B.O.G. Series: What To Eat And Drink

Whatever you chose to take, make sure it is portable and safe.

 Welcome to the Basics of Gravel Series (B.O.G.)! In this series I will attempt to bring a very foundational knowledge of gravel and back road riding to anyone reading that may be curious or a beginner in riding off-pavement, but not wanting to be mountain biking. There will be a new entry every Wednesday until the series is complete. To see the schedule, click this LINK. Thanks! 

Eating and drinking on any bicycle ride is important. Especially if your ride is over an hour's length in time. Gravel, or more specifically- open country riding- is even more taxing on your system due to exposure to the elements. Winds can suck moisture out of you much easier out there. The Sun is a concern, and of course, terrain can place demands upon your body that simpler rides around town may not demand from your body. I already touched upon the subject of nutrition in this earlier B.O.G. series article, so please double check that link to get all of my thoughts on this subject. 

I'll detail things out by separating the liquids from the solids. So, let's first tackle drinking. Water is the obvious choice here, but supplementing that with an additive is not a bad idea. Your sweating out will take along with it vital nutrients that your muscles need to function properly. So replenishing those lost nutrients is very important on longer rides. Doing so will not only make your ride successful, but it will help you avoid cramping, losing power, and getting disoriented, (what many cyclists refer to as 'bonking'). Essentially, re-hydrating with just water isn't always going to be enough. In fact, using too much water is bad, but that's a topic for another day.

Hydration tablets, like these NUUN tabs, can be added to water.

So, enhancing water with a hydration supplement, like tablets, or liquid electrolytic add-ins, can be helpful. Yes....you could use Gatorade, or a similar substitute, but be careful as those typically have a lot of added sugar and that's not a wise thing to ingest while exerting yourself, typically speaking. 

Products for electrolyte replenishing are typically available in many grocery stores' natural foods aisles. Things like tablets which dilute into water are common. (Don't allow a tablet to dilute in a closed container as it will pressurize the container and when you open it? BOOM! Well, kind of!) One liquid type electrolyte enhancer is Elete, which I really like as it can be added to water and you cannot taste it. I've never cramped while using that product and I highly recommend it.

There are also ways to make sure that your levels of minerals and electrolytes are up to snuff through what you eat. Bananas are a perennial choice for cycling and are easily portable while riding. You can take in salty foods as well, which can aid in keeping cramps at bay. I've seen folks eating pickles, (or just drinking pickle juice!), olives, and such fare which can be useful if you are trying to find things in the house you already may have. Salty snacks can also be used here. Just make sure that you can ride with whatever it is you choose to eat and drink so that things don't spoil, get ruined by jostling around, or that may be affected by the heat of Summer riding.  

If you are a beginner, don't think you have to pack a meal, or even a normal 'snack' to ride with. You may only be doing shorter rides to start out with, so if you are talking an hour or two, a couple of water bottles and a small amount of food is all you will really need here. If you are taking more than a sandwich bag can hold, you are probably over-packing, as far as food goes. 

For instance, in the image above, I show a selection of food I was using on a 150 mile ride. So, I had a lot of stuff! Don't go away thinking you'd need all of that! Not for an hour or two, at any rate. But what I show there is really good nutrition that can be carried along with little to no trouble. I get a lot of what I use in the natural foods aisle, but you can do things differently. Just be very careful not to litter, please! Plan on packing out your garbage, and this may also influence your choices. I mean, who wants to cart around an aluminum soda can that is empty, right? Just don't take anything like that unless you are okay with packing it out. Littering is really dumb, so let's not do that anywhere we go. 

Now all this talk about 'packing' may have you wondering about just exactly what it is you pack things in to. Next week I'll get around to that and more. 

Next: What Accessories You Should Consider.

B.O.G. Series: What To Eat And Drink

Whatever you chose to take, make sure it is portable and safe.

 Welcome to the Basics of Gravel Series (B.O.G.)! In this series I will attempt to bring a very foundational knowledge of gravel and back road riding to anyone reading that may be curious or a beginner in riding off-pavement, but not wanting to be mountain biking. There will be a new entry every Wednesday until the series is complete. To see the schedule, click this LINK. Thanks! 

Eating and drinking on any bicycle ride is important. Especially if your ride is over an hour's length in time. Gravel, or more specifically- open country riding- is even more taxing on your system due to exposure to the elements. Winds can suck moisture out of you much easier out there. The Sun is a concern, and of course, terrain can place demands upon your body that simpler rides around town may not demand from your body. I already touched upon the subject of nutrition in this earlier B.O.G. series article, so please double check that link to get all of my thoughts on this subject. 

I'll detail things out by separating the liquids from the solids. So, let's first tackle drinking. Water is the obvious choice here, but supplementing that with an additive is not a bad idea. Your sweating out will take along with it vital nutrients that your muscles need to function properly. So replenishing those lost nutrients is very important on longer rides. Doing so will not only make your ride successful, but it will help you avoid cramping, losing power, and getting disoriented, (what many cyclists refer to as 'bonking'). Essentially, re-hydrating with just water isn't always going to be enough. In fact, using too much water is bad, but that's a topic for another day.

Hydration tablets, like these NUUN tabs, can be added to water.

So, enhancing water with a hydration supplement, like tablets, or liquid electrolytic add-ins, can be helpful. Yes....you could use Gatorade, or a similar substitute, but be careful as those typically have a lot of added sugar and that's not a wise thing to ingest while exerting yourself, typically speaking. 

Products for electrolyte replenishing are typically available in many grocery stores' natural foods aisles. Things like tablets which dilute into water are common. (Don't allow a tablet to dilute in a closed container as it will pressurize the container and when you open it? BOOM! Well, kind of!) One liquid type electrolyte enhancer is Elete, which I really like as it can be added to water and you cannot taste it. I've never cramped while using that product and I highly recommend it.

There are also ways to make sure that your levels of minerals and electrolytes are up to snuff through what you eat. Bananas are a perennial choice for cycling and are easily portable while riding. You can take in salty foods as well, which can aid in keeping cramps at bay. I've seen folks eating pickles, (or just drinking pickle juice!), olives, and such fare which can be useful if you are trying to find things in the house you already may have. Salty snacks can also be used here. Just make sure that you can ride with whatever it is you choose to eat and drink so that things don't spoil, get ruined by jostling around, or that may be affected by the heat of Summer riding.  

If you are a beginner, don't think you have to pack a meal, or even a normal 'snack' to ride with. You may only be doing shorter rides to start out with, so if you are talking an hour or two, a couple of water bottles and a small amount of food is all you will really need here. If you are taking more than a sandwich bag can hold, you are probably over-packing, as far as food goes. 

For instance, in the image above, I show a selection of food I was using on a 150 mile ride. So, I had a lot of stuff! Don't go away thinking you'd need all of that! Not for an hour or two, at any rate. But what I show there is really good nutrition that can be carried along with little to no trouble. I get a lot of what I use in the natural foods aisle, but you can do things differently. Just be very careful not to litter, please! Plan on packing out your garbage, and this may also influence your choices. I mean, who wants to cart around an aluminum soda can that is empty, right? Just don't take anything like that unless you are okay with packing it out. Littering is really dumb, so let's not do that anywhere we go. 

Now all this talk about 'packing' may have you wondering about just exactly what it is you pack things in to. Next week I'll get around to that and more. 

Next: What Accessories You Should Consider.

Trans Iowa Stories: New T.I.v1 Image Turns Up

(L-R) Todd Scott, Mike Curiak, Joe Partridge, Steve Fassibinder at T.I.v1

 Trans Iowa Stories is a series about the behind the scenes, unknown, or little told stories about the event which usually appears every Sunday. This special Trans Iowa Stories post comes as a new photo from Trans Iowa v1 surfaced yesterday on Facebook. 

Every once in a while a new tidbit of information reaches me concerning Trans Iowa. Perhaps because the traditional date for the series is fast approaching, old participants of the event are finding new things to share with me. 

As an example, this coming Sunday's "Trans Iowa Series" post has two new images shared with me last week by Ari Andonopoulous. Now, just yesterday, I got tagged on a post on Facebook by former Trans Iowa finisher Joe Partridge. Joe was one of the nine riders (not those Nine Riders) who finished the very first Trans Iowa, he riding a single speed. 

In the image here, which I grabbed from Joe's Facebook page, he is sitting second wheel in a four-up group. This group was near the lead throughout the event. The group is representative of some of the top names in endurance racing in 2005. Up front is Steve "Dr. Doom" Fassibinder, then Joe, behind Joe is the legend Mike Curiak, and following in fourth is Todd Scott, who had done several 24hr events, the Leadville 100, and the Iditasport event on his bike. Todd was one who also finished this event. 

While there were two stalwart, very experienced endurance racers in this group, they did not prevail. Todd and Joe weren't slouches, by any stretch, but it was cool to see that they made it through despite the fact that the 'big guys' did not. In fact, it was in part that many of these well known racers did not finish that Trans Iowa instantly became something of a byword amongst the endurance racing crowd. The fact the no one finished the following year, at T.I.v2, just further cemented that notorious air about the event.

Back in 2005, no one had ever heard of a 'gravel bike'. It was either a flat bar or drop bar bike and most folks were split into the cyclo cross camp or they were in the mountain bike group. Of course, 26" wheels still ruled the day in terms of MTB, but Trans Iowa v1 had a lot of 29 inch wheeled bikes and you can see those represented in the group shot above. Todd was on a 26"er, if I recall correctly. 

I will always point to this event, the first Trans Iowa, as being the first 'modern day' gravel event. Sure- there were other bicycle races held on gravel, or partially on gravel courses, but none of those kicked off what we know today as the 'gravel segment' of cycling. This was the event that started this whole thing rolling that you know today as Gravel®. These four guys, and others who attended, were the pioneers of that movement. I think it is just amazing that I was there and saw it start. That I got to be a small part of this is so humbling. Just a really cool experience. 

Anyway, thanks to Joe Partridge for this great shot that I had never seen before until yesterday.

Trans Iowa Stories: New T.I.v1 Image Turns Up

(L-R) Todd Scott, Mike Curiak, Joe Partridge, Steve Fassibinder at T.I.v1

 Trans Iowa Stories is a series about the behind the scenes, unknown, or little told stories about the event which usually appears every Sunday. This special Trans Iowa Stories post comes as a new photo from Trans Iowa v1 surfaced yesterday on Facebook. 

Every once in a while a new tidbit of information reaches me concerning Trans Iowa. Perhaps because the traditional date for the series is fast approaching, old participants of the event are finding new things to share with me. 

As an example, this coming Sunday's "Trans Iowa Series" post has two new images shared with me last week by Ari Andonopoulous. Now, just yesterday, I got tagged on a post on Facebook by former Trans Iowa finisher Joe Partridge. Joe was one of the nine riders (not those Nine Riders) who finished the very first Trans Iowa, he riding a single speed. 

In the image here, which I grabbed from Joe's Facebook page, he is sitting second wheel in a four-up group. This group was near the lead throughout the event. The group is representative of some of the top names in endurance racing in 2005. Up front is Steve "Dr. Doom" Fassibinder, then Joe, behind Joe is the legend Mike Curiak, and following in fourth is Todd Scott, who had done several 24hr events, the Leadville 100, and the Iditasport event on his bike. Todd was one who also finished this event. 

While there were two stalwart, very experienced endurance racers in this group, they did not prevail. Todd and Joe weren't slouches, by any stretch, but it was cool to see that they made it through despite the fact that the 'big guys' did not. In fact, it was in part that many of these well known racers did not finish that Trans Iowa instantly became something of a byword amongst the endurance racing crowd. The fact the no one finished the following year, at T.I.v2, just further cemented that notorious air about the event.

Back in 2005, no one had ever heard of a 'gravel bike'. It was either a flat bar or drop bar bike and most folks were split into the cyclo cross camp or they were in the mountain bike group. Of course, 26" wheels still ruled the day in terms of MTB, but Trans Iowa v1 had a lot of 29 inch wheeled bikes and you can see those represented in the group shot above. Todd was on a 26"er, if I recall correctly. 

I will always point to this event, the first Trans Iowa, as being the first 'modern day' gravel event. Sure- there were other bicycle races held on gravel, or partially on gravel courses, but none of those kicked off what we know today as the 'gravel segment' of cycling. This was the event that started this whole thing rolling that you know today as Gravel®. These four guys, and others who attended, were the pioneers of that movement. I think it is just amazing that I was there and saw it start. That I got to be a small part of this is so humbling. Just a really cool experience. 

Anyway, thanks to Joe Partridge for this great shot that I had never seen before until yesterday.

Country Views; Going To School

Escape Route: Moline Road

Saturday, and really all last week, was wet. Too wet for my tastes and so I did not get out to ride in the country on that day. It was also pretty dreary all week long last week. No Sun! So when I saw that Sunday was supposed to be partly Sunny, the high winds did not deter me from getting out there. 

It wasn't supposed to be particularly warm, so I did use a pair of thermal tights, a long sleeved wool jersey, and a soft-shell jacket. The humidity was super-low for this time of year, so that all worked out and I stayed pretty warm. If it had been wet air, well then I maybe wouldn't have been as happy, because that wind! It was every bit as bad as that other day recently that I rode, and the only difference was that this time the wind was out of the Northwest. 

So my route plan was to go North first and see how I would do. My knee, my right knee, as you might remember, had gotten a little twinge of pain riding into that bad wind last time. Well, I tried not to push too hard. Spin to win! Ha! But that's the best way, and it worked! I didn't suffer any knee pain despite going five miles straight into that punishing wind. And Moline Road is all rollers, mostly uphill, which makes it harder.

Looking West down Mt. Vernon Road

East down Bennington Road

Five miles was enough too. I don't think I could have been going much over ten miles an hour, and probably slightly less than that, into that wind. As I approached Bennington Road, I could tell it was time to bail out of that brutal wind or my knee was not going to continue to hold up. So, I hung a right and weeeeeeee! It was soooo much easier to pedal! 

Looking Southwest from under the eaves of the Bennington School house.

Sage Road looking South.

I stopped at the Bennington Schoolhouse at the corner of Sage Road and Bennington Road. I thought it wise to give myself a break so I wouldn't overtax that right knee. For some odd reason I was also out of the wind there, which did not make any sense, as I was on the Western facing steps of the schoolhouse. Anyway.... Maybe I was getting a bit of a 'draft' off the farm outbuildings across the road!

I made my first "Big Rock" visit of 2021 at the corner of Big Rock Road and Sage Road,.

Surprisingly, this was the wettest spot I came across after a week of rains.

The roads I saw North of Waterloo are in spectacular shape and very fast. I saw very little fresh gravel, although I suspect that won't last much longer. I also was a bit surprised by the lack of any mud to speak of and that the roads were still very dry. This after a full week of steady rains. That just shows you how dry it really was before last week! 

So it turned out to be a successful test of the right knee. I wasn't wanting to ride too far with that massive wind. Even riding South there was enough side force that going down hill at approximately 30mph was sketchy at times in the gusts. So no matter which way you were headed, it was no picnic for one reason or another. 

Hopefully the Spring winds start to subside a bit. I can deal with some wind, but this heavy wind stuff is not going to work for me long term. But Spring will be waning soon enough. I probably should just enjoy it while it is here!

Country Views; Going To School

Escape Route: Moline Road

Saturday, and really all last week, was wet. Too wet for my tastes and so I did not get out to ride in the country on that day. It was also pretty dreary all week long last week. No Sun! So when I saw that Sunday was supposed to be partly Sunny, the high winds did not deter me from getting out there. 

It wasn't supposed to be particularly warm, so I did use a pair of thermal tights, a long sleeved wool jersey, and a soft-shell jacket. The humidity was super-low for this time of year, so that all worked out and I stayed pretty warm. If it had been wet air, well then I maybe wouldn't have been as happy, because that wind! It was every bit as bad as that other day recently that I rode, and the only difference was that this time the wind was out of the Northwest. 

So my route plan was to go North first and see how I would do. My knee, my right knee, as you might remember, had gotten a little twinge of pain riding into that bad wind last time. Well, I tried not to push too hard. Spin to win! Ha! But that's the best way, and it worked! I didn't suffer any knee pain despite going five miles straight into that punishing wind. And Moline Road is all rollers, mostly uphill, which makes it harder.

Looking West down Mt. Vernon Road

East down Bennington Road

Five miles was enough too. I don't think I could have been going much over ten miles an hour, and probably slightly less than that, into that wind. As I approached Bennington Road, I could tell it was time to bail out of that brutal wind or my knee was not going to continue to hold up. So, I hung a right and weeeeeeee! It was soooo much easier to pedal! 

Looking Southwest from under the eaves of the Bennington School house.

Sage Road looking South.

I stopped at the Bennington Schoolhouse at the corner of Sage Road and Bennington Road. I thought it wise to give myself a break so I wouldn't overtax that right knee. For some odd reason I was also out of the wind there, which did not make any sense, as I was on the Western facing steps of the schoolhouse. Anyway.... Maybe I was getting a bit of a 'draft' off the farm outbuildings across the road!

I made my first "Big Rock" visit of 2021 at the corner of Big Rock Road and Sage Road,.

Surprisingly, this was the wettest spot I came across after a week of rains.

The roads I saw North of Waterloo are in spectacular shape and very fast. I saw very little fresh gravel, although I suspect that won't last much longer. I also was a bit surprised by the lack of any mud to speak of and that the roads were still very dry. This after a full week of steady rains. That just shows you how dry it really was before last week! 

So it turned out to be a successful test of the right knee. I wasn't wanting to ride too far with that massive wind. Even riding South there was enough side force that going down hill at approximately 30mph was sketchy at times in the gusts. So no matter which way you were headed, it was no picnic for one reason or another. 

Hopefully the Spring winds start to subside a bit. I can deal with some wind, but this heavy wind stuff is not going to work for me long term. But Spring will be waning soon enough. I probably should just enjoy it while it is here!

Trans Iowa Stories: The Last Rider

Greg Gleason's surprisingly clean looking bike in Sigourney,. Iowa

  "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!

 MG and I rendezvoused at an interstate truck stop on I-80 and decided that we could have breakfast. This was weird! Having any time at all for myself during a Trans Iowa? This was unheard of. I felt like a truant. This was a luxury I had not expected in the morning when it was still dark outside. 

But with one last rider left in the event, and Tony and Mike out there covering for us, we had time to casually sit down and talk about what had just transpired over the past seven or so hours. MG was amazed by the tales I had to tell, and of course, at that time I only knew a little bit about what had happened. 

But I wanted to know about him. What the heck was going on? Flu? Something not sit right with him? He looked to be just fine at that point as we chatted in the truck stop. Turns out that through a process of deduction it was determined that some bad ranch dressing at the pre-race meal was to blame. Basically food poisoning. But all was well by noon and MG had something to eat with no further ill effects. After this, we tried to come up with a plan to deal with the event, such as it was.

This was unprecedented. One man was left. We had probably ten people including MG and I which would have to keep 'on duty' to facilitate the event with this last rider. I basically had to decide first whether or not just to call the event off. I quickly determined that we had to run the event. Calling it off without any real good reason, whether there were ten riders or one, wasn't in my game plan. So on to the next hurdle. That being, do we keep everyone on duty, or can we just pare it down to MG and I to follow Greg around? 

This was put to Jeremy, who was the lead at CP#2, and to Tony and Mike. Not one of them was going to quit until the event was 'officially' over. Jeremy, who was going to have an assistant come along with him, did decide that he would come alone, if needed. This didn't sit well with me because this meant that Jeremy would have had to have traveled several hours in one direction to get there, all for a single rider. Jeremy didn't care, and so I was left with having that worry on my mind. Meanwhile, MG and I determined that if we could prove that Gleason couldn't make it on time, we could pull him, but that had to be a slam dunk. If it was close, we were going to have to let things play out. The first order of business then was to find out where Gleason was. Without that knowledge, we had no good way to ascertain his progress or to figure his approximate time of arrival at CP#2.

MG and I headed South to pick up the course while Tony and Mike reported in that they had short cut the course to Sigourney, approximately 30 miles further down the course, and had not seen any signs of Gleason. He should have stopped at a local Casey's there for resupply. Maybe he slipped by and was South of there already? Tony and Mike went to check that while MG and I, in separate cars, by the way, made our way to Sigourney to eventually meet Tony and Mike and convene there. Before we got there, Tony messaged me. Gleason was at the convenience store. 

Had Gleason made good time he had several miles of this to traverse on his way to CP#2- This taken the Saturday of T.I.v11 near where Greg stopped.

Tony related to me that the roads immediately South of Sigourney were treacherous. The worst he'd seen all day. That was saying something! Greg was inside the Casey's scarfing down a sandwich. His bike sat outside, looking none the worse for wear, despite the horrible conditions. Apparently, the heavy rains had washed away any mud Greg had run through. By this point the rain had abated. There were showers and mists, and the wind had calmed down significantly. In fact, things were actually much improved from my view. Had more riders made the time cut-off, this would have been a race. 

But on the other hand, it was looking like a losing battle. John Gorilla probably had the right idea after all. A close shave on time to the first checkpoint didn't allow enough time in the bank, as it were, to deal with walking more miles of Level B Roads, and there were definitely more miles of Level B Roads to Checkpoint #2. Gleason was pressing it close too. While we were watching him prepare to leave Sigourney, it was already 12:45. The next checkpoint closed at 8:00pm. Greg had a little over 80 miles to go. He was going to have to pull a rabbit out of the hat to make it, but he was a strong rider, and conditions were improving. Plus, I knew there was a long stretch of very flat terrain coming up. Maybe if Greg turned on the afterburners, he could gain enough time to play with to navigate the B Roads and still make it. Maybe. 

Of course, Greg didn't know this, and we couldn't tell him. It was just going to have to play itself out. I did lob a comment at him that I meant to get into his head. I said, "With 80 miles to go it's gonna be tough to make it in time."Greg didn't respond with anything tangible. He just grunted and shoved off. But now I knew the idea was understood. He could be motivated, or he could crumble. Now all we could do was wait to see what the outcome would be. 

Greg Gleason finally appears over the hill where we were parked. A little too late!

Now I had some math to do. Actually, I had the numbers crunched by Mike Johnson as well. I didn't want to rely on my math skills. I also forwarded my numbers to Jeremy, who just so happens to be a math professor at a local community college. All were in agreement that if I parked at a point about 40 miles from Checkpoint #2, and if Greg wasn't there at or before 4:00pm, he wasn't going to make the time cut. This was predicted on our knowledge of the course, the number of muddy, unrideable Level B Road miles within 40 miles of CP#2, and the weather. 

The weather actually improved even more by the mid-afternoon. MG and I had positioned ourselves at the spot where we were figuring Greg had to get to by 4;00pm. It was just at the end of a long, straight run Eastward where the course turned South down a narrow, muddy Level B Road. I was anxious. On one hand, I wanted Greg to fail because then I could call off Jeremy and save him a long round trip. On the other hand, I wanted to see Greg overcome the deficit and pull off a major coup.

In the meantime MG and I had a couple hours to kill. It seemed like a super long time to me. Of course, we were in the middle of no where. Nothing was going on. We just kept chatting, staring Westward at a low hill, looking for any sign of movement on the horizon that might indicate a rider. We spent some time playing with Amy, MG's dog that he brought along, and otherwise the only break in the monotony was a single car that passed us by. 

MG and Greg Gleason quaff a cold Dales at the spot where Greg pulled the plug.

At 4:00pm I told my finish line volunteers, mobile volunteers Mike and Tony, and CP#2 volunteer Jeremy that the event was over. Wally and George were notified and they decided to head home. We had not seen hide nor hair of Greg. Then we waited some more. 

Then at 4:20 MG said "There he is!", and as Greg rolled up I got out of the truck and walked up to meet him. It was over. Trans Iowa v11 was officially done. I made an announcement on "Trans Iowa Radio" to make it public. Officially it was the shortest Trans Iowa ever in terms of time, at just over 12 hours. Greg covered about 128 miles in that time, which was the second shortest amount of miles covered in a Trans Iowa ever. But could he have made it? 128 miles sounds good enough to keep going, right? Well, he had about 3.5 hours to do 40 miles to Checkpoint #2 and again- I knew the course. With at least three plus miles of walking in that 40 miles, he wasn't going to make the cut-off. It truly was a slam dunk to stop things, and even Greg agreed.

A solemn moment of silence followed which was cut short by MG asking Greg if he wanted a cold Dales. He responded in the affirmative and we both gave him a toast to celebrate his efforts. Then we piled into our vehicles, Greg with MG in his vehicle and myself in my truck, and off we went back from about as far as you could get from Grinnell on the T.I.v11 course. It was a long drive, and we didn't really know what we were going to do for certain once we did get back. 

I had a lot of time to think about that along the two hour drive back to Grinnell. We decided to tell everyone to head to a place in down town Grinnell called Lonski's. It was a local sports bar/college hang-out where I had been a few times before. MG also helped get the word out. I had a LOT of WTB tires with me as WTB had sent out something crazy like 40 pairs of Nano 40 TCS tires to hand out to every finisher. Well, obviously there weren't going to be any finishers, but I needed to download these tires. I really didn't want to be sitting on those for a year until another Trans Iowa might happen. 

Another Trans Iowa....... Yeah, I was thinking about that too. How could I let this Trans Iowa be the last? How could that be my legacy, my end statement? I couldn't allow it. The riders would have not allowed it, nor would they want to not have a chance at redemption. I figured that there would be a fair number that would want to have another crack at it. My volunteers wouldn't want it to end that way. I'm sure it was not the experience they were thinking it might be. Another year would prove to be better. 

In the meantime I had one more thing to do. A meeting. A gathering of the fellowship of Trans Iowa riders was to take place. An unprecedented chance to sit with those who had dedicated themselves to this crazy event. I was really looking forward to it too. 

Next: The Gathering

Trans Iowa Stories: The Last Rider

Greg Gleason's surprisingly clean looking bike in Sigourney,. Iowa

  "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!

 MG and I rendezvoused at an interstate truck stop on I-80 and decided that we could have breakfast. This was weird! Having any time at all for myself during a Trans Iowa? This was unheard of. I felt like a truant. This was a luxury I had not expected in the morning when it was still dark outside. 

But with one last rider left in the event, and Tony and Mike out there covering for us, we had time to casually sit down and talk about what had just transpired over the past seven or so hours. MG was amazed by the tales I had to tell, and of course, at that time I only knew a little bit about what had happened. 

But I wanted to know about him. What the heck was going on? Flu? Something not sit right with him? He looked to be just fine at that point as we chatted in the truck stop. Turns out that through a process of deduction it was determined that some bad ranch dressing at the pre-race meal was to blame. Basically food poisoning. But all was well by noon and MG had something to eat with no further ill effects. After this, we tried to come up with a plan to deal with the event, such as it was.

This was unprecedented. One man was left. We had probably ten people including MG and I which would have to keep 'on duty' to facilitate the event with this last rider. I basically had to decide first whether or not just to call the event off. I quickly determined that we had to run the event. Calling it off without any real good reason, whether there were ten riders or one, wasn't in my game plan. So on to the next hurdle. That being, do we keep everyone on duty, or can we just pare it down to MG and I to follow Greg around? 

This was put to Jeremy, who was the lead at CP#2, and to Tony and Mike. Not one of them was going to quit until the event was 'officially' over. Jeremy, who was going to have an assistant come along with him, did decide that he would come alone, if needed. This didn't sit well with me because this meant that Jeremy would have had to have traveled several hours in one direction to get there, all for a single rider. Jeremy didn't care, and so I was left with having that worry on my mind. Meanwhile, MG and I determined that if we could prove that Gleason couldn't make it on time, we could pull him, but that had to be a slam dunk. If it was close, we were going to have to let things play out. The first order of business then was to find out where Gleason was. Without that knowledge, we had no good way to ascertain his progress or to figure his approximate time of arrival at CP#2.

MG and I headed South to pick up the course while Tony and Mike reported in that they had short cut the course to Sigourney, approximately 30 miles further down the course, and had not seen any signs of Gleason. He should have stopped at a local Casey's there for resupply. Maybe he slipped by and was South of there already? Tony and Mike went to check that while MG and I, in separate cars, by the way, made our way to Sigourney to eventually meet Tony and Mike and convene there. Before we got there, Tony messaged me. Gleason was at the convenience store. 

Had Gleason made good time he had several miles of this to traverse on his way to CP#2- This taken the Saturday of T.I.v11 near where Greg stopped.

Tony related to me that the roads immediately South of Sigourney were treacherous. The worst he'd seen all day. That was saying something! Greg was inside the Casey's scarfing down a sandwich. His bike sat outside, looking none the worse for wear, despite the horrible conditions. Apparently, the heavy rains had washed away any mud Greg had run through. By this point the rain had abated. There were showers and mists, and the wind had calmed down significantly. In fact, things were actually much improved from my view. Had more riders made the time cut-off, this would have been a race. 

But on the other hand, it was looking like a losing battle. John Gorilla probably had the right idea after all. A close shave on time to the first checkpoint didn't allow enough time in the bank, as it were, to deal with walking more miles of Level B Roads, and there were definitely more miles of Level B Roads to Checkpoint #2. Gleason was pressing it close too. While we were watching him prepare to leave Sigourney, it was already 12:45. The next checkpoint closed at 8:00pm. Greg had a little over 80 miles to go. He was going to have to pull a rabbit out of the hat to make it, but he was a strong rider, and conditions were improving. Plus, I knew there was a long stretch of very flat terrain coming up. Maybe if Greg turned on the afterburners, he could gain enough time to play with to navigate the B Roads and still make it. Maybe. 

Of course, Greg didn't know this, and we couldn't tell him. It was just going to have to play itself out. I did lob a comment at him that I meant to get into his head. I said, "With 80 miles to go it's gonna be tough to make it in time."Greg didn't respond with anything tangible. He just grunted and shoved off. But now I knew the idea was understood. He could be motivated, or he could crumble. Now all we could do was wait to see what the outcome would be. 

Greg Gleason finally appears over the hill where we were parked. A little too late!

Now I had some math to do. Actually, I had the numbers crunched by Mike Johnson as well. I didn't want to rely on my math skills. I also forwarded my numbers to Jeremy, who just so happens to be a math professor at a local community college. All were in agreement that if I parked at a point about 40 miles from Checkpoint #2, and if Greg wasn't there at or before 4:00pm, he wasn't going to make the time cut. This was predicted on our knowledge of the course, the number of muddy, unrideable Level B Road miles within 40 miles of CP#2, and the weather. 

The weather actually improved even more by the mid-afternoon. MG and I had positioned ourselves at the spot where we were figuring Greg had to get to by 4;00pm. It was just at the end of a long, straight run Eastward where the course turned South down a narrow, muddy Level B Road. I was anxious. On one hand, I wanted Greg to fail because then I could call off Jeremy and save him a long round trip. On the other hand, I wanted to see Greg overcome the deficit and pull off a major coup.

In the meantime MG and I had a couple hours to kill. It seemed like a super long time to me. Of course, we were in the middle of no where. Nothing was going on. We just kept chatting, staring Westward at a low hill, looking for any sign of movement on the horizon that might indicate a rider. We spent some time playing with Amy, MG's dog that he brought along, and otherwise the only break in the monotony was a single car that passed us by. 

MG and Greg Gleason quaff a cold Dales at the spot where Greg pulled the plug.

At 4:00pm I told my finish line volunteers, mobile volunteers Mike and Tony, and CP#2 volunteer Jeremy that the event was over. Wally and George were notified and they decided to head home. We had not seen hide nor hair of Greg. Then we waited some more. 

Then at 4:20 MG said "There he is!", and as Greg rolled up I got out of the truck and walked up to meet him. It was over. Trans Iowa v11 was officially done. I made an announcement on "Trans Iowa Radio" to make it public. Officially it was the shortest Trans Iowa ever in terms of time, at just over 12 hours. Greg covered about 128 miles in that time, which was the second shortest amount of miles covered in a Trans Iowa ever. But could he have made it? 128 miles sounds good enough to keep going, right? Well, he had about 3.5 hours to do 40 miles to Checkpoint #2 and again- I knew the course. With at least three plus miles of walking in that 40 miles, he wasn't going to make the cut-off. It truly was a slam dunk to stop things, and even Greg agreed.

A solemn moment of silence followed which was cut short by MG asking Greg if he wanted a cold Dales. He responded in the affirmative and we both gave him a toast to celebrate his efforts. Then we piled into our vehicles, Greg with MG in his vehicle and myself in my truck, and off we went back from about as far as you could get from Grinnell on the T.I.v11 course. It was a long drive, and we didn't really know what we were going to do for certain once we did get back. 

I had a lot of time to think about that along the two hour drive back to Grinnell. We decided to tell everyone to head to a place in down town Grinnell called Lonski's. It was a local sports bar/college hang-out where I had been a few times before. MG also helped get the word out. I had a LOT of WTB tires with me as WTB had sent out something crazy like 40 pairs of Nano 40 TCS tires to hand out to every finisher. Well, obviously there weren't going to be any finishers, but I needed to download these tires. I really didn't want to be sitting on those for a year until another Trans Iowa might happen. 

Another Trans Iowa....... Yeah, I was thinking about that too. How could I let this Trans Iowa be the last? How could that be my legacy, my end statement? I couldn't allow it. The riders would have not allowed it, nor would they want to not have a chance at redemption. I figured that there would be a fair number that would want to have another crack at it. My volunteers wouldn't want it to end that way. I'm sure it was not the experience they were thinking it might be. Another year would prove to be better. 

In the meantime I had one more thing to do. A meeting. A gathering of the fellowship of Trans Iowa riders was to take place. An unprecedented chance to sit with those who had dedicated themselves to this crazy event. I was really looking forward to it too. 

Next: The Gathering

Making Up For It

Making for the muck. It's all about testing!

Recently I was lamenting the fact that we went through the transition from Winter to Spring without much of a "slop season' in between. Usually I wouldn't mind that much. It makes for cleaner bikes and longer lasting drive train bits, that's for sure. However; there are a couple of things I am tasked with which sometimes requires bad weather and bad conditions to accomplish my goals. 

Well, as if on cue, the rains came this week and soaked out everything. So now we have mud, puddles, wet dirt, and more to slog through and that's exactly what I have been doing when I have time to get out. In particular, I needed to get that Showers Pass jacket review done and I need to abuse these WTB Proterra wheels more.

We also need rain for more than just my own personal desires, of course, so I am happy to see it coming down. I was a bit surprised that Thursday and Friday were sort of wet days since the forecast said these days would be Sunny. Ha! So much for that! 

But again, that's fine. Things that grow need the water. We were uncommonly dry last Fall and early Spring, so even this wet stretch won't be enough to make it through the rest of Spring. We'll need to see even more rain yet, and hopefully it comes at regular intervals. 

I'll be out today and I'll be interested to see how this rain has affected the roads. As dry as things were, I'm betting that the roads will absorb the moisture up really well. in fact, it wouldn't surprise me at all to find the roads dusty yet. Especially if the County has kept up with laying down even more crushed rock, which I fully expect that they will have. 

I maybe won't be getting a big ride in. there are home duties calling. I have to set up a new bed for my son, and I have to get the lawn mower ready for the year. But definitely there has to be a ride put in. I also have concocted a couple of ideas for rides coming up soon. These will be different than I've done for quite some time. I also will have a big 100 miler in the works soon. So, consistency in the riding is important. 

Stay tuned....

Making Up For It

Making for the muck. It's all about testing!

Recently I was lamenting the fact that we went through the transition from Winter to Spring without much of a "slop season' in between. Usually I wouldn't mind that much. It makes for cleaner bikes and longer lasting drive train bits, that's for sure. However; there are a couple of things I am tasked with which sometimes requires bad weather and bad conditions to accomplish my goals. 

Well, as if on cue, the rains came this week and soaked out everything. So now we have mud, puddles, wet dirt, and more to slog through and that's exactly what I have been doing when I have time to get out. In particular, I needed to get that Showers Pass jacket review done and I need to abuse these WTB Proterra wheels more.

We also need rain for more than just my own personal desires, of course, so I am happy to see it coming down. I was a bit surprised that Thursday and Friday were sort of wet days since the forecast said these days would be Sunny. Ha! So much for that! 

But again, that's fine. Things that grow need the water. We were uncommonly dry last Fall and early Spring, so even this wet stretch won't be enough to make it through the rest of Spring. We'll need to see even more rain yet, and hopefully it comes at regular intervals. 

I'll be out today and I'll be interested to see how this rain has affected the roads. As dry as things were, I'm betting that the roads will absorb the moisture up really well. in fact, it wouldn't surprise me at all to find the roads dusty yet. Especially if the County has kept up with laying down even more crushed rock, which I fully expect that they will have. 

I maybe won't be getting a big ride in. there are home duties calling. I have to set up a new bed for my son, and I have to get the lawn mower ready for the year. But definitely there has to be a ride put in. I also have concocted a couple of ideas for rides coming up soon. These will be different than I've done for quite some time. I also will have a big 100 miler in the works soon. So, consistency in the riding is important. 

Stay tuned....

Friday News And Views

Do I have to "Throw the Horns" if I ride tires made of METL? (Image courtesy of the SMART TIRE Co.)

SMART Tire Company Wants To Deflate Your Tires:

"Here we go again!", I thought to myself as I read the press release. More airless tire nonsense! But wait! This is NASA level tech used for rovers on foreign planets. It might be a bit different, and, as it turns out, it is very different. 

The tires are called METL and are, of course, made out of 'metal'. A Nickle/Titanium mixture, to be exact, and are made in a mesh. Think 'microphone screen' and you might get an idea, if you've ever pondered the cover of a Shure SM-58.  The mesh can deform and spring back, in a manner better than a fine bicycle tire's casing, the company claims. 

The tires use no air, and are claimed to have a lifespan greater than that of your bicycle. Of course, whenever you hear 'great things' you can expect some 'not so great things' are probably following not far behind. So, as a for instance, the SMART METL tires for bicycles will have an outer tread of rubber which can wear away and will need regular replacement. Ah.......okay? And, of course, no weights were given and no prices were revealed. Also......how you install them wasn't mentioned. 

Comments: There is too much unrevealed here for me to really give a take on these, but the fact that much important information was withheld for the time being says that I should be very skeptical of this being a workable solution for my bicycle. Another obvious thing about the SMART Tire Company is revealed right in their mission statement: "....The SMART Tire Company, with hopes of becoming the next, great American tire company..." 

The 'next great American tire company', eh? So, bicycles are really just a proof of concept exercise? Sounds like it to me. Maybe I'm being too cynical. We'll see........ 

My Apple Watch face on March 22nd, 2021.

A Time Marker:

Lots of people are marking dates now with regard to the ongoing pandemic. "It's been a year since....." whatever happened in relation to COVID-19 type reminisces have been filling social media. Well, I haven't been one to be any different in that regard. This was, and still is, kind of a 'big deal' in my life. 

I'm not sure what ever prompted me to start a streak to fill all three 'rings' of activity monitoring on my Apple Watch on March 22nd, 2020, but I bet I had some personal challenge in mind having to do with keeping my mind focused on something positive during that dark time. Whatever the motivation was, it stuck.

Monday I completed all three rings- Move, Exercise, and Stand, for the 365th consecutive day. A full year. This challenge I undertook has changed me. I did gain fitness, for sure, but more importantly, I gained a new habit or two, and I am able to tear myself away from social media, website work, and be free from technology without feeling like I am missing something, or feeling the least little bit guilty about it. 

To me, that is huge. But trust me, I have a long way to go yet. I have seen a little bit of 'the Light', if you will, and it is tantalizing. If I can move away from this seat I am sat in as I type this more during 2021 than I did in 2020 it will be counted as another goal and a success. You may be thinking I should include my mobile smart phone in this, but I forget about that thing far too often as it is. In fact, I lose it about three times a day and it doesn't bother me. Well, it doesn't until I have to find it!

So, where do I go from here? I figure I may as well keep on truckin'. Why not? It has been a good thing and I don't see a downside. Also- I am already at peace having set a year straight goal and achieving it, so if a day comes where I get sick or injured and cannot do one or all three 'rings' of activity, I am okay with that too. No worries now. But heck- why not go for two years straight? So, that's the plan for now. We'll see how it pans out in a year. 

Shimano Celebrates 100th Anniversary Of Business:

Shimano is the big bicycle parts manufacturer from Japan which we all might be familiar with, but do you know what their first bicycle part was? It was made in 1921 and it was a single speed free wheel called the "3.3.3.". Shimano also went on to make internal gear hubs, and of course, they were the first into MTB specific parts and the first to market a gravel specific group, amongst many other fine accomplishments. Some of you also may not know that Shimano is a big player in the fishing reel segment. I happen to own a fine example of an 80's era Shimano spinning reel. 

Want to check out more Shimano history? They have a special Centennial website here.

You're always on my mind....

Can't Stop Thinking About You:

Back in my 20's, I often would get a feeling come around about August time. The way the Sun light hit the grass, and the smell of a fresh-cut lawn would send my mind back to football practice. Two-a-days and humidity, sore muscles and running, running, running....Those memories haunted me every Fall for several years. And to think I only played organized football games for what? Five or six seasons? That memory really stuck with me for quite a while into my early adulthood though.

So, it should come as no surprise to me that every Spring the sights, sounds, and smells take me back to something I did for 15 years. I put on an organized bicycle event that exacted a lot of energy and emotion. Such was the case over this past week as the grass started turning greener and the smells of earth and whatever aromatic sensations are carried to me by the stiff Spring winds began to stir thoughts of organizing gravel events. 

How I did things still rolls around in my head from time to time. This past week it was how I organized the logistics regarding navigation for the event. Things that were getting to be a concern, and would be now, prompted a thought for a solution. It was exciting, if I am honest, to wonder how this new idea would play out. 

But don't get too aroused out there folks. I am not going to come out of retirement anytime soon. It is just that since I have been doing that thing for so many years that it is hard to just throw the switch and turn it off. Frankly, for me at any rate, that isn't possible. My mind will probably be permanently altered due to all those years of thinking about gravel events and how to do them from a director's viewpoint. 

Oh well.....

LATE BREAKING NEWS: Gravel Worlds has just announced that they have received approval from their local Health Department and have added 250 extra roster spots as a result. From the press release:

"Lincoln, Neb. (Mar 25,2021) — The Pirate Cycling League has received approval from Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department to hold Gravel Worlds 2021 as an in-person event the weekend of August 21, 2021. The LLCHD also approved 250 additional rider entries, bringing the total number of participants to 1,600."

Go to  www.gravel-worlds.com to register.

That's a wrap for this week! I hope you all have a safe and enjoyable weekend , hopefully on bicycles.

Friday News And Views

Do I have to "Throw the Horns" if I ride tires made of METL? (Image courtesy of the SMART TIRE Co.)

SMART Tire Company Wants To Deflate Your Tires:

"Here we go again!", I thought to myself as I read the press release. More airless tire nonsense! But wait! This is NASA level tech used for rovers on foreign planets. It might be a bit different, and, as it turns out, it is very different. 

The tires are called METL and are, of course, made out of 'metal'. A Nickle/Titanium mixture, to be exact, and are made in a mesh. Think 'microphone screen' and you might get an idea, if you've ever pondered the cover of a Shure SM-58.  The mesh can deform and spring back, in a manner better than a fine bicycle tire's casing, the company claims. 

The tires use no air, and are claimed to have a lifespan greater than that of your bicycle. Of course, whenever you hear 'great things' you can expect some 'not so great things' are probably following not far behind. So, as a for instance, the SMART METL tires for bicycles will have an outer tread of rubber which can wear away and will need regular replacement. Ah.......okay? And, of course, no weights were given and no prices were revealed. Also......how you install them wasn't mentioned. 

Comments: There is too much unrevealed here for me to really give a take on these, but the fact that much important information was withheld for the time being says that I should be very skeptical of this being a workable solution for my bicycle. Another obvious thing about the SMART Tire Company is revealed right in their mission statement: "....The SMART Tire Company, with hopes of becoming the next, great American tire company..." 

The 'next great American tire company', eh? So, bicycles are really just a proof of concept exercise? Sounds like it to me. Maybe I'm being too cynical. We'll see........ 

My Apple Watch face on March 22nd, 2021.

A Time Marker:

Lots of people are marking dates now with regard to the ongoing pandemic. "It's been a year since....." whatever happened in relation to COVID-19 type reminisces have been filling social media. Well, I haven't been one to be any different in that regard. This was, and still is, kind of a 'big deal' in my life. 

I'm not sure what ever prompted me to start a streak to fill all three 'rings' of activity monitoring on my Apple Watch on March 22nd, 2020, but I bet I had some personal challenge in mind having to do with keeping my mind focused on something positive during that dark time. Whatever the motivation was, it stuck.

Monday I completed all three rings- Move, Exercise, and Stand, for the 365th consecutive day. A full year. This challenge I undertook has changed me. I did gain fitness, for sure, but more importantly, I gained a new habit or two, and I am able to tear myself away from social media, website work, and be free from technology without feeling like I am missing something, or feeling the least little bit guilty about it. 

To me, that is huge. But trust me, I have a long way to go yet. I have seen a little bit of 'the Light', if you will, and it is tantalizing. If I can move away from this seat I am sat in as I type this more during 2021 than I did in 2020 it will be counted as another goal and a success. You may be thinking I should include my mobile smart phone in this, but I forget about that thing far too often as it is. In fact, I lose it about three times a day and it doesn't bother me. Well, it doesn't until I have to find it!

So, where do I go from here? I figure I may as well keep on truckin'. Why not? It has been a good thing and I don't see a downside. Also- I am already at peace having set a year straight goal and achieving it, so if a day comes where I get sick or injured and cannot do one or all three 'rings' of activity, I am okay with that too. No worries now. But heck- why not go for two years straight? So, that's the plan for now. We'll see how it pans out in a year. 

Shimano Celebrates 100th Anniversary Of Business:

Shimano is the big bicycle parts manufacturer from Japan which we all might be familiar with, but do you know what their first bicycle part was? It was made in 1921 and it was a single speed free wheel called the "3.3.3.". Shimano also went on to make internal gear hubs, and of course, they were the first into MTB specific parts and the first to market a gravel specific group, amongst many other fine accomplishments. Some of you also may not know that Shimano is a big player in the fishing reel segment. I happen to own a fine example of an 80's era Shimano spinning reel. 

Want to check out more Shimano history? They have a special Centennial website here.

You're always on my mind....

Can't Stop Thinking About You:

Back in my 20's, I often would get a feeling come around about August time. The way the Sun light hit the grass, and the smell of a fresh-cut lawn would send my mind back to football practice. Two-a-days and humidity, sore muscles and running, running, running....Those memories haunted me every Fall for several years. And to think I only played organized football games for what? Five or six seasons? That memory really stuck with me for quite a while into my early adulthood though.

So, it should come as no surprise to me that every Spring the sights, sounds, and smells take me back to something I did for 15 years. I put on an organized bicycle event that exacted a lot of energy and emotion. Such was the case over this past week as the grass started turning greener and the smells of earth and whatever aromatic sensations are carried to me by the stiff Spring winds began to stir thoughts of organizing gravel events. 

How I did things still rolls around in my head from time to time. This past week it was how I organized the logistics regarding navigation for the event. Things that were getting to be a concern, and would be now, prompted a thought for a solution. It was exciting, if I am honest, to wonder how this new idea would play out. 

But don't get too aroused out there folks. I am not going to come out of retirement anytime soon. It is just that since I have been doing that thing for so many years that it is hard to just throw the switch and turn it off. Frankly, for me at any rate, that isn't possible. My mind will probably be permanently altered due to all those years of thinking about gravel events and how to do them from a director's viewpoint. 

Oh well.....

LATE BREAKING NEWS: Gravel Worlds has just announced that they have received approval from their local Health Department and have added 250 extra roster spots as a result. From the press release:

"Lincoln, Neb. (Mar 25,2021) — The Pirate Cycling League has received approval from Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department to hold Gravel Worlds 2021 as an in-person event the weekend of August 21, 2021. The LLCHD also approved 250 additional rider entries, bringing the total number of participants to 1,600."

Go to  www.gravel-worlds.com to register.

That's a wrap for this week! I hope you all have a safe and enjoyable weekend , hopefully on bicycles.