Two American women and three Belgian men ended up on the victor’s podium for the Women’s and Men’s Telenet UCI Cyclocross World Cup races in Iowa City on Saturday.
The World Cup races, which are estimated to have 10 million people watching across Europe and America, were held in unison with the Jingle Cross races, the cyclocross event that has been held in Iowa City for 12 years. Saturday’s races at the Johnson County Fairgrounds made Iowa City only the second American city to host World Cup races, race spokesperson Tricia Brown said.
American cyclocross racers Katie Compton and Kaitlin Antonneau finished first and third in the women’s World Cup race, with Belgians Wout Van Aert, Kevin Paulweels and Laurens Sweeck finishing first, second and third in the men’s race.
Caroline Mani of France finished second in the women’s races, representing the only non-American or Belgian to finish in the top three in either race that featured riders cycling through sand pits, racing down hillsides and dismounting their bikes to jump over barriers.
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