the org behind it sets the rules, and makes decisions that are out of control of the individual races. Therefore all of the races that are part of this series can be judged based on the adherence to these rules, and this review is for the series and their rules, etc. Some individual races are better, more inclusive, host clinics etc, and would get a 'would recommend' if they did not enforce the USAC ban or if they went with a different insurer, but they are stuck with USAC as it is part of the rules set by the series organizers (Chi Cross Cup).