Trans Iowa v12: Cue Sheets Explained

I've been staring at this layout all weekend

Trans Iowa v12: Cue Sheets Explained

Actually, this post is pretty easy to write, since I figured out the whole cue sheet deal back when I was preparing for T.I.v8, the second time ever that I was left to my own devices as to how cues would be done. Previous to that, it was mostly a combined effort which left me with middling to unacceptable results. So, during the lead up to v8 I assumed personal responsibility for the cue sheets and ironed out a ton of bugs in the system. So much so that I can just point you back to the post I did for cue sheets back then so you can get a handle on how I do things. Click Here to see that post.

There are minimal tweaks which I will detail following here which you should be aware of. One thing hasn't ever changed about all of this stuff, and here is a reminder for you all:

You Are Responsible For You!! Trans Iowa Is Not Coming To Bail You Out, Nor Anyone Associated With Trans Iowa. You Are On Your Own Private Excursion. 

First off, I have not used the "Stay On" designation much over the past few years as it is pretty much redundant with ">>" which means "Continue On", or in other words, "stay on". So, in order to make the cues a little easier to understand, ">>" means both things now, and that seems to have worked itself out seamlessly over the past few editions of Trans Iowa.

What You Won't Get: The next thing I have done, or not done, as the case may be, is to even list that you are entering a small town at all anymore. Savvy cue readers maybe will be able to figure it out by careful observation, or not, but I am purposely vague to cut down on any support folks being out on course and having any cheating going on. In addition, I will not earmark convenience stores anymore on the cue sheets. This has been abused in the past as a way to have folks be around at stops and give support in the form of rub downs, clothing swaps, and just general encouragement which otherwise wouldn't happen and isn't available to everyone on a fair basis. So, keep yer eyes peeled! When you go through a town, it will be your responsibility to find convenience stores. I typically will route you right by their front doors, so if you miss that, maybe you shouldn't be riding anymore.

In Case Of No Signage: Then there is an addition of a cue which is "ns". This stands for "no sign". While Iowa is pretty good at getting every corner signed, there are a few that are not, and a few where the signs are so faded they cannot be read anymore. In either case, a "ns" in parentheses will occur at the end of the line on a cue, so it would look like the following, as an example:

123.5   R    On Acorn Ave (ns) 

You would then look for the stakes and ribbons which I will place at these sorts of corners for your confirmation of direction to go. One stake with florescent ribbons streaming off it will be on your right, then you simply confirm your right turn by identifying the stake and ribbon marker on the right side of the road you are turning on. (This is also a reroute procedure I use in case of emergency rerouting of the course on the days of the event.)

Cue Sheet Sizing: The size of the cues is ever so slightly different from year to year, and it depends upon how they format out, but assume a size under 5" high by 4" wide. They probably will be slightly smaller, but maybe not. These things are cut by hand every year, and formatted differently to accommodate the fewest sheets possible, so that's as accurate a measurement as you're likely to get out of me until about three days ahead of T.I.v12 when these actually get cut and bagged.

Finally: Every cue sheet set will have a card with a legend on it in case you forget what some of the symbols mean.