Planet Bike Podiums at Jingle Cross

Team Planet Bike was out in force for the three day Jingle Cross UCI events in Iowa. Nearly 15 riders participated in the various races with podium finishes for many.

Races were held Friday night under the lights and the record rainfall for the month of November created a sloppy, muddy course. Mixed with sections of pea gravel the conditions caused broken derailleurs for many riders. Bike changes were crucial and luckily the Elites all were able to do this thanks to all the great support in the pit. Besides the mud, riders also had to battle up and down Mt. Krumpet each lap with a steep leg busting run up and off camber switchbacks on the descent.

In the womens race after leading the first lap Kaitlin hung on for second behind a strong Meredith Miller. Kristin rounded out the podium for 3rd with Linda not far behind in 4th.

In the mens race Mark finished just off the podium for 4th with the win going to Todd Wells.

Other top results included 14 year old Jordan Cullen finishing 3rd in the Mens 2/3 race.

Friday night - report , full results

photo: jared roy


Saturday brought unusually mild temperatures and lots of sun. The mud was still present but got tackier as the day wore on. A different route up and down Mt. Krumpet today with riders ascending an incredibly steep and muddy run up.

In the womens race Meredith Miller once again proved unstoppable with Linda riding strong to finish 2nd. Kristin was 4th, Kaitie 6th, and Patti 15th.

photo: jared roy

In the mens race Todd Wells rode to a second win with a group of 4 including Planet Bike riders Tristan and Mark. Tristan rode to an impressive 2nd place finish with Mark in 4th after a crash late in the race forced him to chase. James had a strong race and was 11th.

Saturday - report

Sunday was another dry day but this time the temps dropped and the wind picked up. The mud was thick and tacky and not as much of an issue as the previous two days. Yet another trip up and down the feared Mt. Krumpet with some steep switchbacks down that caused some spectacular crashes throughout the day. Iowa felt a bit like Portland in the morning when a group of bikini clad single speeders took the course.
In the womens race Kristin led out the first half a lap before being passed by Meredith. A crash on the descent allowed Kaitie to catch and pass Kristin and the two finished on the podium in 2nd and 3rd, respectively. A hard charging Linda finished in 4th and Patti was 14th.

photo: nikkicyp

In the mens race Marko and Tristan again both rode strong races and finished 3rd and 4th, respectively. James was 16th.

photo: nikkicyp

Sunday - report

Velonews weekend report

There were plenty of mentions of Planet Bike riders throughout the weekend. Other riders participating included:

Jordan - winner of the both Saturday and Sunday's Mens 15-17 races.
Sarah - winner of the Womens Junior 15-17 race both days.

Greg

Gordy

Diane

Thanks to all of the Planet Bike family for making the trip down to Iowa. Everyone had a great time at the races. Here is part of the crew at a team dinner on Saturday night.

Huge thanks to the entire support crew for the weekend - with extra thanks to Chris, Jim, Dave G., Daniel, and Dave S.!