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The   Other   (Dirty   Wooden)   Shoe   Drops

8/23/2019

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"Dirty Wooden Shoe is a great event and has something for everyone," said Vanessa Curtis of Iowa City Cycling Club. "There are some challenging technical elements including the Dutch Letters and some long uphill segments that tax the cardiovascular system,  which make it a great tune-up for Jingle Cross." ​
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"Dirty Wooden Shoe is always a favorite as it’s my hometown course," added Trevor Roose (Iowa City Cycling Club). "I mean, who wouldn’t want a chance to win a hand carved wooden shoe?"
"Dirty Wooden Shoe is similar to Cannonball in that it’s primarily a grass course," he explained, "also with plenty of good straight-aways for putting down some power. DWS does have a couple tighter cornering sections, as well as the crowd favorite 'Dutch Letters,' a tight 'S' curve section up and down a hillside. The course is built on that hillside, with multiple trips up and down, so it all stacks up to a decent amount of climbing!"
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"It is also an unintimidating  course  for a beginner cyclocross rider," said Curtis, "with friendly people, flowing sections to practice  cornering, and multiple barriers to work on mounts and dismounts."
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Most years Dirty Wooden Shoe includes a set of standard wood barriers, a couple 4x4s on a hillside climb, a whole drain pipe, and a set of two half pipes. Unless you're good at bunny hopping that can add up to four dismounts each lap. Even more if you mistime the "Dutch Letters."
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"Finally," said Curtis, "Dirty Wooden Shoe is a fantastic excuse to visit the Pella area, get some of the real (edible) Dutch Letters and drink some Peace Tree brews." With Jaarsma Bakery just down the road in Pella and race sponsor Peace Tree nearby in Knoxville, it's hard to argue with that!
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Waiting for the album to drop? Getting the band back together?
​We might need to do a caption contest...
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Cyclocross   Starts   with   a   Bang   at   Cannonball   Cross

8/23/2019

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Are you ready for cyclocross? Ready or not, next weekend the fourth edition of Cannonball Cross will open Iowa's season in a big way. No shot across the bow, it's more like the battle is on. "This race is a great Opener to the CX season," said Twisted Spokes' Kathleen Porter, "to get you acclimated to the toughness and fun that is cyclocross!"
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Cannonball has always been a tough race. "One of the reasons we decided to put on Cannonball Cross was Jingle Cross becoming a World Cup race and moving to September," explained Race Director Dave Delperdang. "We needed another race to get ready for that and for Waterloo, Wisconsin's Trek CXC Cup." The Mason City race draws talent from across the upper Midwest. The competition is  fierce, but Delperdang and Spin Devo make sure it's fun as well.
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"It is a very well run event with a challenging course," says Porter, "It has a little bit of everything from off camber switchbacks, wide open flats, steep hillside climbing and a super steep flyover* feature. The venue is very good with ample parking and there has been a food truck on deck. A well laid out course makes it spectator friendly from different viewing points."
"Cannonball is fairly flowy with lots of good straight aways on a mostly grass course," said Trevor Roose of Iowa City Cycling Club.
"There are a couple good off-camber sections that can be tricky, as well as a couple stairs and a hill run up with a barrier right before, making it tough to ride. Last year's race was really muddy, so we’ll see if this year's is dry and fast!"

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The race venue, Mason City's beautiful East Park, couldn't be more inviting to families. There's plenty for kids to do in the park when they aren't racing, many options for food and drink around Mason City, and even camping just to the north across the Winnebago River in MacNider Campgrounds.
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Last year was Cannonball Cross' first rainy edition, and it did not disappoint at all. So far, though, the forecast for 2019 looks pleasantly cool, dry, and very fast!
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Cannonball Cross is the first two racing days for the Iowa Cyclocross Series, followed by day three and four the following week in Pella. "Cannonball and Dirty Wooden Shoe are similar," suggested Roose, "but they each offer a little different taste. Neither are incredibly technical, so both would be great beginner courses. Cannonball offers a little more off-the-bike action with the stairs and run-ups, and DWS has more climbing and good cornering sections. DWS is a bit shorter than Cannonball, so expect a few more laps."
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* Actually, that notorious flyover Porter mentioned above? It's had a makeover since last year.
Delperdang describes the new flyover as "A foot shorter, with one less stair step, and the ramp is less steep and has a rounded transition to flat." While this is undoubtably progress, a few may miss the ramp the way it was.
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Cannonball Cross is August 31 and September 1, 2019 in Mason City's East Park.
Register now at bikereg.com.
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'Cross   is   Here

8/21/2019

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'Cross practices have begun. Two early season favorites, Cannonball Cross and Dirty Wooden Shoe, are only a week or two away. (C


heck CRANDIC Calendar for more.) The 2019 cyclocross season is truly here, and there's a lot to look forward to.
Cannonball Cross and Dirty Wooden Shoe mark the start of cyclocross season.

Sign   Up   How

So what's new this year? For starters, signing up. If your eyes gloss over at USACycling announcements you might have missed their new partnership with East Coast based BikeReg.com. Instead of splitting the honors, BikeReg.com will now handle all online registrations for USAC-sanctioned events. It works similarly to what you've done through USACycling in the past, but it will be nice to have all races in one spot. 
This also makes us wonder if USAC's national ranking system will give way to BikeReg's own crossresults.com. Reportedly, though, for now the two systems will continue separately.
As for actual races, so far the news is a bit of a mixed bag. There is no Intergalactic Cyclocross Championship on the calendar for 2019 ("Too many great races this year filling the calendar already!"). But a great venue with that kind of history is bound to return at some point.
In Iowa City, there's no final word yet on a practice race at Coralville Creekside Cross, but a weekday evening event, City Park Community CX, was just announced for Wednesday, September 4. 

FayetteCross

​With two World Cup races nearly in our backyards and a full season of great Iowa cyclocross races, why are we so excited about the FayetteCross UCI race in October down in Arkansas? Worlds 2022.
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​When the UCI announced Fayetteville as the site for Cyclocross Worlds, some people were left scratching their heads. Mountain bike fans, though, already knew BikeNWA as the folks who made Northwest Arkansas a mtb mecca. They and the UCI both knew that with enthusiastic backing from the Walton Family Foundation (Walmart), BikeNWA is more than capable of remaking Fayetteville into a cyclocross destination.
​As 
VeloNews reported back in February, "For the next three years, cycling advocates and organizers in Northwest Arkansas will work to create a grassroots cyclocross scene to support the world’s biggest cyclocross event." Our first chance to race what will become Worlds 2022 is FayetteCross, October 5 & 6, 2019! (500+ miles from Eastern Iowa, about 8 hours of driving.) More soon!

MidWest   REgional   Championship

Last year, after missing the Chicago Cross Cup's season finale at sandy Montrose Harbor, we were disappointed to hear that it would no longer serve as the Illinois State Championship. What we didn't know at the time was that instead, for 2019 Montrose Harbor will be the MidWest Regional Championship. Considering that Nationals is nearly 2000 miles away on the West Coast this year, and that Iowa's State Championship is slated for November, Montrose Harbor will be the place to be Sunday, December 8. (Montrose Harbor, Chicago is 240 miles away, around 4 hours drive.)
photos courtesy of SnowyMountain Photography

Nationals   2020

Even further up the road, but no less exciting, Cyclocross Nationals 2020 will be in Cantigny Park in Wheaton, Illinois. It's a new venue and we don't know much yet, but not since Madison have Nationals been so close to home. If you weren't worrying about your points before you may want to start -- the next two years are one long build up to Cantigny Park! (Wheaton, IL is 200 miles or so, around 3 hours.)
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Practice   Makes   Perfect

8/17/2019

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Okay, so not perfect, exactly. Let's say practice makes us better. In cyclocross wasted seconds add up fast, so the better prepared you are at the line the better your race will be. It's still fun, just fast and fun.
Luckily, Corridor 'cross racers have some options for honing their skills. CRANDIC Racing and friends will be at Coralville Creekside Cross Tuesdays from 5:30 on. You can even ride out via the recently extended Clear Creek Bike Trail. All are welcome, just wear a helmet.
For the latest updates drop us a line.
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Just 30 minutes away in Cedar Rapids, CRCX and the Bike Rags Racing Team will be practicing at Daniels Park at 5pm each Wednesday evening.
Cyclocross is only weeks away. Pull off your bottle cages, let some air out of your tires, and come get ready for 'cross!
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    Races   &
    ​Topics

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    Bobbers Cross
    Cannonball Cross
    Cornerstone Cross
    Creekside Cross
    Dirty Wooden Shoe
    FayetteCross
    Frosty Cross
    Groundhog/PSI CCC
    Illinois State Championship
    Jingle Cross
    MIDSTATE Ctoss
    Midwest Champs
    Montrose Harbor
    Nationals 2020
    Spooky Cross
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