Trans Iowa Stories:"I'll Kill Ya!"

The third, and final, Trans Iowa v8 header art concept that was used on the site. Courtesy of Jeff Kerkove.

 "Trans Iowa Stories" is an every Sunday post which helps tell the stories behind the event. You can check out other posts about this subject by going back to earlier Sunday posts on this blog. Thanks and enjoy!

The events of the next Trans Iowa in the line of this story were all etched into my memory as if it were the first time I'd done it. In a way, it was the first time. I hadn't done all of the work to put on the event in five years. Now, I was on my own. Back in 2014 as I recapped Trans Iowa's history for this blog, I wrote the following, which should serve as a good recap of where I left off in the telling of the events surrounding version seven of Trans Iowa:

 "It was over. Trans Iowa V7 was done, but I had a "Dirt Rag" story to write, sponsors to thank, and some emotionally charged situations going on that seemed to put the endurance factor of Trans Iowa v7 on much longer than I imagined. There was the tension between David and I, my buddy MG was ticked off, and I had just about reached my limits in terms of being able to take any more. There was only one thing that fueled my desire to do another Trans Iowa- that was my complete and utter determination to put on a flawless Trans Iowa. Before the event was even done, I had silently vowed to myself that I would take Trans Iowa on and dominate the logistical and promotional parts of the event and show how it really could be done. I knew it could be way better."

It was also true that I had said after Trans Iowa v3 that I'd never do the event again alone. However; I never dreamed I'd end up in the situation I did at the time of v7. That pretty much lit a fire within me and I can say honestly I haven't been that motivated to do anything since. 

Lots of things needed attention, most of those having to do with recon of the route and cue sheets. One of the things I changed was that whatever the route was to be, that route would have a draft of cues for it well ahead of the event. In fact, they would be independently verified. The original plan was to have whomever was to verify the cues do it alone by my draft of the cues. That way any issues found would be natural, so to speak. I wouldn't be there to influence the outcome, and people would know the route was legit. However; my two volunteers that stepped up to do this, Wally and George, insisted I come along, since any issues could be sussed out easily if I was there, and it would save time and money. I acquiesced and in March of 2012, I joined them in Grinnell for the first "Checking Crew" ride. Here's what I wrote at the time leading up to the recon:

 "This year, besides having all the cues drafted far in advance, the cues will actually be double checked by a third party. This will happen this weekend when I will play tag along with the Checking Crew. My role will be to see if any clarifications are necessary and to take notes of any criticisms. By doing this extra step, it is my hope that the cues will reflect with accuracy where and when to turn out there."

I didn't really know Wally well yet, but I liked him as we got to know each other over the months going into T.I.v7 and afterward. George I knew even less. I had only met him once, at T.I.v7, and that briefly. I hadn't communicated with him outside of that. What I learned later, but didn't know that day in March of 2012, was that Wally and George had been life-long friends. They knew each other so well one could finish the other's sentences. Brothers from other mothers, for sure, and they have a rich, long history of events that they have shared over the years. But again- I hadn't learned that yet. 

So, as we tooled along in George's Ford 4X4, Bouncing down the gravel roads, we got to talking. Now, if you don't know me, I like to talk. I can spin a yarn, and I enjoy hearing them too. Well, at one point I was telling a story about something or another that I had done when George, who had been pretty quiet up to this point, piped up and said, "You know what I would have done if you'd done that to me?"

I responded and asked what that might be. 

George then snapped around, with a wild look, his eyes bulging and his face was tense, and he growled, "I'd a fu#@in killed ya!"

Pregnant pause.......for effect.....

A rider by the fire at Wally and George's Checkpoint Bravo during T.I.v8

Then Wally busted out laughing! The look on my face must have been priceless. I had no idea if George was serious or no, but his tone, and his overall countenance was very convincing! See, George had grown up in Chicago. He had that certain 'moxy', that inner city swagger thing. And Wally knew exactly where he was going with that the minute George opened up his trap. Man! Was that a funny thing right there.   

And for the rest of the day, that phrase, or variations thereof,  was repeated at various times in connection with various things, and my sides hurt from laughing so much. That recon was so much fun, and Wally and George were such great guys, not to mention such a good sounding board for my course ideas and cues, that they instantly became an indispensable resource to Trans Iowa. Not to mention, really good friends too. That was an unforgettable day. It wasn't the last one either.

The course checking was a great idea, and having the cues reviewed by two individuals with no horse in the race, (sorry for the pun), made for some raw, unfiltered critique that I was able to put to good use. Then, as if that weren't enough, I had Jeremy Fry and Steve Fuller use the revamped cues after the first vetting as they scouted the course for imagery opportunities. So, not only was T.I.v8 vetted out once, but twice by independent teams. I was out to make sure these cues were so spot-on that they could not be faulted.

Trans Iowa v8 saw Wally and George running the Checkpoint Bravo (#2) and they, once again, proved to have one of the coolest checkpoints ever seen in Trans Iowa's history. John Gorilla famously said later that there should have been a time limit on how long you could have stayed at that checkpoint! Keep in mind, this was literally about as far out in the sticks in Iowa as you could get. So, the little oasis of fun, fire, and liquor was a standout after miles and miles of nothing.  Recently, George related a little story about the Checkpoint Bravo experience:

Riders leaving Checkpoint Bravo, by Wally Kilburg

"Wally and I were at the beginning of the race and drove around checking on riders in the morning and hitting Ckeckpoint 1. (Dubbed Checkpoint Alpha that year) When we decided to head out to Ckeckpoint 2 (Bravo) we hit a store and bought some supplies and a couple of DuraFlame logs to help take the night’s chill away. We made our way out there and began setting up. The EZUP was the first thing followed by our chairs, coolers, generator/lights, music, and getting the fire pit ready. In the middle of all this we were approached by a couple of locals who lived a hundred yards or so up the road. My first thought was “I hope we don’t have any trouble!” But it turns out they just were curious about what we were doing. I don’t think they had ever seen, or had anybody setting up “camp", on their corner before.

We had a very friendly chat with them explaining what was going on. They were amazed that a bicycle race would be coming through this area with it being in the middle of nowhere. But they did think it was pretty cool and hoped we and the riders would have a good time. They were extremely nice and friendly and even offered to share their dinner with us and told us to stop by and warm up if we got cold. We thanked them for the offers and understanding that we meant no harm while invading their little corner of Iowa. I’m not 100% sure but I think one of them stopped over when we had a flurry of riders come through."

George went on to share with me the following about the riders getting too comfortable there at Checkpoint Bravo: 

"As a side note, you may remember that we had to chase several riders out of the checkpoint so they would continue the race. Some got very comfortable taking over our chairs and warming up by the fire as we handed out Cue sheets and offered encouragement. A few of the riders never left. I think it was close to 1AM by the time they were all picked up. LOL! Even MG who ran Ckeckpoint 3, (The secret Checkpoint "Charlie" that year, along with Jeremy Fry) if I recall correctly, hung around until the last possible moment. Good times!"

The other thing that came out of this version of Trans Iowa was Wally's imagery, and his desire to step into being a photographer for his main vocation. I cannot say whether Trans Iowa helped push him over the edge to do that with his life, but I am sure it was an influence. However that played out, I do know that because of Wally and George, Trans Iowa's imagery for posterity was enriched greatly. It all started with that ride to verify cues for v8.  

Next: Here I Am Again On My Own