Introducing the Iowa City Area Sports Commission’s August Playmaker of the Month, Alex Buhmeyer!
Once a month, we will be highlighting our sports community members during a time of year they work closely with our team.
Where did the idea of core4 come from?
I’d been riding in local and national level events for years but I particularly loved the ethos of Bentonville’s Rule of Three event which celebrates a local vibe on the national stage with gravel, road, and singletrack routes all rolled up into one event. Nate Kullbom (the core4 route guru) and I happened to both ride it in 2021 and we worked with the RO3 director to launch our own version, core4 in 2022. It’s been no turning back ever since!
What brought you to plan the event at Wilson’s Orchard.
Wilson’s Orchard has always been a special place for me. It provided the gorgeous backdrop for my first date with my now partner, Rachael Roewe, who is also on the core4 team. Some of the best gravel cycling in Johnson County just happens to be right out of the Wilson’s gates which makes it easy to access from Iowa City. It’s the perfect venue to showcase and host Iowa’s finest. And the folks at Wilson’s are really great to work with!
What achievements within the event are you most proud of?
Our people and our commitment to community, opportunity, recreation, and engagement. core4 aims to be inclusive to riders of all skill levels, including our youth riders (who ride for free!) and our women’s ridership initiatives. I am very proud of our advocacy with donating nearly $20,000 to local bike centric nonprofits. We have a great team, which inspires more folks to want to join in as we get closer to game day. This includes the greater Iowa City cycling community, specifically Liz Hubing of BikeIowaCity, and all our dedicated partners and passionate volunteers. We are very lucky to have a strong pedigree of cycling here and we also aim to keep the party to ride ratio up!
Favorite thing about the community of cyclists that attend core4.
The word we kept hearing especially this year is about the positivity surrounding this event. core4 is now the largest gravel event in Iowa. As a mid-size event of 1,000 riders, we are in a sweet spot to celebrate the local Iowa City vibe on the national stage. Half of our riders are from Iowa and the other half represent 30 states from all over the country and that feels incredible. More than anything, my favorite is to watch every single rider cross that finish line inspiring the next generation. We celebrate all bodies on bikes and make sure there is space for EVERYONE to participate. That’s really what makes gravel events wonderful.
What goals do you have for the event?
We aim to keep taking people to the most amazing places in Johnson County on a bike and to increase youth and women ridership at the same time. core4 is also experiencing exponential growth which is really exciting. We want any future growth to keep that consistent core4 vibe for our participants. We have lots of ideas for training events throughout the year. And there might even be a second event in the works elsewhere in the state…. shhhhh. Our main goal is to promote active and healthy lifestyles within our community and have a blast while doing it! We think we’re crushing that last one.