Trans Iowa Stories: The Fall-Out

Handing out cues at T.I.v14 (Image by K. Roccaseca)

 "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 clicking on the "Trans Iowa Stories" link under the blog header. Thanks and enjoy!  

Trans Iowa v14 was a success. It was average from the standpoint of finishers versus starters, and it had plenty of tough conditions to go around. The main issues for the riders being lots of fresh, deep, loose gravel, a very cold overnight, and for those who came in to the finish, a pretty stiff headwind. 

The event's ending announced on my blog, Sunday at 2:00pm, was timed to post as Trans Iowa ended. What would the fall-out be? I had no idea, but I expected there to be some. First there was the feedback that hit me because of the event. The post-event blues, if you will. It wasn't too bad, but the physical toll the last Trans Iowa took on me was immense. I had continual bouts with fatigue off and on for a good solid week, and doing anything was tough. 

But doing things was just what I tried to immerse myself in. I was forward-facing. I was resolute that I had to leave this Trans Iowa thing behind. So much so that I was kind of militant about it all. Of course, a few people asked about passing the torch on to others. Trans Iowa could still live, right? Just let it go to good caretakers and relax, right? 

 There is a good story which I can share regarding this-  Jeremy Fry, who had been my recon partner and had been a checkpoint volunteer many times, not to mention a finisher of Trans Iowa, had ridden in the last Trans Iowa. He was bitten by the 120th Street cue thing, but he did figure it out. Ironically, he would have probably really grilled me on the cues for that if he had been reconning the route with me. But as it stood, he saw what I had done, and I think he approved. Unfortunately, his navigational error caused him to miss the Checkpoint #2 cut-off. 

Jeremy Fry riding during Trans Iowa v14 (Image by J Duke)

 

So, Jeremy had gotten a hold of me right after Trans Iowa was over, and asked if he could bring some beer and have a chat on my porch some night. Well, he showed up. We talked about his experiences with riding the event. We talked about our past with Trans Iowa and eventually, after much beer had been consumed, we got around to the subject of the possibility of turning over the event to someone else. Jeremy was pretty animated and resolute. He firmly told me that under no circumstances should Trans Iowa continue on under someone else's leadership. He pointed a skinny finger at me at one point and said, "YOU are Trans Iowa!", in a very commanding tone. 

Okay, so I got that message. And upon reflection, I think I understood what Jeremy was trying to tell me. The event had been so infused with my spirit, my unique touches, that anyone else would not measure up. This is not to say that anyone else would do anything badly, or even 'wrong', but anything off the marks I had set would be seen negatively, perhaps. I thought that was the correct interpretation of Jeremy's remarks, at any rate. 

And to be completely honest, this was the train of thought I had as well. I wasn't against a Trans Iowa-like event in Iowa, even on the same weekend I ran it. I was against anyone setting themselves up for a hard road, or perhaps a failure, because "Guitar Ted didn't do things that way!".  

Next: An Offer To Consider