Iowa City is preparing to host an international sporting event that will be televised live around the world: the UCI World Cup of Cyclocross. John Meehan is a pediatric surgeon in Iowa City and the director for the Jingle Cross. He says cyclocross is different than a typical bike race.
"When people watch the Tour de France, they see them race from point to point, it's not like that at all. This is around a closed loop course where there's obstacles and barriers. You have to get off your bike, climb over those barriers holding your bike, get back on the bike through the sand, the mud, the big hills."
Iowa City has been hosting the Jingle Cross event for thirteen years.
"It's grown to be the largest cyclocross event in North America. We were bringing in riders from all over the nation, who were just amateurs coming in, and at the end of the day, we'd have a pro bike race."
That weekend will have the second of nine stops of the World Cup Series. The event is to be held at the Johnson County Fairgrounds September 22-25th.
Also in this River to River program:
- Kesho Scott, associate professor of American studies and sociology at Grinnell College, on Colin Kaepernick's protest
- Amy Mayer, reporter for Iowa Public Radio and Harvest Public Media, on the Bayer-Monsanto Merger
