Trans Iowa V6: Thoughts Part X

Melt That Snow!! So, I have a lot of recon work to get going on here before March comes. I have one enemy now. Snow. Well........snow and ice! Okay, two enemies. Anyway, I need to get some work done and get it tucked away for this event.

Because of this, I have declined an invite to CIRREM at the end of February. If the weather turns out to be good enough to ride bikes, it'll be good enough to do recon, so that's the plan. Gotta sacrifice some fun to get the job done! Too bad too, 'cause a lot of good folks are committing to this event and I would love to go, but I just can't fritter away a single opportunity now to get recon done. When I get that out of the way, then I can rest a little easier. However; you should go if you can. It's going to be a great opener to the 2010 gravel scene.



Sponsor's Corner: I will be highlighting a few sponsors now as the lead up to Trans Iowa V6 comes along. First up is the shop where I work,

Europa Cycle and Ski.

Europa will be graciously supporting Trans Iowa with our logistical needs. Not very glamorous stuff, but very, very necessary to get the event off the ground. Thanks for the support! Visit Europa Cycle and Ski if you are ever in the Cedar Falls/Waterloo area and say "hi".



Next up is Banjo Brothers. This is the company that makes some really great bags and accessories for your bicycle including a killer commuter back pack, one of which will be a prize at Trans Iowa along with two messenger bags.

One other thing Banjo Brothers makes that is a really useful tool for you T.I.V6 riders is this top tube bag which comes highly recommended by me. I use one quite a bit, and mine is an earlier version. These are even better now with a couple of tweaks since I got mine. Fourteen smackers is MSRP and you'll get a ton of usefulness for that coinage. I can get a cell phone, small point and shoot, and a couple of gels in mine easily. Check it out!

Waiting List: The Waiting List expires in 16 days. If you are in T.I.V6 now, but won't make it, do me a favor and let me know NOW! I have a big list of waiters and I can get that place filled. I have already transferred in a few folks already. If you are on the list, and you don't hear from me by January 31st, then I am sorry, but the transfers will be cut off at that time. You'll have to wait until your chance at getting into T.I.V7 comes up for next year.

Need A Room? We have a special lodging rate secured for a block of 20 rooms in Grinnell. Click the link to see where or for more details on how to access the special rate, see the Latest News section on the T.I.V6 site.

Pre-Race Meet Up: This is mandatory for you to attend to get your cue sheets for the first leg of the event and to get the low down on any last minute information. Details on when and where are being discussed, but an announcement will be forthcoming very soon. The time will be approximately 5:00pm on the 23rd of April in Grinnell. I will be adding this reminder to every post about T.I.V6 until the event, so there should be no excuses for not showing up. Here's why it is of utmost importance:

When we secure the room/restaurant for the Pre-Race Meet up, you will be informed where to go to check in with me: Guitar Ted. Each person expecting to race on Saturday morning will need to meet me and make sure I check your name off on the roster. Here you will also sign off on a waiver. Once you have been checked off and have signed the waiver, you are invited to eat. If you choose not to eat, stick around anyway, because at about 6:30pm we will start the pre-race packet pick up. Because you have checked in with me at the door, I will not have to waste time calling out names of folks that didn't show up. Note: I will only call up names that were checked at the door before the pre-race packet pick up! If you are late, lost, or just hoping to score an unused spot on the roster, too bad. It won't be happening. So, to repeat- if you fail to get checked in before the call up, you will not be racing! I will return to this every post from here on out, here and on the T.I.V6 site. More fine details to come, so stay tuned! (Oh, and don't think you can check in early either.)

I hope to have more on this very soon.