New Finds After All This Time

Trans Iowa v14, the last start. Image by Dori Jaansma

 Last week was filled with Trans Iowa memories on my Facebook timeline. It happens every year, right? Anyone who uses that social media platform can probably nod their head in agreement with how this "memories" thing works. 

My surprise is that even after eight years I am still finding new stuff on Trans Iowa I'd never seen before, or knew about. To me, this is remarkable. 

Images are the most common thing, obviously, but I have found a story about Trans Iowa v14 written by Nick Legan, a fellow Gravel Cycling Hall of Famer, by the way. It is a story about his efforts to finish the last Trans Iowa. I found it fascinating since Nick tabulates some numbers which I had no access to from athletes or from my own research. Things I had guessed at, but now I have some hard numbers to point to. The story, on "Rambleur" can be read HERE.  

Mark Lowe (L), and Nick Legan on the course of Trans Iowa v14. Image by Jon Duke

 As an example, I knew it got really cold the night of v14 going into the Sunday finish. Matt Gersib and I were freezing standing on a Level B Road just East of Grinnell, trying to toast to the end of an era. It wasn't to be as Matt said it was "too damn cold" and he was bailing out. A moment dashed. A moment I was hoping would be an intimate, final farewell to Trans Iowa with him. No hard feelings, Matt. I was 100% with you. I just was wishing it wasn't so cold right at that moment. 

And I never really knew just how cold it had gotten. Now I have a number, thanks to Nick. 23°F! In late April! No wonder we couldn't enjoy that moment! It all just makes so much sense and now, eight years later, I have found some solace as to why this moment did not work out for me. 

My image of the full moon, standing on a gravel road near midnight during T.I.v14

 I used to get asked all the time what the elevation gain was for any Trans Iowa. Frankly, I had no way of knowing this for certain. Especially in the earlier years of the event when GPS tracking was nearly non-existent or so poor it could only be taken as a guidepost. 

Of course, things have changed. Even by 2018, which was the year of the last Trans Iowa, GPS data was much more reliable.  Nick had a Wahoo Elemnt onboard his ride of Trans Iowa v14 and shared this data in the story linked above. His device read out 19,291ft in 350 miles. (Nick admittedly did some "bonus miles" due to a navigational error or two)

While this number may not be all that impressive, consider the fact that Nick accomplished that elevation gain and mileage in under 33 hours overall with no sleep. Plus, he had to do his own navigation by cue sheets. No gpx files. No simply following audible prompts for where to turn. 

Post T.I.v14 scraps. Image by Ryan Simon

Of course, none of this probably hits anyone quite like it does me. I understand this to be true. Eight years later not many folks even think about Trans Iowa anymore. Maybe the riders do. Some of the volunteers might. I don't know. 

It seems to me that the whole thing should have blown away like Fall leaves down a chip sealed street. Tumbling away until there are only remnants of what was once a green, living thing. 

Then those memories posts show up and the old feelings are reignited. Especially when images and words I hadn't see before are popping up all these years later. These new finds make me think about why this all may still matter to some people. Why it still matters to me. 

Jason Boucher, a good friend and supporter of myself and Trans Iowa when it was an event, once wrote to me and encouraged me to keep the event going because "..you give people a chance to change their lives".I know he was right about that. I've heard from people who have said as much to me. I know it changed me too.

And in the end, when it comes to this old stuff concerning Trans Iowa, we can find new things as a result inside our lives because of those times. What those things are may be different for each person who was touched by the event. 

And that is what matters. 

Trans Iowa v14: Numbers And Stuff

Who will get the #1 plate?

Numbers Are In:

Trans Iowa number plates are in at HQ now and I get to sort through them and assign numbers to people. But before I get too far, there are some rules for the riders concerning these numbers.

• Number plates MUST be VISIBLE at all times. So, if you have your number pinned to a jacket to start out, and later it gets warm enough to take off that jacket, you MUST MOVE THE NUMBER TO YOUR JERSEY. If, for instance, you have your number on your jersey and put on a jacket, YOU MUST MOVE THE NUMBER TO THE JACKET, But wouldn't it be just easier all around if you stuck the number on your bike and made sure it was secured so it wasn't blown off? Then you can swap around clothing at will without running afoul of this rule. If we cannot see your number you will be DQ'ed, so be careful! I have several observers that will be planted at certain points on course, so we will be watching you! Numbers should be on the handle bars for best compliance to this rule. 
• Numbers Can Not Be Cut Or Modified In Any Way!
• We will provide pins and twist ties which will be available at the Pre-Race Meat-Up.
• Numbers will be picked up at sign in at the Pre-Race Meat-Up. 

Numbers are assigned in such a way that they will make sense to the volunteers and to myself, so beyond that there is no special significance to which number plate you receive. Yes......I have a #1 plate, but I do not have to use it, so there is that.....

My hope is that something will come through soon so that I can customize each plate, but time is running short, so that may or may not happen. We will see. I still plan on writing everyone's name on their plate and that will carry on the tradition I have started several Trans Iowas ago.

Three Q-Pro cue sheet holders specially customized for TIv14.

Special Customized Q-Pro Cue Sheet Holders From Bar Yak:

Bar Yak really outdid themselves this year with some super special customized Q-Pro Cue Sheet holders which are emblazoned with "Trans Iowa v14" on each.

This is something too cool not to be used in the event, so if you are on the roster, you should have gotten an e-mail from me Monday evening detailing how you can get in on the drawing for one of these. The entry period runs through till this coming Monday, April 2nd, at which time I am going to draw three names and get these out to those three lucky riders. That way they will have a chance to dial in the cue sheet holders and be able to use them at Trans Iowa v14.

Bar Yak is a rider driven company and this latest version of the Q-Pro incorporates several updates over previous versions. I have a version of this system and it really makes cue sheets an easy thing to use in any weather condition.

If you are on the T.I.v14 roster and you did not see the e-mail just comment below and I will make sure you get that. Thanks! Winners will be notified April 2nd by e-mail and I will be asking for a shipping address. Packages should go out then the following Tuesday, or at the latest, Wednesday. No purchase necessary, must be on the TIv14 roster to be eligible. Decisions of Guitar Ted regarding the drawing and shipping of these prizes will be final.

Book Raffle:

I also received five copies of Nick Legan's "Gravel Cycling" to be raffled off at the Pre-Race Meat-Up. Whomever shows up at the Grinnell Steakhouse Friday, April 27th and is signed on to ride in Trans Iowa will be eligible for this book.

I also talked about this in the e-mail I sent out and the publisher allowed me to share a special link which shows a bit of the book. The part I got to share was Nick's pre-event checklist, which is timely for the Trans Iowa rider. Again- If you are on the roster and you did not get the e-mail, let me know and I will forward you that.

Okay, that's about it for this update. Recon for the course will happen soon, and then I will print cue sheets and after that I will be customizing number plates for each rider. Then it will be the final stretch to T.I.v14 and another whirlwind of a weekend.

Stay tuned for more soon.......

Trans Iowa v14: Numbers And Stuff

Who will get the #1 plate?

Numbers Are In:

Trans Iowa number plates are in at HQ now and I get to sort through them and assign numbers to people. But before I get too far, there are some rules for the riders concerning these numbers.

• Number plates MUST be VISIBLE at all times. So, if you have your number pinned to a jacket to start out, and later it gets warm enough to take off that jacket, you MUST MOVE THE NUMBER TO YOUR JERSEY. If, for instance, you have your number on your jersey and put on a jacket, YOU MUST MOVE THE NUMBER TO THE JACKET, But wouldn't it be just easier all around if you stuck the number on your bike and made sure it was secured so it wasn't blown off? Then you can swap around clothing at will without running afoul of this rule. If we cannot see your number you will be DQ'ed, so be careful! I have several observers that will be planted at certain points on course, so we will be watching you! Numbers should be on the handle bars for best compliance to this rule. 
• Numbers Can Not Be Cut Or Modified In Any Way!
• We will provide pins and twist ties which will be available at the Pre-Race Meat-Up.
• Numbers will be picked up at sign in at the Pre-Race Meat-Up. 

Numbers are assigned in such a way that they will make sense to the volunteers and to myself, so beyond that there is no special significance to which number plate you receive. Yes......I have a #1 plate, but I do not have to use it, so there is that.....

My hope is that something will come through soon so that I can customize each plate, but time is running short, so that may or may not happen. We will see. I still plan on writing everyone's name on their plate and that will carry on the tradition I have started several Trans Iowas ago.

Three Q-Pro cue sheet holders specially customized for TIv14.

Special Customized Q-Pro Cue Sheet Holders From Bar Yak:

Bar Yak really outdid themselves this year with some super special customized Q-Pro Cue Sheet holders which are emblazoned with "Trans Iowa v14" on each.

This is something too cool not to be used in the event, so if you are on the roster, you should have gotten an e-mail from me Monday evening detailing how you can get in on the drawing for one of these. The entry period runs through till this coming Monday, April 2nd, at which time I am going to draw three names and get these out to those three lucky riders. That way they will have a chance to dial in the cue sheet holders and be able to use them at Trans Iowa v14.

Bar Yak is a rider driven company and this latest version of the Q-Pro incorporates several updates over previous versions. I have a version of this system and it really makes cue sheets an easy thing to use in any weather condition.

If you are on the T.I.v14 roster and you did not see the e-mail just comment below and I will make sure you get that. Thanks! Winners will be notified April 2nd by e-mail and I will be asking for a shipping address. Packages should go out then the following Tuesday, or at the latest, Wednesday. No purchase necessary, must be on the TIv14 roster to be eligible. Decisions of Guitar Ted regarding the drawing and shipping of these prizes will be final.

Book Raffle:

I also received five copies of Nick Legan's "Gravel Cycling" to be raffled off at the Pre-Race Meat-Up. Whomever shows up at the Grinnell Steakhouse Friday, April 27th and is signed on to ride in Trans Iowa will be eligible for this book.

I also talked about this in the e-mail I sent out and the publisher allowed me to share a special link which shows a bit of the book. The part I got to share was Nick's pre-event checklist, which is timely for the Trans Iowa rider. Again- If you are on the roster and you did not get the e-mail, let me know and I will forward you that.

Okay, that's about it for this update. Recon for the course will happen soon, and then I will print cue sheets and after that I will be customizing number plates for each rider. Then it will be the final stretch to T.I.v14 and another whirlwind of a weekend.

Stay tuned for more soon.......

Book Review: "Gravel Cycling"

The copy of Gravel Cycling that I paid for has been read now. How was it?

Instead of a typical "Friday News And Views" post you are going to get my take on this new book about gravel cycling called......"Gravel Cycling".

I know, an amazing title, right? But it gets right to the point. The book is by Nick Legan, who you may remember from his stint at "Velo News". Nick is an admitted gravel cycling lover and he also has a penchant for bikepacking. Yes- he managed to squirrel that into a book called "Gravel Cycling". 

So, how's that work? Well, it does to the extent that a certain event is arguably the defining event for the bikepacking genre'. That would be the Tour Divide. The course for this event, early on known as the "Great Divide Race", has been described by one of its early promoters as "a boring gravel route". So there ya go. It fits in that vein, I suppose. Oddly enough, when you read the book it actually does fit together. This gravel to bikepacking leap is more seamless than you'd imagine at first.

And that is really a feat. Nick Legan has basically shown us that in between the go-fast, shaved leg world of road cycling and the full-face helmet wearing, knobby tired world of mountain biking, their exists a realm of cycling based more on adventure and challenges. Ridden off pavement, this realm of cycling ranges far and wide and this is where "Gravel Cycling" is aimed at. The places, people, and gear that help define this genre's place in the cycling world is what Nick Legan has attempted to show us here. Is he successful?

Well, for the answer to that you can click HERE and read my review on "Riding Gravel". What I will say here is that if you are new to gravel road riding, "gravel curious", but maybe never intending to ride gravel, or if you have been reading these Trans Iowa Rookie advice posts all week with great interest, I suggest that you get this book. It's only $24.95, and I will tell you- you'll get more good tips than $24.95 can buy you elsewhere. In other words, just the knowledge within the pages is worth the asking price. But you also get some awesome photography as well. The book is loaded with stunning images.

So, for the "real review", read my piece on "Riding Gravel". But yes- it is a good bit of work and I feel that many who enjoy gravel road cycling will enjoy this book.

Note- I bought "Gravel Cycling" with my own damn money and I was not bribed nor paid for this review.

Book Review: "Gravel Cycling"

The copy of Gravel Cycling that I paid for has been read now. How was it?

Instead of a typical "Friday News And Views" post you are going to get my take on this new book about gravel cycling called......"Gravel Cycling".

I know, an amazing title, right? But it gets right to the point. The book is by Nick Legan, who you may remember from his stint at "Velo News". Nick is an admitted gravel cycling lover and he also has a penchant for bikepacking. Yes- he managed to squirrel that into a book called "Gravel Cycling". 

So, how's that work? Well, it does to the extent that a certain event is arguably the defining event for the bikepacking genre'. That would be the Tour Divide. The course for this event, early on known as the "Great Divide Race", has been described by one of its early promoters as "a boring gravel route". So there ya go. It fits in that vein, I suppose. Oddly enough, when you read the book it actually does fit together. This gravel to bikepacking leap is more seamless than you'd imagine at first.

And that is really a feat. Nick Legan has basically shown us that in between the go-fast, shaved leg world of road cycling and the full-face helmet wearing, knobby tired world of mountain biking, their exists a realm of cycling based more on adventure and challenges. Ridden off pavement, this realm of cycling ranges far and wide and this is where "Gravel Cycling" is aimed at. The places, people, and gear that help define this genre's place in the cycling world is what Nick Legan has attempted to show us here. Is he successful?

Well, for the answer to that you can click HERE and read my review on "Riding Gravel". What I will say here is that if you are new to gravel road riding, "gravel curious", but maybe never intending to ride gravel, or if you have been reading these Trans Iowa Rookie advice posts all week with great interest, I suggest that you get this book. It's only $24.95, and I will tell you- you'll get more good tips than $24.95 can buy you elsewhere. In other words, just the knowledge within the pages is worth the asking price. But you also get some awesome photography as well. The book is loaded with stunning images.

So, for the "real review", read my piece on "Riding Gravel". But yes- it is a good bit of work and I feel that many who enjoy gravel road cycling will enjoy this book.

Note- I bought "Gravel Cycling" with my own damn money and I was not bribed nor paid for this review.

October Monsoon

Iowa radar on Saturday morning. It rained heavily across the state all evening Friday.

I posted about my fat biking experience earlier in the week last week and told you all about how dry we'd been over the Summer and into Fall. We hadn't had a good rain since July and only one decent rain at all in August. Dry atmosphere was also an issue. Typical humidity here wasn't oppressive in August as it usually is. In fact, outside of a few weeks this past Summer, it has been rather pleasant here in Iowa.

But that which is great for cycling is bad for the land and that affects us all. The Black Hawk Creek was one of many indicators that we needed some rain badly. Well, we got it! In spades. It started on Thursday, but Friday was a day where it rained hard off and on all day and most of the evening. Saturday morning it continued. Some spots in Iowa were to receive well over 4" of rain during this period. It was like going from 0 mph to 100 mph in 3.5 seconds. Weather whiplash! Holy cow!

And of course, this happens right when the Spotted Horse gravel race happened. I'm sure the roads were impacted negatively for that event, although as of this writing I haven't heard anything yet. Suffice it to say that the weather over the Summer likely lulled riders to sleep in terms of wet weather preparations. Scrambling for the wet weather gear was probably a common theme amongst the riders going to that event.

Black Hawk Creek is hopefully filling back up with the latest rains

But we needed this rain so while it threw a wrench into those rider's plans and basically hampered any cycling related activities for me as well, I am okay with that sacrifice if it means restoration of water levels to a bit nearer to normal around here. Honestly, I was rather concerned that we were heading for a severe drought, and really, we still could be. We're going to need consistent moisture until it freezes otherwise this will only put off things for a while. Of course, Winter snows and whatever happens next Spring could put all of this away as a distant memory.

But that's the future, right now, this is a good thing. Even though I had planned on doing a bit of Trans Iowa recon. There is no sense in slugging it out on saturated gravel roads in a steady rain when next weekend may present drier, more favorable conditions. Of course, looking at any dirt roads would be quite out of the question as well. So, I will be puttering around the basement Lab and tweaking on some rigs. I have a couple of things coming in for testing/review for "Riding Gravel" and I want to be sure I am all ready to go when the components get here. Stay tuned on that.....

And speaking of "Riding Gravel", I can always while away the hours by working on the site's calendar of events. Or I could start in on my copy of Nick Legan's "Gravel Cycling", a book I plan to review for "Riding Gravel" and here as well. So, I've got plenty of stuff to keep me busy during rainy days.

October Monsoon

Iowa radar on Saturday morning. It rained heavily across the state all evening Friday.

I posted about my fat biking experience earlier in the week last week and told you all about how dry we'd been over the Summer and into Fall. We hadn't had a good rain since July and only one decent rain at all in August. Dry atmosphere was also an issue. Typical humidity here wasn't oppressive in August as it usually is. In fact, outside of a few weeks this past Summer, it has been rather pleasant here in Iowa.

But that which is great for cycling is bad for the land and that affects us all. The Black Hawk Creek was one of many indicators that we needed some rain badly. Well, we got it! In spades. It started on Thursday, but Friday was a day where it rained hard off and on all day and most of the evening. Saturday morning it continued. Some spots in Iowa were to receive well over 4" of rain during this period. It was like going from 0 mph to 100 mph in 3.5 seconds. Weather whiplash! Holy cow!

And of course, this happens right when the Spotted Horse gravel race happened. I'm sure the roads were impacted negatively for that event, although as of this writing I haven't heard anything yet. Suffice it to say that the weather over the Summer likely lulled riders to sleep in terms of wet weather preparations. Scrambling for the wet weather gear was probably a common theme amongst the riders going to that event.

Black Hawk Creek is hopefully filling back up with the latest rains

But we needed this rain so while it threw a wrench into those rider's plans and basically hampered any cycling related activities for me as well, I am okay with that sacrifice if it means restoration of water levels to a bit nearer to normal around here. Honestly, I was rather concerned that we were heading for a severe drought, and really, we still could be. We're going to need consistent moisture until it freezes otherwise this will only put off things for a while. Of course, Winter snows and whatever happens next Spring could put all of this away as a distant memory.

But that's the future, right now, this is a good thing. Even though I had planned on doing a bit of Trans Iowa recon. There is no sense in slugging it out on saturated gravel roads in a steady rain when next weekend may present drier, more favorable conditions. Of course, looking at any dirt roads would be quite out of the question as well. So, I will be puttering around the basement Lab and tweaking on some rigs. I have a couple of things coming in for testing/review for "Riding Gravel" and I want to be sure I am all ready to go when the components get here. Stay tuned on that.....

And speaking of "Riding Gravel", I can always while away the hours by working on the site's calendar of events. Or I could start in on my copy of Nick Legan's "Gravel Cycling", a book I plan to review for "Riding Gravel" and here as well. So, I've got plenty of stuff to keep me busy during rainy days.

A Couple Of New Things

This is a new book by gravel aficionado, Nick Legan.

First- A New Book:

Well, I've been waiting at least a couple of years, maybe it has been three? I don't know, but I've known about this book being written by Nick Legan for quite some time. The reason being is that Nick was leaning on me with several questions about the gravel cycling scene and I helped give him some answers/opinions about his queries.

So, now it is almost time for this book to be hitting the shelves at Velopress. However; in the meantime you can pre-order this book from Nick on his site, "Rambleur"

Note: I have no skin in this game other than that Nick may have written something about me or used information on things I told him about. So, order the book, or not. It doesn't affect me. That said, Nick Legan is a good writer, (he wrote for "Velo News" for several years among other freelance gigs). He is a good dude, I've met him a couple of times, and he has always been gracious and kind. He also loves gravel road riding and racing. I actually got to congratulate him after his 2016 Dirty Kanza 200 finish when he was riding his pink Black Mountain Cycles frame.

So, all that to say that Nick is the real deal and I expect this book to be pretty good. I actually ordered up a copy for myself already. I'll have a review of the book here and maybe on RidingGravel.com once I lay hands on it.

Jones Bikes SWB w/27.5+ rear and 27.5 based fat front

Second- A "New" Bike:

Jones Bikes- Love them or hate them, there isn't anything else really like them. I'll give Jeff Jones credit- He has evolved his design and continues to do so. It would seem that he never quits trying to push the design ideas he has forward. Not many can say that in an industry that trashes a design one year and jumps on another the next for their models.

This news isn't all that surprising, but Jeff Jones now has two basic design ideas which facilitate two different ways to approach the "Jones Geometry". The "Plus" bike was the longer, 29+ wheeled bike and then you had the original design with 29"er wheels. Well, it's a little more complicated than that, but that's the basic idea. Now the original was not "plus" rated, but going forward, it is. That bike gets a new moniker, the "SWB", which stands for "Short Wheel Base". It can handle 27.5+ and 29"er wheels and tires. The "Plus" model now will be known as the "LWB", or Long Wheel Base" model and will be the go to bike for 29+ and 29"er applications where a longer wheel base makes sense.

So, the old "Plus" model remains unchanged, it goes forward with just the name change. The SWB is; however, slightly different in that the wheel base was lengthened a bit to accommodate the 3" 27.5+ wheels it was intended to handle. Not by much, but that's the main difference. Here is a super-detailed look at the two models.

I've always been intrigued by the Jones Plus, or now the Jones LWB model because Jones claims that it"...is quite possibly the best bikepacking, gravel road, and general purpose bicycling bike ever made...". Best gravel bike? Hmm..... Well, I'd give that a shot. I do know that it looks as though Jeff Jones went to great extents to make a 29+ wheeled bike work well. That's really what I'd be interested in- a 29+ wheeled bike that works well. My experiment sure wasn't a very good experience, that's for sure!

A Couple Of New Things

This is a new book by gravel aficionado, Nick Legan.

First- A New Book:

Well, I've been waiting at least a couple of years, maybe it has been three? I don't know, but I've known about this book being written by Nick Legan for quite some time. The reason being is that Nick was leaning on me with several questions about the gravel cycling scene and I helped give him some answers/opinions about his queries.

So, now it is almost time for this book to be hitting the shelves at Velopress. However; in the meantime you can pre-order this book from Nick on his site, "Rambleur"

Note: I have no skin in this game other than that Nick may have written something about me or used information on things I told him about. So, order the book, or not. It doesn't affect me. That said, Nick Legan is a good writer, (he wrote for "Velo News" for several years among other freelance gigs). He is a good dude, I've met him a couple of times, and he has always been gracious and kind. He also loves gravel road riding and racing. I actually got to congratulate him after his 2016 Dirty Kanza 200 finish when he was riding his pink Black Mountain Cycles frame.

So, all that to say that Nick is the real deal and I expect this book to be pretty good. I actually ordered up a copy for myself already. I'll have a review of the book here and maybe on RidingGravel.com once I lay hands on it.

Jones Bikes SWB w/27.5+ rear and 27.5 based fat front

Second- A "New" Bike:

Jones Bikes- Love them or hate them, there isn't anything else really like them. I'll give Jeff Jones credit- He has evolved his design and continues to do so. It would seem that he never quits trying to push the design ideas he has forward. Not many can say that in an industry that trashes a design one year and jumps on another the next for their models.

This news isn't all that surprising, but Jeff Jones now has two basic design ideas which facilitate two different ways to approach the "Jones Geometry". The "Plus" bike was the longer, 29+ wheeled bike and then you had the original design with 29"er wheels. Well, it's a little more complicated than that, but that's the basic idea. Now the original was not "plus" rated, but going forward, it is. That bike gets a new moniker, the "SWB", which stands for "Short Wheel Base". It can handle 27.5+ and 29"er wheels and tires. The "Plus" model now will be known as the "LWB", or Long Wheel Base" model and will be the go to bike for 29+ and 29"er applications where a longer wheel base makes sense.

So, the old "Plus" model remains unchanged, it goes forward with just the name change. The SWB is; however, slightly different in that the wheel base was lengthened a bit to accommodate the 3" 27.5+ wheels it was intended to handle. Not by much, but that's the main difference. Here is a super-detailed look at the two models.

I've always been intrigued by the Jones Plus, or now the Jones LWB model because Jones claims that it"...is quite possibly the best bikepacking, gravel road, and general purpose bicycling bike ever made...". Best gravel bike? Hmm..... Well, I'd give that a shot. I do know that it looks as though Jeff Jones went to great extents to make a 29+ wheeled bike work well. That's really what I'd be interested in- a 29+ wheeled bike that works well. My experiment sure wasn't a very good experience, that's for sure!