Think Kinnick Stadium on a Saturday in the fall - but even more people.
"In Belgium and the Netherlands, you'll get 80,000 fans out to a cyclo-cross race," John Meehan said on Tuesday. As race director for the Jingle Cross at the Johnson County Fairgrounds, Meehan is hoping to give millions of fans in Europe an event to remember as they watch their sport start a new season in Iowa City.
"We have eight to ten million television viewers for this event," Meehan said, "so Iowa City goes global."
For the second straight year, the Jingle Cross - started in 2004 - will share the stage with a UCI Cyclo-Cross World Cup event. It's a stage that isn't given to the United States often.