Tim Johnson on Day 2 of Jingle Cross Rock. © Michael McColgan
The proverbial cat is out of the bag, or if we’re allowed to combine metaphors, Christmas might be coming early for the Grinch of Mount Krumpit next year. The Iowa City Press-Citizen just announced that Jingle Cross is preparing to submit a bid for a World Cup event for 2016.
At Interbike 2015, we heard more than just rumors about a World Cup event at a location other than the Montreal. While the Canadian city had made a two-year contract with the UCI to be the second leg of the World Cup series, the 2015 cancellation has raised questions of a 2016 event in Quebec, despite the organizers originally calling the cancellation a postponement.
Jingle Cross could prove to be an interesting and attractive bid. The race has been ongoing for over a decade, while also being a UCI sanctioned event since 2007.
An acceptance of the bid could mean a changing culture for Jingle Cross, a race weekend that is usually in close proximity to the December holidays that it employs Christmas themes around the course, including string lights and the Grinch frolicking along the spectators. Evolving to the World Cup would mean that Iowa City would likely see cyclocross in September instead.
Before last season, the KMC Cyclo-Cross Festival in Providence was considered as one of the big contenders for a World Cup in North America as well, and according to our European correspondent, Christine Vardaros, the Rhode Island event may look to submit a bid for 2016 as well.
Stay tuned for more World Cup news as it comes in on cxmagazine.com.
