There were races such as "World Cups" and "UCI C1s" last weekend at Jingle Cross, but let's be honest, we all really came here for the 2019 Nulo Doggy Cross.
The Doggy Crossers race out to the holeshot. 2019 Doggy Cross, Jingle Cross World Cup. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine
This year's Doggy Cross took place before the Elite Men's World Cup on Saturday, and the timing brought out such luminaries as Sunny Gilbert and her pooch Gunnar. We are still awaiting word from CXHairs on how the Doggy Cross results factor into the CX Heat Check Power Ranking algorithm.
Sunny Gilbert carries Gunnar over the barriers. 2019 Doggy Cross, Jingle Cross World Cup. © D. Mable / Cyclocross Magazine
The event divided dogs into three categories—small (less than 30 pounds), medium (30 - 60 pounds) and large (60-plus pounds). Each heat did three laps of a course that included, of course, barriers that the owners had to carry their dogs over as they would their bikes in a cyclocross race.
Top-level suitcasing on display. 2019 Doggy Cross, Jingle Cross World Cup. © D. Mable / Cyclocross Magazine
The course featured sections where old owners had to learn new tricks like rolling over and crawling.
The humans had to roll over in one section of the course. 2019 Doggy Cross, Jingle Cross World Cup. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine
There was also the Nulo dog house both masters and athletes had to pass under.
Masters and dogs had to go through the dog house. 2019 Doggy Cross, Jingle Cross World Cup. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine
As if the pressure of racing well during the Doggy Cross were not enough, the four-legged athletes had to compete knowing big crowds were watching and athletes such as Katerina Nash had moseyed over to check out the festivities.
A dog owner herself, Katerina Nash made her way to congratulate this Doggy Cross finisher. 2019 Doggy Cross, Jingle Cross World Cup. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine
Still wondering how big of a deal the Doggy Cross was? Newly minted GCN commentator Jeremy Powers was on scene to capture the action and score the key interviews after the race.
Jeremy Powers scores one of the big interviews of the weekend. 2019 Doggy Cross, Jingle Cross World Cup. © D. Mable / Cyclocross Magazine
To help ensure you get the maximum amount of cuteness in your day, check out the photo gallery from the Jingle Cross Doggy Cross below.
Good dog. 2019 Doggie Cross, Jingle Cross World Cup. © D. Mable / Cyclocross Magazine
Photo Gallery: 2019 Doggie Cross @ Jingle Cross
Who’s leading whom here? 2019 Doggie Cross, Jingle Cross World Cup. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine
