A local tradition meets an international sporting event this weekend when the Johnson County Fairgrounds hosts both the Jingle Cross and Telenet UCI Cyclo-Cross World Cup races. These cyclo-cross races are unlike any other cycling competition, according to John Meehan, the race director and promoter.
“It’s like the steeplechase of bike racing,” Meehan told Little Village. “One of the things that separates cyclo-cross from other bike races is that there are obstacles where you have to get off the bike and carry it. There’s mud so thick and sand that you can’t ride through it. And such steep hills that you can’t ride it.”
“This is like having the World Series or the Olympic Games in Iowa City. That’s the level of the athletes who will be participating,” Meehan said. “The level of this event is huge. The amount of television spectators we get is 10 times that of the average Iowa Hawkeyes football game.”