Trans Iowa Stories: Four To Go

GT (L) with Travis (M) and Al Brunner. The only father-son duo to finish a T.I.

  "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! 

By 2:00pm Sunday I was packing up my stuff and plucking the last stakes that Tony and Mike had placed into the ground marking the route into the finish for Trans Iowa v12. Once I had all of that cleared away, you wouldn't have ever known we had been there. I was very satisfied, not only with this particular finish area for T.I.v12, but for all of the 14 versions of stopping points we had during the history of the event, because we never trashed the places. We picked up after ourselves, and for that, I have to thank all involved. I'm pretty proud of that fact. 

Anyway, here I was, in the truck, scanning my finish line data taken down for me by Paul Toigo, who sat dutifully for the entire morning taking down names and times for me. At the end of his volunteering, he showed me that I had four missing people. Not good! While I was physically exhausted after being up for 34 plus hours already, and after being drug through the knothole emotionally for all that time as well, I had to pull on my big-boy britches and go look for the lost. I felt that was my duty, despite the event being 'officially' over. Leaving folks out on course was fine with me if I knew they were still out there. However; I hadn't heard a peep from any of the four I had missing on my list, and no one connected to the event had seen any of them for hours. 

Jon Vandis, (L) and Crystal Wintle at the vacated finish area, post T.I.v12. Image by Vandis.

 It didn't take long for me, as I backtracked the course, to find two of the missing four. Jon Vandis and Crystal Wintle were riding together and were about five or so miles away from the finish when I crossed their path. It was hot by now, and the wind was strong out of the South. They were confident that they would get back to Grinnell and thanked me for looking out for them. So, 50% down, now onward to find the rest of them! 

Backtracking a course by reading cues meant to take you the opposite direction can be tricky. Try that on a sleep-deprived brain and it gets really difficult! It was slow going, but I didn't want to miss anyone. I got well back from the finish line, nearly 20 miles, and did not see anyone. I was getting pretty concerned. I stopped at the end of a Level B Road and assessed the situation by doing some math and thinking things through. It wasn't as easy as it sounds. Being in the state I was in, it was a process that took many minutes, instead of a few moments. 

I stopped here and sat a while trying to think things through.

It was also a very emotionally trying time. I was already in the throes of 'Post Project Syndrome', and waves of sadness would overtake me at unawares. I went through my first one trying to process what I was doing at that moment in tracking down two missing riders. After a while, I gathered my thoughts again and determined that if these two riders were still on course, they were so far off target to be anywhere close to the official finish time as to be definitely 'on their own recognizance' at that point. 

This was after 4:00pm, a full two hours post T.I.v12, and judging from the conditions, had I seen a rider at 20 miles out, they would not get to Grinnell before 6:00pm, a full four hours post T.I.v12. So, with some regret, some bit of disappointment, and some anger at not being told by people that they were 'out' of the event, I decided to cut my search short and head for home. I had been up now for nearly 37 hours without sleep and I had an hour and a half drive home yet to do. 

Scott McConnell, in the distance, the last rider out.

I decided to drive the Level B Road and hang a right to get to Highway 14 and then navigate my way home from there. This happened to still be the T.I.v12 course, and when I got to the intersection with the highway, I discerned a figure off in the distance toiling away on a bike. Could it be? I drove across the highway, stopped, and awaited the rider's passing. Sure enough, it was Scott McConnell, the last rider on the T.I.v12 course! 

Scott was tired, but he was okay, and he was determined to finish. I asked him if he thought he was the last person, to which he replied that he was really pretty confident that no one was left behind him at that point. Satisfied that Scott was okay, and understanding his feeling that he was the last rider, I felt a whole lot better than I had a couple of hours earlier. My mind at ease, I bid him farewell and through a mind-fog a thousand meters deep, I somehow made my way back home. 

But what about that last rider of the four missing riders? Well, it was Will Ritchie, and Will was a very responsible and capable rider who I knew would have called me or made an effort to contact me if he was out or in trouble. I trusted that he had done that, or had tried to get a hold of me. I also had resources that I could access once I arrived back home to ascertain how and when Will might have tried to reach out. In the end, his call to Trans Iowa Radio, made Saturday evening, was his DNF call when it should have been called in to me. This resulted in reaching the goal of having 100% of the riders accounted for. 

After Trans Iowa v12, I wrote a post on this blog called "Heroes" which dealt with those in this event, and other Trans Iowa events, that finished 'beyond the time limit'. It was my way of acknowledging those folks who decided to stick it out and finish, since they had the directions, despite missing the time cut. Many people thought I should grandfather these folks in as 'official' finishers of Trans Iowa. Some who completed the course, but fell outside the time cut, declared that for themselves without my blessing. In the end, my take is that there is a boundary- the time window for the event- and you are either outside or inside. There is no 'grey area' in that. While making such seemingly harsh distinctions may seem arbitrary and unnecessary to some, I have been on both sides of that as a rider. So, it isn't like I have not been subject to such distinctions, or that I don't know how that feels. To my way of thinking, it is much how 'life' is. Fair? Maybe not, but neither is life. It's a lesson worth living through, if you happen to find yourself 'living'. 

I would suggest that those 'heroes' who made the commitment to finish despite not gaining 'official recognition' were doing a bang-up job of 'living life'.

Next: No Rest

Trans Iowa Stories: Four To Go

GT (L) with Travis (M) and Al Brunner. The only father-son duo to finish a T.I.

  "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! 

By 2:00pm Sunday I was packing up my stuff and plucking the last stakes that Tony and Mike had placed into the ground marking the route into the finish for Trans Iowa v12. Once I had all of that cleared away, you wouldn't have ever known we had been there. I was very satisfied, not only with this particular finish area for T.I.v12, but for all of the 14 versions of stopping points we had during the history of the event, because we never trashed the places. We picked up after ourselves, and for that, I have to thank all involved. I'm pretty proud of that fact. 

Anyway, here I was, in the truck, scanning my finish line data taken down for me by Paul Toigo, who sat dutifully for the entire morning taking down names and times for me. At the end of his volunteering, he showed me that I had four missing people. Not good! While I was physically exhausted after being up for 34 plus hours already, and after being drug through the knothole emotionally for all that time as well, I had to pull on my big-boy britches and go look for the lost. I felt that was my duty, despite the event being 'officially' over. Leaving folks out on course was fine with me if I knew they were still out there. However; I hadn't heard a peep from any of the four I had missing on my list, and no one connected to the event had seen any of them for hours. 

Jon Vandis, (L) and Crystal Wintle at the vacated finish area, post T.I.v12. Image by Vandis.

 It didn't take long for me, as I backtracked the course, to find two of the missing four. Jon Vandis and Crystal Wintle were riding together and were about five or so miles away from the finish when I crossed their path. It was hot by now, and the wind was strong out of the South. They were confident that they would get back to Grinnell and thanked me for looking out for them. So, 50% down, now onward to find the rest of them! 

Backtracking a course by reading cues meant to take you the opposite direction can be tricky. Try that on a sleep-deprived brain and it gets really difficult! It was slow going, but I didn't want to miss anyone. I got well back from the finish line, nearly 20 miles, and did not see anyone. I was getting pretty concerned. I stopped at the end of a Level B Road and assessed the situation by doing some math and thinking things through. It wasn't as easy as it sounds. Being in the state I was in, it was a process that took many minutes, instead of a few moments. 

I stopped here and sat a while trying to think things through.

It was also a very emotionally trying time. I was already in the throes of 'Post Project Syndrome', and waves of sadness would overtake me at unawares. I went through my first one trying to process what I was doing at that moment in tracking down two missing riders. After a while, I gathered my thoughts again and determined that if these two riders were still on course, they were so far off target to be anywhere close to the official finish time as to be definitely 'on their own recognizance' at that point. 

This was after 4:00pm, a full two hours post T.I.v12, and judging from the conditions, had I seen a rider at 20 miles out, they would not get to Grinnell before 6:00pm, a full four hours post T.I.v12. So, with some regret, some bit of disappointment, and some anger at not being told by people that they were 'out' of the event, I decided to cut my search short and head for home. I had been up now for nearly 37 hours without sleep and I had an hour and a half drive home yet to do. 

Scott McConnell, in the distance, the last rider out.

I decided to drive the Level B Road and hang a right to get to Highway 14 and then navigate my way home from there. This happened to still be the T.I.v12 course, and when I got to the intersection with the highway, I discerned a figure off in the distance toiling away on a bike. Could it be? I drove across the highway, stopped, and awaited the rider's passing. Sure enough, it was Scott McConnell, the last rider on the T.I.v12 course! 

Scott was tired, but he was okay, and he was determined to finish. I asked him if he thought he was the last person, to which he replied that he was really pretty confident that no one was left behind him at that point. Satisfied that Scott was okay, and understanding his feeling that he was the last rider, I felt a whole lot better than I had a couple of hours earlier. My mind at ease, I bid him farewell and through a mind-fog a thousand meters deep, I somehow made my way back home. 

But what about that last rider of the four missing riders? Well, it was Will Ritchie, and Will was a very responsible and capable rider who I knew would have called me or made an effort to contact me if he was out or in trouble. I trusted that he had done that, or had tried to get a hold of me. I also had resources that I could access once I arrived back home to ascertain how and when Will might have tried to reach out. In the end, his call to Trans Iowa Radio, made Saturday evening, was his DNF call when it should have been called in to me. This resulted in reaching the goal of having 100% of the riders accounted for. 

After Trans Iowa v12, I wrote a post on this blog called "Heroes" which dealt with those in this event, and other Trans Iowa events, that finished 'beyond the time limit'. It was my way of acknowledging those folks who decided to stick it out and finish, since they had the directions, despite missing the time cut. Many people thought I should grandfather these folks in as 'official' finishers of Trans Iowa. Some who completed the course, but fell outside the time cut, declared that for themselves without my blessing. In the end, my take is that there is a boundary- the time window for the event- and you are either outside or inside. There is no 'grey area' in that. While making such seemingly harsh distinctions may seem arbitrary and unnecessary to some, I have been on both sides of that as a rider. So, it isn't like I have not been subject to such distinctions, or that I don't know how that feels. To my way of thinking, it is much how 'life' is. Fair? Maybe not, but neither is life. It's a lesson worth living through, if you happen to find yourself 'living'. 

I would suggest that those 'heroes' who made the commitment to finish despite not gaining 'official recognition' were doing a bang-up job of 'living life'.

Next: No Rest

Trans Iowa Stories: Celebrations

Sarah Cooper is all smiles after winning the Women's Open and being 5th place over all. Image by Wally Kilburg.

 "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! 

Now that Greg Gleason and Walter Zitz were the co-winners of Trans Iowa v12, all we had to do was sit back and see how many others might make it back to Arbor Lake Park. Due to the co-winners torrid pace and the excellent conditions, we had to wait over an hour for second place finisher Luke Wilson to roll in.  Then we had to wait almost another hour later to see Travis Brunner finish as the first place single speeder along with third place finisher Jackson Hinde. It was a testament to just how fast Gleason and Zitz really were going, and it also marked the last time a finisher would come in before 8:00am! 

Way back when, my co-conspirator in Trans Iowa, Jeff Kerkove would tell me that 'everything has to go right...' to get a finish, much less a record breaking finish. Gleason and Zitz had that 'everything' about 99.99% locked in, but there was one minor .01% that they missed, and that was in terms of navigation. While it may seem 'unfair' to many outside of Trans Iowa, navigation was an integral part of the challenge. Trans Iowa was a 'race', but that was only a part of the event. It was a challenge, first and foremost. It started out that way, and it stayed that way until the end. "Do you have what it takes?" was the question, and in the case of the mythical sub-24 hour thing, which, by the way, was not a part of Trans Iowa's challenge, Gleason and Zitz apparently did not. Not 100% anyway, and so it was. Ironically, it would be another issue with navigation and Greg Gleason that would factor into one of the big stories in the last Trans Iowa. But I'm getting ahead of myself here......

Sunday morning of Trans Iowa v12. Shenanigans inspired by Trenton Raygor and Charles Parsons. Image taker unknown.

 Meanwhile a record number of finishers for a single Trans Iowa were slowly making their way back East and South to Grinnell and Arbor Lake Park. Many were in groups and one of the largest was captained by Charles Parsons and Trenton Raygor. Charles, a veteran of ten Trans Iowas, had told me about midway through his ten year run that he had taken on the mantle of being a 'shepherd' of sorts. A cheerleader/mentor/coach that wanted to see those around him finish the event because, as he told me a few times, he believed that finishing Trans Iowa was a life changing event worthwhile to make happen. Especially if you got past Checkpoint #2. He and Trenton teamed up for this purpose during T.I.v12, but Charles was an old hand at this by that time. Charles it was, as an example, who helped rally Mike Johnson to a finish in T.I.v7. I'm sure that he managed to find motivation for many riders in the years he was involved in the event. 

Well, part of the 'motivation' Raygor and Parsons had in mind during v12 was a "Whiskey Stop" before their big group made it back to Grinnell. Essentially, once the Sun had arisen, there would be a celebratory pull from the flask. And so it was that many riders finished due to Charles' and Trenton's intentions to inspire them on.

From L-R: John Mathias, Warren Weibe, GT, MG (with back to camera), and Ari Andonopoulous. Image by Celeste Mathias

The finish line scene Sunday morning. Image by Celeste Mathias

From about 10:00am until noon we had approximately 30 riders finish T.I.v12. That's more than half as many riders as T.I.v1 had in the entire event! Ultimately we had 47 finish the event out of 83 who started. An amazing finishing rate and it was something that never would be repeated again. Obviously I was quite busy during this time. It was a few hours of highly emotionally charged conversations. Very touching and memorable for myself, and I am sure for others as well. Celeste Mathias captured some great moments during this magical time for everyone and I am beyond blessed that she had the powers of observation that she had to do that. 

Here I am looking on as riders give each other hugs and congratulations. Image by Celeste Mathias

Some of the 47 riders who finished T.I.v12 getting their picture made to commemorate the occasion. Image by Celeste Mathias.

I was pleased with the outcome. I mean, how could I not be, right? Just looking around at this scene I was amazed at the small, tightly knit community of riders created around this event. Several of these people went on to do ten or more Trans Iowa events, many more would end up with 6 or 8 Trans Iowas. Friends were made for life and memories were made that families will share for generations. And here I was, one of the people responsible for it all. You could say 'the guy responsible for it all', I suppose. I don't claim anything, but all I know is that this was, and still is overwhelming. I still do not understand this 100%. Maybe I never will. 

And standing there at the end of it all, I was numb. I just could not fathom what had happened. Time seemed to stand still. Yet time was moving, and there were things that needed attending to yet. One by one riders packed up and said goodbye. I sent the volunteers home at 1:00pm, the last rider, Josh Lederman, had come in shortly before 1:00pm. There were still a few riders unaccounted for who may still have been out on course. So, I stuck around until 2:00pm. By this time there were only a few families at the park with their kids running around on the grass. You wouldn't have known that such a 'big deal' as T.I.v12 had just happened here. Then I cleared up any remaining trash and race flagging, and packed up the truck to go. Not home. Not yet. I had to look for the lost.....

Trans Iowa v12 was 'officially' over, and it was a huge emotional roller coaster of an event for me. At the time, no one knew the depths of worry and thought I had gone through on Saturday, and no one could guess at the highs I experienced Sunday morning. Now it was back to concern for four people I had to account for. Now the event was over for most, but it wasn't over for some, not yet. 

Next: Not All Who Wander Are Lost.

Trans Iowa Stories: Celebrations

Sarah Cooper is all smiles after winning the Women's Open and being 5th place over all. Image by Wally Kilburg.

 "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! 

Now that Greg Gleason and Walter Zitz were the co-winners of Trans Iowa v12, all we had to do was sit back and see how many others might make it back to Arbor Lake Park. Due to the co-winners torrid pace and the excellent conditions, we had to wait over an hour for second place finisher Luke Wilson to roll in.  Then we had to wait almost another hour later to see Travis Brunner finish as the first place single speeder along with third place finisher Jackson Hinde. It was a testament to just how fast Gleason and Zitz really were going, and it also marked the last time a finisher would come in before 8:00am! 

Way back when, my co-conspirator in Trans Iowa, Jeff Kerkove would tell me that 'everything has to go right...' to get a finish, much less a record breaking finish. Gleason and Zitz had that 'everything' about 99.99% locked in, but there was one minor .01% that they missed, and that was in terms of navigation. While it may seem 'unfair' to many outside of Trans Iowa, navigation was an integral part of the challenge. Trans Iowa was a 'race', but that was only a part of the event. It was a challenge, first and foremost. It started out that way, and it stayed that way until the end. "Do you have what it takes?" was the question, and in the case of the mythical sub-24 hour thing, which, by the way, was not a part of Trans Iowa's challenge, Gleason and Zitz apparently did not. Not 100% anyway, and so it was. Ironically, it would be another issue with navigation and Greg Gleason that would factor into one of the big stories in the last Trans Iowa. But I'm getting ahead of myself here......

Sunday morning of Trans Iowa v12. Shenanigans inspired by Trenton Raygor and Charles Parsons. Image taker unknown.

 Meanwhile a record number of finishers for a single Trans Iowa were slowly making their way back East and South to Grinnell and Arbor Lake Park. Many were in groups and one of the largest was captained by Charles Parsons and Trenton Raygor. Charles, a veteran of ten Trans Iowas, had told me about midway through his ten year run that he had taken on the mantle of being a 'shepherd' of sorts. A cheerleader/mentor/coach that wanted to see those around him finish the event because, as he told me a few times, he believed that finishing Trans Iowa was a life changing event worthwhile to make happen. Especially if you got past Checkpoint #2. He and Trenton teamed up for this purpose during T.I.v12, but Charles was an old hand at this by that time. Charles it was, as an example, who helped rally Mike Johnson to a finish in T.I.v7. I'm sure that he managed to find motivation for many riders in the years he was involved in the event. 

Well, part of the 'motivation' Raygor and Parsons had in mind during v12 was a "Whiskey Stop" before their big group made it back to Grinnell. Essentially, once the Sun had arisen, there would be a celebratory pull from the flask. And so it was that many riders finished due to Charles' and Trenton's intentions to inspire them on.

From L-R: John Mathias, Warren Weibe, GT, MG (with back to camera), and Ari Andonopoulous. Image by Celeste Mathias

The finish line scene Sunday morning. Image by Celeste Mathias

From about 10:00am until noon we had approximately 30 riders finish T.I.v12. That's more than half as many riders as T.I.v1 had in the entire event! Ultimately we had 47 finish the event out of 83 who started. An amazing finishing rate and it was something that never would be repeated again. Obviously I was quite busy during this time. It was a few hours of highly emotionally charged conversations. Very touching and memorable for myself, and I am sure for others as well. Celeste Mathias captured some great moments during this magical time for everyone and I am beyond blessed that she had the powers of observation that she had to do that. 

Here I am looking on as riders give each other hugs and congratulations. Image by Celeste Mathias

Some of the 47 riders who finished T.I.v12 getting their picture made to commemorate the occasion. Image by Celeste Mathias.

I was pleased with the outcome. I mean, how could I not be, right? Just looking around at this scene I was amazed at the small, tightly knit community of riders created around this event. Several of these people went on to do ten or more Trans Iowa events, many more would end up with 6 or 8 Trans Iowas. Friends were made for life and memories were made that families will share for generations. And here I was, one of the people responsible for it all. You could say 'the guy responsible for it all', I suppose. I don't claim anything, but all I know is that this was, and still is overwhelming. I still do not understand this 100%. Maybe I never will. 

And standing there at the end of it all, I was numb. I just could not fathom what had happened. Time seemed to stand still. Yet time was moving, and there were things that needed attending to yet. One by one riders packed up and said goodbye. I sent the volunteers home at 1:00pm, the last rider, Josh Lederman, had come in shortly before 1:00pm. There were still a few riders unaccounted for who may still have been out on course. So, I stuck around until 2:00pm. By this time there were only a few families at the park with their kids running around on the grass. You wouldn't have known that such a 'big deal' as T.I.v12 had just happened here. Then I cleared up any remaining trash and race flagging, and packed up the truck to go. Not home. Not yet. I had to look for the lost.....

Trans Iowa v12 was 'officially' over, and it was a huge emotional roller coaster of an event for me. At the time, no one knew the depths of worry and thought I had gone through on Saturday, and no one could guess at the highs I experienced Sunday morning. Now it was back to concern for four people I had to account for. Now the event was over for most, but it wasn't over for some, not yet. 

Next: Not All Who Wander Are Lost.

Trans Iowa Stories: A Near Miss

From Andrea Cohen's timeline. Riders take over a convenience store during T.I.v12.

  "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! 

The overnight hours of Trans Iowa v12 were probably some of the most interesting from an overall rider standpoint. We had a record number of riders pass through the second checkpoint which meant that we had more riders on the last half of the course than a few early Trans Iowas had in their starting line ups! That may seem, on the surface of it, to be a problem with keeping track of everything and everybody, but in reality, it was one of the least stressful times I've had running a Trans Iowa. 

The weather, certainly, was a major contributing factor to this being easier on everyone. While it did cool off, it never got really cold, like it has at several other Trans Iowas. It didn't rain, and even the wind died down to a mere breeze, presenting no further obstacle to progress toward the finish line in Grinnell. In other words, it was the 'perfect non-storm' of events which would eventually lead to this becoming a record setting event. 

That was another reason of mine for not making this event bigger than it was. Trans Iowa was always somewhat of a tightrope walk, in may ways, but I will stick to just this one example here. That being that it was possible that we would have had 120 riders, and perhaps due to T.I.v12's excellent conditions, this may have meant that we would have had nearly 100 riders left in the event overnight. Riders that would have been slamming a convenience store over a period of four to five hours in the middle of the night. A time when convenience store staff would have been thin, and thus the appearance of a group of riders would have been causing trouble. Much like T.I.v5's trouble at the Le Grand convenience store, this may have gone very poorly. As it was, we had groups of five and six riders at a time coming in, (as seen in the image above), and causing a bit of a stir. Imagine that times two, or three. And that's just one example of why this event could not have been grown bigger without wholesale changes to its format. 

Another item worth noting is tracking of the rider's progress. This was necessary for updates for Trans Iowa Radio, obviously, but in more critical terms, it was necessary for us as the facilitators of the event to know where people were on course and to know, in any way we could, if there were problems or what to expect for finishers. Finally, that command that Richard, "Deke" Gosen gave us way back in the beginning of Trans Iowa. That we must keep track of everyone in the event. This was a command I never forgot to follow. 

Gleason and Zitz appear at the under-the-highway tunnel during T.I.v12

This idea was exemplified during T.I.v12 by the utilization of the Mathias' who were stationed at a couple of spots on course during the morning hours of T.I.v12's first day. I also received a request from my then co-worker, and volunteer at CP#1, Todd Southworth, to allow him to be an observer at the point on course where the trail went under HWY 330. This was where MG and I had been sitting, for hours, awaiting the arrival of Gleason and Zitz, the two inseparable leaders of T.I.v12. Once we had sight of those two, Todd made his way to our position. We left when Todd arrived, but not before we had seen a few more riders come through. Todd ended up staying there all night and into Sunday watching for riders for us and making sure they understood the tunnel passage under the highway. Just another layer of watchful eyes that was useful to me in keeping track of everyone.

Once Todd reached our position at the tunnel, MG and I were a bit animated and anxious to get out of there. This was because we knew that the lead pair had a distinct chance at breaking the mythical 24 hour barrier. We were, at that point, pretty sure it would happen, given the short distance from where we last saw Gleason and Zitz and noting the time we observed them going by us.

I've written about this before in this series, but the unspoken challenge of Trans Iowa was "Can you break the 24 hour barrier to finish?" It was something murmured amongst those who felt that they were fast enough, strong enough, and wily enough to pull that off. Ira Ryan almost did it in T.I.v3. Joe Meiser came closest in T.I.v5, and then vowed to come back and try again if anyone beat his time. Not many gave thought to this, but I knew it was 'a thing' and I designed my courses with that in the back of my mind every year. 

Going into T.I.v12, I had no worries about this record being broken. This would be the longest Trans Iowa at around 340 miles, and with the typical weather we got, I figured that distance combined with a weather factor would stop any chances of that sub-24 hour thing from happening. But I did not realize how much that tailwind in the beginning of T.I.v12 was benefiting the riders, and I did not bank on that wind to die off at Sunset, as it had, allowing for little resistance to the leaders. I did not bank on all the Level B Roads being dry and rideable, but there it was. And Gleason and Zitz were tantalizingly close to doing the unthinkable. MG and I raced back to the park in Grinnell to see what would happen. 

The co-winners of Trans Iowa v12- Greg Gleason (L) and Walter Zitz

The way I had the finish set up has to be detailed here now because it ultimately played a huge role in how the sub-24 hour barrier was not broken. Since The Barn finish was off the table, I sought for a new finish line area within the confines of Grinnell which could serve as a discrete place to hold this sort of activity, be accessible to support people, and provide a decent experience for the riders. During a trip to see some NASCAR racing in nearby Newton, Iowa one year previous to T.I.v12, I was able to explore Grinnell a bit and found Arbor Lake Park, which is situated on Grinnel's West side around a small lake. It had plenty of parking, and not many residential homes were nearby, so we would not be a nuisance to the locals. With Grinnell's City blessing, I was able to hold the finish here for v12. 

The lead in to the park would be on as much gravel as possible. I wanted to come in from the South, but work on an overpass of the railroad shut down the road, and ultimately shut down that possibility. I ended up having the riders come in further North via a set of several turns onto a street that had an access to a cemetery on the park's West end which had roads through it leading to a bike path which crossed a small stream and then into Arbor Lake Park. 

All of this was detailed on the cue sheets, but physical markers were going to be the only way to know when to obey cues. Of course, none of the final turns had any street signage, so I had to make sure we marked all those final turns into the finish. I directed Tony and Mike to do this and they expertly completed the task to perfection. They were there at the park, as were a few support folks, Wally and George, and possibly others, to see if this big moment would be occurring. 

We waited in the dank night air, freezing as it had gotten fairly cold by now, for any signs of Gleason and Zitz. I was chatting with a few folks, nervously checking my watch, and right at almost 4:00am, I thought I heard voices out on the road. This road was the one that went past the cemetery and passed the park by the North. We couldn't see anything on the road due to a thick screen of trees which were between us and the road Gleason and Zitz were coming in on. If it was Gleason and Zitz that I heard, they missed the turn. As it turned out, that's exactly what happened. 

Gleason and Zitz missed the flags which indicated the right turn into the cemetery property, but upon backtracking they found it. That time that expired between was all it took for them to just miss completing T.I.v12 in a sub-24 hour time! Officially, by my watch, they crossed the line at 4:01am! Greg Gleason was miffed about the corner marking and said so between smiles and congratulations. He was also understanding that the cues were spot-on and about the situation. So it was all good, and I realized his disappointment was valid, but that it was just a mistake on his part. Walter seemed chuffed at just being able to be a finisher, to be a co-winner, and all that at his first crack at Trans Iowa. 

There was a fair amount of commotion over this finish, which was a bit unusual for Trans Iowa. But this was unprecedented. We had 'co-winners'! The sub-24 hour thing was threatened! Excitement was in the air. Generally speaking,winners would cool down, hang for a minimal amount of time, and be off. Gleason and Zitz stuck around a bit longer than most any other winners that I remember. That was something notable to me, and I was pleased with the interaction the two were having with those around at the time. But that was all just a precursor to what would be the norm for the rest of the morning and early afternoon. 

Next: The record setting finish of T.I.12 stirs up much celebration, emotions, and joy.

Trans Iowa Stories: A Near Miss

From Andrea Cohen's timeline. Riders take over a convenience store during T.I.v12.

  "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! 

The overnight hours of Trans Iowa v12 were probably some of the most interesting from an overall rider standpoint. We had a record number of riders pass through the second checkpoint which meant that we had more riders on the last half of the course than a few early Trans Iowas had in their starting line ups! That may seem, on the surface of it, to be a problem with keeping track of everything and everybody, but in reality, it was one of the least stressful times I've had running a Trans Iowa. 

The weather, certainly, was a major contributing factor to this being easier on everyone. While it did cool off, it never got really cold, like it has at several other Trans Iowas. It didn't rain, and even the wind died down to a mere breeze, presenting no further obstacle to progress toward the finish line in Grinnell. In other words, it was the 'perfect non-storm' of events which would eventually lead to this becoming a record setting event. 

That was another reason of mine for not making this event bigger than it was. Trans Iowa was always somewhat of a tightrope walk, in may ways, but I will stick to just this one example here. That being that it was possible that we would have had 120 riders, and perhaps due to T.I.v12's excellent conditions, this may have meant that we would have had nearly 100 riders left in the event overnight. Riders that would have been slamming a convenience store over a period of four to five hours in the middle of the night. A time when convenience store staff would have been thin, and thus the appearance of a group of riders would have been causing trouble. Much like T.I.v5's trouble at the Le Grand convenience store, this may have gone very poorly. As it was, we had groups of five and six riders at a time coming in, (as seen in the image above), and causing a bit of a stir. Imagine that times two, or three. And that's just one example of why this event could not have been grown bigger without wholesale changes to its format. 

Another item worth noting is tracking of the rider's progress. This was necessary for updates for Trans Iowa Radio, obviously, but in more critical terms, it was necessary for us as the facilitators of the event to know where people were on course and to know, in any way we could, if there were problems or what to expect for finishers. Finally, that command that Richard, "Deke" Gosen gave us way back in the beginning of Trans Iowa. That we must keep track of everyone in the event. This was a command I never forgot to follow. 

Gleason and Zitz appear at the under-the-highway tunnel during T.I.v12

This idea was exemplified during T.I.v12 by the utilization of the Mathias' who were stationed at a couple of spots on course during the morning hours of T.I.v12's first day. I also received a request from my then co-worker, and volunteer at CP#1, Todd Southworth, to allow him to be an observer at the point on course where the trail went under HWY 330. This was where MG and I had been sitting, for hours, awaiting the arrival of Gleason and Zitz, the two inseparable leaders of T.I.v12. Once we had sight of those two, Todd made his way to our position. We left when Todd arrived, but not before we had seen a few more riders come through. Todd ended up staying there all night and into Sunday watching for riders for us and making sure they understood the tunnel passage under the highway. Just another layer of watchful eyes that was useful to me in keeping track of everyone.

Once Todd reached our position at the tunnel, MG and I were a bit animated and anxious to get out of there. This was because we knew that the lead pair had a distinct chance at breaking the mythical 24 hour barrier. We were, at that point, pretty sure it would happen, given the short distance from where we last saw Gleason and Zitz and noting the time we observed them going by us.

I've written about this before in this series, but the unspoken challenge of Trans Iowa was "Can you break the 24 hour barrier to finish?" It was something murmured amongst those who felt that they were fast enough, strong enough, and wily enough to pull that off. Ira Ryan almost did it in T.I.v3. Joe Meiser came closest in T.I.v5, and then vowed to come back and try again if anyone beat his time. Not many gave thought to this, but I knew it was 'a thing' and I designed my courses with that in the back of my mind every year. 

Going into T.I.v12, I had no worries about this record being broken. This would be the longest Trans Iowa at around 340 miles, and with the typical weather we got, I figured that distance combined with a weather factor would stop any chances of that sub-24 hour thing from happening. But I did not realize how much that tailwind in the beginning of T.I.v12 was benefiting the riders, and I did not bank on that wind to die off at Sunset, as it had, allowing for little resistance to the leaders. I did not bank on all the Level B Roads being dry and rideable, but there it was. And Gleason and Zitz were tantalizingly close to doing the unthinkable. MG and I raced back to the park in Grinnell to see what would happen. 

The co-winners of Trans Iowa v12- Greg Gleason (L) and Walter Zitz

The way I had the finish set up has to be detailed here now because it ultimately played a huge role in how the sub-24 hour barrier was not broken. Since The Barn finish was off the table, I sought for a new finish line area within the confines of Grinnell which could serve as a discrete place to hold this sort of activity, be accessible to support people, and provide a decent experience for the riders. During a trip to see some NASCAR racing in nearby Newton, Iowa one year previous to T.I.v12, I was able to explore Grinnell a bit and found Arbor Lake Park, which is situated on Grinnel's West side around a small lake. It had plenty of parking, and not many residential homes were nearby, so we would not be a nuisance to the locals. With Grinnell's City blessing, I was able to hold the finish here for v12. 

The lead in to the park would be on as much gravel as possible. I wanted to come in from the South, but work on an overpass of the railroad shut down the road, and ultimately shut down that possibility. I ended up having the riders come in further North via a set of several turns onto a street that had an access to a cemetery on the park's West end which had roads through it leading to a bike path which crossed a small stream and then into Arbor Lake Park. 

All of this was detailed on the cue sheets, but physical markers were going to be the only way to know when to obey cues. Of course, none of the final turns had any street signage, so I had to make sure we marked all those final turns into the finish. I directed Tony and Mike to do this and they expertly completed the task to perfection. They were there at the park, as were a few support folks, Wally and George, and possibly others, to see if this big moment would be occurring. 

We waited in the dank night air, freezing as it had gotten fairly cold by now, for any signs of Gleason and Zitz. I was chatting with a few folks, nervously checking my watch, and right at almost 4:00am, I thought I heard voices out on the road. This road was the one that went past the cemetery and passed the park by the North. We couldn't see anything on the road due to a thick screen of trees which were between us and the road Gleason and Zitz were coming in on. If it was Gleason and Zitz that I heard, they missed the turn. As it turned out, that's exactly what happened. 

Gleason and Zitz missed the flags which indicated the right turn into the cemetery property, but upon backtracking they found it. That time that expired between was all it took for them to just miss completing T.I.v12 in a sub-24 hour time! Officially, by my watch, they crossed the line at 4:01am! Greg Gleason was miffed about the corner marking and said so between smiles and congratulations. He was also understanding that the cues were spot-on and about the situation. So it was all good, and I realized his disappointment was valid, but that it was just a mistake on his part. Walter seemed chuffed at just being able to be a finisher, to be a co-winner, and all that at his first crack at Trans Iowa. 

There was a fair amount of commotion over this finish, which was a bit unusual for Trans Iowa. But this was unprecedented. We had 'co-winners'! The sub-24 hour thing was threatened! Excitement was in the air. Generally speaking,winners would cool down, hang for a minimal amount of time, and be off. Gleason and Zitz stuck around a bit longer than most any other winners that I remember. That was something notable to me, and I was pleased with the interaction the two were having with those around at the time. But that was all just a precursor to what would be the norm for the rest of the morning and early afternoon. 

Next: The record setting finish of T.I.12 stirs up much celebration, emotions, and joy.

Trans Iowa Stories: A Tale Of Two Trans Iowas - Part 5

(L-R) Jeremy Fry, N.Y. Roll, and Robert Fry at CP#2 during T.I.v12

 "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! 

As the afternoon came around during Trans Iowa v12, it was becoming increasingly apparent that riders would start showing up a lot sooner than expected. At least the front runners would, who at this point in the ride were nearing Checkpoint #2 around 1:00pm, which was unprecedented. Checkpoint #2 wasn't even supposed to open until 2:00pm, but I was fearing that this would end up not being soon enough. Along with the word on yielding to emergency vehicles I sent ahead to Jeremy Fry, I also indicated that they may have to get to their position sooner than expected. 

This created a bit of chaos as one of the other volunteers, N.Y. Roll, had the pop-up tent and went out ahead of Jeremy and the final volunteer, Robert Fry, to set things up just in case someone might show up early. Jeremy had foreknowledge of where I wanted the checkpoint, but N.Y. Roll had set the pop-up about a quarter of a mile into the Level B Road which was supposed to be the last mile into the checkpoint. The resulting scramble of cars and people to move things into their intended space aroused the attention of a local landowner. As this person was about to approach the checkpoint set up, which by this time had moved to the proper corner of Petrie Road and Holmes Road, MG and I arrived on the scene as well. 

So, at this point I should give you- the reader- a bit of context. The existence of Level B Maintenance Roads is a bit of an interesting side-note in rural Iowa culture. Farmers who live along, or near to, these roads often take a sort of ownership of these rustic dirt paths. Strangers in the area are easily detected- farmers know who is who in their neck of the woods. Cars and trucks unfamiliar to them are marked as 'suspicious' until proven otherwise. Then you have the typical hooliganism which accompanies such out of the way dirt paths which include, but are not necessarily a part of every example, dirt/mud bogging (by 4X4, 2X, side-by-sides, or even passenger car), drinking, drug use, "outdoor mating", hunting, poaching, illegal butchering of livestock and wild animals, illegal dumping of various unwanted objects, and last but not least, bicycling.

The contested bit of roadway for Checkpoint #2

So, farmers adjacent to these so-called 'roads' often get a bit testy when out of the ordinary activities are observed on these roads. Late night wake-up calls by numbskulls who get stuck in mud do not help. This was the main nit that this particular landowner had with people outside of her known neighbors. So, as she approached us, I can only imagine that she had no idea what was going on, but whatever it was should be shut down. Furthermore; I imagine she would want us to vacate the premises immediately and never come back. And, of course, this is exactly what she was there to express. She was geared up and ready for a battle. 

As she engaged with us, it began as a very hostile and defensive conversation on her part, and one of carefully chosen words and tip-toeing negotiation on our parts. At one point I feared we were going to have to move things down a mile to another corner, but in the end, we won the lady over and things were allowed to continue. Never mind the fact that we were on a public road and not trespassing on private land.

This caused my stress levels to jump, once again, as you might imagine such a tense situation might do in light of what we were trying to accomplish. I knew that moving the checkpoint, on the one hand, would have been 'no big deal' logistically. But as a rider, when things are not happening when and where you expect them to? That can be the straw that breaks you. I knew that from having been in events and counting on cues to be right. So, my stress was based upon that and caring for the riders in my event. 

I really do not remember much beyond that confrontation at the checkpoint. I suppose we weren't there long, as that 20+mph Southeastern tailwind brought the leaders, Walter Zitz, a rookie, and Greg Gleason, a past winner, through at about 1:58pm. A new record for reaching CP#2 which stood until I ended Trans Iowa a couple of years later. We had to get ahead of these guys to head off any potential issues with the roads, so MG and I didn't stay long, and before we knew it we were heading back South and West toward whatever the afternoon might bring us, and I was certainly hoping that might be just some smooth sailing after a bumpy morning of running Trans Iowa v12. 

Next: Downtime With A Ukulele in Part 6 of A Tale Of Two Trans Iowas

Trans Iowa Stories: A Tale Of Two Trans Iowas - Part 5

(L-R) Jeremy Fry, N.Y. Roll, and Robert Fry at CP#2 during T.I.v12

 "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! 

As the afternoon came around during Trans Iowa v12, it was becoming increasingly apparent that riders would start showing up a lot sooner than expected. At least the front runners would, who at this point in the ride were nearing Checkpoint #2 around 1:00pm, which was unprecedented. Checkpoint #2 wasn't even supposed to open until 2:00pm, but I was fearing that this would end up not being soon enough. Along with the word on yielding to emergency vehicles I sent ahead to Jeremy Fry, I also indicated that they may have to get to their position sooner than expected. 

This created a bit of chaos as one of the other volunteers, N.Y. Roll, had the pop-up tent and went out ahead of Jeremy and the final volunteer, Robert Fry, to set things up just in case someone might show up early. Jeremy had foreknowledge of where I wanted the checkpoint, but N.Y. Roll had set the pop-up about a quarter of a mile into the Level B Road which was supposed to be the last mile into the checkpoint. The resulting scramble of cars and people to move things into their intended space aroused the attention of a local landowner. As this person was about to approach the checkpoint set up, which by this time had moved to the proper corner of Petrie Road and Holmes Road, MG and I arrived on the scene as well. 

So, at this point I should give you- the reader- a bit of context. The existence of Level B Maintenance Roads is a bit of an interesting side-note in rural Iowa culture. Farmers who live along, or near to, these roads often take a sort of ownership of these rustic dirt paths. Strangers in the area are easily detected- farmers know who is who in their neck of the woods. Cars and trucks unfamiliar to them are marked as 'suspicious' until proven otherwise. Then you have the typical hooliganism which accompanies such out of the way dirt paths which include, but are not necessarily a part of every example, dirt/mud bogging (by 4X4, 2X, side-by-sides, or even passenger car), drinking, drug use, "outdoor mating", hunting, poaching, illegal butchering of livestock and wild animals, illegal dumping of various unwanted objects, and last but not least, bicycling.

The contested bit of roadway for Checkpoint #2

So, farmers adjacent to these so-called 'roads' often get a bit testy when out of the ordinary activities are observed on these roads. Late night wake-up calls by numbskulls who get stuck in mud do not help. This was the main nit that this particular landowner had with people outside of her known neighbors. So, as she approached us, I can only imagine that she had no idea what was going on, but whatever it was should be shut down. Furthermore; I imagine she would want us to vacate the premises immediately and never come back. And, of course, this is exactly what she was there to express. She was geared up and ready for a battle. 

As she engaged with us, it began as a very hostile and defensive conversation on her part, and one of carefully chosen words and tip-toeing negotiation on our parts. At one point I feared we were going to have to move things down a mile to another corner, but in the end, we won the lady over and things were allowed to continue. Never mind the fact that we were on a public road and not trespassing on private land.

This caused my stress levels to jump, once again, as you might imagine such a tense situation might do in light of what we were trying to accomplish. I knew that moving the checkpoint, on the one hand, would have been 'no big deal' logistically. But as a rider, when things are not happening when and where you expect them to? That can be the straw that breaks you. I knew that from having been in events and counting on cues to be right. So, my stress was based upon that and caring for the riders in my event. 

I really do not remember much beyond that confrontation at the checkpoint. I suppose we weren't there long, as that 20+mph Southeastern tailwind brought the leaders, Walter Zitz, a rookie, and Greg Gleason, a past winner, through at about 1:58pm. A new record for reaching CP#2 which stood until I ended Trans Iowa a couple of years later. We had to get ahead of these guys to head off any potential issues with the roads, so MG and I didn't stay long, and before we knew it we were heading back South and West toward whatever the afternoon might bring us, and I was certainly hoping that might be just some smooth sailing after a bumpy morning of running Trans Iowa v12. 

Next: Downtime With A Ukulele in Part 6 of A Tale Of Two Trans Iowas

Trans Iowa Stories: A Tale Of Two Trans Iowas - Part 4

MG and I come across riders taking a short break after CP#2 during T.I.v12.

  "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! 

After Checkpoint #1 MG and I got a move on and the course took us to the point where I traditionally would cross the Iowa River. This was near Belle Plaine, Iowa and directly West of Marengo, Iowa. I used a well built steel railed bridge which was built high enough to clear flooding and was connected by gravel roads. Besides that choice, I would have had to have gone tens of miles out of the way to cross at Marengo, use miles of busy paved roads, and compromise on my sensibilities for course design quite a bit. So, this bridge was featured in several Trans Iowas. 

Before we reached this bridge I got a call from Tony and Mike, volunteers who were in another vehicle and were running interference for us, marking corners when necessary. It turned out that they weren't very far ahead of us at this point. MG and I were hoping to cross their path at some point so we could get out and chat a bit. Since Tony and Mike also had cue sheet sets, we could coordinate our efforts in that way. 

Tony surveying the situation with his truck which was stuck in a Lavel B Maintenance road.

As MG and I were driving up onto a ridge, I noted Tony's truck off on a Level B Maintenance Road to my right. I shouted for MG to stop, and initially I was thinking we were just going to have a quick meet-up, but why did Tony drive up this awful road?  The road bed was saturated with water, the mud was runny and deep, and Tony's truck was spinning its tires as we got out of MG's vehicle. Oh no! Another crisis! Now we had to deal with a stuck vehicle?! I was floored, but I was also concerned for Tony. 

By the time I had gingerly approached his vehicle without getting mired into the mud myself, Tony was out and assessing his situation. I asked him several times what I could do to help, but he was so deep in thought it was as if he had gone deaf. He was concentrating, and then he stiffened up, moved quickly to his driver's door, and suddenly jumped into his truck. What?.......

I started to move back as I was well within mud-slinging range. I heard a 'clunk', the engine growled, the suspension kind of settled down, and then with a mighty roar, the entire truck jumped upwards out of the mud, leapt forward, and began to move up the hill of mire! Mud was slinging everywhere. It was quite a sight. MG and I cheered and yelled encouragements as Tony's truck bounded up the hill, crested the top, and disappeared. 

Wow! That was amazing! MG and I stood for a bit astounded and then we clambered back into the Subie and headed off to see what we could find of riders and if the cues were making sense. Meanwhile I'm getting updates on the injured rider from Mike Baggio, dealing with the fallout from the volunteer fire department debacle, taking calls from riders, and checking in on Tony to see what the deal was all about there.

Another view of riders in Tama County during T.I.v12 by Celeste Mathias.

Not long after this I received a text message from Andy Tetmeyer, who was my co-worker at the bike shop at that time and who had been my Checkpoint #1 volunteer. He was the one who had brought that vintage RV to sleep in the night before T.I.v12. Well, his wife had a medical emergency and he had to get home as as soon as possible. I was counting on Andy being there at the finish line as a volunteer, but I had to let him off the hook, obviously. I did have one other volunteer lined up to help out at the finish line, fortunately. So, I was still okay on volunteers, but this stressful news was just another straw on the camel's back. 

From here it was a cruise to get to the point where we had the reroute to set up. We were to finally rendezvous with Tony and Mike as they were marking the corners. There in Northern Tama County on a hilltop we found out what had happened back at the muddy Level B road. At the point just before Tony made the right turn Mike was giving him navigation cues. Well, the road they were to turn on in reality had a very similar name to the one they took, which was not the road they should have been on. A minor difference in the road name was the issue, and it almost caused us all big trouble! But Tony realized his Ford F-150 4X4 had locking differentials, and when he stiffened up and jumped back in his truck, that was the moment he remembered this. 

Whew! I am sure glad he remembered that! One less problem on a day that, so far, had been fraught with issues on my end. We were adamant that the reroute not be another stone on my pile, and so we stationed folks at important points to make sure the riders got the message that this was where the reroute I mentioned was at. Fortunately, with that effort we avoided any problems and everyone made it around there and all the riders were able to continue that were still in the event.

With that hurdle passed it became very apparent that the field was making great time on course. Like, really great time! I was a bit alarmed, but considering that this section of the route went - more or less- straight North and that the winds were straight out of the South, it began to make sense. Tailwinds for about 100 miles will do that. So, I was a bit concerned that my volunteers at Checkpoint #2- N.Y. Roll, Jeremy Fry, and Robert Fry, would be caught off-guard and not be set up before the riders appeared at the end of Petrie Road where I had designated Checkpoint #2 to be at. I texted Jeremy and N.Y. Roll to alert them of the rider's fast progress towards the checkpoint and in the end, they were ready to go well before anyone showed up. But we almost didn't get to set up where I had intended......

Next: Part 5 of "A Tale Of Two Trans Iowas"

Trans Iowa Stories: A Tale Of Two Trans Iowas - Part 4

MG and I come across riders taking a short break after CP#2 during T.I.v12.

  "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! 

After Checkpoint #1 MG and I got a move on and the course took us to the point where I traditionally would cross the Iowa River. This was near Belle Plaine, Iowa and directly West of Marengo, Iowa. I used a well built steel railed bridge which was built high enough to clear flooding and was connected by gravel roads. Besides that choice, I would have had to have gone tens of miles out of the way to cross at Marengo, use miles of busy paved roads, and compromise on my sensibilities for course design quite a bit. So, this bridge was featured in several Trans Iowas. 

Before we reached this bridge I got a call from Tony and Mike, volunteers who were in another vehicle and were running interference for us, marking corners when necessary. It turned out that they weren't very far ahead of us at this point. MG and I were hoping to cross their path at some point so we could get out and chat a bit. Since Tony and Mike also had cue sheet sets, we could coordinate our efforts in that way. 

Tony surveying the situation with his truck which was stuck in a Lavel B Maintenance road.

As MG and I were driving up onto a ridge, I noted Tony's truck off on a Level B Maintenance Road to my right. I shouted for MG to stop, and initially I was thinking we were just going to have a quick meet-up, but why did Tony drive up this awful road?  The road bed was saturated with water, the mud was runny and deep, and Tony's truck was spinning its tires as we got out of MG's vehicle. Oh no! Another crisis! Now we had to deal with a stuck vehicle?! I was floored, but I was also concerned for Tony. 

By the time I had gingerly approached his vehicle without getting mired into the mud myself, Tony was out and assessing his situation. I asked him several times what I could do to help, but he was so deep in thought it was as if he had gone deaf. He was concentrating, and then he stiffened up, moved quickly to his driver's door, and suddenly jumped into his truck. What?.......

I started to move back as I was well within mud-slinging range. I heard a 'clunk', the engine growled, the suspension kind of settled down, and then with a mighty roar, the entire truck jumped upwards out of the mud, leapt forward, and began to move up the hill of mire! Mud was slinging everywhere. It was quite a sight. MG and I cheered and yelled encouragements as Tony's truck bounded up the hill, crested the top, and disappeared. 

Wow! That was amazing! MG and I stood for a bit astounded and then we clambered back into the Subie and headed off to see what we could find of riders and if the cues were making sense. Meanwhile I'm getting updates on the injured rider from Mike Baggio, dealing with the fallout from the volunteer fire department debacle, taking calls from riders, and checking in on Tony to see what the deal was all about there.

Another view of riders in Tama County during T.I.v12 by Celeste Mathias.

Not long after this I received a text message from Andy Tetmeyer, who was my co-worker at the bike shop at that time and who had been my Checkpoint #1 volunteer. He was the one who had brought that vintage RV to sleep in the night before T.I.v12. Well, his wife had a medical emergency and he had to get home as as soon as possible. I was counting on Andy being there at the finish line as a volunteer, but I had to let him off the hook, obviously. I did have one other volunteer lined up to help out at the finish line, fortunately. So, I was still okay on volunteers, but this stressful news was just another straw on the camel's back. 

From here it was a cruise to get to the point where we had the reroute to set up. We were to finally rendezvous with Tony and Mike as they were marking the corners. There in Northern Tama County on a hilltop we found out what had happened back at the muddy Level B road. At the point just before Tony made the right turn Mike was giving him navigation cues. Well, the road they were to turn on in reality had a very similar name to the one they took, which was not the road they should have been on. A minor difference in the road name was the issue, and it almost caused us all big trouble! But Tony realized his Ford F-150 4X4 had locking differentials, and when he stiffened up and jumped back in his truck, that was the moment he remembered this. 

Whew! I am sure glad he remembered that! One less problem on a day that, so far, had been fraught with issues on my end. We were adamant that the reroute not be another stone on my pile, and so we stationed folks at important points to make sure the riders got the message that this was where the reroute I mentioned was at. Fortunately, with that effort we avoided any problems and everyone made it around there and all the riders were able to continue that were still in the event.

With that hurdle passed it became very apparent that the field was making great time on course. Like, really great time! I was a bit alarmed, but considering that this section of the route went - more or less- straight North and that the winds were straight out of the South, it began to make sense. Tailwinds for about 100 miles will do that. So, I was a bit concerned that my volunteers at Checkpoint #2- N.Y. Roll, Jeremy Fry, and Robert Fry, would be caught off-guard and not be set up before the riders appeared at the end of Petrie Road where I had designated Checkpoint #2 to be at. I texted Jeremy and N.Y. Roll to alert them of the rider's fast progress towards the checkpoint and in the end, they were ready to go well before anyone showed up. But we almost didn't get to set up where I had intended......

Next: Part 5 of "A Tale Of Two Trans Iowas"