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. After the races, hang around cause the music will continue until midnight.
The course will be open for pre-riding at 3:00 pm.
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.
Updates will be posted here up to race day. We'll also be posting regularly to
- Adjusted the band's time slots to make room for 3 bands.
- Talked with the Beer Gods - They will be watching over us all weekend.
- Oakley Night Cap 2014 was posted on BIKEIOWA.com
Why this race is super-cool!
- It is a Night Race
- It is also a Day Race this year
- We are Racin' on Saturday AND Sunday under the Des Moines skyline
- Urban racing - nothing like it!
- "Conveniently" held at a bar/restaurant
- Light Towers will light the Race Course
- LIVE MUSIC in the MIDDLE of the race course!
- CRAZY Spectators!
- Great Food and Beer specials
- Spectator friendly! at least 1,001 spots to watch the races
VIDEOS
Here is a great video by Tyler Crandell of the 2012 event.
"One Man's Race on Oct 19th 2013" - video by
Road Shark Tales
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 Oakley, Scheels, Primal, Miller Lite, Mullets and BIKEIOWA. 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!
KLUNKER RACE
The Klunker Race is sponsored by
Ichi Bike and is ALL for FUN! - It costs $10 to enter and 100% of the proceeds goes back to Central Iowa Trails Association (CITA), our bicycle-friendly non-profit who builds our local off-road trails. 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 last year! Don't disappoint us this year!
Separate registration opens at 7:00 pm and closed at 7:40 pm. Look for the "Klunker Registration" at the registration tent.
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 8:05 pm.
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.
THE BANDS
Saturday - Three Legged DAWG
- 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm
"A local Des Moines band comprised of Jeremy Alvarez, David Crabbs,John Parrish who met playing at a local pub Hold on tight...it's going to be one hell of a ride!
Saturday - The Smoothsayers -
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm 
"The Smoothsayers are a four piece rock/jam band out of Des Moines, Iowa. Members include Zach Von Stein on drums, Jordan Eganhouse-Cloe on bass, Pete Neel on keyboards and J.B. Williams on guitar and vocals. The Smoothsayers play a mix of covers and originals, and they constantly strive to bring new material into the mix, making every performance different from the last."
Saturday - The Snacks - 9:00 pm - 12:00 am
dubbed "The most entertaining band south of heaven!" by bandreviewer.com, this two man band is a hoot! They wear tuxes and top hats and they play all the songs you love with a twist and a fist-bump... (facebook)
Sunday - 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Music will playing all day day long, just not in the flesh.
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!
MINI-EXPO
We'll have a small expo area onsite to showcase products we like.
- BikeRags - Styling, comfortable, quality clothes printed in nothing but reflective ink. "Ride Safe yet remain Fashionable in our reflective cycling apparel. It's Genius!!
- Q7 Cycling - Cyclist inspired attire. You name it - daily commute, draft line, beer run, club ride or racing. We have you covered. Q7 Cycling... we live it, we breathe it.
- As A Dad LLC - Fat Bike Rental - As A Dad Bike Rental is a fat tire bike rental shop. Everyone wants to ride one, now is your chance!
- Iowa Distilling Company - Makers of Iowa Shine Whiskey - Prairie Fire Cinnamon Whiskey - Iowa Distilled Whiskey and Rum. All distilled in Cumming,Iowa
- BIKEIOWA.com will have some t-shirts, gear, stickers and coozies available too...
If you would like to "represent": at the expo, please email Scott at
Biker@BIKEIOWA.com.
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.
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!
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! DJ Nice Kicks will be firin' up immediately after the last race is over.
CAMPING
With two days of racing, we are working to offer primitive camping at the venue on Saturday night. It is NOT set in stone yet, but we hope to nail down the details soon.
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.
Need to say you are there for "Oakley Night Cap". Check out a list of other
Des Moines Hotels.
VENUE DIRECTIONS
It's easiest to
Google it!Mullets
1300 SE 1st Street
Des Moines, IA 50315
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?
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.
HISTORY
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...
PHOTOS2011 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.
PHOTOS2012 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
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