Just pony on up and put yer name in that hat called "Iowa Wind And Rock Registration". Y'all have till the 18th ta git'er dun!
Seriously- this is the most "Trans Iowa-like" event out there. There isn't anything else you can do in the gravel grinding niche that will come close. The folks that put it on are all Trans Iowa veterans and loved that event so much they didn't want it to go away, so they did the next best thing. They started their own deal.
Just to be perfectly clear, I have nothing at all to do with Iowa Wind & Rock. I have "retired" from that sort of nonsense and I have no desire to get back in. Been there, done that. That said, I have a LOT of respect for these folks, and I am really HAPPY that they are pushing this sort of an event onward. There truly is not anything else out there like it.
Of course, they are free to do it the way they see fit, and going onward, things could change and maybe I won't be down with those changes. But that's me. They have to figure out things for themselves now, and I've moved on. Sure, I hope they keep things close to the heart of what Trans Iowa was, but there are never any guarantees. I saw some guy grousing about how he hated cue sheet navigation. See, that's a cry to make it easier. Cue sheets are a pain in the butt. They are harder to use. To my mind, that's part of the point of it all. But these things are always relative. Ask any pioneer from the 1800's if they would have liked to have had cue sheets/maps instead of relying on memory or tales pointing to landmarks for navigation. See what I mean? Challenges are not about using the latest technology, as far as I am concerned. Technology? That actually is a crutch to lean on. And it causes all sorts of complications.
Anywho...... Get on the registration if you want such a challenge.
Ahhyy, you are complaining that using a flaky Garmin
ReplyDeleteto navigate is a techno-crutch ?
When you allow chain drive and pneumatic tyres
on your bike ?
Try riding a dandy horse or an ordinary.
Jeez, kids these days don't know how good they have it.
Harummphhh.
amen scottg! ban tubeless tires, ban tire clearance beyond 28mm, ban 'gravel specific frames' if you really want to make it a challenge.
ReplyDeleteCue cards are not hard to use. I have maybe only briefly missed a turn using a cue card but have gotten seriously off course navigating solely with a malfunctioning GPS, and had another totally die on me, giving me zero options except following others. To me using a GPS is a bigger risk than cue cards. That does not change the point I find cue cards annoying AF and the novelty of using them in races wore off about 8 years ago. A buddy pointed out another reason why he hates cue cards and I could not agree more- he spends way more time staring at his cue cards instead of, you know, checking out the scenery and actually enjoying ridding his bike.
I get the fact that some people still like using them, but also giving a GPS file aint making someone else faster, or making the course any easier, etc etc etc...
I've actually never found myself staring at cue cards during TI or any other event that required them. Look at the next cue or two, remember the road names and maybe the turn direction and then go back to riding and looking around. You gotta be looking up to see the street signs anyway. :)
ReplyDelete