Horner, Swanson Battle at Jingle Cross

Sun December 03 2006
Posted Dec 3, 2006
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December 2, 2006 With a prize list of over $13,000, including nearly $5000 for the Men's Elite races alone, the 2006 Carousel Volkswagen Jingle Cross Rock weekend in Iowa City, IA brought out many of the nation's top racers for the two-day event for the Children’s Hospital of Iowa. In Saturday’s Rock 1, UCI ProTour rider Chris Horner (Specialized/Predictor-Lotto) showed how a roadie can excel at cross by powering through the Christmas themed cross course at a blistering pace. Doug Swanson (Grandstay), Steve Tilford (Verge-Shimano), Nathan Rice (Big Shark Racing), and Bjorn Selander (Alan Factory Team) found themselves unable to match Horner's pace and would have to set their sights on Sunday. "The course was fast and pretty dry so that was good for me," said Horner. "I loved the speed of the descent off of Mount Krumpit and that carried me through the flat sections." In Sunday's event, however, the tables were turned and no one was ready to go down without a fight for their share of the $3000 payout. Another blistering hard pace was set early on by Horner, Swanson, Tilford, and Selander, with Sam Krieg (ICE Rocky Mountain Surgery Center) finding his legs to stay within striking distance. The fast pace also meant that whoever cracked first or suffered a mishap would have their work cut out for them if they wanted to keep their winning hopes alive. Unfortunately, fate was not on Tilford's side as he flatted midway through the race, forcing him to change bikes and ending hopes for a repeat of his 2005 win. Up front, Horner, Swanson, and Selander would continue to battle it out until 40 minutes into the 60 minute event when Swanson put in a ferocious attack to get away from Horner and Selander. Repeated attempts to pull Swanson back were unsuccessful, and Swanson would come out on top with Selander finishing second ahead of a tired but happy Horner. “Yesterday, I didn’t have my legs but today I found them and really tried to hammer as hard as I could on those last two laps,” grinned an elated Swanson. “Horner, Bjorn, and Tilly (Tilford) were coming and I just had to find a way to hold them off.” Swanson later called his victory “the biggest cross win of my season.” Not to be outdone by the men, the Casey’s/Handimart Women's Elite races attracted many top names as well, with Megan Elliott (Specialized), Catherine Walberg (Kenda Tire), and Sydney Brown (Lincoln Plating) all making appearances. Three reigning U.S. National Champions were also in the women’s Elite field including Kaitlin Antonneau (13-14), Samantha Schneider (15-16), and Patti Kaufman (45-49). Schneider’s Sunday race was ruined early on as she suffered an unfortunate mechanical failure with a broken handlebar and had to run nearly half the course until she made it to the wheel pit for a bike change. But the race soon turned into the Catherine Walberg show, with Walberg sweeping both Saturday and Sunday's events including taking Sunday’s $400 top prize in commanding fashion. In the Mens Masters 35+, Brian Conant (Training Bible) proved to be too much for the competition as he swept both days. But in the spirit of the Holidays, Brian turned around and donated Sunday’s Masters top prize back to the Children’s Hospital of Iowa. All proceeds from The Carousel Volkswagen Jingle Cross Rock went directly to the Children’s Hospital , raising nearly $20,000. Race Director John Meehan credited the success of the event to finding great sponsors, volunteers, and the ideal venue for the 23 races and registration count of 500 riders. For the first time, the Jingle Cross was held at the Johnson County Fairgrounds in Iowa City. The facility is traditionally used for agricultural shows and fairs. But the race organizers used the grounds with some clever twists turning the barns and fairgrounds into an exciting cyclocross course with a Christmas flair. A livestock scale house was turned into a sand pit and appropriately called the Grinch’s Lair with the Grinch theme soung playing in the background. Another barn had been turned into an indoor Christmas light show. And behind the barns, a large steep hill became Mount Krumpit, with an 80 meter run-up that rivaled even the famed Kona-Knapp run-up in the Pacific Northwest. For the spectators, the venue was a treat as cycling fans could stand atop Mount Krumpit and see the entire race unfold from a bird’s eye view. To top things off, the Grinch made a surprise visit for the Kid’s fun race and awarded teddy bears to all of the participants who, coincidently, all tied for first. The Grinch placed last. Complete race results are available at the race website at Jingle Cross