Be prepared.

This weekend, for the second time, riders and visitors from around the world will descend on Iowa City for the Telenet UCI Cyclo-Cross World Cup and the long-entrenched Jingle Cross races.

John Meehan, race director and Jingle Cross co-founder, said there are new and can't-miss events planned this year during the three-day cyclo-cross extravaganza, all culminating in the World Cup races and an afterparty at Big Grove Brewery in Iowa City on Sunday.

"It's all going to be in a contained area, so it's tons of fun, really exciting andhigh-energy. It's going to be a huge party," Meehan said of the festival for whichvolunteers have been preparing the Johnson County Fairgrounds.

This year, Iowa City will kick off thenine-race internationalcircuit, joining Waterloo, Wisconsin, as the only other U.S. race venue. Meehan said visitors can expect to see world champion cyclo-cross riders and "one of the biggest sporting events in the world."

The main event races were bumped to Sunday because of a last-minute conflict with theIowa-North Texas football game, but organizers haveannouncedthat all 70,000 football game ticket holders will be given free entry on Sunday to the World Cup races. Admission for that day for all other spectators will be $5, but is free on Friday and Saturday, Meehan said.