Trans Iowa V8: Random Thoughts

Warning: You readers will be seeing a lot of Trans Iowa V8 stuff in the next two to three weeks. The event takes a lot of my mental capacities at this point, so......I write about it!

Weather: So we're finally getting some very much needed rains at this point. It is forecast that possibilities of rain exist more than they don't for the coming two weeks, but again- Unless it rains to epic proportions I just don't see how the roads, (besides B Roads), will be very much affected by this. My feeling is that it has been so dry over the past 10 months that the water table is pretty dinged about right now.

Weather people seem to support that feeling having put most of Iowa in the "slight drought" category over the past several weeks. So, my mind says that the worst enemy now will be the county maintainers and the winds. Of course, it always could rain the days of Trans Iowa, but so it goes.....

Scenery: Since Trans Iowa left the hills surrounding Decorah, Iowa after T.I.V4, we haven't had that super-awesome scenery on the ride. That will change this year. If you can manage to ride to the mid-parts of Trans Iowa V8, you will be in for a treat.

The other thing about the ride that will be quite unusual is that most of the trees will be leafed out already. That isn't normally the case, but our early blast of heat in March sped the season up about a month. It has slowed down a bit with the colder temps in April, but look for the trees to be rustling in the wind this year.

Apology: I have to apologize to some folks for hitting them with e-mails after they had already been contacted and said they were out. I missed justifying my computer roster with my hard copy roster and kinda messed up there. Sorry folks!

Thanks to all who have replied to my e-mails concerning the Pre-Race Meat-Up. You folks are awesome. I only have not heard from two folks so far. Those two are Brian Hall and Jonathan Weissman. If you know these two, have them get ahold of me ASAP!!

Otherwise the numbers for this year are down. Lots of injured folks out there this year. I hate to report that, but it seems to be the case. As of now, it looks as though we will see 76 total riders, which includes the three riders that don't count against the roster. As I said yesterday, there are always some no-shows and we've still got two weeks before T.I.V8. How many of you would like to bet that if rain is in the forecast the roster will shrink even more? My money is on shrinkage of epic proportions, but we'll see if rain is forecast.

As of now? I bet we'll easily dip down into the 60's for riders and high 50's wouldn't at all be a surprise to me. It is T.I. after all. This ain't no hunnerd miler, ya know!