Two Things

Image courtesy of Iowa Wind and Rock

 Iowa Wind And Rock Event Thoughts:

The event called "Iowa Wind and Rock", or IWAR for short, is going to happen again in April 2025. (Registration is open now, by the way) This is the event, for those who may be unaware, which sprang from the ashes of Trans Iowa in 2018. Trans Iowa being the event I put on with a LOT of help from others, from 2005 - 2018.

From the IWAR site: "For 14 years, TransIowa, one of the most difficult gravel races in the US, took place in Iowa at the end of April. It was difficult not only because of the terrain, but also due to notoriously fickle Iowa weather, and the challenges it required riders to overcome just to make it to the starting line. The end of TransIowa in 2018 meant that a unique chapter of gravel racing history closed. As Iowans, TransIowa finishers, and people who enjoy stretching personal boundaries, we didn’t want to see this unique opportunity for people to challenge themselves disappear."

So, in a way, the event spirit and format for IWAR is a lot like Trans Iowa's because the founders of IWAR wanted a "Trans Iowa-like" event to continue. So, the line going back from now to 2005 when the first Trans Iowa was held is, up to this point, an unbroken one, from the standpoint of what events like these entail: Self-support in a real sense, cue sheet navigation, mental and physical testing, and weather challenges. 

Iowa Wind and Rock continues the traditions set by Trans Iowa. Probably the most curious reaction, in my mind, to how this event is held is the reaction to the cue sheet navigation part. I'm just going off what I see being chatted about this on Facebook, so if anyone else has a different perspective, I'm all ears. 

But to my way of thinking, this points to a few things I find interesting. One: Most gravel riders and competitors do not have any idea how the sport was run long ago. Two: It's all on the internet, the history, that is, if anyone really cares to look it up. Three: Not many people care and anything like cue sheet navigation is seen as being an unnecessary burden on the competitor and is something of a deal-breaker for those curious about an event like IWAR. 

At the risk of being "an old man yelling at the clouds", as I have been accused of being, I think a big part of this is a lack of understanding which could be addressed by the event(s) that use cue sheets, and of course, the reliance on technology for finding our way through our world today. Folks maybe do not even realize that they have lost a huge portion of what our ancestors took for granted. Way-finding is a skill that was necessary for survival at one time and made minds sharper and gifted us a unique way of looking at nature which is lost on many today to our detriment, it would seem.  

We Were Supposed To Be Clear Of This By Now:

It is obvious to anyone that pays attention to bicycle retail that major discounting is still happening. The difference now is that it does not apply literally to every segment of cycling. There are sales bright spots, and high-end road bikes are one such area of fairly decent sales with little discounting going on there.

However; it seems that as I look around that the post-COVID corrections in the market have not ended, and so this is starting to beg a question: "Is this a new reality for cycling going forward?"

I see issues on the back end with European based companies in reorganization or with factories being consolidated or closed altogether. I see a big slow down in sales being reported in Europe when it comes to electrified bikes, which was a bell cow segment for European cycling before COVID. 

I see US based YouTube videos from bike shop folks decrying the poor state of retail in the US cycling scene. I have observed that there have been a lot less "new bike day" posts from social media as well. My local shops are selling hybrid bikes starting at a price of around $600.00 and this has stymied local sales. When I last worked retail, in 2020/2021, things were shifting into a weird mode, but right before that, an entry level hybrid bike was less than $500.00.  

I don't know that we will see any big jumps in sales either. Winter will certainly put that off, as will whatever the fallout from this recent election will be. That seems to feel like a negative in the cycling realm at this point, which does not bode well for sales. 

I remember in 2022 that pundits were saying it would take up to a full two years to climb out of this glut of inventory that was being noted back then. Well, the inventories are down, but sales have not really bounced back. We will see what happens, but looking around right now, it doesn't look like we've gotten past the COVID induced hangover we've been in for a while now. And I won't even get into the possibility of tarrifs.....