There Is Something In The Air: Part 2

Checkpoint 1, Trans Iowa v6

The Checkpoints:

The next thing I think about this time of year are the checkpoints we set up for Trans Iowa. These were often fun times in an otherwise stressful event. 

The first few Trans Iowa events had one checkpoint.and it wasn't until the fourth event where multiple checkpoints were used. T.I.v4 had two checkpoints. The first one was in Wadena, Iowa and the second was in Earlville, Iowa. 

The most checkpoints we ever utilized were three. However, had Trans Iowa v6 gone its entire distance there would have been a fourth "official" checkpoint in the Columbia Wildlife Reserve in Tama County. 

The only other oddity involving checkpoints was the "Secret Checkpoint" we set up for Trans Iowa v8, which was not an additional checkpoint, but it was not announced ahead of the event. 

Typically checkpoints were in small Iowa villages and towns. However; as time went on I added rural checkpoints to deter any inclination for cheating. Some were near to towns, but not actually in them. Some were in villages so small there were no amenities for resupply. 

Dennis Grelk set this little shelter up for he and Christina at CP 1 in Baxter Iowa for T.I.v13

The only checkpoint for T.I.v3 was in Brandon, Iowa. That's Ken Yokanovich's Rivendell fixie he rode to the finish.

Usually I was in a bit of a hurry at Checkpoint #2, and I didn't stay long. But Checkpoint #1 was always a bit of a rest. I got to chat with volunteers, enjoy the Sun rising, or the freezing wind, or both! Then when the first batch of riders would arrive I stick around a bit and then it was off again to check the route ahead of the riders. 

Matt Gersib playing me a tune on his uke during T.I.v12

The Hangs:

Probably the most memorable thing about Trans Iowa for me, and the thing I miss the most, are the incredible "hangs" I experienced with several people. A "hang" is slang for "hanging out" The thing you do (hopefully) with great people who make the hang out a special memory. 

I was so fortunate that all my times with people during a Trans Iowa were of the "special memory" type. They made the event palatable while I was running it. This was never more apparent than the times when I did not have those special hangs. For instance, during T.I.v9, when I spent almost the entire event alone during the 34 hours it was held. 

But fortunately, those times were outliers. And meeting my volunteers or having a driving companion along the way was an enhancement which made doing Trans Iowa so much easier and more fun. This was never more in play than it was the last few years of Trans Iowa where I had the privilege of having Matt Gersib, Tony McGrane, Mike Johnson, and several awesome volunteers along for the ride. Having their support and companionship made some everlasting memories which I often come back to at this time of the year. 

How can I forget the recon hangs with Wally Kilburg (R) and George Keslin (L)? Those were awesome times! 

3:37 am, Sunday morning of T.I.v13. You just had to be there!

It's hard to share these hangs in imagery because typically there  were no images taken. This was the nature of those times. I kind of wish I had been a bit more cognizant of the importance of those meet-ups in the middle of no-wheres. I wish I had better memories of those times. Especially when those happened in early Trans Iowa events. 

Fortunately I do have one documentation of an early hang with Zach Dundas who was shadowing me for his research on the chapter about Trans Iowa in the book, "The Renegade Sportsman". I reviewed this book in 2010 HERE, if anyone cares to check that out. The tale Zach wrote captures a rare look at what it was like early on in the gravel cycling scene. It also is a rare look from a very unique perspective of myself. 

Other hangs I recall mostly have to do with my brother, Matt Gersib. Matt was such a special part of my latter Trans Iowa experiences and for this I will be forever grateful. My thoughts often include those times at this point in the year. That "something in the air" always brings those times to mind again.  

Look for a final entry in this mini-series concerning the finish line memories.  
 

Trans Iowa Stories:The Media - Part 1

I was contacted by the author of this book previous to T.I.v3

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

The story of Trans Iowa, up through v2, had largely been an underground one. Told only through the blogs of Jeff Kerkove, Guitar Ted, and what little folks shared on MTBR.com's Endurance Forum. Other well known endurance athletes had written blogs back in the day, but not many had a story about Trans Iowa.

As I recall, our local newspaper did a story about Trans Iowa before it happened, (so no real meat to it), and there was a bit in "Silent Sports Magazine" after v1, but distribution of that periodical was limited. The only folks that really knew anything about Trans Iowa were already connected into it, or knew someone who was, and that was a really small circle in reality.

As far as media was concerned, Jeff hatched a plan to contact local media outlets along the T.I.v1 route, but after getting no responses at all after his initial push, he pretty much gave up on that. Plus, we were beginning to think that having little to no one "official" having any knowledge about Trans Iowa was a good thing. Jeff and I then kind of took the "underground, under the radar" banner and flew it with pride. I basically was all onboard with all of that in the beginning. Seeking out media wasn't going to happen, and furthermore, we didn't need or want the attention it might bring. The less people that knew about what we were up to, the better.

Little did we know that this attitude was right up the alley of what author Zach Dundas was looking for as he was researching "underground" sporting events for an upcoming book he was to write. Mr. Dundas lived at that time in Portland, Oregon, and he happened to run across Ira Ryan, winner of v1, and who was seriously contemplating another attempt at Trans Iowa. He mentioned Trans Iowa to Zach, the wheels started turning, and I got an e-mail about a possibility of "shadowing" me during Trans Iowa v3.

Of course, I didn't know Zach, and "shadowing me" during a Trans Iowa? What fun could that possibly be? Keeping in mind that my only experiences doing the event on the weekends it had happened were anything but noteworthy. I spent a LOT of time alone, with absolutely nothing going on. The idea, to my way of thinking, was preposterous. I had already denied two requests from photographers to shadow Trans Iowa v3, and so I was having no problems dissing some weird author dude from Portland.

Besides that, all organizational details of the event were on me. Jeff was around a bit during the announcement for V3 up through Winter of '06, but he definitely wasn't up for recon, and besides helping me with decisions early on about registration, he was too busy with Ergon to deal with Trans Iowa anymore. This put me into a situation where, more and more, I was putting on Trans Iowa alone. That was stressing me out, and outside "distractions" were not anything I wanted, or that I needed.

But despite all of that, two things pushed through. One was that the Lincoln Crew had a guy that they knew by the name of David Story who was a photographer and a cyclist. Upon their recommendation I allowed him to follow the route, but I wanted him to be "invisible" as far as the participants were concerned. The second was Zach Dundas. He was not to be denied. Through persistence and very careful diplomatic relations, he managed to sway me into thinking this might actually be a fun deal. So, arrangements were made and that was that.

The image that became the T.I.v4 page header. Image by David Story

I'll have more to say about these two media folks and others in further editions of the "Trans Iowa Stories" series, but what I will say now is that in both cases- David Story's images and Zach Dundas' eventual write up- that the experiences and end products were pinnacles of their respective art forms in regard to Trans Iowa's history. No one covered T.I. the way these two folks did, nor any better, really.

Unfortunately, little of the hundreds of T.I.v3 images that David Story took are up anymore. (Last I checked his site, there were but a handful viewable)  but they covered T.I.v3 from stem to stern and had viewpoints that no other photographer of Trans Iowa- or of any gravel event I've seen photographed- has attempted. Cinematic in nature, David Story's images were timeless. Much like Jeff the year before, David had a knack for seeing the little things that riders were feeling and experiencing and took note. He caught moments as no other has since, and I was blown away.

Of course, Zach Dundas' "Renegade Sportsman" chapter on Trans Iowa v3 is epic. It really captured the essence of the event that year, and it really captured me. I am totally transported back to that weekend when I read that chapter. Thanks to Mr. Dundas' writing skills, I have a detailed snapshot of how I experienced Trans Iowa v3 which I never would have gotten any other way. No one else has ever told a story as well about Trans Iowa, in my opinion.

Next: The Downsides

Trans Iowa Stories:The Media - Part 1

I was contacted by the author of this book previous to T.I.v3

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

The story of Trans Iowa, up through v2, had largely been an underground one. Told only through the blogs of Jeff Kerkove, Guitar Ted, and what little folks shared on MTBR.com's Endurance Forum. Other well known endurance athletes had written blogs back in the day, but not many had a story about Trans Iowa.

As I recall, our local newspaper did a story about Trans Iowa before it happened, (so no real meat to it), and there was a bit in "Silent Sports Magazine" after v1, but distribution of that periodical was limited. The only folks that really knew anything about Trans Iowa were already connected into it, or knew someone who was, and that was a really small circle in reality.

As far as media was concerned, Jeff hatched a plan to contact local media outlets along the T.I.v1 route, but after getting no responses at all after his initial push, he pretty much gave up on that. Plus, we were beginning to think that having little to no one "official" having any knowledge about Trans Iowa was a good thing. Jeff and I then kind of took the "underground, under the radar" banner and flew it with pride. I basically was all onboard with all of that in the beginning. Seeking out media wasn't going to happen, and furthermore, we didn't need or want the attention it might bring. The less people that knew about what we were up to, the better.

Little did we know that this attitude was right up the alley of what author Zach Dundas was looking for as he was researching "underground" sporting events for an upcoming book he was to write. Mr. Dundas lived at that time in Portland, Oregon, and he happened to run across Ira Ryan, winner of v1, and who was seriously contemplating another attempt at Trans Iowa. He mentioned Trans Iowa to Zach, the wheels started turning, and I got an e-mail about a possibility of "shadowing" me during Trans Iowa v3.

Of course, I didn't know Zach, and "shadowing me" during a Trans Iowa? What fun could that possibly be? Keeping in mind that my only experiences doing the event on the weekends it had happened were anything but noteworthy. I spent a LOT of time alone, with absolutely nothing going on. The idea, to my way of thinking, was preposterous. I had already denied two requests from photographers to shadow Trans Iowa v3, and so I was having no problems dissing some weird author dude from Portland.

Besides that, all organizational details of the event were on me. Jeff was around a bit during the announcement for V3 up through Winter of '06, but he definitely wasn't up for recon, and besides helping me with decisions early on about registration, he was too busy with Ergon to deal with Trans Iowa anymore. This put me into a situation where, more and more, I was putting on Trans Iowa alone. That was stressing me out, and outside "distractions" were not anything I wanted, or that I needed.

But despite all of that, two things pushed through. One was that the Lincoln Crew had a guy that they knew by the name of David Story who was a photographer and a cyclist. Upon their recommendation I allowed him to follow the route, but I wanted him to be "invisible" as far as the participants were concerned. The second was Zach Dundas. He was not to be denied. Through persistence and very careful diplomatic relations, he managed to sway me into thinking this might actually be a fun deal. So, arrangements were made and that was that.

The image that became the T.I.v4 page header. Image by David Story

I'll have more to say about these two media folks and others in further editions of the "Trans Iowa Stories" series, but what I will say now is that in both cases- David Story's images and Zach Dundas' eventual write up- that the experiences and end products were pinnacles of their respective art forms in regard to Trans Iowa's history. No one covered T.I. the way these two folks did, nor any better, really.

Unfortunately, little of the hundreds of T.I.v3 images that David Story took are up anymore. (Last I checked his site, there were but a handful viewable)  but they covered T.I.v3 from stem to stern and had viewpoints that no other photographer of Trans Iowa- or of any gravel event I've seen photographed- has attempted. Cinematic in nature, David Story's images were timeless. Much like Jeff the year before, David had a knack for seeing the little things that riders were feeling and experiencing and took note. He caught moments as no other has since, and I was blown away.

Of course, Zach Dundas' "Renegade Sportsman" chapter on Trans Iowa v3 is epic. It really captured the essence of the event that year, and it really captured me. I am totally transported back to that weekend when I read that chapter. Thanks to Mr. Dundas' writing skills, I have a detailed snapshot of how I experienced Trans Iowa v3 which I never would have gotten any other way. No one else has ever told a story as well about Trans Iowa, in my opinion.

Next: The Downsides

The Renegade Sportsman Book Review

I recently received my copy of the Renegade Sportsman by Zach Dundas for a Father's Day gift from Mrs. Guitar Ted who purchased it on-line. I had mentioned earlier that I would be reviewing the book here on the blog. So, that is what this is all about. First though, there needs to be a bit of explanation..........

Why Review A Book? Great question! This blog is mostly bicycle related, so reviewing books of any sort is weird, and especially so since it doesn't appear on the surface that this book is cycling related at all.
Actually, there is plenty of cycling related material between its covers.

Ground Rules: Secondly, I will admit up front that I am not even a casual book reader. I barely register on "bookworm radar". Heck, I think I've only read three books in my time as an adult, including college! So I do not purport to be any sort of expert on authors, styles, or what is good, bad, or ugly in the book world. I am reviewing this book for two simple reasons: One- Trans Iowa "figures heavily", (Zach's own description, not mime), into the book. Secondly, there are other notable cycling references here including the messenger alley cats, bike polo, and the Single Speed Cyclo-Cross World Championships.

The Review: The Renegade Sportsman starts out by giving me a very tactile feel of paper. In an age of digitized press and i-Pads, this was almost shocking to me. It's kind of a rough looking package, which given the title is appropriate, I guess. Also, in a sort of renegade move, there is no table of contents either. I looked several times to no avail. This sort of assailed my retro-book tendencies. I guess "back in the day" tables of contents were a given. Maybe this is the "new math" for publishers these days concerning books, I don't know! The cover, (as shown above), is a garish yellow and red affair, so it's easily spotted amongst the usual fare consisting of the Dirt Rag, Guitar Player, and Entertainment Weekly magazines that litter the reading stand in the bathroom. A nice touch, I thought, by whomever was in charge of the marketing department.

Inside the book you will find what author Zach Dundas refers to as "renegade sports". These are what we would think of as the seamy underbelly of populist sports culture. Mr. Dundas weaves his tales of his observation and participation in these "sports" while pitting them against the massive mega-sports complex and the machinations thereof. His basic contention is that these oddities of American participatory "sports', these "renegade" ideas, are where the "real deal" is. Sports as we know it, the leagues and the divisions, and the colleges, and the gobbledy-gook that surrounds it, has careened off into a realm the likes of which is so unimaginable and unwieldy that the average citizen is left to forming "fantasy" leagues to somehow feel a part of it. Video unreality is packaged as a way to become "part of the action" and to feel any sort of connection with what is going on with "The Big Leagues" these days. Mr. Dundas seeks to find redemption in the actions of the protagonists in his book which range from drunken running clubs to crazed single speed cyclo-crossers, female roller bladers, and yes.....even Trans Iowa.

Is Mr. Dundas' mission accomplished? He does make a strong case, that is for sure. The book is entertaining, vulgar, spectacular, droll, and certainly funny enough. As a theory, it might fall a bit short, but in the end, who cares? The stuff between the bright yellow covers of "The Renegade Sportsman" is a good read. I am somewhat doubtful that things like the Hash House Harriers, or Trans Iowa is going to score any sort of coup against the modern day titans of sport, but maybe the stories of the "Renegade Sportsman" will inspire more folks to become their own movers and shakers instead of bland observers being force fed marketing driven, made for television muck that passes for sports in the 21st Century.

A Word About The Trans Iowa Chapter: I think I would be remiss if I didn't comment directly on the Trans Iowa chapter of the book, since, well.......I am a main character in it! Yes, it is rather unsettling to read something somebody else wrote about you. Rather surreal, actually. I will say that after three plus years it brings back some details of the event for me into sharp focus, while others are glossed over or omitted entirely that I thought would make for good copy. It's like that when you deal with impressions folks have. Something my Mom reminds me of from time to time. Things she thought would be of paramount significance in my life are often things I don't even remember. So a little of that is to be expected with something I am so close to.

Beyond this, Mr. Dundas' rendering of Trans Iowa is both entertaining, (waay more fun to read about than it was to go through!), and accurate. Well, with the exception of one glaring detail, not really having to do with the event at all. I am reported to be a bicycle mechanic, (true), in an Iowa City shop, (not true). My apologies if that offends the sensibilities of any of the bicycle shop employees and owners in Cedar Falls and Iowa City! Other than this minor gaff, the entire chapter is more than I could have ever hoped for. Since the book is wide ranging in it's scope concerning what types of sports are covered, it would have been easy for Trans Iowa to be just a minor aside. In my opinion, it seems to be what Zach Dundas claimed to me it would be, a chapter that figures heavily in the overall book. Even "Outside" contributor/author, Jon Billman tracked me down at the Dirty Kanza 200 and told me that I needed to read the June issue of "Outside" for his review of "The Renegade Sportsman". He told me his favorite chapter in the book was about T.I. and that he says so in the piece he wrote. It is humbling for sure, but I won't hide the fact that I am proud of it too.

Conclusions: I would give the book a thumbs up for a lighthearted, thought provoking look at alternative sports in America. There are really good chapters with direct cycling connections and even some cycling advocacy can be found here. I would give caution for the explicit language, sexual innuendo, and for the off beat ideas the book may spark in fertile minds. (Not sure I would like a Hash House Harrier kennel tramping through my back yard, for instance!) That said, I had fun reading it, and of course, I liked the Trans Iowa chapter best!

So, there ya go. That's my review of the book. If you would like to check it out for yourself, you can get it on Amazon here.

The Renegade Sportsman Book Review

I recently received my copy of the Renegade Sportsman by Zach Dundas for a Father's Day gift from Mrs. Guitar Ted who purchased it on-line. I had mentioned earlier that I would be reviewing the book here on the blog. So, that is what this is all about. First though, there needs to be a bit of explanation..........

Why Review A Book? Great question! This blog is mostly bicycle related, so reviewing books of any sort is weird, and especially so since it doesn't appear on the surface that this book is cycling related at all.
Actually, there is plenty of cycling related material between its covers.

Ground Rules: Secondly, I will admit up front that I am not even a casual book reader. I barely register on "bookworm radar". Heck, I think I've only read three books in my time as an adult, including college! So I do not purport to be any sort of expert on authors, styles, or what is good, bad, or ugly in the book world. I am reviewing this book for two simple reasons: One- Trans Iowa "figures heavily", (Zach's own description, not mime), into the book. Secondly, there are other notable cycling references here including the messenger alley cats, bike polo, and the Single Speed Cyclo-Cross World Championships.

The Review: The Renegade Sportsman starts out by giving me a very tactile feel of paper. In an age of digitized press and i-Pads, this was almost shocking to me. It's kind of a rough looking package, which given the title is appropriate, I guess. Also, in a sort of renegade move, there is no table of contents either. I looked several times to no avail. This sort of assailed my retro-book tendencies. I guess "back in the day" tables of contents were a given. Maybe this is the "new math" for publishers these days concerning books, I don't know! The cover, (as shown above), is a garish yellow and red affair, so it's easily spotted amongst the usual fare consisting of the Dirt Rag, Guitar Player, and Entertainment Weekly magazines that litter the reading stand in the bathroom. A nice touch, I thought, by whomever was in charge of the marketing department.

Inside the book you will find what author Zach Dundas refers to as "renegade sports". These are what we would think of as the seamy underbelly of populist sports culture. Mr. Dundas weaves his tales of his observation and participation in these "sports" while pitting them against the massive mega-sports complex and the machinations thereof. His basic contention is that these oddities of American participatory "sports', these "renegade" ideas, are where the "real deal" is. Sports as we know it, the leagues and the divisions, and the colleges, and the gobbledy-gook that surrounds it, has careened off into a realm the likes of which is so unimaginable and unwieldy that the average citizen is left to forming "fantasy" leagues to somehow feel a part of it. Video unreality is packaged as a way to become "part of the action" and to feel any sort of connection with what is going on with "The Big Leagues" these days. Mr. Dundas seeks to find redemption in the actions of the protagonists in his book which range from drunken running clubs to crazed single speed cyclo-crossers, female roller bladers, and yes.....even Trans Iowa.

Is Mr. Dundas' mission accomplished? He does make a strong case, that is for sure. The book is entertaining, vulgar, spectacular, droll, and certainly funny enough. As a theory, it might fall a bit short, but in the end, who cares? The stuff between the bright yellow covers of "The Renegade Sportsman" is a good read. I am somewhat doubtful that things like the Hash House Harriers, or Trans Iowa is going to score any sort of coup against the modern day titans of sport, but maybe the stories of the "Renegade Sportsman" will inspire more folks to become their own movers and shakers instead of bland observers being force fed marketing driven, made for television muck that passes for sports in the 21st Century.

A Word About The Trans Iowa Chapter: I think I would be remiss if I didn't comment directly on the Trans Iowa chapter of the book, since, well.......I am a main character in it! Yes, it is rather unsettling to read something somebody else wrote about you. Rather surreal, actually. I will say that after three plus years it brings back some details of the event for me into sharp focus, while others are glossed over or omitted entirely that I thought would make for good copy. It's like that when you deal with impressions folks have. Something my Mom reminds me of from time to time. Things she thought would be of paramount significance in my life are often things I don't even remember. So a little of that is to be expected with something I am so close to.

Beyond this, Mr. Dundas' rendering of Trans Iowa is both entertaining, (waay more fun to read about than it was to go through!), and accurate. Well, with the exception of one glaring detail, not really having to do with the event at all. I am reported to be a bicycle mechanic, (true), in an Iowa City shop, (not true). My apologies if that offends the sensibilities of any of the bicycle shop employees and owners in Cedar Falls and Iowa City! Other than this minor gaff, the entire chapter is more than I could have ever hoped for. Since the book is wide ranging in it's scope concerning what types of sports are covered, it would have been easy for Trans Iowa to be just a minor aside. In my opinion, it seems to be what Zach Dundas claimed to me it would be, a chapter that figures heavily in the overall book. Even "Outside" contributor/author, Jon Billman tracked me down at the Dirty Kanza 200 and told me that I needed to read the June issue of "Outside" for his review of "The Renegade Sportsman". He told me his favorite chapter in the book was about T.I. and that he says so in the piece he wrote. It is humbling for sure, but I won't hide the fact that I am proud of it too.

Conclusions: I would give the book a thumbs up for a lighthearted, thought provoking look at alternative sports in America. There are really good chapters with direct cycling connections and even some cycling advocacy can be found here. I would give caution for the explicit language, sexual innuendo, and for the off beat ideas the book may spark in fertile minds. (Not sure I would like a Hash House Harrier kennel tramping through my back yard, for instance!) That said, I had fun reading it, and of course, I liked the Trans Iowa chapter best!

So, there ya go. That's my review of the book. If you would like to check it out for yourself, you can get it on Amazon here.