There Is Something In The Air: Part 2

Checkpoint 1, Trans Iowa v6

The Checkpoints:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Hangs:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

There Is Something In The Air

Pre-start of T.I.v6 Image by A. Andonopoulos

Every year about this time I get these feelings. It is in the timing of when the Sun rises and sets. The greening up of plants and tress. The moist, Earth smells. It all triggers those things I felt when I was putting on Trans Iowa for those fourteen years I did the event. 

I often dream of those mornings when we'd gather on some darkened street. Cars pulling in with bikes on racks, or riders pulling up in twos and threes, torches blazing into the inky dark of a Saturday morning in Hawarden, Decorah, Williamsburg, or Grinnell, Iowa. 

The sounds of anxious, muffled conversations. The clack and grind of cleats on wet pavement. The fog and mist in the air. The tension building up until I tried to herd all the riders into place for my annual "Fatherly Advice" speech. Then the tense moments just before the clock hit 4:00am and the toot of the horn. 

Just before the start of T.I.v5. Image by Corey "Cornbread" Godfrey

The riders are off! The T.I.v10 start image by Craig Cooper

This was, for me, the line of demarcation. The start of any Trans Iowa meant I, or "we" if I had a companion, would be alone for a few hours until we hit the first checkpoint. Early on, in the first few Trans Iowas, I was alone for hours on end, doing final course check in front of the riders. 

Those times are an entirely different story. The start though, that was a very special time for me. The atmosphere was transcendent. From quiet, sleepy repose to an electricity that filled the air - sometimes quite literally - The start period was something which I found energizing. Maybe I was feeding off all the rider's nervous auras. I don't know. I just remember those times with fondness. 

A rare shot of myself leading out a Trans Iowa. This time it is T.I.v9 Image taker unknown

 

MG driving here on the start of T.I.v14. My last time doing this

Yes, there is something about this time of the year which probably will stick with me the rest of my life. Trans Iowa was a labor of love, and yes - I do miss it at times. I am glad it ended when it did and how it did. But that doesn't mean that there aren't things which I miss. I cherish all the memories and times had. 

Sometimes I think I'll get up on Saturday morning on the traditional day of a Trans Iowa start and walk outside at 4:00am and see if I can still see, hear, and smell all those things which I remember so well from those days. Then I think, "Nah! You'll just be disappointed the feelings are not real, or as good as they were once", and I do not get up. It's kind of like the second bite of a doughnut.  The first bite is always fantastic, and you want to replicate that taste again with a second bite, but it never is as good, and every time you try again, it gets worse. So, it is best to stop. Let that first bite be what it was. You'll never replicate those sensory inputs ever again. 

More about Trans Iowa will probably be shared later in the weekend.  

A Pictorial Review Idea

During the Tree In The Road Ride a discussion of an idea from Jason Boucher came up which I thought might make for a good event, and maybe more. The idea would be to present a photographic review of Trans Iowa's history. 

Now, before we get too excited here, let's consider a few things. First off, there are several image takers which would have to be consulted and to get permissions from before any sort of show or more could be considered. Just to give you an idea, there are nine major contributors to Trans Iowa's imagery and several minor contributors. That's a LOT of permissions and editing to cull the best shots for any sort of showing.

I have well over 1,000 images alone which I have collected from those nine individuals, including my own, and from other minor contributors. To say that there is a wealth of images is not an understatement. Plus, I know there are thousands  of images no one has seen but the image takers themselves.

Wally Kilburg accounts for a vast amount of iconic T.I. Images. 

One snag is the fact that Wally Kilburg is no longer with us, and getting permissions for using his imagery, or even accessing it, is a big hurdle to overcome as of now.

I know Wally would be 100% all-in on this idea, but we cannot ask him anymore, so without those images, I'd be rather reticent to pursue the idea at all. Wally would have to be represented in anything like this idea.

Then you have a venue, a space to hold an event like this in, and what does this entail? Yeah, not totally insurmountable, but you all know if we picked a site there would be cries of it being unfair to those far away. Plus, any date chosen would be a big snag with several folks as well. Personally, I don't care about those two issues, because there is an inevitability about any of those two things. It will happen no matter what we do, so whatever.... 

It's a nice idea, but it wouldn't be easy to pull off. Maybe we would have to do some kind of a book to make it worthwhile, and this would complicate things further, but I know making money off this would be something some of the contributors would want to see happen to make it worth their time and efforts. Plus, you have to recognize the talent and product realized by these artists. Would this idea work if it could result in a coffee table type book? Maybe.

Look, I have no clear idea for this, and it is just an idea now. If enough folks wanted to see it happen, maybe the effort would be worth the time. I really do not know. It would have to be a collaborative effort, because I just do not see myself pulling this off alone. So, this really is not up to my decision. Plus, the whole thing with getting nine entities/people to enter into a collaborative agreement. That's a big ask.

But....I thought I'd throw it out there. You never know unless you try, even if it is just throwing something out to see what sticks. And maybe nothing will come of this. I'm good either way.