Trans Iowa V10: Cutting!

Chop shop.

Note: Loyal readers and casual visitors to this blog beware! This week is the lead up to my production of the 10th Trans Iowa gravel road event which happens this coming Saturday and Sunday. I have pretty much nothing else going on in my brain that isn't related to this event, so that's the content for the next two weeks, most likely. You've been warned!

Well the cues are all printed! WooHoo! One hurdle jumped, but there are others yet to clear before Friday. I will say that getting these printed is a big hurdle to jump through though!

Printing took about 500 sheets of card stock, three regular Model 74 HP ink cartridges and one Model 74 x-tra large ink cartridge. With that done, it moves on to the cutting phase.

This is another big hurdle, and once it is crossed, the cues are pretty much ready to consume. All I have to do with them is separate them into packets for each rider. Easier said than done though, as trimming down the cues to fit into their baggies takes a lot of manual labor. I'm using the shop's rickety old cutter too, which makes things.........interesting. There definitely is a skill to using this old thing and if you get lazy, it bites back! Not that it cuts me, but rather, it doesn't cut. It just bends the paper instead of cutting it making a mess of things. So far, so good. No ruined cues, but I have already come close.

I've gotten as far as getting the cues cut and stuffed for Checkpoint #1 with the exception of about the last 25 sets. Then I'll move on to sets two and three. For the record, there are four cue cards to Checkpoint #1, Six to Checkpoint #2, and eight cue cards to the Finish. Speaking of "finish", I better get on with things so I can!