Recap/Results

Night Cap Cross has a vibe like no other cross race in the state. In its 5th year the event continues to grow with record turnouts for both racers and spectators! The BIKEIOWA Cycling Team throws down an event to remember!

The Venue

The event's homebase is Mullets which is one of Des Moines' most bicycle-friendly restaurants. Miller Lite and Dale's Pale Ale were on sale outside and pulled pork sandwiches and brats were the food staple.

The Course

The combination of the urban venue, live music, and a tight-n-twisty course makes for a very specator-friendly evening. The INSANE 1.7 mile course utilized every square inch of the land including riding button-hooks in the yard of a vacant house, the log-over lit by xmas lights, the pass-throughs in the woods, the oblong pinwheel on the back 40 and the new straight-away on Clay Street! There was LIVE Music INSIDE the race course allowing racers to enjoy tunes from three bands throughout the night. Lap times were averaging 8 minutes.

Weather

The weather was a little warm on Saturday for the first few cross races, mid 80's, then cooled down to high 60's for the rest of the night. Sunday was in the upper 70's. Both days there was very little wind.

Results

Full results via USA Cycling

SATURDAY STATS

349 racers (310 unique) from 10 states raced on Saturday night! 300-400+ spectators lined the twisty course for 7 races and 12 categories (16% growth over 2014)

Fields: The largest field was the Men's Cat 5 with 69 racers followed by the Men's Masters with 68.

Pro/Cat 1/2/3 Champions

Men's
#1 - Mark Savery
#2 - Brian West
#3 - Connor Dilger
#4 - Joe Peterson
#5 - Nathan Kullbom

Women's
#1 - Kaitlin Neary
#2 - Vanessa Curtis
#3 - Robin Williams
#4 - Carly Thomsen
#5 - Suzie Goebel

SUNDAY STATS

225 racers (205 unique) 200+ spectators for 7 races 12 categories (18% growth over 2014)

Fields: The largest field was the Men's Cat Pro Cat 1/2/3 with 31 racers followed by the Men's Cat 5 with 30.

Pro/Cat 1/2/3 Champions

Men's
#1 - Mark Savery
#2 - Connor Dilger
#3 - Brian West
#4 - Nathan Kullbom
#5 - Jim Cochran

Women's
#1 - Robin Williams
#2 - Kaitlin Neary
#3 - Elizabeth Van Houweling
#4 - Carly Thomsen
#5 - Suzie Goebel

REEB Cycles Giveaway

Iowa Beverage and Reeb Cycles teamed up with the BIKEIOWA Cycling Team to offer one of their custom American-made bicycles to one lucky winner! And that lucky winner was Nathan Johnson!!
Tyler Reynolds won the Kuat Rack as a consulation prize. 

PHOTOS

K&K Images - Ken Sherman | Eric Roccasecca | Leman Northway | Paul Buchanan | Paul Buchanan #2 | BIKEIOWA photos and podium shots | Only Podium Shots

We'll post more photo links here as they become available. Email Biker@bikeiowa.com if you have a gallery of photos posted. Note: facebook galleries must be flagged as public for all to see.

VIDEO

Night Cap CX video by Hunter Peterson
Drone footage by Rassy Film Co Ltd - video #1
Drone footage by Rassy Film Co Ltd - video #2

We'll post more video links here as they become available.

THANKS TO

• ALL who raced and spectated! It takes a mix of both to make this the fun and exciting event that it is.
• The BIKEIOWA.com Cycling Team who made this race possible - it takes a well-oiled team to pull off an event like this! THANKS TO - Rob, Kyle, Nate, Matty, the Varnums, Andy, Coady, Marco, Wince, Timmy, Bruce R, Kurt Stevie, and Bobby. Thanks for taking 3 days to set up and tear-down and all the other volunteer hours it takes.
• The army of volunteers for helping out ALL weekend!  (Christy, Sherry, Phylliss,Joe P, TJ Fort, Will, the 2 Julies, Spoon, Janan, Heather, Darrel and Missy,  Lance and Heather, Scott & James, and many more who helped tear down the course so fast on Sunday!
• All the Hecklers - before, during and after... YOU know who YOU are.
• Mullets for having us! YOU drank them out of pretty much every domestic tallboy in the place (again!) Good job! Woody, Ed, and the crew who busted butt both days - You all rock! Thanks for allowing us live on-site for 3 days!
• Our Presenting sponsors - Scheels and Iowa Beverage. Without them, this event would not happen!
  
• Our product sponsors -  Oakley, Specialized, Miller Lite, Oskar Blues Brewery, REEB Cycles, Primal Wear, Mullets, Küat Racks, and Chamois Butt’r.
  
• The bands for making our race a PARTY with LIVE Music by James Biehn Band, Three Legged DAWG, and Infuzion - Please support them the next time you see 'em play!
• Baker Electric and Hansen Real Estate for letting us use their land again this year.

REVIEWS

Let us know if you write a review and we'll gladly post the link here.

Description

Cyclocross

Distance - This is a timed event

"Night Cap" Cross

The BUZZ has begun...  We are racing under the lights at one of Des Moines' most bike-friendly bar/restaurants - Mullet's!

PRESENTED BY: BIKEIOWA.com Cycling Team
SPONSORED BY:  SCHEELS

Night Cap Cross is TWO days again this year!

Night Cap Cross takes place near downtown Des Moines at Mullet's on some great under-utilized riverfront property! There is a GREAT view of the Des Moines skyline from the race course and Mullet's two-level deck that offers a great vantage point for watching the races literally inches away from the race course! Read Metromix's review of Mullet's.

Register Online

How to WIN a CUSTOM REEB Cycle if you race at Night Cap Cross

If you've been to the last five year's events, you know the vibe! live Music, Beverages, a Beer Garden and Racing at Night. Mullets will be offering up some great beer and food specials all weekend long. The venue offers great vantage points for spectators to get up and close with the race. We absolutely LOVE live music in the MIDDLE of the race course. We'll have more lights, the mini-expo and bicycle parking.

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*** UPDATES ***

Updates will be posted here up to race day. We'll also be posting regularly to BIKEIOWA's Facebook and Twitter accounts.

9/25/2015 - 7:55 am - Updated Mini-Expo Vendors. Please stop by and support them: Oskar Blues Brewery, Des Moines Bicycle Collective, Q7 Cycling, T-shirt Graphix, Küat Racks. Add a NEW sponsor: Chamois Butt’r

9-24-2015 - Race Stats so far: 244 Sat, 150 Sun, 394 total, 228 unique with representation from 8 different states. Rocking!

9/23/2015 - Posted Video by Dave Mable of Women's Cycling Network (WCNTV 12) as he catches the 2014 vibe.

9/21/2015 - Introducing Infuzion as the headliner band!  Got race numbers in the mail. Course prepping has been started. This is gonna be good!

9/18/2015 - REEB Cycles - Win one at Night Cap Cross. Added new sponsors - Oakley, Inc., Specialized, and Oskar Blues Brewery. Also switched to the new Primal Wear Inc. and Miller Lite logos.  The coozies are here.

8/31/2015 - Register early. price goes up $5 on Sept 15th and another $5 on race day. No excuses not to register online!

8/22/2015 - Night Cap permit submitted to USA Cycling - #2015-3034

8/03/2015 - Bands booked and lights rented!

5/11/2015 - Night Cap 2015 was posted on BIKEIOWA.com

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SATURDAY – September 26^th 2015

The party kicks off at 4:00 pm with live music, beer and food specials and of course a kick-arse course! The lights will be fired up around 6:30 pm as sunset will be right at 7:00 pm.

The course will be open for pre-riding at 3:00 pm.

TIME	GENDER	CATEGORY	TIME	PRIZES	PLACES	FEE
4:00 pm	Men	Masters 35+ Cat 1/2/3/4	45 mins	Prizes	3	$25
4:00 pm	Men	Masters 45+ Cat 1/2/3/4	45 mins	Prizes	3	$25
4:00 pm	Men	Masters 55+ Cat 1/2/3/4	45 mins	Prizes	3	$25
5:00 pm	Women	Cat 4	35 mins	Prizes	3	$25
5:00 pm	Mixed	Juniors 9-18 Cat 1/2/3/4/5	35 mins	Prizes	3	$10
5:50 pm	Men	Cat 3	45 mins	$250	3	$25
6:50 pm	Men	Cat 5	35 mins	Prizes	3	$25
7:40 pm	Men	Cat 4	40 mins	Prizes	3	$25
8:40 pm	Mixed	Klunker	15 mins	High 5	n/a	$10
9:00 pm	Men	Pro Cat 1/2/3	60 mins	$475	5	$25
10:15 pm	Women	Masters 35+ Cat 1/2/3/4	45 mins	Prizes	3	$25
10:15 pm	Women	Masters 45+ Cat 1/2/3/4	45 mins	Prizes	3	$25
10:15 pm	Women	Pro Cat 1/2/3	45 mins	$475	5	$25

SUNDAY – September 27^th 2015
Grab one of Mullet's breakfast burritos and get ready for another day of racing under the fine downtown Des Moines skyline. The Sunday race course will be set up differently for your racing pleasure.

The course will be open for pre-riding at 9:00 am.

TIME	GENDER	CATEGORY	TIME	PRIZES	PLACES	FEE
10:00 am	Women	Cat 4	35 mins	Prizes	3	$25
10:00 am	Mixed	Juniors 9-18 Cat 1/2/3/4/5	35 mins	Prizes	3	$10
10:50 am	Men	Masters 35+ Cat 1/2/3/4	45 mins	Prizes	3	$25
10:50 am	Men	Masters 45+ Cat 1/2/3/4	45 mins	Prizes	3	$25
10:50 am	Men	Masters 55+ Cat 1/2/3/4	45 mins	Prizes	3	$25
11:50 am	Women	Masters 35+ Cat 1/2/3/4	45 mins	Prizes	3	$25
11:50 am	Women	Masters 45+ Cat 1/2/3/4	45 mins	Prizes	3	$25
11:50 am	Women	Pro Cat 1/2/3	45 mins	$475	5	$25
12:50 pm	Men	Pro Cat 1/2/3	60 mins	$475	5	$25
2:05 pm	Men	Cat 5	35 mins	Prizes	3	$25
2:55 pm	Men	Cat 4	40 mins	Prizes	3	$25
3:55 pm	Men	Cat 3	45 mins	$250	3	$25

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Why this race is super-cool!

1. It is a Night Race
   
2. It is a Day Race
3. We are Racin' on Saturday AND Sunday under the Des Moines skyline
   
4. Urban racing - nothing like it!
   
5. "Conveniently" held at a bar/restaurant
   
6. 14 Light Towers will light the Race Course
   
7. LIVE MUSIC in the MIDDLE of the race course! 3 bands on Sat night!
   
8. CRAZY Spectators!
9. Great Food and Beer specials
10. Spectator friendly! at least 1,001 spots to watch the races

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VIDEOS

Dave Mable of Women's Cycling Network (WCNTV 12) catches the 2014 vibe



Here is a great video by Tyler Crandell of the 2012 event.



"One Man's Race on Oct 19th 2013" - video byRoad Shark Tales

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SUPER SPECTATOR FRIENDLY!!

Watch the race inches from the course, or from one of Mullet's two patios, including an elevated deck that offers an amazing view of the Des Moines skyline and action-packed race course! There is also seating inside. The beer is cold and the food is Great! The bike trail goes right past Mullet's, so Ride your bike down and save the hassles of parking your automobile!

AWARDS & PRIZES

Awards will be presented after each race as soon as the results are final. We'll have a podium and will be taking photos.

We have some SUPER KILLER Prizes this year! If you place, you'll be walking off the podium with your hands full of prizes from our cool sponsors! We GUARANTEE you won't get a better set of prizes from any other race in the Midwest!!

Oh yeah... every participant (of age) will get a voucher for a free beer or pop courtesy of Mullets!

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KLUNKER RACE

The Klunker Race is a FUN race!!  - It costs $10 to enter and 100% of the proceeds goes back to the Des Moines Bicycle Collective. To participate, you must have entered at least one Night Cap race during the weekend.  So sign up, get your number plate and ride yer Klunker! We got some great photos from 2013! Don't disappoint us this year!

Separate registration opens at 7:30 pm and closes at 8:30 pm. Look for the "Klunker Registration" at the registration tent. Race starts at 8:40 and lasts for 15 minutes.

What can ya ride? Anything on two wheels! Fat Tire Cruisers, Baggers, choppers, Beach bars, Ichi Bike builds, Rat Bikes, Fat Bike and other similar bikes allowed. 

The Klunker race course will be a shortened version of the course for mini-laps up front by all the action. Number of laps to be determined at race start. Please do not tear up the course as the next race starts at 9:00 pm.

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RESULTS

Race Results will be posted after each race near the Registration tent. Please be patient. All results will be posted to BIKEIOWA.com and USA Cycling by early the week afterwards.

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THE BANDS

Saturday - 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm   James Biehn Band

Saturday -  6:00 pm - 9:00 pm   3 Legged Dawg

Saturday - 9:00 pm - 12:00 am   Infuzion
 

Sunday - 10:00 am - 5:00 pm - Music will playing all day day long, just not in the flesh.

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THE LIGHTS

Remember RAD stands for Race After Dark!   Yes, most of us will be racing in the DARK, and the course will be LIT UP with light towers. You've seen the photos and video. Now come race Night Cap Cross yourself!

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MINI-EXPO

We'll have a small expo area onsite to showcase products we like.

Vendors attending will be:  Oskar Blues Brewery, Des Moines Bicycle Collective, Q7 Cycling, T-shirt Graphix, Küat Racks

If you would like to "represent": at the expo, please email Scott at Biker@BIKEIOWA.com.

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BICYCLE PARKING

We will have a corral for bicycle parking. It will be a fenced off area, but we will NOT be monitoring this area. Please park here to alleviate congestion around the beer garden and patio areas. Please bring a LOCK and use this area if you ride your bike down.

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ALCOHOL POLICY

Mullet's has been great to work with and is letting us use their grounds, as such we ask that everyone respects their alcohol policy and not bring their own alcohol to the race, however, anything purchased at Mullets may be brought with you anywhere on the grounds with exception of the bike and pedestrian trails which is city property. Please don't drive home if you have been drinking. Thanks in advance for your cooperation!

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POST-RACE-PARTY

After the races we won't be going anywhere... We're partying at Mullet's and ALL OF Y'ALL are invited! The food and drink specials will continue and so will the stories!

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FROM OUT OF TOWN?

Need a place to stay?  You are so close to downtown Des Moines where there are plenty of great restaurants and hotels to spend the weekend. 

Residence Inn and Hampton Inn by Principal Park. Residence Inn is $169/night, Hampton Inn is $129 for king, $139 for 2 doubles.  

Need to say you are there for "Night Cap Cross". Check out a list of other Des Moines Hotels.

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VENUE DIRECTIONS

It's easiest to Google it!

Mullets
1300 SE 1st Street
Des Moines, IA 50315

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PARKING

Parking will be tight. If you are from Des Moines, we'd be most appreciative if you'd ride your bike down, or park across the river at Principal Park and take the pedestrian bridge to Mullets. If you are staying at one of the downtown hotels, it is an easy 5 minute bicycle ride to Mullets. Please do not leave any belongings unattended. Some of the side streets are not lit very well. Get the drift?

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IOWA CYCLOCROSS

Want to bone up on your skills before hopping off your bike in front of a crowd? You are in luck! There are Renegade Cyclocross practices every Tuesday at 5:30 pm through October. Keep an eye on BIKEIOWA.com/Cross for all Iowa Cyclocross events.

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HISTORY

2014 was another awesome year! It was the first year we offered two days of racing. We extended the course to 1.7 miles and an 8 minute lap time which made for some exciting spectating. Over 300 racers on Saturday and 190 on Sunday. Read the full Recap.

2013 was a great year with music by the Smoothsayers, North of Grand and DJ Nice Kicks. A record 310 racers lined up from seven different states. We maxed out the Cat4/5 field and had hundreds of spectators line the course for all 5 races at one of the best home-grown grass-roots event in the state. Mullets was on their game all night serving up food and refreshments for the crowds. RESULTS & PHOTOS

2012 grew by leaps and bounds! Dave Zollo and JB and the Smoothsayers rocked the house as 180 racers put their pedals to the grass for some fast-paced super-spectator-friendly night-time action. Mullets served up cold beer and food all night as the course was lined with rowdy spectators (which is just how we like 'em!). We kept the mushroom-shaped beer garden that gave up-front access the band and almost 360 degree access to the races! RESULTS & PHOTOS

2011 was even better! We switched the race date to a Saturday, lengthened the course, added a new band 'The Sun Company', provided a beer garden by the bands, made it easier to get beer and food, we had a mini-expo with vendors and added some wicked fast turns-n-twists in front of the spectators for the racers. PHOTOS

2010 was the first year for Oakley Night Cap Cross. WOW - What a night that was!! 160 Racers, 200+ spectators on a Friday with a band jamming in the MIDDLE of the race course, and a great venue with sweet beer specials and pizza by the slice all night long. It was certainly an electrifying atmosphere! We knew we had something special... PHOTOS

Route

RAD RACE COURSE! (Race After Dark!)

Let the Racing Begin!! We are super-excited to kick off this event and we are sure this will be a night to remember! Expect a compact, fast, tight and twisty race course loaded with switch-backs, run-ups, flats, barriers and much more! All in front of a ton of wild spectators!!

The Race course will be marked by 3:00 pm on Saturday afternoon and 9:00 am on Sunday morning.

This is what the *2014* course map looked like

View Mullets - Night Cap Cross in a larger map. NOTE: the course layout shown is NOT the actual course. It is only intended to show area we will use.

Registration

Online Registration

Save yourself (& and us) Time & Money by registering online through USA Cycling. This will allow much quicker check-in too! We eat all the registration costs and are leaving registration open until midnight Friday, Sept 25th, so there is NO EXCUSE not to register online.

Day-Of Registration

If you are not racing first, please wait and register after the first race starts. This will make it much easier on our registration staff since the first race has so many participants! Yes, you can still register at the Race, but it will cost you $10 more (excluding the Klunker Race) and you'll have to wait in longer lines... If you are registering day-of, you can still save time and fill out an Event Release Form before-hand and bring to the registration table. Day-Of Registration will open up at 3:00 pm and closes 30 minutes before each race. There will be 15 minutes between each race.

The Fine Print About The Races: 

USA Cycling race permit (2015-3034)
Race Venue:  Mullets – 1300 SE 1^st Street Des Moines IA 50315
15 minute break between each race
On-line registration available through 11:59 pm on Friday Sept 25th
Registration price increases $5 on Sept 15th at midnight
Onsite registration available on Saturday & Sunday ($5 additional charge for on-site registration.)
Helmets must be worn at all times when on a bicycle. 
Each Race is capped at 100 participants except for Cat 5 which is 75.
Criterium finish rule applies: lapped riders do not have to make up the extra laps. 
Mountain bikes are legal, no bar ends. 
All women’s Cat 4 and Cat 5 events open to un-licensed riders.
1-day USCF racing licenses will be available at the race for $15.00. 
Riders under 18 will need a parent-signed standard entry form and release or a parent at the race to sign the entry form or a 1-day license. 
Riders must register 30 minutes before race start time.
Entry fees include $3 USCF insurance and $1 IBRA fee
$5 discount on second race entered by the same rider/same day 
No Refunds/ No free lap
Promoter reserves rights including revising the flyer if needed.
Online registration http://www.usacycling.org 

NOTE: ALL RACE INFO IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.  (last updated September 25th, 2015)

SPONSORS

We thank the sponsors of Night Cap Cross!!! This event would not be possible without them! Please support our sponsors!

More Sponsors will be posted soon!

Product Sponsors

We thank these sponsors for supporting Night Cap Cross with products for prizes and giveaways!

• Oakley, Inc. has been a sponsor since the first  Night Cap Cross race. Winners get new shades, back-packs and beanie caps.
• Specialized will be providing the course tape.
  
• Küat Racks - Kuat designs lightweight, stylish, easy to use racks designed by cyclists for cyclists. At Kuat we make more than just bike racks; we design destination hardware that provides both superior function and style for when you hit the road.
• Oskar Blues Brewery comes to the table this year to Ride Bike. Drink Beer and repeat. Each winner of age will get some Oskar Blues Beer
• Chamois Butt’r - Their products are non-greasy skin lubricants developed to improve riding comfort and prevent the uncomfortable rubbing and chafing many cyclists experience while riding. Chamois Butt’r® products easily wash off skin and out of shorts with soap and water, and are gentle on even the most delicate skin and clothing.
  

Contact

Rob Versteegh

rversteegh@mchsi.com

Scott Sumpter

Biker@BIKEIOWA.com