Messing With The Numbers

I finally got the Trans Iowa History site updated with the final stats and the story on Trans Iowa v14. There was one thing I was curious about as I tallied up the final roster numbers for all Trans Iowas.

That was that over the fourteen years of the event, only 530 unique individuals ever toed the line for a Trans Iowa race.

That isn't many people in 14 years time.

You can break things down further, as in how many unique individuals ever finished, (150), and more, but the 530 people in 14 years is kind of interesting to me. First off, it is obvious that a lot of people came back over and over again. Many have done Trans Iowa ten times, nine times, eight times, and on and on. What does that mean? How do you interpret that number?

It isn't easy. For one thing, I weighted getting into a Trans Iowa towards those who had already done one. There were a few good reasons, in my mind, for why I allowed that to happen. The major reason being was that once you had done Trans Iowa, and wanted to come back, I knew that you understood the event. You "got it". What Trans Iowa was all about was well understood and accepted. Having a LOT of these folks in the field meant that the Rookies in the field had someone to look at, be guided by, and would have the benefit of leaning on during the event. In my mind, it would be easier to have it this way than to have a field full of greenhorns who maybe didn't understand what they had gotten into.

Then there is the fact, yes fact, that not that many folks are interested in a triple century-plus event done "the hard way". No amenities, no prizes, no aid stations, no "real finish line", and certainly no awards ceremonies or the like. Usually folks are attracted to getting their props, getting treated like "a rock star", or whatever. Trans Iowa was decidedly NOT going to be that way. I never had a distinct finish line, awards for top finishers, (most of the time), or awards ceremonies for a reason. I think that stuff is bogus. That's my personal take on it. To my mind, the reward to the rider and all the value in Trans Iowa was the rider's experience during the ride. So because of how I am concerning that, most people would never want to do an event like Trans Iowa. I think that also figures into this.

Of course, the roster limitation was a big factor as well. 120 was the max, but before V9 it was 75, and the earliest ones 70 and 50. The exception being V3 when we let 128 sign in and 64 showed up to ride. Which is another point to ponder- we let a lot of folks in that year- all that wanted- and half dropped out or just didn't bother to show up. It just goes to show you that when the responsibility is all on the rider to get 'er done, that is a big ask, apparently.

So 530 individuals in 14 years isn't that hard to understand when you consider all of that. Others have said that I "held to my guns" when it came to keeping TI the way it was, and that's the other thing I think that turned off a lot of people in the end. That's okay. Lot's of other events that cater to their peccadilloes to chose from out there, and that's fine. Obviously there is a greater need for that than an event like TI.

So, again, I didn't ever think a lot of people would ever get into something like a Trans Iowa, but the fact is, some foks did, and they kept coming back. Maybe a bit of text from my T.I.v5 report will help make sense of it all:

 "Known to racers as “TI”, “The Trans-Iowa”, or as something that haunts their unconscious mind until they tame the beast, Trans Iowa has been something of a cult. It seems to be a passion that is hard to explain to others unless they have been bitten by the bug that infects the soul of any who dare to toe the line at the late spring event."

The ultimate "you had to be there" event? Possibly. Only those who have done Trans Iowa can really make an attempt at answering the questions posed in this post. Maybe they could help decipher the numbers better than I.

Messing With The Numbers

I finally got the Trans Iowa History site updated with the final stats and the story on Trans Iowa v14. There was one thing I was curious about as I tallied up the final roster numbers for all Trans Iowas.

That was that over the fourteen years of the event, only 530 unique individuals ever toed the line for a Trans Iowa race.

That isn't many people in 14 years time.

You can break things down further, as in how many unique individuals ever finished, (150), and more, but the 530 people in 14 years is kind of interesting to me. First off, it is obvious that a lot of people came back over and over again. Many have done Trans Iowa ten times, nine times, eight times, and on and on. What does that mean? How do you interpret that number?

It isn't easy. For one thing, I weighted getting into a Trans Iowa towards those who had already done one. There were a few good reasons, in my mind, for why I allowed that to happen. The major reason being was that once you had done Trans Iowa, and wanted to come back, I knew that you understood the event. You "got it". What Trans Iowa was all about was well understood and accepted. Having a LOT of these folks in the field meant that the Rookies in the field had someone to look at, be guided by, and would have the benefit of leaning on during the event. In my mind, it would be easier to have it this way than to have a field full of greenhorns who maybe didn't understand what they had gotten into.

Then there is the fact, yes fact, that not that many folks are interested in a triple century-plus event done "the hard way". No amenities, no prizes, no aid stations, no "real finish line", and certainly no awards ceremonies or the like. Usually folks are attracted to getting their props, getting treated like "a rock star", or whatever. Trans Iowa was decidedly NOT going to be that way. I never had a distinct finish line, awards for top finishers, (most of the time), or awards ceremonies for a reason. I think that stuff is bogus. That's my personal take on it. To my mind, the reward to the rider and all the value in Trans Iowa was the rider's experience during the ride. So because of how I am concerning that, most people would never want to do an event like Trans Iowa. I think that also figures into this.

Of course, the roster limitation was a big factor as well. 120 was the max, but before V9 it was 75, and the earliest ones 70 and 50. The exception being V3 when we let 128 sign in and 64 showed up to ride. Which is another point to ponder- we let a lot of folks in that year- all that wanted- and half dropped out or just didn't bother to show up. It just goes to show you that when the responsibility is all on the rider to get 'er done, that is a big ask, apparently.

So 530 individuals in 14 years isn't that hard to understand when you consider all of that. Others have said that I "held to my guns" when it came to keeping TI the way it was, and that's the other thing I think that turned off a lot of people in the end. That's okay. Lot's of other events that cater to their peccadilloes to chose from out there, and that's fine. Obviously there is a greater need for that than an event like TI.

So, again, I didn't ever think a lot of people would ever get into something like a Trans Iowa, but the fact is, some foks did, and they kept coming back. Maybe a bit of text from my T.I.v5 report will help make sense of it all:

 "Known to racers as “TI”, “The Trans-Iowa”, or as something that haunts their unconscious mind until they tame the beast, Trans Iowa has been something of a cult. It seems to be a passion that is hard to explain to others unless they have been bitten by the bug that infects the soul of any who dare to toe the line at the late spring event."

The ultimate "you had to be there" event? Possibly. Only those who have done Trans Iowa can really make an attempt at answering the questions posed in this post. Maybe they could help decipher the numbers better than I.

Trans Iowa: The Paved Version You Never Heard About

  A challenge to ride across Iowa in a day caused a media sensation in 1980

Trans Iowa is known today, (by some folks, at any rate), as a long distance, mostly gravel road event for cyclists that is around 330-340 miles long. It has a reputation as a tough, sometimes unfinishable, ultra-endurance test of mind and body. However; what you may not know is that "Trans Iowa" was originally an altogether different idea. An idea that is responsible for the creation of the idea of a gravel road ride across the state that has become what many of us know today. The catalyst, as it were, for what has become the notion of racing on gravel roads which has swept the nation.

The idea was concocted by four road cyclists who, in turn, got their inspiration for this feat from RAGBRAI, the annual crossing of Iowa by cyclists which takes place during the final full week in July every year. That event takes a full seven days to amble its way across Iowa. Using overnight towns, bicycle shop support, and various roadside food and drink vendors which hopscotch the route during the event, RAGBRAI is often seen as something of a feat in itself for many people. True, it can be quite the challenge, but for dyed in the wool, committed cyclists, RAGBRAI isn't all that difficult. If you spend days and months training to be a racer of bicycles, maybe something like this late July ramble is tantamount to an easy training day. For cyclists like these, RAGBRAI isn't seen as the pinnacle of cycling prowess like it is by many of that event's devotees. So it was for the four protagonists that undertook what became the first "trans Iowa"cycling event.

The second bit showing the route used by the first Trans Iowans.

What these four men proposed was a road bike crossing of the state of Iowa in less than 24 hours, showing that, if you really want to talk tough, doing a ride across Iowa looks like this. Four men, four bikes, a couple of follow cars, a support crew, and a lot of intestinal fortitude with a healthy dose of luck mixed in for good measure. Dubbed "FBRAIIOD"  (First Bike Ride Across Iowa In One Day), a nod to what RAGBRAI was originally known as, (The Great Six-Day Bicycle Ride), the four men were going to start in Sioux City, Iowa and end up in Dubuque, Iowa, roughly following U.S. Highway 20's route across the state. The four men, Carl Randall, Dan Warrington, Harry Rublack, and Russ Clarke, hoped that the record setting ride would only take about 18 hours. In August of 1980, they set out from Sioux City at 2:06AM.

Of course, not all bicycle rides go according to plan, and neither did this attempt. Carl Randall suffered cramps early in the ride which forced him off the bike, but he did re-join his comrades after 46 miles. Headwinds, which picked up in central Iowa, put the riders seriously off pace, and threatened to end the attempt. Some tension with drivers East of Waterloo, Iowa also was an issue. All that aside, their attempt was successful, and just before midnight, after 21 hours, 42 minutes, and 26 seconds, the first "trans Iowa" attempt was chiseled into the record books.

(L-R) Russ Clarke, Danny Warrington, Carl Randall. The riders take a quick break during the their attempt at riding across Iowa in a day in August of 1980.

Their feat was celebrated in the papers and news of the day, but over time, it became something of a hidden anecdote in Iowa cycling history. RAGBRAI went on to sear its imprint upon the consciousness of the casual cycling public to the point where, if you are seen on a bicycle in this state, observers will ask you "Are ya gettin' ready for the RAGBY?", or some other similar statement. It is as if there is no other reason to be out in the country on a bicycle. In that sense, the feat of the four fellows who wanted to make a point about cycling across Iowa in a day was mostly lost on everyone.

Click image to enlarge.

In fact, had Jeff Kerkove and myself not been working together in the bicycle shop that Russ Clarke owns to this day, I would not be involved in Trans Iowa at all. I wouldn't have heard about "FBRAIIOD" and Jeff wouldn't have suggested we do something similar with mountain bikes instead. Maybe gravel road racing would look completely different had these four gentleman not tried to do what they did on that hot August day in 1980.

Yep, you just never know how things might have been had this ride not happened. But it did, and look what happened because of it...... You just never know how what you do today will influence the future. Funny how that works, isn't it?

For more on this story and Trans Iowa's history, Click Here.
To read the article posted here simply click on the image to enlarge it. 

Note: Articles scans from the Des Moines Register. Images from Rick Rickman. Scans provided by John and Celeste Mathias. Back ground information provided by Carl Randall and Russ Clarke.

Trans Iowa: The Paved Version You Never Heard About

  A challenge to ride across Iowa in a day caused a media sensation in 1980

Trans Iowa is known today, (by some folks, at any rate), as a long distance, mostly gravel road event for cyclists that is around 330-340 miles long. It has a reputation as a tough, sometimes unfinishable, ultra-endurance test of mind and body. However; what you may not know is that "Trans Iowa" was originally an altogether different idea. An idea that is responsible for the creation of the idea of a gravel road ride across the state that has become what many of us know today. The catalyst, as it were, for what has become the notion of racing on gravel roads which has swept the nation.

The idea was concocted by four road cyclists who, in turn, got their inspiration for this feat from RAGBRAI, the annual crossing of Iowa by cyclists which takes place during the final full week in July every year. That event takes a full seven days to amble its way across Iowa. Using overnight towns, bicycle shop support, and various roadside food and drink vendors which hopscotch the route during the event, RAGBRAI is often seen as something of a feat in itself for many people. True, it can be quite the challenge, but for dyed in the wool, committed cyclists, RAGBRAI isn't all that difficult. If you spend days and months training to be a racer of bicycles, maybe something like this late July ramble is tantamount to an easy training day. For cyclists like these, RAGBRAI isn't seen as the pinnacle of cycling prowess like it is by many of that event's devotees. So it was for the four protagonists that undertook what became the first "trans Iowa"cycling event.

The second bit showing the route used by the first Trans Iowans.

What these four men proposed was a road bike crossing of the state of Iowa in less than 24 hours, showing that, if you really want to talk tough, doing a ride across Iowa looks like this. Four men, four bikes, a couple of follow cars, a support crew, and a lot of intestinal fortitude with a healthy dose of luck mixed in for good measure. Dubbed "FBRAIIOD"  (First Bike Ride Across Iowa In One Day), a nod to what RAGBRAI was originally known as, (The Great Six-Day Bicycle Ride), the four men were going to start in Sioux City, Iowa and end up in Dubuque, Iowa, roughly following U.S. Highway 20's route across the state. The four men, Carl Randall, Dan Warrington, Harry Rublack, and Russ Clarke, hoped that the record setting ride would only take about 18 hours. In August of 1980, they set out from Sioux City at 2:06AM.

Of course, not all bicycle rides go according to plan, and neither did this attempt. Carl Randall suffered cramps early in the ride which forced him off the bike, but he did re-join his comrades after 46 miles. Headwinds, which picked up in central Iowa, put the riders seriously off pace, and threatened to end the attempt. Some tension with drivers East of Waterloo, Iowa also was an issue. All that aside, their attempt was successful, and just before midnight, after 21 hours, 42 minutes, and 26 seconds, the first "trans Iowa" attempt was chiseled into the record books.

(L-R) Russ Clarke, Danny Warrington, Carl Randall. The riders take a quick break during the their attempt at riding across Iowa in a day in August of 1980.

Their feat was celebrated in the papers and news of the day, but over time, it became something of a hidden anecdote in Iowa cycling history. RAGBRAI went on to sear its imprint upon the consciousness of the casual cycling public to the point where, if you are seen on a bicycle in this state, observers will ask you "Are ya gettin' ready for the RAGBY?", or some other similar statement. It is as if there is no other reason to be out in the country on a bicycle. In that sense, the feat of the four fellows who wanted to make a point about cycling across Iowa in a day was mostly lost on everyone.

Click image to enlarge.

In fact, had Jeff Kerkove and myself not been working together in the bicycle shop that Russ Clarke owns to this day, I would not be involved in Trans Iowa at all. I wouldn't have heard about "FBRAIIOD" and Jeff wouldn't have suggested we do something similar with mountain bikes instead. Maybe gravel road racing would look completely different had these four gentleman not tried to do what they did on that hot August day in 1980.

Yep, you just never know how things might have been had this ride not happened. But it did, and look what happened because of it...... You just never know how what you do today will influence the future. Funny how that works, isn't it?

For more on this story and Trans Iowa's history, Click Here.
To read the article posted here simply click on the image to enlarge it. 

Note: Articles scans from the Des Moines Register. Images from Rick Rickman. Scans provided by John and Celeste Mathias. Back ground information provided by Carl Randall and Russ Clarke.

Trans Iowa v12: Registration Update And More

There will be a few more curves in this Trans Iowa....

Registration Update:

Okay, including today, we have five more days to receive cards for the Rookie pool to draw from to fill out the 40 available spots in that class. Right now there are 58 cards in the pool. I suspect we'll end up with 60-something cards, but who knows. I'm sure it will be far short of the 80 I had predicted, but that's fine with me. Maybe I will be surprised.....

The Winners/Finishers of past Trans Iowas have started to send in cards. Of the 12 "winners" we've gotten three to send in cards from that group. Greg Gleason, of course, will be there, along with Womens Open winner Sarah Cooper from V10 and finisher Andrea Cohen from v9. All three have to be considered serious threats to win or place very well in Trans Iowa.

Other notable entrants are Charlie Farrow, Troy Krause, and Mark Johnson, any of whom could be threats to win or finish very well in a Trans Iowa. The interesting thing about those guys is that all three are in the Single Speed/Fixed category. Think that's crazy thinking on my part? Well two of those three guys have finished second overall in Trans Iowa on single speeds before. No......these are serious choices for top placings. 

Then there is Ben Shockey, who is signed up after missing several years of Trans Iowa. Ben is special in Trans Iowa history because he was the second guy, and one of only three people, to ever finish the event on a fixed gear bicycle. I've no idea what he plans on doing this time, but he is signed up in the Single Speed/Fixed category, so........

This will be a scene that will be repeated several times in T.I.v12

A Little Past Business:

I should have completed this a long time ago, but it took the onset of adding more people to the "Trans Iowa Family" to spur me into action. I finally added the T.I.v11 roster to "The Roster" of Trans Iowa participants over the past eleven events. This is a compilation of everyone that has ever toed the line at a Trans Iowa.

It is interesting to note that while there are 371 names on that roster, 195 only have been at Trans Iowa once, and 79 twice. So, when I make a big deal out of the folks that keep showing up, it is because not many do, and I feel that is pretty extraordinary.

Anyway, there are some interesting things over at the Trans Iowa: The History site, so check it out when you can.

Course Info Update: 

I have a bit of an announcement concerning the event and it has to do with the course's finish. This year, due to circumstances I am not at liberty to discuss, the barn will not be the finish line for Trans Iowa v12. That said, I have a proposal for a new finish line which I think is far better logistically and definitely convenient for all concerned. The suggestion has been passed on to those who need to approve and if all goes through, we will be ending the event inside the Grinnell city limits once again.

It has been since v8 that Trans Iowa has ended in Grinnell proper and if it is a finishable event, it will be only the third finish line we've had in Grinnell. I'm kind of excited about this, and I hope my idea gets approved, but be aware that this is a work in progress and exact course mileage overall will be affected depending upon where we end up ending up. Right now it is 332.3 miles. UPDATE: Approval has been given for the event to end at Arbor lake Park's North parking lot off Washington Street. That should pretty much lock in the mileage at 332.3 barring any future road/bridge issue.

So far we've tweaked a few things on the course since the recon, and we've removed about a mile and a half of pavement by adding two miles of gravel. We will be looking really hard at a couple of other tweaks to the course, which if we decide to change, it won't, or should not add more mileage. There are just a couple of features we may remove depending upon how the Winter and early Spring pan out, and of course, if certain features are removed from the table by various County Road Departments across the area we will be traveling. Stay tuned......

Trans Iowa v12: Registration Update And More

There will be a few more curves in this Trans Iowa....

Registration Update:

Okay, including today, we have five more days to receive cards for the Rookie pool to draw from to fill out the 40 available spots in that class. Right now there are 58 cards in the pool. I suspect we'll end up with 60-something cards, but who knows. I'm sure it will be far short of the 80 I had predicted, but that's fine with me. Maybe I will be surprised.....

The Winners/Finishers of past Trans Iowas have started to send in cards. Of the 12 "winners" we've gotten three to send in cards from that group. Greg Gleason, of course, will be there, along with Womens Open winner Sarah Cooper from V10 and finisher Andrea Cohen from v9. All three have to be considered serious threats to win or place very well in Trans Iowa.

Other notable entrants are Charlie Farrow, Troy Krause, and Mark Johnson, any of whom could be threats to win or finish very well in a Trans Iowa. The interesting thing about those guys is that all three are in the Single Speed/Fixed category. Think that's crazy thinking on my part? Well two of those three guys have finished second overall in Trans Iowa on single speeds before. No......these are serious choices for top placings. 

Then there is Ben Shockey, who is signed up after missing several years of Trans Iowa. Ben is special in Trans Iowa history because he was the second guy, and one of only three people, to ever finish the event on a fixed gear bicycle. I've no idea what he plans on doing this time, but he is signed up in the Single Speed/Fixed category, so........

This will be a scene that will be repeated several times in T.I.v12

A Little Past Business:

I should have completed this a long time ago, but it took the onset of adding more people to the "Trans Iowa Family" to spur me into action. I finally added the T.I.v11 roster to "The Roster" of Trans Iowa participants over the past eleven events. This is a compilation of everyone that has ever toed the line at a Trans Iowa.

It is interesting to note that while there are 371 names on that roster, 195 only have been at Trans Iowa once, and 79 twice. So, when I make a big deal out of the folks that keep showing up, it is because not many do, and I feel that is pretty extraordinary.

Anyway, there are some interesting things over at the Trans Iowa: The History site, so check it out when you can.

Course Info Update: 

I have a bit of an announcement concerning the event and it has to do with the course's finish. This year, due to circumstances I am not at liberty to discuss, the barn will not be the finish line for Trans Iowa v12. That said, I have a proposal for a new finish line which I think is far better logistically and definitely convenient for all concerned. The suggestion has been passed on to those who need to approve and if all goes through, we will be ending the event inside the Grinnell city limits once again.

It has been since v8 that Trans Iowa has ended in Grinnell proper and if it is a finishable event, it will be only the third finish line we've had in Grinnell. I'm kind of excited about this, and I hope my idea gets approved, but be aware that this is a work in progress and exact course mileage overall will be affected depending upon where we end up ending up. Right now it is 332.3 miles. UPDATE: Approval has been given for the event to end at Arbor lake Park's North parking lot off Washington Street. That should pretty much lock in the mileage at 332.3 barring any future road/bridge issue.

So far we've tweaked a few things on the course since the recon, and we've removed about a mile and a half of pavement by adding two miles of gravel. We will be looking really hard at a couple of other tweaks to the course, which if we decide to change, it won't, or should not add more mileage. There are just a couple of features we may remove depending upon how the Winter and early Spring pan out, and of course, if certain features are removed from the table by various County Road Departments across the area we will be traveling. Stay tuned......