Trans Iowa V11 Report: The Struggle To Get There

Click on this to make larger. Note the rain slashing down. (Image by Wally Kilburg)

The Struggle To Get There

While I was wrestling my truck down sloppy roads, and feeling dark and depressed about things, there were 94 other stories being told out there that were far more difficult and taxing to go through than mine. While I cannot speak for any of them, I can show you some images and relate what was told to me by the riders.

I expected there would be lots of attrition as far as people dropping out before Checkpoint #1, but amazingly, many actually rode all the way in, despite being late. Some didn't though, and cut back to town the quickest way possible.

5:34 am: "Brian McEntire #69- out Just going too slow. No way I'll make the CP. Riding back in."

That was an example, and the very first text I received during the event. Oddly enough, I only received about 27 texts concerning dropping out. Most of the folks just arrived at the checkpoint and called in their rides while letting us know they were okay.

Central to the missed cut off times was the obvious- the weather- but there was a "knock out punch" in the form of a B Level Maintenance Road about 13 miles away from the checkpoint. Many riders playing with the edge of not making it on time were assured they would not make it on time once they figured out how long that one mile took to traverse. There also were the regular gravel roads, which were giving us fits in our trucks. George , in the "media truck", reported to me that he was in four wheel drive and probably would have been stuck several times without it. You can imagine how the roads may have been on a bicycle then. Finally, the course itself went East a few times and right into the teeth of the wind and rain. All of these things were, in the end, just too much for all of the riders. Even though Greg Gleason made it past Checkpoint #1, he only just escaped, and ultimately it all caught up to him as well.

An unknown rider turns to get a rare tailwind push during Trans Iowa v11: (Image by Wally Kilburg)

The first riders reach the unrideable B Level Road going to Checkpoint #1. (Image by Wally Kilburg)

 Sarah Cooper (L) and Gerald Heib struggle against the elements and their effects on the roads. (Image by Wally Kilburg)

A rider passes the media truck making their way toward Checkpoint #1. (Image by Wally Kilburg)

Riders were forced out into the mud as the ditches disappear on the B Level Road. (Image by Jeremy Kershaw)

A rider tries to make up time on a more solid section of gravel during Trans Iowa V11 (Image by Wally Kilburg)

Bruce Gustafson splooshes through a mushy gravel section on his way to CP#1. (Image by Wally Kilburg)

Riders were relating to me at the checkpoint that they were having to put out "maximum effort" all the way to the checkpoint, which still didn't get most there anywhere close to the cut off time. The conditions were just too bleak, and for many, it also was causing issues with hypothermia. The Trans Iowa lion had roared and unleashed its fury, as if to say "You shall not pass!", and what could anyone do against such a foe?

The results of the battle waged were seen at Checkpoint #1, which suddenly became a triage center for cold, weary riders.

Next: The Carnage

Trans Iowa V11 Report: The Struggle To Get There

Click on this to make larger. Note the rain slashing down. (Image by Wally Kilburg)

The Struggle To Get There

While I was wrestling my truck down sloppy roads, and feeling dark and depressed about things, there were 94 other stories being told out there that were far more difficult and taxing to go through than mine. While I cannot speak for any of them, I can show you some images and relate what was told to me by the riders.

I expected there would be lots of attrition as far as people dropping out before Checkpoint #1, but amazingly, many actually rode all the way in, despite being late. Some didn't though, and cut back to town the quickest way possible.

5:34 am: "Brian McEntire #69- out Just going too slow. No way I'll make the CP. Riding back in."

That was an example, and the very first text I received during the event. Oddly enough, I only received about 27 texts concerning dropping out. Most of the folks just arrived at the checkpoint and called in their rides while letting us know they were okay.

Central to the missed cut off times was the obvious- the weather- but there was a "knock out punch" in the form of a B Level Maintenance Road about 13 miles away from the checkpoint. Many riders playing with the edge of not making it on time were assured they would not make it on time once they figured out how long that one mile took to traverse. There also were the regular gravel roads, which were giving us fits in our trucks. George , in the "media truck", reported to me that he was in four wheel drive and probably would have been stuck several times without it. You can imagine how the roads may have been on a bicycle then. Finally, the course itself went East a few times and right into the teeth of the wind and rain. All of these things were, in the end, just too much for all of the riders. Even though Greg Gleason made it past Checkpoint #1, he only just escaped, and ultimately it all caught up to him as well.

An unknown rider turns to get a rare tailwind push during Trans Iowa v11: (Image by Wally Kilburg)

The first riders reach the unrideable B Level Road going to Checkpoint #1. (Image by Wally Kilburg)

 Sarah Cooper (L) and Gerald Heib struggle against the elements and their effects on the roads. (Image by Wally Kilburg)

A rider passes the media truck making their way toward Checkpoint #1. (Image by Wally Kilburg)

Riders were forced out into the mud as the ditches disappear on the B Level Road. (Image by Jeremy Kershaw)

A rider tries to make up time on a more solid section of gravel during Trans Iowa V11 (Image by Wally Kilburg)

Bruce Gustafson splooshes through a mushy gravel section on his way to CP#1. (Image by Wally Kilburg)

Riders were relating to me at the checkpoint that they were having to put out "maximum effort" all the way to the checkpoint, which still didn't get most there anywhere close to the cut off time. The conditions were just too bleak, and for many, it also was causing issues with hypothermia. The Trans Iowa lion had roared and unleashed its fury, as if to say "You shall not pass!", and what could anyone do against such a foe?

The results of the battle waged were seen at Checkpoint #1, which suddenly became a triage center for cold, weary riders.

Next: The Carnage

Trans Iowa V11 Report: Hopes Dashed In A Lonely Truck

The time when I give the riders my "Fatherly Admonishments" just before the 4:00am start. (Image by Wally Kilburg)

Hopes Dashed In A Lonely Truck: I woke up when MG's alarm went off, which he had set a little ahead of mine, and then I got up when mine went off. I had been drowsing off and on, but it wasn't the worst pre-Trans Iowa sleep I've ever had. About the typical, I would say. At any rate, I had gotten ready to go and was standing waiting on MG for several minutes before we were about to leave. MG had said something about feeling all hot and sweaty, but I didn't take too much note of it. We planned for MG to hit the convenience store for some grub and drinks, and I would park the truck around front. MG was to be my ride-along partner for this version of Trans Iowa.

I came around front by 3:30am and there were a handful of people milling about in front of Bikes To You already. Usually there are at this time before a Trans Iowa. One of them was surprise visitor, Jason Boucher, who made arrangements to ride with Wally and George and did not tell me. I saw him the night before, and it was a big surprise for me, so they were successful there. (Thank you Jason!) Jason then wanted to take my portrait in front of the shop, and afterward I went about checking on who else was there. Riders were trickling in, but at 3:45am, there weren't very many folks down there. There should have been many riders by this time. This was strange. I saw Sarah Cooper roll up with Fasterkatt boots and typical riding shorts but no leg coverings. "Wow!", I thought to myself, "I hope she'll be okay." Maybe she had some new "anti-cold" embrocation I wasn't aware of, but I thought this was odd. John Mathias told me that Joe Fox would be late. He overslept and John called and woke him up. Joe rolled up just as we were leaving, but George later told me three other guys went through the start line about ten minutes late!

Things were normal other than that, but where the heck was MG? Then, some bad news struck.....

The blackness of the Iowa night on the start of T.I.v11 was deep. This was my view for the first two hours of Trans Iowa v11.

MG was sick! He was vomiting and he didn't look good at all. I talked to him minutes before the start, and told him to stay in town, maybe rest up in Coop's loft, and we'd figure out a plan later. MG was terribly ill, and felt worse for leaving me alone at the start, but we didn't have time to figure anything else out. In a few short minutes, Trans Iowa v11 would begin, so I left MG and took my usual spot in front of the racers and gave them my usual speech. Then at 4:00am, I tooted the horn and we rolled off.......

It was an anti-climatic start from my view. Well, the news of MG's illness was part of that, but I also felt that there was a muted feel this time, an almost "hope against hope" feeling. Everyone pretty much understood it was going to be a very difficult start out there. Just what we all would face was not forecast. It wasn't supposed to be terrible, but in fact, it was. Worse than I imagined.

Once the Sun enlightened things, the full impact of the weather could be seen.

I hit the first section of gravel and the truck slowed as if I had hit the brakes hard. The gravel was really soft, mushy, and driving was treacherous. It's really hard to give you any idea of what it was like, but think of a bad, slick roadway in winter with lots of snow on it, and how you cannot drive one handed or you'd lose control. Maybe that image would give you some idea.

But that wasn't the worst of it. Not three or four miles into it, before I made my left hand turn on 90th going North, I saw it. Lightning. My heart sank.

Was this a T.I.v6? Would riders be scrambling off their rigs in near 30mph winds seeking abandoned farm houses and barns, ala T.I.v10? I was struggling with emotions at 30mph in a truck that was barely staying on the roads with limited visibility and I was alone. Another flash of lightning and I got sick to my stomach. This was my lowest point in T.I.v11 by a long shot. The darkness outside was only matched by my dark, depressed mood inside that truck at that time. I gotta say I really missed MG right then, and there are a lot more things I can't say about those nightmarish minutes in the dark.

Nuff said there..........

Riders struggled against a strong Easterly wind and sideways rain coming to CP#1. (Image by Wally Kilburg)

Later on, Wally texted me at 5:14am Saturday morning: "Riders passing us at 322 and 70. Rain hard here. Running at 15-16mph. Good spirits!"

I had trouble at that section of road. I had stopped to put up a Trans Iowa update there at about 4:30am and when I started out again, I nearly slid sideways into the ditch and mud was flinging off my tires as if I were really on a muddy B Level road. I was glad to read that the riders were in good spirits, but this rain, which didn't start in till about 4:20am, was getting worse, and the winds were relentless. The lightning tapered off and disappeared for good. That was one good thing.

This was a far cry from the ".24 inches of rain" we were supposed to get the entire day, and the winds were far more fierce than forecast. Trans Iowa was a lion this time, and was roaring loudly. Would anyone be allowed to pass? My hopes for a long, successful event were dashed then.


Next: The Struggle To Get There

Trans Iowa V11 Report: Hopes Dashed In A Lonely Truck

The time when I give the riders my "Fatherly Admonishments" just before the 4:00am start. (Image by Wally Kilburg)

Hopes Dashed In A Lonely Truck: I woke up when MG's alarm went off, which he had set a little ahead of mine, and then I got up when mine went off. I had been drowsing off and on, but it wasn't the worst pre-Trans Iowa sleep I've ever had. About the typical, I would say. At any rate, I had gotten ready to go and was standing waiting on MG for several minutes before we were about to leave. MG had said something about feeling all hot and sweaty, but I didn't take too much note of it. We planned for MG to hit the convenience store for some grub and drinks, and I would park the truck around front. MG was to be my ride-along partner for this version of Trans Iowa.

I came around front by 3:30am and there were a handful of people milling about in front of Bikes To You already. Usually there are at this time before a Trans Iowa. One of them was surprise visitor, Jason Boucher, who made arrangements to ride with Wally and George and did not tell me. I saw him the night before, and it was a big surprise for me, so they were successful there. (Thank you Jason!) Jason then wanted to take my portrait in front of the shop, and afterward I went about checking on who else was there. Riders were trickling in, but at 3:45am, there weren't very many folks down there. There should have been many riders by this time. This was strange. I saw Sarah Cooper roll up with Fasterkatt boots and typical riding shorts but no leg coverings. "Wow!", I thought to myself, "I hope she'll be okay." Maybe she had some new "anti-cold" embrocation I wasn't aware of, but I thought this was odd. John Mathias told me that Joe Fox would be late. He overslept and John called and woke him up. Joe rolled up just as we were leaving, but George later told me three other guys went through the start line about ten minutes late!

Things were normal other than that, but where the heck was MG? Then, some bad news struck.....

The blackness of the Iowa night on the start of T.I.v11 was deep. This was my view for the first two hours of Trans Iowa v11.

MG was sick! He was vomiting and he didn't look good at all. I talked to him minutes before the start, and told him to stay in town, maybe rest up in Coop's loft, and we'd figure out a plan later. MG was terribly ill, and felt worse for leaving me alone at the start, but we didn't have time to figure anything else out. In a few short minutes, Trans Iowa v11 would begin, so I left MG and took my usual spot in front of the racers and gave them my usual speech. Then at 4:00am, I tooted the horn and we rolled off.......

It was an anti-climatic start from my view. Well, the news of MG's illness was part of that, but I also felt that there was a muted feel this time, an almost "hope against hope" feeling. Everyone pretty much understood it was going to be a very difficult start out there. Just what we all would face was not forecast. It wasn't supposed to be terrible, but in fact, it was. Worse than I imagined.

Once the Sun enlightened things, the full impact of the weather could be seen.

I hit the first section of gravel and the truck slowed as if I had hit the brakes hard. The gravel was really soft, mushy, and driving was treacherous. It's really hard to give you any idea of what it was like, but think of a bad, slick roadway in winter with lots of snow on it, and how you cannot drive one handed or you'd lose control. Maybe that image would give you some idea.

But that wasn't the worst of it. Not three or four miles into it, before I made my left hand turn on 90th going North, I saw it. Lightning. My heart sank.

Was this a T.I.v6? Would riders be scrambling off their rigs in near 30mph winds seeking abandoned farm houses and barns, ala T.I.v10? I was struggling with emotions at 30mph in a truck that was barely staying on the roads with limited visibility and I was alone. Another flash of lightning and I got sick to my stomach. This was my lowest point in T.I.v11 by a long shot. The darkness outside was only matched by my dark, depressed mood inside that truck at that time. I gotta say I really missed MG right then, and there are a lot more things I can't say about those nightmarish minutes in the dark.

Nuff said there..........

Riders struggled against a strong Easterly wind and sideways rain coming to CP#1. (Image by Wally Kilburg)

Later on, Wally texted me at 5:14am Saturday morning: "Riders passing us at 322 and 70. Rain hard here. Running at 15-16mph. Good spirits!"

I had trouble at that section of road. I had stopped to put up a Trans Iowa update there at about 4:30am and when I started out again, I nearly slid sideways into the ditch and mud was flinging off my tires as if I were really on a muddy B Level road. I was glad to read that the riders were in good spirits, but this rain, which didn't start in till about 4:20am, was getting worse, and the winds were relentless. The lightning tapered off and disappeared for good. That was one good thing.

This was a far cry from the ".24 inches of rain" we were supposed to get the entire day, and the winds were far more fierce than forecast. Trans Iowa was a lion this time, and was roaring loudly. Would anyone be allowed to pass? My hopes for a long, successful event were dashed then.


Next: The Struggle To Get There

Trans Iowa V11 Report: The Family Reunion

Wally Kilburg displayed his work at the Pre-Race Meat-Up

The Family Reunion:

Moving to the Pre-Race Meat-Up location, the Grinnell Steakhouse, I was eager to see everyone that was to show up there. The Bonk King and Gumby were already there waiting, and not long afterward Tony, Mike Johnson, Wally and George, and Tim Bauer from NoDak were there ready to get the scene up and running. The Bonk King and Gumby handled all the bag stuffing and watching over the cues. Tim and Tony manned the registration table, and the rest of us floated in and out while riders steadily streamed in to register for the eleventh running of Trans Iowa.

Two bottles for the number "11". Jason Boucher's image of me at the Pre-Race Meat-Up

I always am really happy to see how the Pre-Race plays out. So many folks reconnecting or making new friends and acquaintances.  Families, friends, mothers, fathers, relatives, and all there to see their loved one get ready to hit the gravel the next day. The buzz in the room gets louder and louder every year as more and more riders feel comfortable talking with other riders. It's like one big gravelly, dusty, bike riding family reunion. Only there are no weird cousins and drunken uncles. Well........maybe a few odd balls! 

MG and the Bonk King look over the bags racers would get later in the evening at the Pre-Race Meat-Up

The massive indoor grill at the Grinnell Steakhouse which was busy all night Friday night.

 The meeting proper was good. Ya know, I always feel a bit odd about all the attention, but it really is for Trans Iowa. It is also about me to a degree, but Trans Iowa is the star here, and......well, I'm just the emcee of the the deal. The bottom line is that it went well and despite it not being the quickest meeting, it may have been the best one we've had since the showing of "300 Miles Of Gravel" at T.I.v8's Pre-Race. At least it seemed so from where I sat.

After the Meat-Up, The Wisconsin Gravel Syndicate sponsored a beard contest. (Image by Wally Kilburg)

Coop telling us the story of a 1939 Schwinn Paramount- the white bike hanging up there.

With that over MG and I made our way downtown where we were to shack up above Bikes To You. First we spent some time down stairs with Coop and a few others as Coop showed us various cool old things like a Schwinn Paramount and other stuff that you just don't get to see all that often. Bike geeks geeking out!

Then we went up and got settled in up in the empty loft apartment. MG and I chatted a bit before we bedded down and tried to get some shut eye before our 3am alarm went off. I fell asleep fairly quickly, but at about 1:40am I woke up, feeling very hot, and I had to use the restroom. Then I couldn't really get back to sleep. A freight train laying on the horn going through town at two in the morning sure didn't help. Oh well......

Next: Hopes Dashed In A Lonely Truck

Trans Iowa V11 Report: The Family Reunion

Wally Kilburg displayed his work at the Pre-Race Meat-Up

The Family Reunion:

Moving to the Pre-Race Meat-Up location, the Grinnell Steakhouse, I was eager to see everyone that was to show up there. The Bonk King and Gumby were already there waiting, and not long afterward Tony, Mike Johnson, Wally and George, and Tim Bauer from NoDak were there ready to get the scene up and running. The Bonk King and Gumby handled all the bag stuffing and watching over the cues. Tim and Tony manned the registration table, and the rest of us floated in and out while riders steadily streamed in to register for the eleventh running of Trans Iowa.

Two bottles for the number "11". Jason Boucher's image of me at the Pre-Race Meat-Up

I always am really happy to see how the Pre-Race plays out. So many folks reconnecting or making new friends and acquaintances.  Families, friends, mothers, fathers, relatives, and all there to see their loved one get ready to hit the gravel the next day. The buzz in the room gets louder and louder every year as more and more riders feel comfortable talking with other riders. It's like one big gravelly, dusty, bike riding family reunion. Only there are no weird cousins and drunken uncles. Well........maybe a few odd balls! 

MG and the Bonk King look over the bags racers would get later in the evening at the Pre-Race Meat-Up

The massive indoor grill at the Grinnell Steakhouse which was busy all night Friday night.

 The meeting proper was good. Ya know, I always feel a bit odd about all the attention, but it really is for Trans Iowa. It is also about me to a degree, but Trans Iowa is the star here, and......well, I'm just the emcee of the the deal. The bottom line is that it went well and despite it not being the quickest meeting, it may have been the best one we've had since the showing of "300 Miles Of Gravel" at T.I.v8's Pre-Race. At least it seemed so from where I sat.

After the Meat-Up, The Wisconsin Gravel Syndicate sponsored a beard contest. (Image by Wally Kilburg)

Coop telling us the story of a 1939 Schwinn Paramount- the white bike hanging up there.

With that over MG and I made our way downtown where we were to shack up above Bikes To You. First we spent some time down stairs with Coop and a few others as Coop showed us various cool old things like a Schwinn Paramount and other stuff that you just don't get to see all that often. Bike geeks geeking out!

Then we went up and got settled in up in the empty loft apartment. MG and I chatted a bit before we bedded down and tried to get some shut eye before our 3am alarm went off. I fell asleep fairly quickly, but at about 1:40am I woke up, feeling very hot, and I had to use the restroom. Then I couldn't really get back to sleep. A freight train laying on the horn going through town at two in the morning sure didn't help. Oh well......

Next: Hopes Dashed In A Lonely Truck

Trans Iowa V11 Report: It Was Almost Too Good

The "Truck With No Name" ready to roll

It was almost too good: 

T.I.v11 planning came to a head in the week prior to the event with all the cue sheet production, stuffing the cues into bags, (thanks in no small part to Mrs. Guitar Ted), and getting small details lined up. Things like re-routing supplies, (thanks Bonk King), and the "kit" to implement the reroutes replete with tape, hammers, knives, duct tape, and more that I have to check and replenish just for Trans Iowa. Roster sheets for the pre-race, checkpoints 1 and 2, and the finish line were produced. Pre-race meeting notes, materials for releases, and making sure the numbers made it to the event for the riders, (thanks Ari and the Bonk King), were all things I needed to keep my mind on. Oh.....and I needed to pack my personal items for the weekend as well!

To keep everything straight, I made a checklist that I used to make sure I did not forget any small detail. Just before I left, I reviewed it once again, went over everything in my mind for the packing and where those things were, and then I jumped into the truck and went to fill the tank before leaving town to meet one of my volunteers, Tony, who was to do a ride-a-long for a final check of the roads to checkpoint 1.

A portent of things to come

I got started and just was thinking to myself as I left town. I couldn't believe how smoothly everything seemed to be going so far. I decided that maybe things were almost too good. I just had to have forgotten something, right? So, I began to run the checklist in my mind for the umpteenth time in the past few hours.

Checkpoint 1 stuff? Yep.......Checkpoint 2 stuff? Uh huh........ and so on and so forth. I couldn't come up with anything I was missing. I thought about my checklist and that maybe I should stop and review it once again, and not rely on my memory. Now I could just pull over and look in that black note book.........

The black notebook! The one with all the enlarged county maps where the route was going, with the roster for myself, and with all my notes? I left it on my desk! I wasn't maybe 8 miles out, so I stopped, turned around, and headed back to grab it. Once I retrieved it, I was off again, but I would be late getting down to meet up with Tony. I was hoping he wouldn't be too cross with me about my being tardy. On my way down I ran into heavy, intermittent showers, and I was worried that we may lose the course to conditions too tough to ride in. We'd find out soon enough though. I met Tony at Bikes To You, where, surprisingly, there were many racers milling about and buying up gear to meet with the conditions that were forecast for Saturday. It wasn't looking good......

Despite the showers in the area, we were able to drive the first B Road. It wouldn't look anything like this on Saturday.

The last bit of Sunshine we'd see for T.I.v11. 

Tony was marveling at the scenery and enjoyed the ride along. We finished up by checking into the first B Road past Checkpoint #1 but we dared not drive it as it had been subjected to enough rain that it already looked unrideable by bicycle. The roads were fresh gravel, for the most part, and soft in most places. I understood that if we got the rain that was forecast it would be very difficult to ride on Saturday morning. I just hoped that it might hold off to allow the riders somewhat of a head start against the elements.

I had to fix a tail light on the truck when we got back to town and with that repair made, I was ready to head over to the Grinnell Steakhouse to set up for the Pre-Race Meat-Up.

Next: The Family Reunion

Trans Iowa V11 Report: It Was Almost Too Good

The "Truck With No Name" ready to roll

It was almost too good: 

T.I.v11 planning came to a head in the week prior to the event with all the cue sheet production, stuffing the cues into bags, (thanks in no small part to Mrs. Guitar Ted), and getting small details lined up. Things like re-routing supplies, (thanks Bonk King), and the "kit" to implement the reroutes replete with tape, hammers, knives, duct tape, and more that I have to check and replenish just for Trans Iowa. Roster sheets for the pre-race, checkpoints 1 and 2, and the finish line were produced. Pre-race meeting notes, materials for releases, and making sure the numbers made it to the event for the riders, (thanks Ari and the Bonk King), were all things I needed to keep my mind on. Oh.....and I needed to pack my personal items for the weekend as well!

To keep everything straight, I made a checklist that I used to make sure I did not forget any small detail. Just before I left, I reviewed it once again, went over everything in my mind for the packing and where those things were, and then I jumped into the truck and went to fill the tank before leaving town to meet one of my volunteers, Tony, who was to do a ride-a-long for a final check of the roads to checkpoint 1.

A portent of things to come

I got started and just was thinking to myself as I left town. I couldn't believe how smoothly everything seemed to be going so far. I decided that maybe things were almost too good. I just had to have forgotten something, right? So, I began to run the checklist in my mind for the umpteenth time in the past few hours.

Checkpoint 1 stuff? Yep.......Checkpoint 2 stuff? Uh huh........ and so on and so forth. I couldn't come up with anything I was missing. I thought about my checklist and that maybe I should stop and review it once again, and not rely on my memory. Now I could just pull over and look in that black note book.........

The black notebook! The one with all the enlarged county maps where the route was going, with the roster for myself, and with all my notes? I left it on my desk! I wasn't maybe 8 miles out, so I stopped, turned around, and headed back to grab it. Once I retrieved it, I was off again, but I would be late getting down to meet up with Tony. I was hoping he wouldn't be too cross with me about my being tardy. On my way down I ran into heavy, intermittent showers, and I was worried that we may lose the course to conditions too tough to ride in. We'd find out soon enough though. I met Tony at Bikes To You, where, surprisingly, there were many racers milling about and buying up gear to meet with the conditions that were forecast for Saturday. It wasn't looking good......

Despite the showers in the area, we were able to drive the first B Road. It wouldn't look anything like this on Saturday.

The last bit of Sunshine we'd see for T.I.v11. 

Tony was marveling at the scenery and enjoyed the ride along. We finished up by checking into the first B Road past Checkpoint #1 but we dared not drive it as it had been subjected to enough rain that it already looked unrideable by bicycle. The roads were fresh gravel, for the most part, and soft in most places. I understood that if we got the rain that was forecast it would be very difficult to ride on Saturday morning. I just hoped that it might hold off to allow the riders somewhat of a head start against the elements.

I had to fix a tail light on the truck when we got back to town and with that repair made, I was ready to head over to the Grinnell Steakhouse to set up for the Pre-Race Meat-Up.

Next: The Family Reunion

Trans Iowa V11 Report: Prologue

In many ways, this personifies TIv11 for me

Prologue: 

Last week I posted about the weather being the "wikd card" of Trans Iowa and stated the following: "This is shaping up to be a Trans Iowa that just might be a super tough one."

Spot on.

It was a super tough one. It was so tough that no one finished. So tough that only one individual made the time cut off for Checkpoint 1 in Guernsey Iowa. So tough that cranks broke, derailleurs sheared off, and tires were shredded to bits in the span of 54 miles.

But that isn't the story of this Trans Iowa. In fact, there are so many stories, stories I don't even know about or can begin to tell, that it would amaze you- the readers- to know about them all. Hopefully there will be stories posted elsewhere that I can link to to illustrate this in some some way. Truly- it was overwhelming to hear about some of them for me. I am going to be processing this event for some time to come.

In the meantime, I will tell the tale from my viewpoint. As usual it will take up most of the upcoming week, and I will start out with Friday, move on to the Pre-Race Meat-Up, and then talk about the day Saturday which was so packed with action for me it felt like three days when it was over. For now, here are the facts in terms of numbers and a few stats for you all to chew on till I crank out the first installment of the T.I.v11 report Monday.

• 92 started with 2 Volunteer Exemption riders: Total 94
• There were 2 no-shows at the Meat-Up
• Checkpoint #1 Cutoff time was 8:30am
• Greg Gleason cleared CP#1 with 5 minutes to spare before the cut off
• Bruce Gustafson came in 10 minutes after the CP#1 cutoff
• Greg Gleason covered 123 miles of T.I.v11 in 12 hours and 20 minutes before he stopped.
• T.I.v11 ranks as the "shortest" of all Trans Iowas so far. 

More soon........

Trans Iowa V11 Report: Prologue

In many ways, this personifies TIv11 for me

Prologue: 

Last week I posted about the weather being the "wikd card" of Trans Iowa and stated the following: "This is shaping up to be a Trans Iowa that just might be a super tough one."

Spot on.

It was a super tough one. It was so tough that no one finished. So tough that only one individual made the time cut off for Checkpoint 1 in Guernsey Iowa. So tough that cranks broke, derailleurs sheared off, and tires were shredded to bits in the span of 54 miles.

But that isn't the story of this Trans Iowa. In fact, there are so many stories, stories I don't even know about or can begin to tell, that it would amaze you- the readers- to know about them all. Hopefully there will be stories posted elsewhere that I can link to to illustrate this in some some way. Truly- it was overwhelming to hear about some of them for me. I am going to be processing this event for some time to come.

In the meantime, I will tell the tale from my viewpoint. As usual it will take up most of the upcoming week, and I will start out with Friday, move on to the Pre-Race Meat-Up, and then talk about the day Saturday which was so packed with action for me it felt like three days when it was over. For now, here are the facts in terms of numbers and a few stats for you all to chew on till I crank out the first installment of the T.I.v11 report Monday.

• 92 started with 2 Volunteer Exemption riders: Total 94
• There were 2 no-shows at the Meat-Up
• Checkpoint #1 Cutoff time was 8:30am
• Greg Gleason cleared CP#1 with 5 minutes to spare before the cut off
• Bruce Gustafson came in 10 minutes after the CP#1 cutoff
• Greg Gleason covered 123 miles of T.I.v11 in 12 hours and 20 minutes before he stopped.
• T.I.v11 ranks as the "shortest" of all Trans Iowas so far. 

More soon........

Trans Iowa v11: Sponsors And Tidbits

Listen in all weekend.....

Well......here we go! It's time to crank up another Trans Iowa. Hard to believe it is the 11th version. But it is, and here are a few of the sponsors and folks behind the scenes I owe thanks to......

Trans Iowa will be supported this weekend by Europa Cycle & Ski. In fact, the event has been supported by the shop since the beginning. The early Trans Iowas were noted for being graced with the old, blue shop van, and now the shop still helps out with the weekend's travel expenses. Thanks Europa! (Not to mention, I get time off from work to do this deal!)

Next up are the team that supports me with their time and efforts to make sure the route and cues are spot on. Jeremy Fry, who does recon with me, and crunches the numbers because I suck at that! He also does a lot of the cues proofreading. Then Wally Kilburg and George Keslin give up a lot of time and drive hundreds of miles just to recon the course, check cues, and look for good photography opportunities. Finally, the Slender Fungus are now big supporters of the event and have stepped up to provide the numbers this year and some other small items which Trans Iowa needs to run smoothly.

The Truck With No Name ready to go for T.I.V10

New this year, I have decided to have a co-rider in the "Truck With No Name". My good friend, Matt Gersib will be assisting me and keeping me awake all weekend. Also new this year, Ben Welnak will be here doing Trans Iowa Radio all throughout the weekend.

WTB is offering all official finishers of T.I.v11 a set of Nano 40 TCS tires, so we really appreciate them. I also wanted to give Pedal of Littleton a shout out for the Salsa Cycles bar tape we will be handing out as prizing. Another big supporter of Trans Iowa is Lederman Bonding Company, who are big supporters of cycling. The aforementioned Slender Fungus, Mountain Bike Radio, and Guitar Ted Productions are also supporting Trans Iowa this year. Finally, a special shout out to Sam Auen and Tacopocalypse.

We will also have a couple of special announcements and whatnot at Trans Iowa from Heck Of The North and The Wisconsin Gravel Syndicate who are doing a Best Beard Contest at T.I.V11 and a special women's award called the "Gravelista".

Okay folks......see ya on the other side......

Trans Iowa v11: Sponsors And Tidbits

Listen in all weekend.....

Well......here we go! It's time to crank up another Trans Iowa. Hard to believe it is the 11th version. But it is, and here are a few of the sponsors and folks behind the scenes I owe thanks to......

Trans Iowa will be supported this weekend by Europa Cycle & Ski. In fact, the event has been supported by the shop since the beginning. The early Trans Iowas were noted for being graced with the old, blue shop van, and now the shop still helps out with the weekend's travel expenses. Thanks Europa! (Not to mention, I get time off from work to do this deal!)

Next up are the team that supports me with their time and efforts to make sure the route and cues are spot on. Jeremy Fry, who does recon with me, and crunches the numbers because I suck at that! He also does a lot of the cues proofreading. Then Wally Kilburg and George Keslin give up a lot of time and drive hundreds of miles just to recon the course, check cues, and look for good photography opportunities. Finally, the Slender Fungus are now big supporters of the event and have stepped up to provide the numbers this year and some other small items which Trans Iowa needs to run smoothly.

The Truck With No Name ready to go for T.I.V10

New this year, I have decided to have a co-rider in the "Truck With No Name". My good friend, Matt Gersib will be assisting me and keeping me awake all weekend. Also new this year, Ben Welnak will be here doing Trans Iowa Radio all throughout the weekend.

WTB is offering all official finishers of T.I.v11 a set of Nano 40 TCS tires, so we really appreciate them. I also wanted to give Pedal of Littleton a shout out for the Salsa Cycles bar tape we will be handing out as prizing. Another big supporter of Trans Iowa is Lederman Bonding Company, who are big supporters of cycling. The aforementioned Slender Fungus, Mountain Bike Radio, and Guitar Ted Productions are also supporting Trans Iowa this year. Finally, a special shout out to Sam Auen and Tacopocalypse.

We will also have a couple of special announcements and whatnot at Trans Iowa from Heck Of The North and The Wisconsin Gravel Syndicate who are doing a Best Beard Contest at T.I.V11 and a special women's award called the "Gravelista".

Okay folks......see ya on the other side......