Here we go! I have a bunch of things to cover today. first off, I should ask that you make sure you are familiar with the RULES. <===CLICK THAT. I will only add that I am quite serious about the single speed only bits. Don't even bother coming with a geared bike zip tied to be a "single speed", or any other half-baked solution. Not gonna fly here.
Secondly, I have noted a few "rookies" to my style of event that were wondering why there wasn't a course gps file, elevation gain given so they could choose the "right gear", and some qualms about cue sheet navigation. Okay, I could go on a long dissertation about why all of these things I do are good for you, but suffice it to say that I have my reasons. Secondly- if it offends you, why did you register for the event? Weird. I am not going to switch up my format to accommodate "easier living" for those who object to my "not handing you everything" ahead of time. In my opinion, we are all a bunch of spoilt brats and whiners. Myself included. Ease of life is at such a high level that we have lost sight of how good we have it. This is partly why I make my events the way they are. Nuff said....... If you get it afterward, great. If not, oh well...........
Course Conditions: The roads will be messy. It looks like we will experience some rain just before the event. This will make things sloppy. Road conditions are going to be wildly variable. You'll see patches of fresh gravel, soft, muddy spots, rutting, and probably some decent roads as well. Yes, the Level B Road will be passable on foot. No way will you be able to ride it. It is in there for a reason.
I'd suggest a clip on rear fender and possibly a front "mud deflector" type device to help with your comfort and visibility factor. You will definitely want to be layered up against damp, chilly conditions. I suspect the temperatures for the most part to be in the 30's to maybe 40°F for the entirety of the event. This coupled with stiff, Northwest winds of 17mph-25mph will make for a really challenging day to stay warm. This especially will be true if the roadways are wet and you get wet. Plan accordingly.
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| What riders might look like Saturday. (Image courtesy of ??) |
Saturday: At 7:00am you can start getting inspected, get signed on, (if you haven't already), and pick up your schwag and race number. Cues will be distributed starting at 7:40am and riders will be briefed shortly before the controlled roll-out. The event starts at 8:00am SHARP!
Post event we encourage you to come to downtown Grinnell and have a beverage at the Peace Tree Taproom. We'll be hanging for a couple hours after the event to listen to your stories and just chit-chat if you'd like.
Number Protocol: We have Tyvek numbers with four holes- one in each corner. We are providing pipe cleaners to tie these to your bike on with. We expect to be able to see and read your number on the front of the bike.
Images: We have a roving photographer, Jon Duke, lined up to take images for this event. He has agreed to allow free use of all images taken by event participants only. Any outside use of these images must be cleared by myself here at Guitar Ted Productions. Jon has been a Trans Iowa veteran, finisher, and was the T.I.v14 photographer last year.
If you cannot make it- Please let us know ASAP. We would appreciate that.
Ride Right: Finally- Just a reminder that we are going to be enforcing the idea of "Ride Right". It's pretty simple- just keep on the right side of the roadway. Especially up hills! If you are found riding on the wrong side of the road, we will DQ you. It is unsafe and places you and the other riders in danger. Besides this you must stop and obey all stop signs, look both ways before crossing, and use extreme caution when doing so.
Thanks!!
12 comments:
Are the cues going to be water-resistant? If we're using a baryak q:pro - for example, they're exposed on a clipboard.
@Jordan N- We ended up deciding to have the cues laminated at quite an up-charge to us. That said, I cannot vouch for their suitability in rain, etc. These are an untested entity. So, make your final decision based upon the "these might be okay" since we did have the printer laminate them with a light plastic coating.
Put them in a ziplock bag.
Gravel around Grinnell is perfect right now with just a few short sections of deep new stuff. The winds are drying any moisture fast and it seems to be draining quickly. Still can’t imagine riding any of our usually B roads, still so sloppy. Rain seems imminent on Friday and will make for challenging conditions at the start. PeaceTree taproom is great!
Thanks for all your efforts, Ted
Good Luck all!
Dumb question: Which road is the entry into Miller Park?
So we need to plan on riding 83 miles without a water refill?
@Unknown. Yep. Was never an issue for Trans Iowa riders. I see no problems with this as long as you prepare and execute correctly.
@teamdarb- Well, there is more than one way into Miller Park, but Nyanza Drive off East Street is easy to find.
@GrinnellTim- Thanks for that update! I was figuring it would be a bit better than around here.
Mark - I know the park is off limits for parking. Are either the middle school or the fairgrounds available to use for parking, or should we find spots somewhere else?
I imagine the Middle School would be the best bet. The Chamber of Commerce dropped the ball this year and never responded to my e-mails, so unfortunately, you are on your own there.
Thank you sir. See you Friday afternoon/evening.
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