Trans Iowa Stories: New T.I.v1 Image Turns Up

(L-R) Todd Scott, Mike Curiak, Joe Partridge, Steve Fassibinder at T.I.v1

 Trans Iowa Stories is a series about the behind the scenes, unknown, or little told stories about the event which usually appears every Sunday. This special Trans Iowa Stories post comes as a new photo from Trans Iowa v1 surfaced yesterday on Facebook. 

Every once in a while a new tidbit of information reaches me concerning Trans Iowa. Perhaps because the traditional date for the series is fast approaching, old participants of the event are finding new things to share with me. 

As an example, this coming Sunday's "Trans Iowa Series" post has two new images shared with me last week by Ari Andonopoulous. Now, just yesterday, I got tagged on a post on Facebook by former Trans Iowa finisher Joe Partridge. Joe was one of the nine riders (not those Nine Riders) who finished the very first Trans Iowa, he riding a single speed. 

In the image here, which I grabbed from Joe's Facebook page, he is sitting second wheel in a four-up group. This group was near the lead throughout the event. The group is representative of some of the top names in endurance racing in 2005. Up front is Steve "Dr. Doom" Fassibinder, then Joe, behind Joe is the legend Mike Curiak, and following in fourth is Todd Scott, who had done several 24hr events, the Leadville 100, and the Iditasport event on his bike. Todd was one who also finished this event. 

While there were two stalwart, very experienced endurance racers in this group, they did not prevail. Todd and Joe weren't slouches, by any stretch, but it was cool to see that they made it through despite the fact that the 'big guys' did not. In fact, it was in part that many of these well known racers did not finish that Trans Iowa instantly became something of a byword amongst the endurance racing crowd. The fact the no one finished the following year, at T.I.v2, just further cemented that notorious air about the event.

Back in 2005, no one had ever heard of a 'gravel bike'. It was either a flat bar or drop bar bike and most folks were split into the cyclo cross camp or they were in the mountain bike group. Of course, 26" wheels still ruled the day in terms of MTB, but Trans Iowa v1 had a lot of 29 inch wheeled bikes and you can see those represented in the group shot above. Todd was on a 26"er, if I recall correctly. 

I will always point to this event, the first Trans Iowa, as being the first 'modern day' gravel event. Sure- there were other bicycle races held on gravel, or partially on gravel courses, but none of those kicked off what we know today as the 'gravel segment' of cycling. This was the event that started this whole thing rolling that you know today as Gravel®. These four guys, and others who attended, were the pioneers of that movement. I think it is just amazing that I was there and saw it start. That I got to be a small part of this is so humbling. Just a really cool experience. 

Anyway, thanks to Joe Partridge for this great shot that I had never seen before until yesterday.

Trans Iowa Stories: New T.I.v1 Image Turns Up

(L-R) Todd Scott, Mike Curiak, Joe Partridge, Steve Fassibinder at T.I.v1

 Trans Iowa Stories is a series about the behind the scenes, unknown, or little told stories about the event which usually appears every Sunday. This special Trans Iowa Stories post comes as a new photo from Trans Iowa v1 surfaced yesterday on Facebook. 

Every once in a while a new tidbit of information reaches me concerning Trans Iowa. Perhaps because the traditional date for the series is fast approaching, old participants of the event are finding new things to share with me. 

As an example, this coming Sunday's "Trans Iowa Series" post has two new images shared with me last week by Ari Andonopoulous. Now, just yesterday, I got tagged on a post on Facebook by former Trans Iowa finisher Joe Partridge. Joe was one of the nine riders (not those Nine Riders) who finished the very first Trans Iowa, he riding a single speed. 

In the image here, which I grabbed from Joe's Facebook page, he is sitting second wheel in a four-up group. This group was near the lead throughout the event. The group is representative of some of the top names in endurance racing in 2005. Up front is Steve "Dr. Doom" Fassibinder, then Joe, behind Joe is the legend Mike Curiak, and following in fourth is Todd Scott, who had done several 24hr events, the Leadville 100, and the Iditasport event on his bike. Todd was one who also finished this event. 

While there were two stalwart, very experienced endurance racers in this group, they did not prevail. Todd and Joe weren't slouches, by any stretch, but it was cool to see that they made it through despite the fact that the 'big guys' did not. In fact, it was in part that many of these well known racers did not finish that Trans Iowa instantly became something of a byword amongst the endurance racing crowd. The fact the no one finished the following year, at T.I.v2, just further cemented that notorious air about the event.

Back in 2005, no one had ever heard of a 'gravel bike'. It was either a flat bar or drop bar bike and most folks were split into the cyclo cross camp or they were in the mountain bike group. Of course, 26" wheels still ruled the day in terms of MTB, but Trans Iowa v1 had a lot of 29 inch wheeled bikes and you can see those represented in the group shot above. Todd was on a 26"er, if I recall correctly. 

I will always point to this event, the first Trans Iowa, as being the first 'modern day' gravel event. Sure- there were other bicycle races held on gravel, or partially on gravel courses, but none of those kicked off what we know today as the 'gravel segment' of cycling. This was the event that started this whole thing rolling that you know today as Gravel®. These four guys, and others who attended, were the pioneers of that movement. I think it is just amazing that I was there and saw it start. That I got to be a small part of this is so humbling. Just a really cool experience. 

Anyway, thanks to Joe Partridge for this great shot that I had never seen before until yesterday.

Trans Iowa Stories: The Look of Trans Iowa

 "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! NOTE- These special posts on "The Look Of Trans Iowa" will feature the images made for the event. Header art for the website, posters, t-shirts, and anything relating to number plates and other things like postcards will be covered in this part of the story.

One of the most important parts of the event over the years was our art, mostly seen as "header panels" on the "Official Trans Iowa Website". The site was first put up as a Blogger site, (free), and populated by Jeff Kerkove. Jeff was already an accomplished blogger, having been doing his own cycling based blog for over a year or so by late 2004 when the T.I. site went live. Jeff was also an accomplished graphic designer, which was what he went to college for at the University of Northern Iowa. So, he knew all the ins and outs when it came to putting up images created from different elements and how to do customized fonts, etc.

Had I been the one in charge, well, it would have been a completely different story! I had been to school for art, and I have a certain amount of talent in that area, but to do anything in the digital realm? Ha! NOT happening, and in 2004, I was totally blind to how you do anything online. (I learned a LOT very quickly though)

Jeff was doing things for the event then that literally would have cost hundreds of dollars to have done by a professional. Perhaps there was no other facet of the event that was more influential, at least initially, than the website Jeff designed. It gave the event legitimacy, because of how it was presented. Below is the first header in its digital glory, thanks to Jeff Kerkove's recently sharing this on social media for the first time in 16 years.

This set the tone for what would follow. The element of Trans Iowa being somewhat "crazy" was a bit played down but what was front and center was that this was a challenge to overcome. "Do You Have What It Takes?" I think it is really important to understand that this was the foundation for Trans Iowa, and this element, the personal challenge/overcoming bit, would be a central facet for many other gravel based events afterward. When you see folks talking about "this event will push you", or "you will find out you are capable of more than you believed", it is a nod toward the ethos that Jeff Kerkove instilled into Trans Iowa, and which I and others shepherded along until the end of the event.

It also made it clear that this was a personal challenge. Note: It doesn't say "Who will have what it takes?" It says "Do YOU?". Again- this was central to the ethos of Trans Iowa. There was a "winner", sure, but we weren't so focused on winners. We weren't focused so much on the order of finish, just that you tried to finish. I have always held that anyone who tried to do a Trans Iowa "won" over fear, the unknown, and maybe even that they won over themselves. But whatever you may think, it is clear that from the outset that Trans Iowa was a personal challenge and very different from what had occurred before it. The art, therefore, is of utmost importance here, because from "Day One", this is what was presented to the world as what we were about here.

The second version of Trans Iowa featured this header art by Jeff Kerkove.

The second header begins to show off more of Jeff's personality and brings in his take on how crazy/insane this challenge was. Of course, by this time the whole "is it a mountain bike event" thing was long gone. But you will note that there is not a drop bar bike in the header image! (From the running of T.I.v1, by the way) Jeff was a mountain biker at heart, so this whole deal with drop bars was from a place he was not (yet) willing to go.

And we had presenting sponsors. That was the first, and the last, time that ever happened with Trans Iowa. It should be noted that those sponsors were the companies behind Jeff's solo 24hr efforts. Which, by the way, were a huge influence upon Trans Iowa, which I have talked about at length here before. At any rate, this again was a very slick, professional looking website banner image that made Trans Iowa look like it was something well organized and on point- which it clearly was not! I find this rather ironic looking back. Subsequent Trans Iowa headers would take a far different approach to their messaging and there were reasons for that, which I will get into on subsequent "The Look Of Trans Iowa" posts in the future.

The next time you see one of these it will be about the T.I.v3 and v4 headers. 

Thank You: It goes without saying that I owe a tremendous debt and huge amount of gratitude to Jeff Kerkove for all the efforts he put in for Trans Iowa's website and, of course, for the event in the early years. However; this special thanks is for his posting of the original v1 artwork. I did not have this, and he graciously shared that via social media on March 28th, 2020. So, Thanks Jeff! That means a lot to me that you are taking some credit after all these years for your early influence upon the gravel scene as we know it today.

Next: A Brief History Of Numbers And Cues.

Trans Iowa Stories: The Look of Trans Iowa

 "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! NOTE- These special posts on "The Look Of Trans Iowa" will feature the images made for the event. Header art for the website, posters, t-shirts, and anything relating to number plates and other things like postcards will be covered in this part of the story.

One of the most important parts of the event over the years was our art, mostly seen as "header panels" on the "Official Trans Iowa Website". The site was first put up as a Blogger site, (free), and populated by Jeff Kerkove. Jeff was already an accomplished blogger, having been doing his own cycling based blog for over a year or so by late 2004 when the T.I. site went live. Jeff was also an accomplished graphic designer, which was what he went to college for at the University of Northern Iowa. So, he knew all the ins and outs when it came to putting up images created from different elements and how to do customized fonts, etc.

Had I been the one in charge, well, it would have been a completely different story! I had been to school for art, and I have a certain amount of talent in that area, but to do anything in the digital realm? Ha! NOT happening, and in 2004, I was totally blind to how you do anything online. (I learned a LOT very quickly though)

Jeff was doing things for the event then that literally would have cost hundreds of dollars to have done by a professional. Perhaps there was no other facet of the event that was more influential, at least initially, than the website Jeff designed. It gave the event legitimacy, because of how it was presented. Below is the first header in its digital glory, thanks to Jeff Kerkove's recently sharing this on social media for the first time in 16 years.

This set the tone for what would follow. The element of Trans Iowa being somewhat "crazy" was a bit played down but what was front and center was that this was a challenge to overcome. "Do You Have What It Takes?" I think it is really important to understand that this was the foundation for Trans Iowa, and this element, the personal challenge/overcoming bit, would be a central facet for many other gravel based events afterward. When you see folks talking about "this event will push you", or "you will find out you are capable of more than you believed", it is a nod toward the ethos that Jeff Kerkove instilled into Trans Iowa, and which I and others shepherded along until the end of the event.

It also made it clear that this was a personal challenge. Note: It doesn't say "Who will have what it takes?" It says "Do YOU?". Again- this was central to the ethos of Trans Iowa. There was a "winner", sure, but we weren't so focused on winners. We weren't focused so much on the order of finish, just that you tried to finish. I have always held that anyone who tried to do a Trans Iowa "won" over fear, the unknown, and maybe even that they won over themselves. But whatever you may think, it is clear that from the outset that Trans Iowa was a personal challenge and very different from what had occurred before it. The art, therefore, is of utmost importance here, because from "Day One", this is what was presented to the world as what we were about here.

The second version of Trans Iowa featured this header art by Jeff Kerkove.

The second header begins to show off more of Jeff's personality and brings in his take on how crazy/insane this challenge was. Of course, by this time the whole "is it a mountain bike event" thing was long gone. But you will note that there is not a drop bar bike in the header image! (From the running of T.I.v1, by the way) Jeff was a mountain biker at heart, so this whole deal with drop bars was from a place he was not (yet) willing to go.

And we had presenting sponsors. That was the first, and the last, time that ever happened with Trans Iowa. It should be noted that those sponsors were the companies behind Jeff's solo 24hr efforts. Which, by the way, were a huge influence upon Trans Iowa, which I have talked about at length here before. At any rate, this again was a very slick, professional looking website banner image that made Trans Iowa look like it was something well organized and on point- which it clearly was not! I find this rather ironic looking back. Subsequent Trans Iowa headers would take a far different approach to their messaging and there were reasons for that, which I will get into on subsequent "The Look Of Trans Iowa" posts in the future.

The next time you see one of these it will be about the T.I.v3 and v4 headers. 

Thank You: It goes without saying that I owe a tremendous debt and huge amount of gratitude to Jeff Kerkove for all the efforts he put in for Trans Iowa's website and, of course, for the event in the early years. However; this special thanks is for his posting of the original v1 artwork. I did not have this, and he graciously shared that via social media on March 28th, 2020. So, Thanks Jeff! That means a lot to me that you are taking some credit after all these years for your early influence upon the gravel scene as we know it today.

Next: A Brief History Of Numbers And Cues.

Trans Iowa Stories: History Rediscovered

A downlaoded screen shot printed on typing paper of the original Trans Iowa site header

"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!

We are going to go backward a bit today with today's chapter in the "Trans Iowa Stories". All the way back to the beginnings of the event. But first, a little background for context here.

As Trans Iowa developed and moved from year to year, I would find a binder, or heavy duty folder, and download all records, extra cues from recon, maps, drafts, waivers, and whatever else from a particular Trans Iowa into that binder or folder and put it on a shelf, or in a drawer, or wherever I could find space. After about four or five of these deals, I realized that these were historically important. At least to anyone like myself that cared about Trans Iowa. So, I made a concerted effort to find nicer binders and folders where necessary, (Trans Iowa v1 in particular), and then I put these things back on the shelf. I rarely ever looked back at the old stuff, so sometimes these folders and binders would get separated, one from the other.

As it happened, about two years ago, after the last Trans Iowa, I went looking for all the binders to account for them. I was only able to locate binders for v8-v14. The earlier ones seemed to be MIA. I figured that they had to be somewhere in the swirling vortex of detritus called Guitar Ted Productions. But where?

Well, a few weeks back I discovered the whereabouts of these documents. They had been put into a tub which was sitting out in my damp, leaky garage! Fortunately everything was dry, but you can bet this stuff came back inside that very day that I found it all. And by "all", I mean all of it. Versions 1-7 were in that tub. Awesome!

So, amongst the treasures of roster sheets, notes, maps, and cues, I found the first Trans Iowa book which had a complete downloaded hard copy of the v1 webpages, screen shot three days before the event! Note the "ticker" under the header which was counting down the time to the event. Then also, you can see when the last "news" entry was put up on April 16th, 2005. In fact, there are three or four pages worth of things which are all about the first Trans Iowa. It's fascinating reading, from my perspective, because all that stuff was straight out of Jeff Kerkove's mind. I had zero to do with how any of that was written then. The v2 and subsequent Trans Iowas were all my baby in that regard.

So, look closely at that header. What does that remind you of? Something straight out of 2020 perhaps? We had a "presenting sponsor", and speaking of sponsors, there were a full line up of "heavy hitters". These were no slouch sponsors! Tifosi eyewear, Ergon, Giant Bicycles, and more. But again, that was all due to Jeff's endurance racing/solo 24hr successes. It had nothing at all to do with gravel racing. 

I'll get into the whole sponsorship deal in future "Trans Iowa Stories", but for now, I just wanted to share this "find" that I had forgotten all about. Whether it was Jeff or myself that had the presence of mind to screen shot all this and print it later, I don't recall, but it is literally a snap-shot of a point in history that otherwise would be lost to the mists of time.

Next: New Things Part 2

Trans Iowa Stories: History Rediscovered

A downlaoded screen shot printed on typing paper of the original Trans Iowa site header

"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!

We are going to go backward a bit today with today's chapter in the "Trans Iowa Stories". All the way back to the beginnings of the event. But first, a little background for context here.

As Trans Iowa developed and moved from year to year, I would find a binder, or heavy duty folder, and download all records, extra cues from recon, maps, drafts, waivers, and whatever else from a particular Trans Iowa into that binder or folder and put it on a shelf, or in a drawer, or wherever I could find space. After about four or five of these deals, I realized that these were historically important. At least to anyone like myself that cared about Trans Iowa. So, I made a concerted effort to find nicer binders and folders where necessary, (Trans Iowa v1 in particular), and then I put these things back on the shelf. I rarely ever looked back at the old stuff, so sometimes these folders and binders would get separated, one from the other.

As it happened, about two years ago, after the last Trans Iowa, I went looking for all the binders to account for them. I was only able to locate binders for v8-v14. The earlier ones seemed to be MIA. I figured that they had to be somewhere in the swirling vortex of detritus called Guitar Ted Productions. But where?

Well, a few weeks back I discovered the whereabouts of these documents. They had been put into a tub which was sitting out in my damp, leaky garage! Fortunately everything was dry, but you can bet this stuff came back inside that very day that I found it all. And by "all", I mean all of it. Versions 1-7 were in that tub. Awesome!

So, amongst the treasures of roster sheets, notes, maps, and cues, I found the first Trans Iowa book which had a complete downloaded hard copy of the v1 webpages, screen shot three days before the event! Note the "ticker" under the header which was counting down the time to the event. Then also, you can see when the last "news" entry was put up on April 16th, 2005. In fact, there are three or four pages worth of things which are all about the first Trans Iowa. It's fascinating reading, from my perspective, because all that stuff was straight out of Jeff Kerkove's mind. I had zero to do with how any of that was written then. The v2 and subsequent Trans Iowas were all my baby in that regard.

So, look closely at that header. What does that remind you of? Something straight out of 2020 perhaps? We had a "presenting sponsor", and speaking of sponsors, there were a full line up of "heavy hitters". These were no slouch sponsors! Tifosi eyewear, Ergon, Giant Bicycles, and more. But again, that was all due to Jeff's endurance racing/solo 24hr successes. It had nothing at all to do with gravel racing. 

I'll get into the whole sponsorship deal in future "Trans Iowa Stories", but for now, I just wanted to share this "find" that I had forgotten all about. Whether it was Jeff or myself that had the presence of mind to screen shot all this and print it later, I don't recall, but it is literally a snap-shot of a point in history that otherwise would be lost to the mists of time.

Next: New Things Part 2

Trans Iowa Stories: Tales Of v1

The first roll out for a Trans Iowa. Image by Dave Kerkove

"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!

 Tales of the first Trans Iowa are rare. There were only 51 people in the event, first off, and since Trans Iowa kicked off in 2005, there weren't any digital, social media platforms to share anything on. It was a time when the "Analogue Era" was ending and the new "Social Media Era" was in its infancy. Any stories of heroism, tales of woe, or fascinating tidbits stayed with those individuals who were a part of those things.

And as far as Jeff and I were concerned, there were two focus points: Jeff's was competing in the event he helped to get off the ground. Mine was to facilitate the event. Taking pictures, writing reports, or sharing stories was not on our radar at all.

Of course, I did take a few images. However; I don't think I saved them! Then there was Dave Kerkove, Jeff's father, who took a roll of film, (film camera!), and shot some images up to the point of the Algona checkpoint. There were no images from there until the finish line shot. Isn't that crazy? But again- we weren't focused upon producing media for outsiders to consume. Once again, a bit of context is good to chew on at this point.

I'll say it again for emphasis: There was no Facebook, no Twitter, no Snapchat.....nothing! Digital cameras were around, but not prevalent. Cell phones typically had no camera or very, very bad ones. People weren't yet "attuned" to share every freaking moment of life. So, why would we be doing that? We wouldn't even think of it. There was no reason to, as the only outlet for it at that time would have been the MTBR.com Endurance forum, (where we did share stories and images back in the day), or on Jeff's blog. (I did not start this blog until May 11th, 2005. Well after Trans Iowa had happened.)

Jeff Kerkove (leading here) and a group of v1 riders. Image by Dave Kerkove

So, from my perspective I recall being pretty nervous that cold, clear morning in Hawarden. My task was going to be to yak at a "pre-race meeting", which I was very nervous about, to tell the truth. Here I was, just some unknown mechanic from Iowa, who was along to help the very well known Jeff Kerkove. I was speaking to the legends of the endurance cycling scene at the time- Mike Curiak, Steve "DOOM" Fassibinder, Ernesto Marenchin, and others whom Jeff persuaded to come to the event. Ira Ryan was there, a phenom of rando-ultra distance cycling on the West Coast, and an Iowa native. There were others, and I don't mean to slight anyone by omission, but my point is, I was a nobody. No one knew a thing about me with the exception of maybe having seen a guest post of mine on Jeff's blog, a post of mine on MTBR.com, or from Jeff mentioning me on his blog.

And here I was telling them what to do and not to do. It was very intimidating, but I did my best. Then I had to hop into the shop van, which we borrowed for the weekend from the bike shop both Jeff and I worked at, and I headed out ahead of the field. I remember stopping and waiting at the tops of hills to see if the leaders were catching me, then sprinting off ahead to check more roads. There was a horrifying moment when I came up at a crossing of a County paved road and saw "Road Closed" signs. What to do! I went around the sign and saw that they had crushed the pavement, but it was still passable, so I crossed and figured (hoped) the riders would come across as well.

Then there were the Level B Roads. We only had three, one mile sections of dirt that first year, all within about ten miles of each other. They were left in and we had no idea of how they might affect the event. I saw that they were too muddy to drive on, at least the first two were, but the third.... Hmm. Looked passable. I tried it. Mind you, this was in a 90's era Dodge Caravan, front wheel drive only. I got about a third of the way in when I realized I had made a very poor choice!

I had one hope. Stand on the gas and hope that I did not lose my momentum. I knew that if I did stop, I was going to be stuck in the middle of nowhere and no tow truck wasn't going to be able to help. Thankfully, I managed to steer through, but the mud was everywhere. Packed into wheel wells, all over the rocker panels, stuck all over the top of the van from flailing off the front wheels, and basically, it was trashed. Fortunately it still drove, so I forged on ahead to Algona.

(L-R) Me, Patrick Humenny, Dave Kerkove- Image taken by Linda Kerkove

Algona was a scene. It was cold, blustery with high wind gusts, and no one really knew what to expect, or what was going on for certain. One thing that I found odd were that some folks had tons of support while others were rolling in and doing everything for themselves. That was addressed for v2 with the elimination of "outside support". One thing was frightening- That was hearing about one of our riders wandering off course in a daze, angered at folks asking if he was okay. It turned out it was a person so dehydrated that they were a bit emotional and not thinking straight. Being that I had my hands full already, I couldn't go find out anything more than the bits and pieces other riders could tell me. This was one bullet dodged in the end that could have went waaaay bad. I knew then and there we needed more people running this event. 

Near the end of my time there, I felt pressured to address concerns some support people were voicing about the "unfair time cut off" announced at the onset of the event for the Algona Checkpoint. These folks wanted it abolished, or at the least, extended greatly. I ended up informing Jeff's parents that the cut off would be extended one hour. In the end, it made zero difference, but again- something to keep in mind if we ever ran this again. I was pretty stressed out at that point because I had to get to Pilot Knob State Park and mark a mile or so of single track. So, eventually I just had to leave without seeing some of the concerned folks face to face, but again- One guy running the show. Not good. Also, remember this was my first rodeo being the "RD" guy. It was pretty rough sledding.

Not many riders left Algona. We had nine finishers, but I think something like 13 left Algona. So, attrition was high and continuing on from Algona, I saw a few riders on my way out, and then I did not see anyone until well into Sunday morning. I had zero communication with Jeff, who was out of the event due to dehydration issues. I only knew he was out of the event. Other than having to call in anyone I saw at my Cresco, Iowa observation point to the Decorah Time Trials finish line volunteer, I had no reason to use my phone. So, with no DNF line, it got really weird out there in the night for me.

I cannot recall for certain, but I think I got a call from Dave Kerkove when the checkpoint closed shortly after 6:00pm that night, so that may have been one point of communication. But anyway, I was frustrated, bored to tears, and was wishing I had anyone else along to share this miserable time with. I hate to beat this point to death, but you have to keep in mind the lack of social media back then. I mean, I couldn't check a timeline, page, or anything. I think this point is now so foreign to us that we have a hard time fathoming it. So, it was boring as Hell, but most of all, the biggest issue was that I felt sleeping was out of the question, because of my charge to let the Decorah folks know when to expect a rider to finish. That was extra stress and I went through the wringer during the event's ending. The night time stretch was excruciatingly boring and difficult. It was really cold that night. I know we had a hard freeze and frost was everywhere that Sunday morning. All I had was a stocking hat and a rain jacket. Dumb!

By the time I reached my observation point just North of Cresco, Iowa, I was freezing to death and having to hop into the van, run the heater on high, and then try not to fall asleep! Back and forth like that for a few hours until at right around sunrise, a rider came through. It was Alex Dollp. Then about every hour or hour and a half, a rider would pass by till all seven had went by me. I had only seen seven because Ryan and Hannon bypassed my point in the night due to getting off course. But I didn't know that at the time.

Eventually Dave Kerkove called and said that there were likely around ten guys left and that he and Jeff were on their way to relieve me. That is the last thing I clearly remember about v1. I do vaguely recall the "award ceremonies" at Decorah, but only vaguely, and I could not tell you how I got home. Afterward, I saw that I did not even mention Trans Iowa on my blog a half a month later all the rest of the way through May. So, while it was a "big deal", it wasn't that big of a deal at the time, or so we thought.

All I know is that Trans Iowa, the first one that is, changed me fundamentally. Even without the other 13 Trans Iowas. Just doing that one really gave me confidence, inspiration, and a new viewpoint I had not had previous to it. So, thank you, first of all, to Jeff Kerkove. I owe it all to you, and without your inclusiveness, drive, and enthusiasm, I would still be "just a bike mechanic in Iowa". Then I gotta thank all those first Trans Iowans. You guys and Emily Broderson, (the lone female in T.I.v1) are to be commended, because without you, I don't become who I am today.

Next: Stories Of v2

Trans Iowa Stories: Tales Of v1

The first roll out for a Trans Iowa. Image by Dave Kerkove

"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!

 Tales of the first Trans Iowa are rare. There were only 51 people in the event, first off, and since Trans Iowa kicked off in 2005, there weren't any digital, social media platforms to share anything on. It was a time when the "Analogue Era" was ending and the new "Social Media Era" was in its infancy. Any stories of heroism, tales of woe, or fascinating tidbits stayed with those individuals who were a part of those things.

And as far as Jeff and I were concerned, there were two focus points: Jeff's was competing in the event he helped to get off the ground. Mine was to facilitate the event. Taking pictures, writing reports, or sharing stories was not on our radar at all.

Of course, I did take a few images. However; I don't think I saved them! Then there was Dave Kerkove, Jeff's father, who took a roll of film, (film camera!), and shot some images up to the point of the Algona checkpoint. There were no images from there until the finish line shot. Isn't that crazy? But again- we weren't focused upon producing media for outsiders to consume. Once again, a bit of context is good to chew on at this point.

I'll say it again for emphasis: There was no Facebook, no Twitter, no Snapchat.....nothing! Digital cameras were around, but not prevalent. Cell phones typically had no camera or very, very bad ones. People weren't yet "attuned" to share every freaking moment of life. So, why would we be doing that? We wouldn't even think of it. There was no reason to, as the only outlet for it at that time would have been the MTBR.com Endurance forum, (where we did share stories and images back in the day), or on Jeff's blog. (I did not start this blog until May 11th, 2005. Well after Trans Iowa had happened.)

Jeff Kerkove (leading here) and a group of v1 riders. Image by Dave Kerkove

So, from my perspective I recall being pretty nervous that cold, clear morning in Hawarden. My task was going to be to yak at a "pre-race meeting", which I was very nervous about, to tell the truth. Here I was, just some unknown mechanic from Iowa, who was along to help the very well known Jeff Kerkove. I was speaking to the legends of the endurance cycling scene at the time- Mike Curiak, Steve "DOOM" Fassibinder, Ernesto Marenchin, and others whom Jeff persuaded to come to the event. Ira Ryan was there, a phenom of rando-ultra distance cycling on the West Coast, and an Iowa native. There were others, and I don't mean to slight anyone by omission, but my point is, I was a nobody. No one knew a thing about me with the exception of maybe having seen a guest post of mine on Jeff's blog, a post of mine on MTBR.com, or from Jeff mentioning me on his blog.

And here I was telling them what to do and not to do. It was very intimidating, but I did my best. Then I had to hop into the shop van, which we borrowed for the weekend from the bike shop both Jeff and I worked at, and I headed out ahead of the field. I remember stopping and waiting at the tops of hills to see if the leaders were catching me, then sprinting off ahead to check more roads. There was a horrifying moment when I came up at a crossing of a County paved road and saw "Road Closed" signs. What to do! I went around the sign and saw that they had crushed the pavement, but it was still passable, so I crossed and figured (hoped) the riders would come across as well.

Then there were the Level B Roads. We only had three, one mile sections of dirt that first year, all within about ten miles of each other. They were left in and we had no idea of how they might affect the event. I saw that they were too muddy to drive on, at least the first two were, but the third.... Hmm. Looked passable. I tried it. Mind you, this was in a 90's era Dodge Caravan, front wheel drive only. I got about a third of the way in when I realized I had made a very poor choice!

I had one hope. Stand on the gas and hope that I did not lose my momentum. I knew that if I did stop, I was going to be stuck in the middle of nowhere and no tow truck wasn't going to be able to help. Thankfully, I managed to steer through, but the mud was everywhere. Packed into wheel wells, all over the rocker panels, stuck all over the top of the van from flailing off the front wheels, and basically, it was trashed. Fortunately it still drove, so I forged on ahead to Algona.

(L-R) Me, Patrick Humenny, Dave Kerkove- Image taken by Linda Kerkove

Algona was a scene. It was cold, blustery with high wind gusts, and no one really knew what to expect, or what was going on for certain. One thing that I found odd were that some folks had tons of support while others were rolling in and doing everything for themselves. That was addressed for v2 with the elimination of "outside support". One thing was frightening- That was hearing about one of our riders wandering off course in a daze, angered at folks asking if he was okay. It turned out it was a person so dehydrated that they were a bit emotional and not thinking straight. Being that I had my hands full already, I couldn't go find out anything more than the bits and pieces other riders could tell me. This was one bullet dodged in the end that could have went waaaay bad. I knew then and there we needed more people running this event. 

Near the end of my time there, I felt pressured to address concerns some support people were voicing about the "unfair time cut off" announced at the onset of the event for the Algona Checkpoint. These folks wanted it abolished, or at the least, extended greatly. I ended up informing Jeff's parents that the cut off would be extended one hour. In the end, it made zero difference, but again- something to keep in mind if we ever ran this again. I was pretty stressed out at that point because I had to get to Pilot Knob State Park and mark a mile or so of single track. So, eventually I just had to leave without seeing some of the concerned folks face to face, but again- One guy running the show. Not good. Also, remember this was my first rodeo being the "RD" guy. It was pretty rough sledding.

Not many riders left Algona. We had nine finishers, but I think something like 13 left Algona. So, attrition was high and continuing on from Algona, I saw a few riders on my way out, and then I did not see anyone until well into Sunday morning. I had zero communication with Jeff, who was out of the event due to dehydration issues. I only knew he was out of the event. Other than having to call in anyone I saw at my Cresco, Iowa observation point to the Decorah Time Trials finish line volunteer, I had no reason to use my phone. So, with no DNF line, it got really weird out there in the night for me.

I cannot recall for certain, but I think I got a call from Dave Kerkove when the checkpoint closed shortly after 6:00pm that night, so that may have been one point of communication. But anyway, I was frustrated, bored to tears, and was wishing I had anyone else along to share this miserable time with. I hate to beat this point to death, but you have to keep in mind the lack of social media back then. I mean, I couldn't check a timeline, page, or anything. I think this point is now so foreign to us that we have a hard time fathoming it. So, it was boring as Hell, but most of all, the biggest issue was that I felt sleeping was out of the question, because of my charge to let the Decorah folks know when to expect a rider to finish. That was extra stress and I went through the wringer during the event's ending. The night time stretch was excruciatingly boring and difficult. It was really cold that night. I know we had a hard freeze and frost was everywhere that Sunday morning. All I had was a stocking hat and a rain jacket. Dumb!

By the time I reached my observation point just North of Cresco, Iowa, I was freezing to death and having to hop into the van, run the heater on high, and then try not to fall asleep! Back and forth like that for a few hours until at right around sunrise, a rider came through. It was Alex Dollp. Then about every hour or hour and a half, a rider would pass by till all seven had went by me. I had only seen seven because Ryan and Hannon bypassed my point in the night due to getting off course. But I didn't know that at the time.

Eventually Dave Kerkove called and said that there were likely around ten guys left and that he and Jeff were on their way to relieve me. That is the last thing I clearly remember about v1. I do vaguely recall the "award ceremonies" at Decorah, but only vaguely, and I could not tell you how I got home. Afterward, I saw that I did not even mention Trans Iowa on my blog a half a month later all the rest of the way through May. So, while it was a "big deal", it wasn't that big of a deal at the time, or so we thought.

All I know is that Trans Iowa, the first one that is, changed me fundamentally. Even without the other 13 Trans Iowas. Just doing that one really gave me confidence, inspiration, and a new viewpoint I had not had previous to it. So, thank you, first of all, to Jeff Kerkove. I owe it all to you, and without your inclusiveness, drive, and enthusiasm, I would still be "just a bike mechanic in Iowa". Then I gotta thank all those first Trans Iowans. You guys and Emily Broderson, (the lone female in T.I.v1) are to be commended, because without you, I don't become who I am today.

Next: Stories Of v2

Minus Ten Review- 7

Karate Monkey in '07 "perfection mode".

On the blog ten years ago I had plenty of images! Hooray! I think the deal was that I was not well versed yet in how to get files uploaded on Blogger, so until I figured that out and was comfortable with that, I went a few times without images. From this point on though, things like that seem to be rare, if not non-existent.

Anyway, here is a shot of my Karate Monkey from February of '07 right after Planet Bike sent me some Cascadia fenders for 29"ers. I mounted those up on my Monkey, which as I posted earlier this week, was dialed to perfection at that point for gravel travel. You can see the Cooks Brothers crank set and the disc brake set up which I no longer am using on this bike.

I was deep into getting bikes ridden and components tested at this time. I was fiddling with the XXIX+G, which I had the good sense to have sent to me in a size Large. The medium XXIX single speed was a medium, and it didn't fit as well, so that bike already was languishing in the basement unridden and would eventually get sold off later in '07, I believe it was. The Haro Mary was also a medium, but seemed to fit a little better. So that was still in play yet and I had wheels and tires being tested on that bike. Plus I had other pet project bikes I was dealing with which included a vintage 650B Raleigh mountain bike.

Another interesting development was that I had tried some DuMonde Tech lube at this point based off of an experience I had with Mike Curiak, who was using that lube at Trans Iowa v1. Later on when I told the DuMonde Tech rep about that, he contacted Mr. Curiak who then, (according to the DuMonde Tech guy) denied that he had ever used the stuff, or at least he couldn't remember ever having used it. Whatever. I saw what I saw, and it influenced me to try it. By the way, it was as good then as it is now. You should try it out too.

Now those are some REAL wagon wheels! Image courtesy of Ben Witt

Then also on the blog ten years ago- I was forwarded an image of what I thought was, (and very well could be), the first 36 inch wheeled mountain bike. It was a collaboration between Mike Pofahl and Ben Witt. Ben owned and operated Milltown Cycles then and Mike Pofahl is a custom frame builder from Northfield Minnesota.

In this image there is also a Salsa Cycles El Mariachi 29"er. You can see how those 36" wheels really dwarf the 29"ers!

This is the same 36"er which Ben had painted a maroon color later on. (Note- It is in a raw, unpainted state in this image and remained that way for several years) This is the very same bike I had here for several months on loan from Ben to use. I mostly did commuter rides on it. Oddly enough, it never did draw any attention as I rode it. People hardly noticed that it had gargantuan hoops.

Weird that.

Anyway, this bike caused quite a stir, and Ben and Mike later on collaborated on another version of this bike with some big improvements in the design. I reckon this first one is the stone that kicked off the entire 36"er bikes for off road niche as it stands today. I don't think Ben and Mike get any credit at all for doing this and being innovators. They should be recognized as such, in my opinion.

Minus Ten Review- 7

Karate Monkey in '07 "perfection mode".

On the blog ten years ago I had plenty of images! Hooray! I think the deal was that I was not well versed yet in how to get files uploaded on Blogger, so until I figured that out and was comfortable with that, I went a few times without images. From this point on though, things like that seem to be rare, if not non-existent.

Anyway, here is a shot of my Karate Monkey from February of '07 right after Planet Bike sent me some Cascadia fenders for 29"ers. I mounted those up on my Monkey, which as I posted earlier this week, was dialed to perfection at that point for gravel travel. You can see the Cooks Brothers crank set and the disc brake set up which I no longer am using on this bike.

I was deep into getting bikes ridden and components tested at this time. I was fiddling with the XXIX+G, which I had the good sense to have sent to me in a size Large. The medium XXIX single speed was a medium, and it didn't fit as well, so that bike already was languishing in the basement unridden and would eventually get sold off later in '07, I believe it was. The Haro Mary was also a medium, but seemed to fit a little better. So that was still in play yet and I had wheels and tires being tested on that bike. Plus I had other pet project bikes I was dealing with which included a vintage 650B Raleigh mountain bike.

Another interesting development was that I had tried some DuMonde Tech lube at this point based off of an experience I had with Mike Curiak, who was using that lube at Trans Iowa v1. Later on when I told the DuMonde Tech rep about that, he contacted Mr. Curiak who then, (according to the DuMonde Tech guy) denied that he had ever used the stuff, or at least he couldn't remember ever having used it. Whatever. I saw what I saw, and it influenced me to try it. By the way, it was as good then as it is now. You should try it out too.

Now those are some REAL wagon wheels! Image courtesy of Ben Witt

Then also on the blog ten years ago- I was forwarded an image of what I thought was, (and very well could be), the first 36 inch wheeled mountain bike. It was a collaboration between Mike Pofahl and Ben Witt. Ben owned and operated Milltown Cycles then and Mike Pofahl is a custom frame builder from Northfield Minnesota.

In this image there is also a Salsa Cycles El Mariachi 29"er. You can see how those 36" wheels really dwarf the 29"ers!

This is the same 36"er which Ben had painted a maroon color later on. (Note- It is in a raw, unpainted state in this image and remained that way for several years) This is the very same bike I had here for several months on loan from Ben to use. I mostly did commuter rides on it. Oddly enough, it never did draw any attention as I rode it. People hardly noticed that it had gargantuan hoops.

Weird that.

Anyway, this bike caused quite a stir, and Ben and Mike later on collaborated on another version of this bike with some big improvements in the design. I reckon this first one is the stone that kicked off the entire 36"er bikes for off road niche as it stands today. I don't think Ben and Mike get any credit at all for doing this and being innovators. They should be recognized as such, in my opinion.

Trans Iowa V11: A Look At The Rules- Part 2: The Golden Rule

Last year I did a historical overview of each Trans Iowa up to T.I.V9. This year I am going to revisit something that I feel many folks have overlooked for a long time; The "Race Rules".

#1: The Golden Rule is the subject of today's look at the rules of Trans Iowa. Let's see it here and then I'll give my comments on it.

The Golden Rule. The sponsors, organizers, and anyone having anything to do with this race are NOT responsible for your safety. Think of this race as a 300+ mile hard training ride with prizes. We can't say this enough.....YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOU!

Okay, this is the "golden rule" because it is the lynchpin that everything depends upon for self-supported events like Trans Iowa to work. It is also the most copied rule Jeff Kerkove came up with for the event. It's pretty obvious why we have this rule, but interestingly enough, the first two Trans Iowas did have insurance, and the entry fee was set to just cover that fee we were being charged for the coverage.

The self-support factor and the "You Are Responsible For You" statement has been beaten to death over the years, so I will not plough through that old ground again. What I wanted to bring out is in this sentence: "Think of this race as a 300+ mile hard training ride with prizes."

Interestingly, the rules for Trans Iowa were written well before we had a course settled. Neither of us knew how long the event was actually going to be. So instead of nailing down a specific distance, which was our initial intention, Jeff wrote that rule with a vague reference to the distance. I had told him it would be over 300 miles by some amount, so he went with "300+ mile".    

Then there is a reference to a "training ride". Jeff had spoken of this event from the perspective he had at the time. He was a 24 hour solo racer. That's how he thought about this event, so in his mind, it was going to be something that might attract other 24 hour "nut bags" to come out and use the event as a training opportunity. Thus the "training ride" reference.

Essentially, this sentence was there to dial down expectations, which again, were coming from the world of 24 hour events. The big ones. Events where there was darn near a circus going on alongside the race and prizes and payouts were pretty substantial. In that context, the inaugural Trans Iowa was going to be a much humbler affair. Sure, we had some killer prizing for a first time event. Riders received Ergon grips and Tifosi eyewear in each race packet, amongst other things. However; we weren't going to pay out any money, there were no trophies, gizmos, or handmade awards at the finish, and certainly, there wasn't a bunch of start line or finish line hoopla. It was as basic as it gets from that standpoint.

Not that there were no extra trimmings, mind you. We were sponsored by Red Bull, (the endurance racers friend, you know!), and they set up a 40 foot high teepee at Algona where the Checkpoint was. A little known fact regarding the Red Bull sponsorship was that they had sent out two rather "hipster" looking fellows to hand up Red Bull all along the route. Yes....all 310 miles of it. These guys were pretty much out there on their own, since we were putting this on with a shoestring budget and almost zero volunteers. In fact, I never saw them again after Algona, but later I heard a funny story about them.

It seems that once they realized there wasn't a "peloton" and that the event was in Iowa's most rural environs, they sort of tried to guess where the riders might be stopping for resupply. Obviously, communication as to the whereabouts of any of the riders was almost nil. So they were left to wander about aimlessly, looking for any opportunity to turn on some unsuspecting Iowan to the virtues of their elixir. As it turned out, I heard they were seen in Cresco Iowa, off the route in the town passing out Red Bull samples to suspicious small town folk, who had mostly never seen a hipster or knew what one was back then. I heard they got some pretty odd looks!

Well, that's a wrap on the Golden Rule and and an extra story! Next week: We say it again.... Rule #2

Trans Iowa V11: A Look At The Rules- Part 2: The Golden Rule

Last year I did a historical overview of each Trans Iowa up to T.I.V9. This year I am going to revisit something that I feel many folks have overlooked for a long time; The "Race Rules".

#1: The Golden Rule is the subject of today's look at the rules of Trans Iowa. Let's see it here and then I'll give my comments on it.

The Golden Rule. The sponsors, organizers, and anyone having anything to do with this race are NOT responsible for your safety. Think of this race as a 300+ mile hard training ride with prizes. We can't say this enough.....YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOU!

Okay, this is the "golden rule" because it is the lynchpin that everything depends upon for self-supported events like Trans Iowa to work. It is also the most copied rule Jeff Kerkove came up with for the event. It's pretty obvious why we have this rule, but interestingly enough, the first two Trans Iowas did have insurance, and the entry fee was set to just cover that fee we were being charged for the coverage.

The self-support factor and the "You Are Responsible For You" statement has been beaten to death over the years, so I will not plough through that old ground again. What I wanted to bring out is in this sentence: "Think of this race as a 300+ mile hard training ride with prizes."

Interestingly, the rules for Trans Iowa were written well before we had a course settled. Neither of us knew how long the event was actually going to be. So instead of nailing down a specific distance, which was our initial intention, Jeff wrote that rule with a vague reference to the distance. I had told him it would be over 300 miles by some amount, so he went with "300+ mile".    

Then there is a reference to a "training ride". Jeff had spoken of this event from the perspective he had at the time. He was a 24 hour solo racer. That's how he thought about this event, so in his mind, it was going to be something that might attract other 24 hour "nut bags" to come out and use the event as a training opportunity. Thus the "training ride" reference.

Essentially, this sentence was there to dial down expectations, which again, were coming from the world of 24 hour events. The big ones. Events where there was darn near a circus going on alongside the race and prizes and payouts were pretty substantial. In that context, the inaugural Trans Iowa was going to be a much humbler affair. Sure, we had some killer prizing for a first time event. Riders received Ergon grips and Tifosi eyewear in each race packet, amongst other things. However; we weren't going to pay out any money, there were no trophies, gizmos, or handmade awards at the finish, and certainly, there wasn't a bunch of start line or finish line hoopla. It was as basic as it gets from that standpoint.

Not that there were no extra trimmings, mind you. We were sponsored by Red Bull, (the endurance racers friend, you know!), and they set up a 40 foot high teepee at Algona where the Checkpoint was. A little known fact regarding the Red Bull sponsorship was that they had sent out two rather "hipster" looking fellows to hand up Red Bull all along the route. Yes....all 310 miles of it. These guys were pretty much out there on their own, since we were putting this on with a shoestring budget and almost zero volunteers. In fact, I never saw them again after Algona, but later I heard a funny story about them.

It seems that once they realized there wasn't a "peloton" and that the event was in Iowa's most rural environs, they sort of tried to guess where the riders might be stopping for resupply. Obviously, communication as to the whereabouts of any of the riders was almost nil. So they were left to wander about aimlessly, looking for any opportunity to turn on some unsuspecting Iowan to the virtues of their elixir. As it turned out, I heard they were seen in Cresco Iowa, off the route in the town passing out Red Bull samples to suspicious small town folk, who had mostly never seen a hipster or knew what one was back then. I heard they got some pretty odd looks!

Well, that's a wrap on the Golden Rule and and an extra story! Next week: We say it again.... Rule #2

Trans Iowa Masters Program: Route News

Well, I had a goal of getting the details done on the Trans Iowa Masters Program by the end of 2013, so it is about time I got crackin'! I sat down in two evenings in a row and cranked out the draft for the cue sheets. By my figuring, the course is a lot longer than I thought it would be!

The first Trans Iowa was about 310-320 miles. Somewhere in between those figures anyway. However; that was only getting you to Decorah and it left about 3 miles on the table on the Western side, if you actually start at the border. My intentions were to "give the people what they want" and make it truly border to border. That meant adding on the little bit from the Big Sioux River at Highway 10's crossing of it to where we started T.I.v1 and 2 at the Eastern edge of Hawarden, and also a big chunk east of Decorah.

The route is fairly direct West to East. There is a jog Northward to go through Forest City and avoid some obstacles, but then it sticks to the Northern tier of counties till the eastern border. That said, once you pass into the Driftless Region of Iowa, the roads go every which way and the route has to zig-zag around a lot to get to the Mississippi River at Lansing, Iowa.

The start of the 1st Trans Iowa- You'll use this on the TIMP as well.

 I figured it would add something to the route to the tune of 340-ish miles, but 376.84?!! That's right folks, 376-ish miles across the great State of Iowa, mostly on gravel roads.

There is a fair chunk of paved stuff, but here's the deal with regard to this. I could have eliminated a lot of paved roads, especially the ones going into and out of larger towns and cities, but if I did that, the supply situation on route would have suffered greatly. So, in light of the ability to find open stores, or stores at all, I allowed more pavement than I would have liked to. That said, the course is overwhelmingly gravel, and there are B Maintenance dirt roads for sure!

The funny thing about B Maintenance roads is that due to their relative scarcity in the Northeast parts of Iowa, I never knew about them until we reconned T.I.v1. In Western Iowa, the dirt road is a commonplace occurrence. So the TIMP course reflects this. Most of the dirt roads occur West of Interstate 35, and once you get East of that major road that bisects Iowa North to South, there will only be two more B Maintenance roads! That said, that will likely be all right with riders of the TIMP since there will be sections where there are three straight miles of dirt at a crack.

Riders in Western Iowa on T.I.V1

Speaking of "straight miles", I am pretty sure there are at least three sections of 20+ miles in one direction on the course. Most of that in Western Iowa. That shouldn't surprise anyone.

The elevation profile is interesting. Overall, you'll be going downhill with the wind, (if it is average weather.) Things start out at their highest out West, but all you'll notice are the ever rolling hils. You'll get to the Little Sioux River Valley and there will be some big down hill runs and some steep grunts. Then you'll get into the "mind numbingly flat" section of Iowa's central plain.

Things won't seem too bad up until you get about 80 miles from the end, then things will start to roll, then get downright nasty hilly! From about 70 miles to the finish, there will hardly be a flat, straight section of road anymore. All those straight, boring parts will be a something you might be missing by the time you hit the final miles of the TIMP.

I made a few tweaks to the intended course, and I will amend the TIMP page on the Trans Iowa site to reflect this. Here is a basic breakdown....

• Border to border means that,  (depending on what checking things out shows me), you get to dip your tires in at the Big Sioux, (Western Iowa's border), and in the Mississippi on the East. This is truly a "Trans Iowa" course. 
• There will be cities that you pass through where goods and services can be obtained at somewhat regular intervals, but timing of your arrival to such places may preclude the ability to get stuff. Keep that in mind! 
• The course cues will be split up into two "Semesters", the first going about 200 miles in, and the second one approximately 176 more miles in. 
• There will, (hopefully), be the bridal path dubbed "East-West", which is about a mile in length, that you will have to traverse in Pilot Knob State Park . I will verify that it is still there before I put the green light on that bit. While a mile doesn't sound like much, trust me.....you'll be happy when it is over! (Maybe not though!)
• Towns and cities on the route as planned include now; Hawarden, Orange City, Paulina, Sutherland, Peterson, Linn Grove, Mallard, West Bend, Algona, Forest City, Osage, Cresco, Decorah, and Lansing. (West to East)
• In almost all cases, I routed past convenience stores for your......well, convenience! This adds to the complexity of the cues and adds pavement, but there it is. 
• There is one section of bicycle trail I used on the East side of Paulina. 
• Trans Iowa route sections include bits from V1, V2, V3, and V4. There are a few new bits as well sprinkled throughout. (Obviously a big chunk East of Decorah)
• You will ride past the farm where my relatives settled after coming from Scotland. 

That's about it for now. I'll have more on TIMP coming up soon. Stay tuned!

Trans Iowa Masters Program: Route News

Well, I had a goal of getting the details done on the Trans Iowa Masters Program by the end of 2013, so it is about time I got crackin'! I sat down in two evenings in a row and cranked out the draft for the cue sheets. By my figuring, the course is a lot longer than I thought it would be!

The first Trans Iowa was about 310-320 miles. Somewhere in between those figures anyway. However; that was only getting you to Decorah and it left about 3 miles on the table on the Western side, if you actually start at the border. My intentions were to "give the people what they want" and make it truly border to border. That meant adding on the little bit from the Big Sioux River at Highway 10's crossing of it to where we started T.I.v1 and 2 at the Eastern edge of Hawarden, and also a big chunk east of Decorah.

The route is fairly direct West to East. There is a jog Northward to go through Forest City and avoid some obstacles, but then it sticks to the Northern tier of counties till the eastern border. That said, once you pass into the Driftless Region of Iowa, the roads go every which way and the route has to zig-zag around a lot to get to the Mississippi River at Lansing, Iowa.

The start of the 1st Trans Iowa- You'll use this on the TIMP as well.

 I figured it would add something to the route to the tune of 340-ish miles, but 376.84?!! That's right folks, 376-ish miles across the great State of Iowa, mostly on gravel roads.

There is a fair chunk of paved stuff, but here's the deal with regard to this. I could have eliminated a lot of paved roads, especially the ones going into and out of larger towns and cities, but if I did that, the supply situation on route would have suffered greatly. So, in light of the ability to find open stores, or stores at all, I allowed more pavement than I would have liked to. That said, the course is overwhelmingly gravel, and there are B Maintenance dirt roads for sure!

The funny thing about B Maintenance roads is that due to their relative scarcity in the Northeast parts of Iowa, I never knew about them until we reconned T.I.v1. In Western Iowa, the dirt road is a commonplace occurrence. So the TIMP course reflects this. Most of the dirt roads occur West of Interstate 35, and once you get East of that major road that bisects Iowa North to South, there will only be two more B Maintenance roads! That said, that will likely be all right with riders of the TIMP since there will be sections where there are three straight miles of dirt at a crack.

Riders in Western Iowa on T.I.V1

Speaking of "straight miles", I am pretty sure there are at least three sections of 20+ miles in one direction on the course. Most of that in Western Iowa. That shouldn't surprise anyone.

The elevation profile is interesting. Overall, you'll be going downhill with the wind, (if it is average weather.) Things start out at their highest out West, but all you'll notice are the ever rolling hils. You'll get to the Little Sioux River Valley and there will be some big down hill runs and some steep grunts. Then you'll get into the "mind numbingly flat" section of Iowa's central plain.

Things won't seem too bad up until you get about 80 miles from the end, then things will start to roll, then get downright nasty hilly! From about 70 miles to the finish, there will hardly be a flat, straight section of road anymore. All those straight, boring parts will be a something you might be missing by the time you hit the final miles of the TIMP.

I made a few tweaks to the intended course, and I will amend the TIMP page on the Trans Iowa site to reflect this. Here is a basic breakdown....

• Border to border means that,  (depending on what checking things out shows me), you get to dip your tires in at the Big Sioux, (Western Iowa's border), and in the Mississippi on the East. This is truly a "Trans Iowa" course. 
• There will be cities that you pass through where goods and services can be obtained at somewhat regular intervals, but timing of your arrival to such places may preclude the ability to get stuff. Keep that in mind! 
• The course cues will be split up into two "Semesters", the first going about 200 miles in, and the second one approximately 176 more miles in. 
• There will, (hopefully), be the bridal path dubbed "East-West", which is about a mile in length, that you will have to traverse in Pilot Knob State Park . I will verify that it is still there before I put the green light on that bit. While a mile doesn't sound like much, trust me.....you'll be happy when it is over! (Maybe not though!)
• Towns and cities on the route as planned include now; Hawarden, Orange City, Paulina, Sutherland, Peterson, Linn Grove, Mallard, West Bend, Algona, Forest City, Osage, Cresco, Decorah, and Lansing. (West to East)
• In almost all cases, I routed past convenience stores for your......well, convenience! This adds to the complexity of the cues and adds pavement, but there it is. 
• There is one section of bicycle trail I used on the East side of Paulina. 
• Trans Iowa route sections include bits from V1, V2, V3, and V4. There are a few new bits as well sprinkled throughout. (Obviously a big chunk East of Decorah)
• You will ride past the farm where my relatives settled after coming from Scotland. 

That's about it for now. I'll have more on TIMP coming up soon. Stay tuned!