2008 Woodie Awards
Creating a bit of bicycle Craziness
Diane Hendrickson - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 11/29/06 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 1
They came from every corner of the nation. For 48 hours, Iowa City was the hub of the cycling world.
Last weekend, riders came for Jingle Cross Rock, a cyclocross meet expanded to two days to accommodate demand.
Cyclocross is a spectator-friendly form of cycling, similar to steeplechase on a bike. Competitors ride many short laps on an off-road loop. Obstacles along the course require riders to carry their bikes and run.
The race lasts for a set amount of time, up to 60 minutes, and whoever has completed the most laps is named the winner.
"You have to be a little crazy, because it's brutally difficult," said Paul Deninger, who is primarily a road racer but has competed in a few cyclocross races. "You ride through mud and sand. The only thing that they're not doing is shooting at you."
Long popular in Europe, cyclocross has only recently caught on at the coasts and gradually moved inland in the United States.
In the Midwest especially, experts say, the sport's popularity has increased quickly. From September through the winter, riders can find a meet in the region almost every weekend, said Deninger, a member of the Iowa City Cycling Club.
In winter races, mountain or road cyclists, such as Deninger, use the sport as a means to stay in shape during their off-season. Robin Goforth, who has cycled for under a year, estimates that more than half the riders compete to stay fit for other types of cycling.
She only started racing because of the encouragement of others.
"Everyone who I knew who were road racers told me I had to do it," she said.
She added that cyclocross lacks the "elitist" attitude of road racing.
"It tends to encourage people," said Goforth, the winner of one women's beginner race. "It's a lot more fun and inviting."
However, Michael Chamberlain, the owner of the Broken Spoke, 602 S. Dubuque St., says the sport's growth is an illusion.
He attributes the increase in cyclocross bike sales - 50 percent annually in recent years at his business - to the versatility of the equipment.
"They are the Swiss-army knife of bikes," he said. "If you could only have one bike that you wanted to do everything with, a cyclocross bike is it."
But David Burke of World of Bikes, 723 S. Gilbert St., disagrees, believing the sport itself is becoming more popular.
"I think that's kind of a ridiculous comment," he said.
His cyclocross bikes don't make up a large portion of the store's sales, but "four or five years ago, there weren't any sales."
As the sport catches on across the country, Iowa remains near the center of cyclocross.
Bike Iowa hosts a series of races throughout the season, and Jingle Cross Rock awards winners the biggest prizes of any race in the country. The events have grown each year.
In it's third installment, Jingle Cross held 23 races and gave out more than $13,000 in cash and $4,000 in prizes, thanks to sponsorships. The payout attracted some of the biggest names in the sport.
As only one of seven American riders in this year's Tour de France, Chris Horner made the trek to Iowa, finishing first and third in the men's elite races. Last year, 2004 Olympian and member of Team Discovery Channel Jason McCartney finished second.
"To get the big boys to come play with us in Iowa, we entice them with a good prize list," race director John Meehan said. "We try to bring in all the big riders, and rec riders will race and watch the big guys."
With the growth of the sport, the big guys aren't just staying on the coasts anymore. And they're bringing a large part of the cycling world with them.
E-mail DI reporter Diane Hendrickson at:
diane-hendrickson@uiowa.edu
Last weekend, riders came for Jingle Cross Rock, a cyclocross meet expanded to two days to accommodate demand.
Cyclocross is a spectator-friendly form of cycling, similar to steeplechase on a bike. Competitors ride many short laps on an off-road loop. Obstacles along the course require riders to carry their bikes and run.
The race lasts for a set amount of time, up to 60 minutes, and whoever has completed the most laps is named the winner.
"You have to be a little crazy, because it's brutally difficult," said Paul Deninger, who is primarily a road racer but has competed in a few cyclocross races. "You ride through mud and sand. The only thing that they're not doing is shooting at you."
Long popular in Europe, cyclocross has only recently caught on at the coasts and gradually moved inland in the United States.
In the Midwest especially, experts say, the sport's popularity has increased quickly. From September through the winter, riders can find a meet in the region almost every weekend, said Deninger, a member of the Iowa City Cycling Club.
In winter races, mountain or road cyclists, such as Deninger, use the sport as a means to stay in shape during their off-season. Robin Goforth, who has cycled for under a year, estimates that more than half the riders compete to stay fit for other types of cycling.
She only started racing because of the encouragement of others.
"Everyone who I knew who were road racers told me I had to do it," she said.
She added that cyclocross lacks the "elitist" attitude of road racing.
"It tends to encourage people," said Goforth, the winner of one women's beginner race. "It's a lot more fun and inviting."
However, Michael Chamberlain, the owner of the Broken Spoke, 602 S. Dubuque St., says the sport's growth is an illusion.
He attributes the increase in cyclocross bike sales - 50 percent annually in recent years at his business - to the versatility of the equipment.
"They are the Swiss-army knife of bikes," he said. "If you could only have one bike that you wanted to do everything with, a cyclocross bike is it."
But David Burke of World of Bikes, 723 S. Gilbert St., disagrees, believing the sport itself is becoming more popular.
"I think that's kind of a ridiculous comment," he said.
His cyclocross bikes don't make up a large portion of the store's sales, but "four or five years ago, there weren't any sales."
As the sport catches on across the country, Iowa remains near the center of cyclocross.
Bike Iowa hosts a series of races throughout the season, and Jingle Cross Rock awards winners the biggest prizes of any race in the country. The events have grown each year.
In it's third installment, Jingle Cross held 23 races and gave out more than $13,000 in cash and $4,000 in prizes, thanks to sponsorships. The payout attracted some of the biggest names in the sport.
As only one of seven American riders in this year's Tour de France, Chris Horner made the trek to Iowa, finishing first and third in the men's elite races. Last year, 2004 Olympian and member of Team Discovery Channel Jason McCartney finished second.
"To get the big boys to come play with us in Iowa, we entice them with a good prize list," race director John Meehan said. "We try to bring in all the big riders, and rec riders will race and watch the big guys."
With the growth of the sport, the big guys aren't just staying on the coasts anymore. And they're bringing a large part of the cycling world with them.
E-mail DI reporter Diane Hendrickson at:
diane-hendrickson@uiowa.edu
| Talkback: Q: Why would or wouldn't you try cyclocross? Post your thoughts below! |
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
fixedpigs
michael chamberlain
posted 11/30/06 @ 3:30 PM CST
I never said the sport's growth is an illusion.
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