Trans Iowa V11: A Look At The Rules- Part 1

Okay, it is time to start the annual build up toward T.I.V11 here on the blog. Last year I did a historical overview of each Trans Iowa up to T.I.V9. This year I am going to revisit something that I feel many folks have overlooked for a long time; The "Race Rules".

The race rules for Trans Iowa are an important thing, not just for Trans Iowa, obviously, but these race rules, written mostly by Jeff Kerkove in late November of 2004, were the foundation of a lot of gravel road events that came afterward. I see it all the time when I post a new event to Gravel Grinder News. Bits and pieces of Jeff's original rules that have shaped the way these grassroots races are framed and run right up to this very day.

I wanted to continue the celebration of ten years worth of Trans Iowas by recognizing Jeff's contribution to the niche of gravel grinding in the form of a post on each of the rules as he set them out back then. I will start with "The Golden Rule" and go week by week, featuring one rule at a time until I cover all 22 of them.

The rules read in a sort of odd way in 2014, and I will look at that and explain why that is the way they are. There are a few things I changed and added along the way, but mostly these are Jeff's rules, and I think I was done tweaking them out shortly after the end of T.I.V6. Probably 99% of it all was laid out by T.I.V3's running, and I maybe did two rules out of the 22 there all by myself.

So, look for these to start next Sunday with The Golden Rule.