Cyclists push through muddy conditions
(Iowa City Press Citizen, BY: Adam Pracht) It wasn't difficult to guess which bikers had finished racing Sunday at the Ashton Cross Country Track Field. They were the muddy ones.The racers were competing in a fall and winter sport called "cyclocross," which combines elements of off-road cycling with cross country running.
Wearing a Santa Claus hat, race director John Meehan said about 200 people participated in the second annual TIAA-CREF/Coralville Jingle Cross Rock despite the constant drizzle that soaked the ground.
Meehan said the race raised money for the Children's Hospital of Iowa, where he's a pediatric surgeon. He said the course included going through a creek bed and going over board barriers, requiring racers to dismount.
"You have to carry your bike," Meehan said. "That's what separates cyclocross from regular bike races."
Instead of a set distance, bikers try to complete as many laps of the two-mile course as possible in a set amount of time, with a final lap or laps after that time.
The race paid about $4,000 total with the top prize in the elite race at $800.
The elite race participants included Jason McCartney, who races on the same team with Lance Armstrong, and Steve Tilford, five-time mountain biking world champion.
Mike Edwards, 33, of Iowa City competed in the B race Sunday and said that unlike road races, cyclocross was more individual.
"It's great," he said. "It's off road and mud and barriers. It's just interesting."
Jason Weldon, 29, of Iowa City also competed in the B race. He said cyclocross was challenging because the constant dismounts made it hard to build momentum and coast. He compared it to a sprint as opposed to a long-distance race.
Watching the races from under an umbrella, Dali Mar of Coralville watched her husband, Mani Colón, compete in one of the races with her children. Mar said it was an event the whole family could enjoy.
"He loves bicycles, and he rode this morning, and we came here for him," she said.
Colón said he's been riding bicycles for about 30 years, but it wasn't until he came to the United States from Puerto Rico about two years ago that he discovered cyclocross.
"You need to be in a good physical condition, and you have to have a strong heart as well," Colón said in Spanish.
Meehan said the event is planned for next year as well as the Thanksgiving weekend, with the race extended to a two-day event.
Wearing a Santa Claus hat, race director John Meehan said about 200 people participated in the second annual TIAA-CREF/Coralville Jingle Cross Rock despite the constant drizzle that soaked the ground.
Meehan said the race raised money for the Children's Hospital of Iowa, where he's a pediatric surgeon. He said the course included going through a creek bed and going over board barriers, requiring racers to dismount.
"You have to carry your bike," Meehan said. "That's what separates cyclocross from regular bike races."
Instead of a set distance, bikers try to complete as many laps of the two-mile course as possible in a set amount of time, with a final lap or laps after that time.
The race paid about $4,000 total with the top prize in the elite race at $800.
The elite race participants included Jason McCartney, who races on the same team with Lance Armstrong, and Steve Tilford, five-time mountain biking world champion.
Mike Edwards, 33, of Iowa City competed in the B race Sunday and said that unlike road races, cyclocross was more individual.
"It's great," he said. "It's off road and mud and barriers. It's just interesting."
Jason Weldon, 29, of Iowa City also competed in the B race. He said cyclocross was challenging because the constant dismounts made it hard to build momentum and coast. He compared it to a sprint as opposed to a long-distance race.
Watching the races from under an umbrella, Dali Mar of Coralville watched her husband, Mani Colón, compete in one of the races with her children. Mar said it was an event the whole family could enjoy.
"He loves bicycles, and he rode this morning, and we came here for him," she said.
Colón said he's been riding bicycles for about 30 years, but it wasn't until he came to the United States from Puerto Rico about two years ago that he discovered cyclocross.
"You need to be in a good physical condition, and you have to have a strong heart as well," Colón said in Spanish.
Meehan said the event is planned for next year as well as the Thanksgiving weekend, with the race extended to a two-day event.
posted by Ryan Amirault at Monday, November 28, 2005
