Well, if you are a typical Trans Iowa contestant, you already know that Iowa is getting dumped on with rain. I think it rained for a good 15 hours yesterday and it wasn't just drizzling either! The thing is, we're supposed to get up to two more inches in the next two days before it's over. Combined with low temperatures, (for this time of year) and no sunshine and you have the makings for a wet, sloppy start to Trans Iowa.
They are forecasting no rain after Friday morning, but with a cloudy sky and lower temps, we will be assured to have less than optimal road conditions in several places on the course. I know it won't be as bad as last year, but it won't be great either. The one thing we have going for us in North East Iowa is the hills, which help drain the roads much more quickly than the roads in Western Iowa did last year. It was pretty flat where the roads were the worst then.
Of course, there are flat sections too, so we aren't totally out of the woods yet with potentially water soaked gravel or softer road beds. On the good side, we're supposed to see sunny skies and temperatures in the upper 60's by around noon Saturday, so that will help to expedite the drying out of the gravel hopefully. Of course, if there is a healthy wind, that will dry things out even faster, but that brings a different sort of difficulty, so you trade one for the other.
Regardless, it's safe to say that the weather is playing out it's role in Trans Iowa again. It's always one of the bigger factors in deciding the fate of riders in this event. This year looks to be no different!
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