Trans Iowa: Some Pictures!

I thought I'd share with you all some of my favorite images from Trans Iowa V2 this week. I also will be making some commentary on these.

This was at the start in the parking lot at the West Sioux High School in Hawarden, Iowa at about 3:55 am. I had all the riders lined up behind the lead out van. All the lights and bicycles made for quite a beautiful spectacle!

There was excitement in the air and everybody was looking forward to getting to Algona before six at night. Of course, that didn't happen, but at this time it looked like it was anyone's race to win. The misting rain was light, the winds were light, and it was about 50 degrees at this point.




By the time that I snapped this photo, things had changed radically! This was about 45 miles into the event. These guys were the only ones that had any chance at all to get to Algona before 6pm. Everybody else was mathematically out of it. The sun had barely come up and that was it for most of the field!

This scene is the same one you'll find on the video that Jeff made 0f the event. These were the eight guys that were out front for the entire event until most of them pulled the plug in Sutherland and Pederson, Iowa. Then a few other guys had caught up and about another eight fellows, including a couple from this group made it past Pederson to get anywhere from 80 to just over a hundred miles up the road. The "last men standing" were Dallas Sigurdur and Lindsey Gauld who made it to the 119.5 mile mark in Mallard, Iowa by about seven in the evening!

A couple of notes on that second picture. Jeff was at the other end of that mile section of "B" road where a blacktop road intersected the course. He was ferrying Lindsey Gauld's van for him. Jeff got the thing stuck in the mud when he slipped a little too far off of the pavement trying to park the van for a meet-up with me. He got out, but just barely!

While I was waiting for the riders at this spot, Jeff joined me, but before he did, I was approached by a lady who was jogging by herself in the rain. She was wondering if I needed help. I was wondering the same about her, as she was running in the rain in 48 degree temperatures with a t-shirt and jogging pants on! Hardy lady, I'd say!

After Jeff showed up at this spot, a fellow on a quad runner came by to see how we were doing, and if we'd "lost a pet or something". When Jeff told him that there would be cyclists coming up that "B" road, he said, "You can't do that! They can't ride up that road!". Jeff replied, "Oh yes, they are coming!" To which the guy said, "No, they can't make it......." He shook his head in disbelief and rode off. I secretly hope he sees Jeff's video!

Don't forget to read the race recap here for all the details on this years event from my perspective! I'll have more linkage to other great T.I. stories soon!