Tough terrain - Cyclocross pits racers against land

Tue December 02 2008
Posted Dec 2, 2008
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Iowa City Rachel Gallegos Iowa City Press-Citizen James Zimmerman said he enjoys the Carousel Volkswagen Jingle Cross Rock cyclocross races so much, he's willing to do what he can to help attract interest to the event. Saturday, that meant riding the 40-minute Geoff's Bike & Ski Single Speed Race in a Speedo. "I'm not sure whose idea that was," said Zimmerman, of rural Iowa City. "Anything they can do to draw more attention to the race is great, within reason. (A) Speedo is probably as extreme as they want to go." The weekend-long 2008 Carousel Volkswagen Jingle Cross Rock at the Johnson County 4-H Fairgrounds includes 27 cyclocross events for riders of all abilities, with all proceeds going to the University of Iowa Children's Hospital. Cyclocross mixes bicycle racing on a variety of terrain with other obstacles that riders have to get off their bikes to run up or jump over. "It's a good cause, good donation, just a fun race," Zimmerman said. "For me, I'm just out here having fun." Zimmerman said he enjoys biking year-round because it's a challenge and a good way to stay in shape. "I'm a farmer, I'm used to the cold," he said. During the 3.47-kilometer course, riders made their way through areas including the "Grinch's Lair" sand pit, where music and lines from "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" played, and the "run up" where bikers had to get off their bicycles and carry it on their shoulder up a steep hill. Todd Wells, an Olympic mountain bike rider in both the Beijing and Athens summer Olympic Games, raced in the Carousel Volkswagen UCI Men's Elite ride Saturday, an event he won last year. Wells is one of close to 800 riders to participate in this year's races, said race director John Meehan. "It's been growing every year," Meehan said, with a 15 to 20 percent increase in participants this year. Other top riders also participated in this year's event, including U-23 U.S. Cyclocross champion Bjorn Selander and Andy Jacques-Maynes, one of the top point leaders in the United States right now, Meehan said. Over the years, the event has raised about $50,000 for the children's hospital, and Meehan said he hoped this year's event would add another $15,000. This was the first Jingle Cross Rock for Kim Hopkins of Des Moines. "I've heard it was brutal and it was brutal," she said. "The hill was heart attack-inducing." Despite the challenge, Hopkins said she enjoys this type of racing. "Wish I would have started 20 years ago," she said www.JingleCrossRock.com