Iowa City lands UCI World Cup of cyclocross event

IOWA CITY - Iowa City has won the right to host a premiere international cycling event, which will be paired with the annual Jingle Cross at the Johnson County Fairgrounds this September.

Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the Swiss-based governing body of the sport of cycling, including organizer of the Tour de France, selected Iowa City as one of the cyclocross World Cup race sites for the organization's 2016-17 season, according to a joint news release from he Iowa City/Coralville Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB), Iowa City and the Jingle Cross organization. The race will be held on Sept. 24.

'September 24 will mark a pretty historic day for the sport of cycling in Iowa,” said Josh Schamberger, CVB president. 'On that day we will welcome cyclocross teams from all over the world to, arguably, the best cyclocross course in North America.”

Schamberger, Jingle Cross founder John Meehan, and outgoing Iowa City City Manager Tom Markus traveled to Koksijde, Belgium to hand deliver a bid in November.

Typically, Jingle Cross is held in November or December but will be moved to September to coincide with the World Cup event. Jingle Cross will take place on Sept. 22, 23, and 25.

The World Cup event is expected to draw 15,000 spectators and generate $1.2 million for the community, according to a statement from the three entities announcing the selection.

Schamberger previously said the area would be expected to cover some costs in the range of $35,000 to $50,000 for moving equipment and hosting UCI officials, among other expenses.

Jingle Cross, which will be in its 13th year in 2016, has become an annual cyclocross destination drawing interest from the local biking community and racers from across the country.

Jingle Cross has grown from a few dozen riders to a three-day event with 63 amateur and professional races, 2,600 participants and sponsors including Carousel Volkswagen, Scheels and Musco Lighting. The free event includes cycling vendors, music, microbrewed beer, food and other drinks.

The dirt course crisscrosses the fairground and challenges riders with an ascent up a steep hill dubbed Mount Krumpit.

'The course at Jingle Cross is one of the best in America,” current U.S. National Champion Jeremy Powers said in the news release. 'I always look forward to racing in Iowa. I'm excited that this year, I'll be racing it as a World Cup.”

Cyclocross courses typically are 1.5- to 2-mile loops over paved, dirt and sand surfaces, through woods, over obstacles and up and down hills. Races last 45 minutes to an hour.