"State is a really balanced course," said Steve Tygrett of CRANDIC Racing. "There are some long grindy uphills that reward you with nice flowy descents.  The technical sections are always challenging: off camber 180s that get sketchy when muddy, a rough cut single track section which often has stray logs and a slippery hill at the end, sharp turns at the bottom of descents, and fast sweeping off camber turns.  The wildcard is the paved start/finish hill.  It really sucks the energy out of you, and can be decisive in races.  I've seen some slow, painful climbs up that hill on the last lap. 

"The hill also provides a great place to watch the races, as much of the course can be viewed from the top.  Overall I'd say the course for State really hits all the skill sets required of a cyclocross racer.  While a lighter rider who can climb well will have a slight advantage, you still need to have good bike handling skills to be successful here.

"Two years ago the course was changed slightly.  Instead of climbing the entire paved hill, riders had to climb or run the steep grass hill below the shelter house.  After riding across the top of the hill, riders encountered a tight off camber 180, which saw a lot of crashes.  After a slight decent riders would come out onto the steepest part of the paved hill to the finish.  It rained all day last year, so that feature was taken out.  Hopefully it will be back since it adds some great technical elements, which makes riders have to decide to ride or run."

"Last year we had to take out some features due to the rain," explained Race Director Justin Guiter (Zealous Racing), "but hopefully the weather will cooperate this year and we'll be able to reinstate those sections.  Generally the course layout at Lion's Park has remained similar throughout its time as a State Championship, with some different additions year to year.  The everlasting theme is great flow throughout and a few challenging sections but nothing outlandish." 

"We are so thankful for the City of Altoona and their continued support of cyclocross in Central Iowa.  We've had events in Altoona for over 10 years now and we hope to continue this great relationship.  Weather this time of year is always a crap shoot.  I recall one of my first races at Lion's for State CX.  There was about an inch of snow on the ground, just enough to have a nice white coating and plenty cold.  Another year, I started my race and it was -11 only to jump right back in my car following my race to see it had climbed to a balmy -8. 

"Up until last year it has primarily been dry and we were a little nervous what the city would say when they saw the park after the 25 degree downpour we raced in.  I suppose it's a good sign when the City workers are joking with you that's it's going to be a wet one.

"Immediately following the race last year, Paul Jensen and I reached out to the City and let them know of the condition of the park after the race.  We offered up any service our team could provide to help keep the park looking great.  They simply told us they'd re-evaluate in the spring.  We discussed it during our Parks Board Meeting and they even mentioned they couldn't tell we'd even been there last year.  Again, so happy we have a great community to work with.

Slater, Iowa is north of Des Moines, so right around two hours drive from either Iowa City or Cedar Rapids. Registration for MIDSTATE CX is on BikeReg.com.

Usually I love my trainer, but for MIDSTATE CX I might just leave it at home. The perfect warm-up for MIDSTATE CX is out and back along the High Trestle Trail.

After Creekside and Bobbers this weekend we have just three more weeks until the Iowa State Championship in Des Moines and five more until the Midwest Championship in Chicago. Days are getting shorter and colder, but there's still some great cyclocross racing ahead, starting November 9 & 10 with either Frosty Cross in Le Mars or a weekend of racing at the Chicago Cross Cup.

"It was so cold last year that I wore all the clothes I brought," said Jacqueline Palfy (Parallel 44 Racing) when asked about Frosty Cross 2018. "And I may or may not have cried a little on my second lap because I couldn't feel my hands. But racing will warm you up quickly.

Iowa City Cycling Club's Jim Bethea raced Frosty Cross last year too, to take the lead in the 45+ field of the Iowa CX Series. "They call it Frosty Cross for a reason. It was in the 20s and windy last year. I wore every article of clothing I brought and was still cold. Turnout wasn't great, but it was a fun course: some good off-camber, a flyover, and some sand. Masters all raced together and they split it apart for series points after. They need to move that race to September."

As cold as Frosty Cross can be, that's not the race's only drawback: Le Mars is in the northwestern part of Iowa. That's not too far for Palfy coming from Sioux Falls, but for us Eastern Iowans it's 4½ to 6 hours away. Unless you're especially motivated – like Bethea proving more stubborn than his IACX competition – you might want to look closer to home. Lucky for us November 9 & 10 is also a big weekend for the Chicago Cross Cup.

The Chicago Cross Cup is easily the biggest series in the Midwest. Races are usually just one day, on Sundays. But this year CCC#7, the Groundhog PSI-clocross Sunday November 10, is paired with the Illinois State Championship the day before. To make the weekend all the more attractive, Emricson Park in Woodstock, Illinois, the site of both races, is north and west of Chicago proper, so around 30 minutes closer. From Iowa City that's just over three hours.

"Last year I rode most of the race off the front, though on the last lap 2nd place was gaining on me. I hadn’t crashed too bad so far and I knew one mistake and she would be right on me. At the end of the course there were some big sweeping turns. Due to them being muddy I slipped and went down. Luckily I had just enough of a gap that she was unable to catch me, but I hustled to the line as fast as I could. ​

"All in all the Chicago Cross Cup races are great starter races and great for advanced riders to push their bodies and skills to their absolute limit. I would recommend the races to any racer who has a cx bike and loves the mud!"

CCC races are friendly and fun and draw good sized fields. Last year's race in Woodstock, even cold and rainy, saw nearly 500 racers compete. Ten time slots allow for fifteen fields a day, meaning five women's races not counting juniors, finally this year including a Masters Women's category.

Registration for both the IL State Championship and Groundhog PSI-clocross are on BikeReg.com. Consider signing up early, though, as some of the bigger or combined fields can fill up. 

"​I like the hills at Creekside. It is the hilliest course in Iowa outside of Jingle and that helps me a bit. The sand pit can be dicey if it doesn't rain. The ability to ride the sand and hills can be a difference maker on that course."

Floods ended any hope of racing Bobbers Cross last year, instead leading to two days of muddy racing at Creekside. In years past Bobbers has been muddly as well. Race either or both, but be prepared.

This year Creekside Cross and Bobbers Cross became the second and third races in the Iowa Cyclocross Series to drop Masters Women from their race schedules. (Dirty Wooden Shoe quit offering Masters Women races in 2016.)
This is especially unfortunate as Masters Women have had a great year in Iowa so far, even outnumbering Women 1/2/3 at most races. Rather than ignore that momentum, the IACX Series should embrace and reflect it.

Save some energy if you race Saturday morning, or get a good warm up if you race later, because at 1:30 Saturday it's game on for the third annual Spooky Cross Costume Race.

"The Costume Race will have the same format as last year with a shortened course and two laps," explained Guiter. "There are three criteria our judges will be looking at in crowning the winner:  1) Your finishing position in the race,  2) Your costume, and 3) Theatrics (your character). 
"This will be the third year of the Costume Race and I'm anxious to see if our returning two-time winner will take it again this year. I'm not sure on the algorithm the judges have for determining the winner, but I'm sure it's quite complex." 

BIKEIOWA's Jason Scholbrock offered some advice for newcomers to the Costume Race: "Make it fun, make it clever (see Vance Fletcher last year), and make certain you can ride your bike in it.
"Josh Rice from Lincoln won the first two Costume Races and rightfully so... in 2018 he rode a cargo bike disguised as a beer truck a la Smokey and the Bandit, complete with a hefty stash of cold Busch Lights which were consumed on the steep run-up. 
"Oh, and I am very much looking forward to it. The Costume Race is the highlight of every Iowa cyclocross season!" 

This will be the third edition of The Grand, but the first presented by the Phoenix Syndicate. Race Director James Armstead explained: "We are a whole new team this year all from different groups and different experiences. We are really excited about this group coming together to make something really awesome this year. We aren't trying to reinvent the wheel, but we found some new great partners to work with who really want to support the community and grow their brands!

"The changes to the course will also allow us to open up the middle part where the food trucks were last year. We are going to have a few teams have tents there, some food, music, and will hopefully create a really awesome community compound for everyone to come together and have a great time together. 

"The clinic will be a general walk through the course for anyone who is entirely new and wants to ensure they can ride/run all of the obstacles without getting hurt, or even for those who haven't raced in a few years who just want to have a quick look at the course while getting back into it all. Hopefully we see a good turnout!​"

The Grand is Friday, October 18 through Sunday, October 20 at The Sands Volleyball Club in Des Moines. Registration is on BikeReg.com.

"New for 2019 is the SingleSpeed Brewing Company Single Speed race category that will be run concurrently with the Men's Cat 3/4 race each morning. SingleSpeed Brewing is providing some awesome merchandise for that race.  ​

"If you like hilly courses as much as I do, you'll definitely like Cornerstone Cross," said Seamus O'Connor-Walker. "Last year the courses took good advantage of the elevation change in the area. Both were mostly grass with one or two gravelly turns. In addition to the hills there were some good technical sections and couple of solid straightaways. "

In 2018 Cornerstone Cross was the very last event of the cyclocross season, a week after the State Championship on December 8. And it was bitterly cold.

The race this Saturday, October 5 will be two months earlier than last year, and part of the Iowa Cyclocross Series, but will stick with its unique format. "We’ve changed the categories and race times to match what everyone else is doing," said Ames Velo's Scott Wall. "So the big difference with our race is the 'short track' cross at the end of the day.

"The course is split by a gravel road and the long races use the whole thing. At the end of the day we’ll stay on the south half of the course and run several 12-15 minute races – think short track mountain biking. Last year the short track races were a lot of fun to watch as they were really intense and you could see the whole thing from one spot. The whole thing is on the side of a hill. It’s no Mount Krumpit, but you’ll know you’re climbing."

"With the race earlier this year there will be a lot more people," said O'Connor-Walker. "Last year was a good trial run, but with it being so late people were scared off by the potential for bad weather. Ames is a fairly central location. The quality of the course being as high as it is, and with the effort they put into making events a blast for spectators and racers, Cornerstone Cross will only continue to grow.

"The long/short race format is definitely unique. I was skeptical last year, but it turned out to be good fun and it ran smoothly. The long course race is just your typical cross race, so don't worry about not getting in your normal racing. Then, for the short course, you get a bonus race on a second course based on results in the first race.
"It may seem odd reading about it," said O'Connor-Walker. "But if you're confused by, or wary of, the format, my recommendation would be to go race and see how you actually like it. What harm can there be in getting a second race for free?"

Cornerstone Cross is Saturday, October 5, in Ames. Register today on BikeReg.com.

This coming weekend in Des Moines is perennial favorite Capital City Cross. The course, or something like it, will be very familiar to dozens of Des Moines racers who ride the Renegade Cyclocross Practices each Tuesday night at Stone Park. But this weekend's races there will also attract racers from across Iowa and even from Nebraska, Minnesota, and South Dakota.

"I like to think of Capital City Cross as one of the races that help launched the Central Iowa Cyclocross scene," said BIKEIOWA's Scott Sumpter. "I know it was one of my first local races outside of the Newton races back in the day."

The race is also about as welcoming as can be to beginners. The park is mostly flat and fast, but the BIKEIOWA crew do a great job of using what elevation they have. They tape off a course that is twisty and flowing, often changing but always fun. And if they can arrange some mud this weekend, all the better.

Capital City Cross is under two hours from Iowa City, and right about two hours from Cedar Rapids. Registration is on BikeReg.com. The weather forecast currently promises rain Friday and Sunday, so pack some waders and mud treads.

Never enough cyclocross, but you can't make it to Trek? Team Denovo has you covered.
Saturday, September 21st, "Valley Cross will be the best race that's not in Wisconsin."

Now in its fourth year, the Valley Community Center Cyclocross Course in West Des Moines is more than ready for a prime time debut. "We know we will lose racers to the Trek Cup," explains Jeff Osbourn, "but we are excited to host an earlier race this year when it's warmer."

"This will be our first year as part of the Iowa CX Series. We have a great venue and course for the series, but the course is also open seven days a week from sun-up to sun-down.  We see people out there all the time."

The course itself is 1.7 miles long, mainly flat, and very fast.  With sweeping corners and the course well broken in, it's very beginner friendly.  "This course favors riders with a lot of power," said Osborn. "We know of several people who state this is their favorite place to ride." 

Valley Cross is Saturday, September 21. Bragging rights and Iowa CX Series points are at stake, as well as cash prizes for all but the Juniors and the Fat Bike category.  If you're not in Wisconsin, don't miss it.