Friday News And Views

Plotting the screen art

Schwag Update: 

Here's a look at how the artwork is coming along for the Trans Iowa v10 t-shirts. This is a graphic design I came up with myself. The idea was spawned from seeing a certain container company's logo a while back and how it fit my ideal for this design.

The wing motif is something that has meaning to me personally and is tied to Trans Iowa a bit. I won't be sharing anymore on that here, but if you are ever sitting around knocking back a few adult beverages with me someday and you remember to ask me, I may tell you why that is. Or not.

The "V" part is obviously for "version" but I did it in the style of an automotive hood badge which reflects a tiny slice of Trans Iowa history having to do with T.I.V8 and a "band aid" banner I used for a short period when the original design by Jeff Kerkove was found to be in poor taste by Campbell Food Inc. lawyers who didn't appreciate the "V8" juice reference in the design. Bah! Corporate culture! So I used a Ford "V8" badge for a very short time until the "Ploughboy" design was used to replace that.

The last time the "original" Trans Iowa logo was used on an event header for the site

The trucker hat will get a different logo. The "original" Trans Iowa "brand' logo developed by Jeff Kerkove, (as seen here on the old T.I.v6 header) will be printed in white on black on black hats. This was chosen to reflect on the origins of Trans Iowa and Jeff Kerkove in particular, because it is my opinion that without his vision and stature in the endurance community at the time of Trans Iowa's inception, this event would have never gotten to a "V10", much less a "V2".

It also will be good to bring back this logo which hasn't been used since T.I.v6. Versions 7-9 have used alternative logos and were used only for their particular event. In fact, every year's header was designed by Jeff until this year which I decided to do myself, and obviously, it isn't nearly as good!

Shirts and hats are paid for and on the way. Printing will commence shortly, and the next time I mention this I hope to be sharing the finished products with all of you.

The Age Before Fat Bikes: 

 I was considering today how easily I was bashing through a 3 foot high pile of snow and being able to continue to motor along on my fat bike. This brought to mind the days "BFB". (Before Fat Bikes) Maybe I should say "before I had a fat bike", but I think you all get the idea here.

While I can ride most any bicycle in the snow, the fat bike just raises the bar on what is possible for me to traverse. I know that when I finally spin out, wash the front wheel out, or lose traction, I've gone much, much further than I would have on any other bicycle. Now, I have been learning these last three years to handle these obese tired rigs with a steady hand and patience and I have been rewarded with even more territory cleaned without dabbing.

But really, do I need to have a fat bike? No, clearly I have cycled several years previous to this on 29"ers or skinnier tired fare with success. I even see other cyclists without 4 inch wide tires riding around just fine. However; I have found several times that I am riding instead of walking, getting frustrated, or freaking out that I may be going down at any second. The fat bike has brought another layer of capability and peace of mind that my other bicycles can not match on commutes in snowy weather. Is that worth having it for? I would say that the answer for me is yes. Definitely a "yes".

Off road it is a no brainer. A fat bike just does things you can not even begin to do with any other bicycle. Here it is at home, and when it comes to getting more fun, more activity in cold weather, and staying engaged with the outdoors, the fat bike rules. I used to do a lot of XC skiing, but I didn't touch them last season and I haven't gone looking for them this year yet either. Maybe I'll use the skis as a diversion to cycling. Maybe.....

Okay, that's a wrap for today. Stay warm and ride those bicycles if you can!

New Shoes For By-Tor Part 3

Finally! Some snow testing!

In my last full on report on the Fatback Sterling tires, (seen here), I told you all about the on-dirt performance of the Sterling. Recently we have been thrust into mid-Winter, (despite what the calendar is telling us, this is mid-Winter!), and now I have had some decent trials in snowy conditions which has given me a good feel for what these tires are capable of in the snow.

One thing that I feel is true about anything branded "Fatback", and that is that whatever it is you are looking at from them, it has been optimized for use in Winter in Winter-like conditions. This really hit home with regard to the Sterling tires. Sure- they held their own on dirt, but when I hit the virgin snow....... The light turned on. Yep! The Sterling came alive in the snow. Even on slick, hard packed snow on the street, these tires could be trusted to grip quite well. Slightly better than Surly Larrys and BFL's? Yes, I think so. And they rolled well to boot.

Now a word about air pressures: I have gone down to something slightly above 10psi. Maybe 12-14psi, it's hard to say with these temps hovering around 0°F. But at any rate, the Sterlings do not need to go lower than this, in my opinion. I am on the brink of getting that front tire to not want to steer, which would happen for me with the Larry or BFL at about 4psi. The flatter crown of the Vee Rubber tire casing is why.

My nits? well, I still am peeved that these tires are way narrower than advertised. This is a 3.8" tire, period. That's fine, but it is not exactly what I was looking for when I bought these. In light of the actual width, the Sterling is a really good tire for fat bikes. I have great traction, but the tire rolls really fast, as long as you treat the tire with the air pressures it needs to do that with. To my mind, that is anything from 10-20psi, depending upon conditions. A Surly Larry or BFL, in contrast, is a tire I would never run over 10psi.

Secondly, due to the narrower than advertised width, you have to watch it when cornering or on off cambers. This tire grips until you tip the casing sideways, (or the ground falls away to one side or the other), and then the tire just goes away on you. Keep that tread contact patch fairly perpendicular to the ground though, and it does just fine. The line between holding its grip and losing it completely is a fine one though. This is particularly true with the front end, although I have had the back end come around on me a few times as well.

For a 3.8" tire, I think it is a keeper, but........I was expecting something wider and more forgiving in terms of float when I set out to buy tires. This tire fails at that. Look elsewhere if you need an "expedition worthy" tire. If you want lightweight, a tire that is capable in many conditions, and is fast rolling, look into this. Keep in mind that I feel the air pressures need to be higher than traditional, (read Surly tires), use.

Next step: Going tubeless. Stay tuned......

So, What Rhymes With Carbon?

I just built this one up yesterday. Another Carbon Beargrease XX1

In my post last week about Chinese sourced carbon fat bike frames, I mentioned how some industry folk believe that carbon fiber is the "material of choice" for the average bike in the future. They say it will replace aluminum as the most common bicycle frame material for the recreational cycling market.

Well, in road bikes, I can see that, and maybe in terms of mountain bikes, sure- that might happen, but would people really go to the extent of buying into the carbon fiber fat bike idea? I mean, a fat bike is sort of an odd deal yet. Maybe a "play bike" for someone loaded with bikes and that needs a diversion. I guess I was thinking your carbon fat bike idea might sell a few units, but this season has blown me away as far as how the carbon fat bike idea has taken root so quickly.

As I recall, it took at least 2G to build a Pugsley back five years ago, and that kept fat bikes out of my hands, and I am sure it deterred others as well. Then in late 2010, Salsa Cycles came out with that Mukluk and Surly quickly followed suit with their fully built Pugs option and suddenly you could buy a fat bike for under $1600.00 ready to roll.

Now this made sense to me. Now you could somewhat afford to dive in and take the chance to see what it was all about. Then several other companies started in with their own cheap options, which now have brought prices down to Walmart levels for a fat bike, (quite literally, with the Mongoose "Beast" fat bike. $200.00! ) Conversely Salsa Cycles started to push upward with a titanium offering and higher spec aluminum models. Then suddenly it seemed that everyone was talking carbon fiber fat bikes with crazy drive train set ups like SRAM's new XX1 stuff. (The cassette alone costs what TWO Mongoose Beast fat bikes do!) So, like........who is going to buy into that? Yeah, maybe a few, as I thought, but really.......not that many, right?

The slightly less blingy Carbon Beargrease X-9

Wrong! I have been soooooo wrong about this. It's blowing my mind everyday. I can't really explain it either. Yes- these are lighter by a fair piece than the aluminum Mukluks. (About 8lbs lighter in the case of a XX1 vs Muk 2) Yes, carbon is the premier material for frames in the road world and is quickly, (or already has), becoming the same in the mountain biking world. I guess fat bikes are falling in on the coat tails of this.

Is it really all about the weight? Maybe it is. I do know that the massive, almost cartoonish scale of the frame dimensions is amusing, but so far, I haven't seen any customers laughing, like I did when I first laid eyes on a Beargrease at Frostbike last February. So I don't know if that has anything at all to do with it. Is it the subversive blackness of the carbon frame? Maybe. Maybe fat bike customers are rebels that manifest their disconnect with traditional cycling by buying these outlandish looking steeds. "Look at me! I will crush you with my uber-light, ultra-black wheels of Death!

Or maybe this is the anti-Lance-effect bike. The bike that manifests the backlash against pro roadie drugged performances that has gutted the romance and idealistic dreams of the common cyclist who once played make-believe roadie when Lance was King. But it is still carbon fiber!

Or maybe these are just freaking cool bicycles that blow peoples minds to the point that they have to get one. But I don't know about that. Why didn't the same basic rigs in aluminum fly out the door like these have here then? Maybe aluminum isn't cool anymore. We're going to have to find a catch phrase for carbon like steel frames have. You know- steel is real  and all.  But what rhymes with carbon?

Well, whatever it is that is making this blow up, I can not say. All I know is that big, humongous boxes containing plasticky fat goodness keep appearing at the shop and I keep building them up. What happens after that is anybodies guess, I guess!

One Hot, One Cold

Triple D: 

So, if you haven't noticed on their site, the Triple D is on again and I signed up once again.  That means I have already been digging into just what it is I am going to do this year. obviously, the bike will be the ol' titanium Mukluk. The Snow Dog is stripped and hanging, so it can't be a choice now. (But that may change soon. We'll see.....)

Anywho.... I have been experimenting more with the Fatback Sterling tires. Now with the weekend's snow and really cold temperatures, I can get a read on what the snow performance might be like with these tires. It was a balmy 1°F yesterday morning with a bitterly cold windchill, some fresh snow, and a bright, clear sky. Perfect!

I ran the Sterlings at about 20psi and keep in mind- that was indoors psi. Outside it was slightly less due to the cold air. I was pleased with the traction. That was far better than the Larrys from a snow standpoint. I was running through some loose, unpacked snow and some heavily packed snow. In both situations I found the tires felt stable and had decent grip. The surprise was how fast they were once you got on some deeper snow. The feeling was night and day versus running on hard pack snow or pavement.

Coming home I dumped the pressure to 15 psi, (again- set indoors), and the grip level was higher with better float. Probably equivalent to what my Larrys were like at 5-6psi. At the 15psi setting, (again, what they were at 2°F- the temperature coming home- is going to be slightly less), the Sterlings had a bit more self-steer, but nothing unbearable. Rutted trail would have likely been an issue, but I didn't have that feature on the way home to know for certain.

Conclusion: This tire should work for Triple D. More soon....

The GTDRI in 2010

The Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational:

Okay. A lot of folks are setting goals and making ride plans for 2014 already, so I wanted to talk about the GTDRI.  This is my hot, long, tough ride that I do every summer. I've got a plan, and I thought I'd put it out there for consideration.

So I want to do the same route we did back in '09-'10. A few of you know this route and know that it is a killer 118 mile ride with 10,000ft of elevation gain. There are many 12-15% grades, and it has stellar views. I don't think anyone will argue that this loop is worthy of GTDRI status. By the way, it's a loop that starts near West Union, Iowa and takes in the small villages of Elgin, Elkader, Garber, Strawberry Point, Volga, and Wadena.

Now here might be a controversial point. I am going to suggest that the ride take place July 19th. Yes....that is the day before the start of RAGBRAI. You know what? do not care about that. Folks in the past said it mattered to them, but from what I have seen over the last few years, the folks showing up to this ride are not saying they are doing RAGBRAI, so I am not making any considerations for that. If I hear and read a hue and cry to change my date, I will seriously consider it, but I bet that I do not. So......it's pretty sure at this point that it will be the 19th. 

The first time we did this loop, (during The Summer That Wasn't A Summer),  it took all day to complete this brutal beast of a ride. The last time I attempted it, I succumbed to the heat and only got in 80 miles. I want to go back and get this done and overcome the heat monster, if I can.

As long as I am at it.... Here's the tentative schedule for 2014:

• Triple D (January)
• Possibly a solo attempt at something in March
• Renegade Gents Race- (April)
• Put on T.I.v10 (April)
• Something in May (Thinking Almanzo)
• Odin's Revenge (June)
• GTDRI (July)
• Gravel Worlds (August)

That's enough to think about for now!

Trans Iowa Clinic: Report

Saturday was the day for the Trans Iowa Clinic down in Des Moines, Iowa. We were expecting about 40 folks to show up and learn from some very experienced Trans Iowa finishers and veterans. The venue was an empty sliver of space between Tacopocalypse, (a restaurant run by Trans Iowa veteran, Sam Auen), and an art gallery. Years ago it was a milk truck garage. Back in the days when milk was delivered house to house by dairies instead of procured at grocery stores, trucks were loaded with milk for deliveries at such warehouses.

So the space was rustic and I felt fit the vibe of Trans Iowa perfectly. I couldn't have asked for a better place to do this clinic. Besides that, Sam saw to it that we had chairs, That the Christmas tree was decorated, and that the place was swept and in order, and also that he had staff on hand to run his restaurant so he could attend!

I left town before noon with Mrs. Guitar Ted loaded up with my Singular Gryphon set up for a long gravel ride and my materials I needed to put on the show. Likewise, Steve Fuller, who has ridden in a few Trans Iowas, photographed a few, and also finished T.I.v9, was there early to set up a ginormous screen, projector, lap top with power point presentation, and he brought a P.A along with his Salsa La Cruz steel bike set up for T.I.

Looking toward the entrance- R-L: Mrs Guitar Ted, Steve, and Mike

Mike Johnson, a multiple Trans Iowa finisher and Tour Divide finisher came down with his wife and he brought a slew of tire samples, materials for the riders to take notes, some chairs for us to sit on, some gear to show, and his own titanium Vaya set up for a Trans Iowa attempt.

Steve and Sam, along with his staff, had most of the work done by the time the rest of us had arrived, but we took our time getting things arranged correctly and talked a bit about how we were going to run the show. We all ate at various times from Sam's fantastic restaurant, Tacopocalypse throughout the day. Again- I highly recommend the place if you ever get to Des Moines!

So things were running smoothly and by 4:00pm we were pretty much set to go and receive our guests. There were three tables full of gear, Steve's, Mike's, and my bicycles along with the bicycles of Dan Buettner and last Trans Iowa winner, Dick Wince's bike.  All represented different ways to set up a Trans Iowa bike and I think these really were an influence on visitors to the Clinic.

Mid-set up: Tables with Trans Iowa type tires, gear, and later, some bags riders use. 

Two of the five bicycles we had on display, all set up, ready to ride a Trans Iowa. 

Mike and Steve during the Q&A session

At about 5:00pm, some folks started to wander in and take in what we had on display. Soon I found myself deep into conversations with some folks I have met through Trans Iowas and also with some new folks coming for their very first Trans Iowa. Mike and Steve were also available and talking with the various folks stopping in.

Then it was time to start the show. I made a few announcements and then we rolled the documentary "300 Miles of Gravel", which I think we found out everyone there had seen before, so obviously folks are researching Trans Iowa!

After this, I invited Steve and Mike up and we dove into the "meat" of what went on for the evening. I basically was the "moderator/MC", and kind of just helped flow things along while Steve and Mike began to share their experiences and thoughts on everything from bikes, to gear, to strategy, and more. While the audience didn't have a lot of questions, it was obvious that they were engaged in what was being shared. I saw a LOT of note taking going on!

Steve making a point on his bike set up while Mike assists with steadying his steed.

We started out with bicycle choice and why certain bicycles were chosen after starting with others. Steve and Mike are both great examples of how learning from experiences has taught them certain lessons and pushed them towards certain bicycle choices which are quite different from where they started.

The next section was mostly about gear: Tires, lights and bags were discussed and why things were chosen were shared by Mike and Steve. It was about this time when we enjoyed additional commentary coming from Trans Iowa V9 winner, Dick Wince, (aka "Mr. Charming") , Matt Maxwell, and Dan Buettner. With all of this vast Trans Iowa experience on hand, it really made for a well rounded showcase of what works and what doesn't to cover 300+ miles of gravel in one sitting.

We also appreciated the additional content provided by Matt Gersib via images of his T.I.v10 bike set up which we dissected and discussed, so all in all it was really information packed and I think it didn't really focus too much on any single aspect of set up, but showed that riders need to devise and "thinker through" their own set up and make changes based upon what works best for them. This also applied to lights, but I found it interesting that a very underscored point was to get a good light to see signage with mounted on your helmet for night riding navigational purposes. All were in agreement with that one!

Post event hanging out and questions abounded!

We started the event at 5:35pm and the Q&A session started at about 6:20pm. We didn't wrap thing up until 9:30pm, and it could have went far, far longer than that! I was conscious of time and tried to keep things moving along, but I could definitely see that there are a lot of curious minds and much to be shared about this gravel road riding and ultra-distance event riding on gravel. Afterward, everyone in attendance received a bag of Hammer Nutritional supplements as a thank you for attending.

Of course, eventually everything came to an end. So, how well did this go? All I can say is that we received many thank yous, many compliments, and no criticisms at all, (although even I know we could have tweaked it out to be better). I would say yes- it was a big success in my opinion. It came together seamlessly mostly due to the excellent quality of folks involved: Steve Fuller, Mike Johnson, Sam Auen, Dick Wince, Matt Maxwell, and Dan Beuttner were all instrumental in making this clinic a well rounded, information rich experience.

Afterward, we broke everything down, packed up our belongings, and went to Zombie Burger in Des Moines for a late supper. It was super fun to celebrate a great collaboration amongst friends. Well done and thank you to everyone involved!  After all of the festivities, Mrs. Guitar Ted and I had a two hour drive home, and we didn't get back until 3am! Let me tell you, my Sunday started at 6am, and it was a rough day! But that said, I had a ton of fun sharing with everyone our passion for gravel riding and what it takes to do that comfortably for a long distance.

Now, I have to address all of you who are going to "wish that you were there", and all of you who will wonder if all this knowledge and what not will be shared, repeated in another event, or what have you. Unfortunately I have to say without any reservations that "no- it won't", at least not by our crew. Not anytime soon, at any rate. We do encourage all who have the will to get up and take action to do so locally. I think it would be a great idea for this to happen with local knowledge on a small scale all over the country.

That said, without spilling the beans, I do know of a "major event promoter's" plans to do a multi-day gravel clinic. You'll hear about it soon and see it linked here. Stay tuned.....

As for the Trans Iowa Clinic, that;'s a wrap.

Trans Iowa: Ten Years Of Tales #17

In mid-November, the idea of Trans Iowa was hatched. The year was 2004. In the ten years since then there have been many stories and memories. These posts will tell of the most prominent ones to my mind. Maybe I'll even spill the beans on some things you never knew....

The scene of my personal B Road encounter

 The year of 2008 was a pretty dismal year in terms of weather for the Mid-West and Iowa in particular. It started out with a Winter that wouldn't quit. Snow was piled high until very late into March and recon was pushed back till the last week of March for T.I.v4. There were a few odds and ends that needed attending to, and with David Pals working week days, many of my days off were spent traversing Highway 20 East to access parts of our course for that year.

On one of those trips, I took the "Dirty Blue Box", as my '90 Civic wagon was known as, and headed up to the Edgewood area to check on a few things. On my way there, I took a brief shortcut around a town to save some time. The maps showed a county road through the area, but it turned to gravel. Okay, not unusual, I thought, but the map showed pavement here. Hmm.....

So I am cruising along at about 45mph on gravel on a gray, drizzly day, when I crest a hill and.......Bam! I suddenly am out of control sliding down a B Maintenance road on saturated clay! What I am about to write here all happened within a few seconds.

Okay, my first thought was that I could NOT use the brakes. I knew instinctively that had I stuck a foot on the pedal, I would have been every which way but straight on that downhill mess and would have crashed. Wet clay is like grease, or black ice. It's treacherous! The next thing that I was aware of were two, big, deep ruts in the road. They were likely put there by a farmer's tractor, as they were narrow and so deep I don't know how a truck or car could have made them. Whatever! My main concern was to NOT drop a wheel into either rut, or I was done for. The little Civic would have been sitting on its floorpan and I would have had to been towed.......someday.....when the roads dried up! Seriously! When farmers get their tractors stuck out here in fields, they often have helicopters pull them out if it means planting or harvesting won't get done if they do not get pulled out.

Post traumatic mud syndrome

Well, the car finally came to a stop. I was in a small rut, and maybe I could get going? I tried, but the wheels were spinning! I knew that if I were to keep spinning those tires, the car would sink down far enough that all hope of getting out would be lost. I was out of the car, surveying my situation, and running out of reasonable options. So, I thought of something unreasonable! 

My predicament was such that I figured I had a one shot chance at getting out. What I needed was someone to push, while I hit the throttle gently. I just needed to clear the front wheels out of the small rut, (which actually brought the car to a halt originally), and  I figured the down hill nature of the road would help in getting me the 1/8th of a mile I had to go to the intersection and regular gravel. Trouble was, I was alone, at least a half mile away from the nearest farm, where, if anyone was home, I'd have to convince someone to walk down a gooey mud road in a light rain to push a fool out of a rut. Or......I could push it out myself! 

So, I did something unreasonable. I put the car in drive, left the drivers door wide open, and got a firm footing behind the Civic. The front wheels were slowly spinning in the mud this entire time.  I started heaving up and forward on the bumper, and the wheels up front found something to grip, and the car started moving! I kept pushing faster. Now this was a critical point in the plan. Had the car veered to one side or the other, I would have failed, but it stayed going straight due to the wonderful nature of front wheel drive vehicles. When the car was picking up enough speed that I figured I could drive it, I launched around the left side, ran up to the door, and leapt into the car. Again, if I miss, I am done for. But I landed my butt squarely in the seat!

With the door flopping and my left leg dangling precariously out of the side of the car, I gently goosed the accelerator, steered as best I could, and drove it out onto clear gravel! I was so elated that when I stopped I literally danced in the road, hooting and hollering.  Amazingly, I got the car out of that dire situation, plus it was unscathed, if not just a wee bit caked with clay.

I carried on with recon, by the skin-o-my teeth, and got home later safely. Trans Iowa v4's course was in desperate need of drying out, but as we would find out later, it would not get that chance.

Next week: The lead up to, and beginning of Trans Iowa v4.......

Trans Iowa: Ten Years Of Tales #16

In mid-November, the idea of Trans Iowa was hatched. The year was 2004. In the ten years since then there have been many stories and memories. These posts will tell of the most prominent ones to my mind. Maybe I'll even spill the beans on some things you never knew....

Trans Iowa v4 Recon circa January '08

 With David Pals on board, Trans Iowa took on a very different look right away. David was aware of my misgivings about ever doing another Trans Iowa, and he was giving me some great ideas on how to make things better.

With regard to all the drops, which angered me, he suggested we let in "veterans" on the registration first, since they'd likely be more apt to show up. It was decided that out of a roster of 100, 50 spots would go to Veterans of Trans Iowa first, and if they didn't take them all, the rest would go to the Rookies. This marked the first year we discriminated the roster by experience.

Secondly, with regard to keeping track of riders, David suggested more check points be implemented. T.I.v4 would be the first  Trans Iowa that featured a Checkpoint #1 and a Checkpoint #2. This was done primarily to help keep track of who was in and who was not.

We were going to go out of Decorah again, so all the route planning and recon centered around Decorah and Northeast Iowa. Unfortunately, 2007 was the Winter when we got iced out of recon in the early Winter. Simply put, David and I waited too long to get going, and Winter shut us down. We did a meager recon effort early in '08, but basically, nothing got done until about a month before the event.

This image was taken less than 1 month before T.I.V4

Then Winter kept pushing us backward. finally, there was time and there was decent weather about three weekends before T.I.v4 was to occur. David and I did the entire recon in one trip. It was super brutal, but we were backed up against the wall, as it were, by the severe Winter conditions of '07-'08. I remember seeing snow drifts that were ten feet high on the sides of the road and there were hardly any places we didn't see copious amounts of snow sitting around waiting to be melted.

The addition of a second checkpoint made volunteers more important, so a call was out to recruit enough folks to get the ball rolling at two checkpoints. It was decided also to make three sets of cues to get through the event. Starting out would only get you to Checkpoint #1, then a new set of cues to Checkpoint #2, and so on. Time limitations were set to get to each checkpoint and to the finish, which was 34 hours total once again.

Sponsorship was found for the event from Priceton Tech, Surly, and others. I was basically doing all that behind the scenes sponsorship stuff for the first time since Jeff, who was so good at that, was gone. It also meant that Pre-Race stuff was all up to me as well. I secured the T Bock's Sports Bar again as the center of the race start, and the only change there was that we would have to use T Bock's basement level party room, since the old upper room used for T.I.v3 was under renovation.Things were coming together in that respect, but as far as cue sheets and how the course might fare, well- that was another thing altogether.

Tomorrow: The mud-tastic final recon of the T.I.v4 course.