Registration Daze Update #3

There has been only one tandem team at Trans Iowa up until now....

It has been a slow news day for Trans Iowa registration today and for the last couple of days. The big news is that we have a second ever tandem team committed to race in the event next April.

I thought it might be interesting to take a look at the first tandem team that had ever tried Trans Iowa. It was back in 2010 at Trans Iowa V6, which was the first one we ever pulled off out of Grinnell, Iowa. The previous year, a relatively unknown married couple from Idaho tried the Tour Divide on a tandem and finished the event. It was Jay and Tracey Petervary. When they signed up for T.I.V6, I was told privately by a few folks that I should expect big things from these two folks, and they delivered for sure.

Riding pretty much the same set up that they rode to success in Tour Divide, the Petervarys were stalwart and steadfast in an event that threw strong rain, winds, soft roads, mud, and intense lightning at them throughout the event, which eventually was called short in North English, Iowa at a malt shop Saturday evening. My lasting impression of the Petervarys was from watching them leave a convenience store in Pella, Iowa. They both mounted their Vicious Cycles tandem, clipped in, pushed off, stood up out of the saddle together, and rode off, all in perfect synchronization and without a single word. It was as if they were communicating by unheard signals, but later, I found out that it kind of just worked out that way through constant repetition of tasks on the bike.

L-R: J. Petervary, T. Petervary, C. Parsons, M. Braun, on floor- M. Gersib

That event was brutal, and the Petervarys were still truckin' when we pulled them off at the end. Would they have finished if the conditions hadn't been so brutal? Maybe. That will never be known now. I will say that they showed every sign of having the total package for clocking in with a solid finish, but you just never know in any Trans Iowa what will befall the competitors as they try to reach the end of the road.

That was then, and now we have another team signed up which will be captained by former T.I.V7 winner and multiple Trans Iowa finisher, Dennis Grelk. He will be teaming up with Christina Anthony, who technically is a Rookie, but since this is a tandem team, and Dennis is a former winner, I gave Christina a free pass on getting in together with Dennis. It is kind of unknown territory for Trans Iowa. We so rarely ever get a tandem team, (this being the second one ever), so I felt that by doing this it might be seen as an encouragement to others to try it out. Personally, I think Trans Iowa is a great event for a tandem team. The dynamics of a team working against the challenges could be a positive, but just as easily could be a huge negative. I like the possibilities I see in it. Anyway.......

Finally we saw the man from Duluth, Tim Ek sign on. All I will say publicly about that is that Tim is one you should keep an eye on and that he is one of my favorite Trans Iowa competitors and one of my rewards that I have enjoyed from doing Trans Iowa over the years. Thanks Tim!

Okay, Registration for this group will probably peter out Friday and Saturday. We'll maybe see a few straggler post cards show up, but I suspect that I will be adding at least six spots or so to the Vet Class allotment for their registration next week starting Monday.It'll get weird Monday, so stay tuned!!!