Trans Iowa Update #22: Remember The Following!
The Pre-Race Meat-Up: Must Attend!! Starts at 5pm @ The Grinnell Steakhouse and should be over by 8pm. If you do not show up by 6pm, you won't be in the event!! There will be a check in from 5pm till 6pm which you must make sure to do. This will guarantee you a race packet, and your first set of cue sheets. No check in = No riding in Trans Iowa. No Exceptions!!
The Start Of Trans Iowa V7: You should show up on Broad Street in front of Bikes To You no later than 3:55AM to line up and receive final instructions for the event. You will be able to come earlier, if you want to. Also: There should be ample parking in the street on that block, but please do not plan on leaving your car there for the day! We will not be responsible for parking tickets or cars that get impounded. You've been warned!
The event will start promptly at 4AM with a controlled lead out by car. Once we get the field cleared of the city, we will pull off and allow you to "have at it". This should be approximately two miles at most.
Checkpoint #1: The first checkpoint will come at Mile 53. You Must Arrive At The Checkpoint By 9:15AM!! If you fail to reach the checkpoint by this time, you will be DNF'ed. No Exceptions!
Checkpoint #2: The second checkpoint, which is the rural one with no services, should come at about 177 miles into the course. You have until 10pm Saturday evening to get there, or be done. Again, if you see that you will be falling short of the mark to make it by 10pm, we suggest that you make a call to your support person to come and get you, or plan on a long ride back to Grinnell on your own recognizance. Trans Iowa will not be there to get you, or provide any sort of means to get you back to Grinnell. Once again, you will not get a cue sheet set to the finish unless you get to Checkpoint #2 by 10pm Saturday evening and you give our volunteers the sign that you are heading onward.
The Finish: The finish will be at Lion's Park in Grinnell. You must arrive at the finish by 2pm Sunday afternoon to be credited with an "official Trans Iowa finish". If you arrive late, you will be counted as "Outside The Time Limit", or DNF'ed if we do not see you. (Trust us, we won't be sticking around long after 2pm!)
Awards: We do not hold an official awards ceremony. We hand out prizing, take photos, and congratulate finishers pretty much as it happens on the spot, or after the finisher comes back from a quick shower and some grub. Due to the nature of the finish of Trans Iowa, if you want to be there and be a part of the finishing scene, we suggest you arrive by 5AM Sunday morning and plan on sticking around awhile.
NOTICE: Any and/or all of the above is subject to change, or may not happen at all, due to weather conditions which are beyond our control. Please see our Rules section at the Trans Iowa website for details.
Most Importantly, Remember The Following: Events like Trans Iowa don't make any money, are put on for the "love of the sport" by a very few individuals that could be doing something else just as easily as Trans Iowa. Please respect that by showing up where and when you are supposed to be. Please remember this isn't something you paid Trans Iowa to do. We don't provide anything but a route and a chance to challenge yourself against that. The rest is up to you to figure out. Yes- all of the rest of it. You come to this ride of your own free will, accepting any and all responsibility for you and your actions.
Here are a few tips to live by at Trans Iowa. (Listen up Rookie Class!)
- Keep a cell phone handy, but keep it turned off. Otherwise, when you need to call, you won't be able to because your battery will be drained from all the roaming your phone will be doing if it is on all the time.
- Ride with a group. It makes things easier, and if something does go wrong, you won't be alone trying to figure out what to do. (Got that cell phone? Got a bail out plan?)
- Know when to say when. If you are slowing down, not covering 10 miles in a hour, (Note: NOT 10mph average, which is waaay too slow!), then consider that you will not make the next checkpoint, or finish in time, and call in your bail out plan. (You've got a cell phone and a bail out plan, right?)
- Lots Of You Will Not Finish, So Get A Bail Out Plan Together! Even if the weather is perfect, the best we've seen for finishing ratio to starters is 1 in 3. Yes, fully 2/3rds of you won't make it, and probably more than that if the weather is poor. Remember: You Are Responsible For You!
- Make sure you take the opportunities to stock up when they are presented to you! Keep in mind that you should always carry supplies in food and water to get you by for 100 miles without stopping. Convenience stores will be few and far between!
- Make sure you are prepared for any weather. Keep a close watch on the weather leading up to the event, but also know you will be riding in two periods of darkness, (Got Lights?), and through two periods of daylight, (for most finishers, if there are any). You may need arm warmers, tights, cool shorts, and sleeveless jerseys for this event. Or a rain cape, or all of it! (Sun tan lotion?) Just be prepared for all of it. It could rain, be sunny, windy, warm, and cold, all throughout the 34 hours of T.I.V7.
- Make sure you have a working set of lights for front and rear. You will be DQ'ed without these during the night time hours if you are observed without them.
- Ride Right: Stay to the right side of the roads, especially going up hills. We will DQ riders if they are seen riding up the left side of hills. Stop at all stop signs and obey all traffic laws! The route of T.I.V7 is all on public roads and is not a closed route! Cars, trucks, and ag equipment will be out. Please respect the right of way and allow cars the ability to pass you. This means you will yield the right of way to cars at intersections, and allow traffic to pass without interference. If we hear of problems, or see riders obstructing traffic, or disobeying traffic laws, we will DQ them on the spot or upon hearing of it.
- Ride Smart: There will be big hills on this route, some you will come upon in darkness. There will be pot holes, sandy traps, ruts, and other pitfalls along the way. Be alert! Don't ride beyond the abilities of yourself, or your lighting system. Drink water often. Eat vittles often. Have a back up plan at the ready just in case. (Got that cell phone and a bail out person just in case, right?)
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