Trans Iowa v13: Observations On Registration & Recon

The month of October is a busy one concerning Trans Iowa. The event normally gets introducd in August some time, then there are those days of pouring over the maps and coming up with a route. That's all done whenever I can get a minute or an hour to sit down and do the research. October gets a little more intense, as that is when I now like to knock out a big portion, or hopefully all, of the recon of the route. That didn't get done 100% this year as a bridge closure threw a wrench into the plans for the first leg of the route. I'll now have to find some time this month to run down there and drive that little bit I have to reroute.

There also were the two bits I rerouted after recon where I wasn't satisfied with things, and there is one thing hanging in the balance I need to get checked on that, if it doesn't play out correctly, could throw a major wrench into the whole course. I cannot let on what that is about right at this time. I just wanted to let everyone know that there are some things that are not locked in yet and that the potential for major changes in the course exist.

I won't get too much into the registration card miscues that plagued some entries. I've talked about that and that's water under the bridge for those who were affected by that. I do want to say a couple things about the roster and the reaction I saw to the lottery.

First of all, this roster represents the largest Womens Open field ever. That is, if they all show up in April. Keep in mind that I need to know when and if you decide you are not coming to Trans Iowa next year. It saves me a lot of money and time if I am not producing work on behalf of someone who cannot, or decides they will not, attend the event. That will happen. There will be attrition of the roster numbers. How will that affect the Womens Open field is anyone's guess.

I see about half the field is Rookies. (Note- I'm pretty sure we have a couple of non-active Vets that had to take the Rookie registration route to get in this time.) The Rookie field is always the one that has the most drop outs. Will we have a large rookie field or a small one? We will see. There are some heavy hitters in there, I see. If these guys and gals show up, we could see the fastest lead group at a Trans Iowa ever.

Finally, on the lottery, I saw a few groans and a few people were miffed at the process. Look......this is my event. It is free to enter if you get the chance. Like I've always said, since I am paying for this deal, I get to dictate the way it is run and the lottery is part of that process. If that seems unfair, not the way you'd do things, or whatever, there are a lot of other events you can go do. Or hey! Start your own event. No one is stopping you from doing that, ya know. As some smart aleck said years ago, "If you are unsatisfied, your entry fee money will be refunded". What's that? There wasn't a fee you had to pay?

Right.

Now it is on to November and things will quiet down on my front for a bit. Not so with the riders who are serious about this deal. I'm sure training is starting in earnest now. Stay tuned for more Trans Iowa updates which will be a bit more sparse until early next year.........