Last weekend Michelle, Steve, Ryan and I drove up to Iowa City, IA for the 2013 UCI Carousel Volkswagen Jingle Cross. The 10th edition of the cyclocross race weekend did not disappoint with three days of racing and tons of competitors from all across the nation.
Day one:
Packing up for race weekends has become somewhat of an art form.
Our Jingle Cross soigneur, Ryan Irish. Thanks for helping out!
Unfortunately closed for the season.
Checking out the course. The venue for Jingle Cross is perfect. Tons of parking and great cyclocross terrain with some unique features.
The facilities.
Warming up. This photo doesn't do this hill justice. Long and steep!
Michelle making her way through the Men's race that started in front of her.
Friday night under the lights! Michelle was just off the podium in the Women's 4 race and I unfortunately flatted in the last lap of the Men's 2 race, but was still able to roll through the finish in mid pack.
After our races we enjoyed spectating the UCI events.
Recovering from day one's races using ancient techniques.
Day two:
Local junior racer Petey Botts drove up on Saturday and took and impressive third place in the junior's race. Here he is navigating a sand pit that took riders through a barn.
The course on day two was a bit different and featured this long off camber switchback section down Mt. Krumpit.
Day three:
The climb from day one was reintroduced for Sunday's day three race. Rain from the previous night made it all the more difficult.
We highly recommend traveling up to this race weekend next year. Even if just to spectate, Jingle Cross shouldn't be missed!
One of my favorite events that I've never attended, the North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS) is taking place this weekend in Charlotte, NC. The photos and videos that come out of NAHBS are drool worthy visuals of beautiful handmade, custom painted bikes in all shapes and sizes. I highly recommend that you keep an eye on a few key websites to stay up to date as the show progresses. Here's a couple that I'd bookmark if I were you:
