Some Flex Is "Good"

The Salsa Cycles "Regulator" Ti Post

If you just pay casual attention to the cycling industry, you'll hear the words "stiffness" and "stiff" used a lot. You might begin to think that cyclists are looking for the most rigid structures known to Man to ride upon. If you are in this camp, please know that this is really not the case. Some "flex" is good. Really good!

In fact, like most things in life, balance is key to cycling comfort, and not just for the painfully obvious reasons. A good balance of stiffness to flex is not only good for riding, but it is necessary. But it goes beyond this- Flex needs to be not only something in a balanced proportion to stiffness, it needs to be in the right places as well. 

Okay, here's a "Captain Obvious" example for you. Think about tires. A totally stiff, unforgiving tire is a bad thing. Uncomfortable, slow, and hard to control. However; a nicer, pliable casing with a reasonable amount of air pressure? Heavenly! (And faster to boot, I might add.) So it is with flex in some other places on the bike, and here is one place you may want to consider having a modicum of flex: that being your seat post.

Mountain bikers kind of figured this out a long time ago. Due to the necessity for more clearance when standing over the bike on uneven terrain, or for bailing off the bike in a hurry without entangling one's appendages on the frame, mountain bike design started to make the main triangle of the frame smaller and shorter. This also had the added side benefits of making frames stiffer and lighter, both good things in an off road frame. However; leg extension needs meant that seat posts needed to become longer. In making these posts, a side benefit was discovered in that while seated, the post tended to flex backward slightly under the rider's weight when the rider hit a trail obstacle. This lead to some wacky designs like the Allsop/Softride beam, various suspension posts with linkages, and to some degree was a factor in the Unified Rear Triangle (URT) designs for rear suspension.

The Ergon CF-3 Pro Carbon Post

Some materials technology advancements have also helped bring some of these mountain bike bred ideas further. Titanium was discovered to have exemplary attributes for a seat post, so Moots, then Kent Eriksen, (under his own name), started making titanium posts that have become standard fare for those looking for something to take the edge off on hard tail rigs. Cane Creek bought the Thudbuster design, refined it, and now it is also a highly regarded design for a bit of engineered flex.

Ergon has taken the beam idea and turned it into a spectacular post with the CF-3 Pro Carbon model, which unfortunately is only rated for road bikes now, although a mountain bike version is said to be in the works. Modern choices in "flexible' posts have also been proffered in carbon fiber, maybe none more specifically than Niner Bikes RDO post, which is marketed as being made from "Unstiff Carbon".

Okay, so that's all fantastic, but is it a good idea? Well, from my experiences, and from those of others I have spoken with, and watched riding, the unequivocal answer is "yes", flex in the seat post is great, but maybe not at the expense of toughness, durability, and weight. The trouble with many of the suspension posts is mainly weight. Durability has been an issue with some, and tough carbon posts exist, but the spectre of shards of broken carbon fiber jamming into a rider's thigh after a sudden breakage of a carbon post, (either real or imaginary), is enough to put some folks off that idea for good.

All that to say that the off road, or heavier rider, that wants a bit of edge muted during seated riding usually favors titanium posts. They seem to have the greatest following now, although the Niner RDO post and the Ergon post may change some minds there given time and the proper post for the job. I am helping to conduct a test of some of these ideas over at Gravel Grinder News. (You can see the initial Ergon post write ups here and here. The Niner RDO post and the Salsa Cycles Regulator post reviews will follow soon.) The biggest negative I can see so far is the price of entry, with all of these posts falling between the 200-300 range. But if they do the job as advertised, it may actually save you money in searching for a more comfortable saddle or it may allow you to run a slightly more efficient air pressure in your rear tire, saving a bit of energy. Or, maybe you'll just be more comfortable, and that may be all it takes to get you out more and for longer rides on your bicycle.

Of course, there are other places flex is good, but for now, I will be focusing on the seat post. Stay tuned, there will be more to come.....  

Fixing The Fixie

Utilitarian- Not Hipster!

Well, first off, I am feeling much better after two solid days of flu-like symptoms including incapacitating headaches. I don't think my head has hurt like that since my old par-teeing days.

Anyway, I felt well enough at the end of the day yesterday to go downstairs and tweak on this old Raleigh Grand Prix ten speed that I converted into a fixed gear bike years ago, then tore it apart. I missed having it around, so I put it back together, for the most part, last night.

Now I never really ever got into the whole "fixie" culture. I just decided to try a fixed gear bike in the "old school" way that I was aware of. That being the way the older guys used to take apart old ten speeds, re-dish the rear wheel, strip off the "shifty bits", and slap on a track cog. These bikes became "winter" bikes, training devices, and in some cases, commuters. That's exactly where I was coming from when I put this together. I just wanted a utilitarian rig and also to see how I could use a fixed gear bike.

And I did use it quite a bit to run errands, mostly. It is a great rig to use for that purpose since it is an old bike which isn't very attractive to thieves. Low maintenance is also a great feature of a fixed gear bike. Speaking of features, one of the things I need to do here yet is to add brakes. Using the bike the way I do, brakes are a necessity.

I'm pretty happy to be getting this back to road-worthiness. It will definitely be a big part of my utilitarian cycling here in 2014.

Fixing The Fixie

Utilitarian- Not Hipster!

Well, first off, I am feeling much better after two solid days of flu-like symptoms including incapacitating headaches. I don't think my head has hurt like that since my old par-teeing days.

Anyway, I felt well enough at the end of the day yesterday to go downstairs and tweak on this old Raleigh Grand Prix ten speed that I converted into a fixed gear bike years ago, then tore it apart. I missed having it around, so I put it back together, for the most part, last night.

Now I never really ever got into the whole "fixie" culture. I just decided to try a fixed gear bike in the "old school" way that I was aware of. That being the way the older guys used to take apart old ten speeds, re-dish the rear wheel, strip off the "shifty bits", and slap on a track cog. These bikes became "winter" bikes, training devices, and in some cases, commuters. That's exactly where I was coming from when I put this together. I just wanted a utilitarian rig and also to see how I could use a fixed gear bike.

And I did use it quite a bit to run errands, mostly. It is a great rig to use for that purpose since it is an old bike which isn't very attractive to thieves. Low maintenance is also a great feature of a fixed gear bike. Speaking of features, one of the things I need to do here yet is to add brakes. Using the bike the way I do, brakes are a necessity.

I'm pretty happy to be getting this back to road-worthiness. It will definitely be a big part of my utilitarian cycling here in 2014.

Time To Contemplate

May be modifying this for potentially sloppy Triple D conditions

While everyone and their brother are going on about this polar vortex stuff and posting images of "ice beards" and car thermometers, I will spare you all of that. Yes......it is cold. It does this from time to time in the Mid-West. Why, I remember the time back in '96 when it was -30 and our furnace wasn't working.......anyway. 

My family had the unfortunate experience of being sick all on the same day. My daughter escaped the worst of it, but the rest of us were laid up all day, for the most part, with flu-like symptoms with extremely painful headaches being the main malady. Anyway- it gave me plenty of down time to consider many things.

One of those things was the was how the weather is going to be changing soon. If you can take your eyes off the media-train wreck of doom going on now, you might notice that the weather prognosticators are telling us it will be warming up significantly. Not that the weather folk are always right, but even if they are remotely close, this will mean softer, wetter, messier snow and a possibility that at Triple D, the worries will be more about wet snow, ice, and staying dry more than about frigid temperatures.

To that end, I am making some plans........ In the meantime, I have to concentrate on getting better!

Time To Contemplate

May be modifying this for potentially sloppy Triple D conditions

While everyone and their brother are going on about this polar vortex stuff and posting images of "ice beards" and car thermometers, I will spare you all of that. Yes......it is cold. It does this from time to time in the Mid-West. Why, I remember the time back in '96 when it was -30 and our furnace wasn't working.......anyway. 

My family had the unfortunate experience of being sick all on the same day. My daughter escaped the worst of it, but the rest of us were laid up all day, for the most part, with flu-like symptoms with extremely painful headaches being the main malady. Anyway- it gave me plenty of down time to consider many things.

One of those things was the was how the weather is going to be changing soon. If you can take your eyes off the media-train wreck of doom going on now, you might notice that the weather prognosticators are telling us it will be warming up significantly. Not that the weather folk are always right, but even if they are remotely close, this will mean softer, wetter, messier snow and a possibility that at Triple D, the worries will be more about wet snow, ice, and staying dry more than about frigid temperatures.

To that end, I am making some plans........ In the meantime, I have to concentrate on getting better!

The Slippery Slope

Look Out Below!

I was feeling something funky late in the week last week, and that combined with New Year's Eve and my wedding anniversary on the 2nd seemed to just put me waaaay off my regular schedule. I felt drained by Friday night. So, I stayed away from the bike and slept late Saturday. However; I was once again called upon to go sledding by my son, so I could not refuse that!

We took our plastic toboggan to the dike in Hope Martin Park in Waterloo where most of the neighborhood kids go to slide down Black Hawk Creek's flood control dike on the North side. It's a short, but very steep pitch that gets you "up to speed" rather quickly! The transition from slope to flat is pretty severe as well. This tends to break a lot of the plastic sleds folks have theses days. Many chunks and shards of them are colorfully strewn near the trees where folks dispose of them to keep them out of the main sledding tracks.

Well, with the recent return to frigid air and a stiff Northwesterly, the snow was pummeled to sugar like consistency which made getting back up the steep pitch an amusing to watch- frustrating to do- activity. It took great skill to get up without slipping, falling, or doing some fancy acrobatic saves. The taller/bigger you were seemed to have a great effect on this as well. Small fry were simply flying back up the hill, and a lone old Yellow Labrador Retriever was blithely walking up and down the slope in "four legged drive" mode as if she were on a Sunday stroll. This only added to the adult male's frustrations on this day.

Crowd's were sparse on this frigid day

 I made it up without much issue, but with  great effort. I counted it as "pushing practice" for Triple D. I certainly will be pushing my fat bike at some point that weekend up a steep hill. So, I felt I got something out of the outing from that standpoint, but it was certainly a great day with my son, who loves to slide down the hill.

Sunday I didn't ride either. The first half of the day was at church and I got to play my '98 Les Paul Standard and try out my new stomp box, which worked really well. Then afterward  it was already below zero with a howling Northwesterly and they say the windchill makes it feel like -50 below today. Yeah......not gonna do that! Oh, and it is supposed to be 20-something below by the time many of you will be reading this. Not riding! No-sirree! Besides, the long term forecast is no where near that cold for Triple D weekend, so wasting time figuring out an ultra-cold temperature set up won't help me there, and would have fatigued me even more than I was.

More cycling is in store, but I will be waiting for this air mass to be saying "adios" and for the warmer air to come in behind it. Right now, Wednesday's projected high of 9°F sounds positively balmy.

The Slippery Slope

Look Out Below!

I was feeling something funky late in the week last week, and that combined with New Year's Eve and my wedding anniversary on the 2nd seemed to just put me waaaay off my regular schedule. I felt drained by Friday night. So, I stayed away from the bike and slept late Saturday. However; I was once again called upon to go sledding by my son, so I could not refuse that!

We took our plastic toboggan to the dike in Hope Martin Park in Waterloo where most of the neighborhood kids go to slide down Black Hawk Creek's flood control dike on the North side. It's a short, but very steep pitch that gets you "up to speed" rather quickly! The transition from slope to flat is pretty severe as well. This tends to break a lot of the plastic sleds folks have theses days. Many chunks and shards of them are colorfully strewn near the trees where folks dispose of them to keep them out of the main sledding tracks.

Well, with the recent return to frigid air and a stiff Northwesterly, the snow was pummeled to sugar like consistency which made getting back up the steep pitch an amusing to watch- frustrating to do- activity. It took great skill to get up without slipping, falling, or doing some fancy acrobatic saves. The taller/bigger you were seemed to have a great effect on this as well. Small fry were simply flying back up the hill, and a lone old Yellow Labrador Retriever was blithely walking up and down the slope in "four legged drive" mode as if she were on a Sunday stroll. This only added to the adult male's frustrations on this day.

Crowd's were sparse on this frigid day

 I made it up without much issue, but with  great effort. I counted it as "pushing practice" for Triple D. I certainly will be pushing my fat bike at some point that weekend up a steep hill. So, I felt I got something out of the outing from that standpoint, but it was certainly a great day with my son, who loves to slide down the hill.

Sunday I didn't ride either. The first half of the day was at church and I got to play my '98 Les Paul Standard and try out my new stomp box, which worked really well. Then afterward  it was already below zero with a howling Northwesterly and they say the windchill makes it feel like -50 below today. Yeah......not gonna do that! Oh, and it is supposed to be 20-something below by the time many of you will be reading this. Not riding! No-sirree! Besides, the long term forecast is no where near that cold for Triple D weekend, so wasting time figuring out an ultra-cold temperature set up won't help me there, and would have fatigued me even more than I was.

More cycling is in store, but I will be waiting for this air mass to be saying "adios" and for the warmer air to come in behind it. Right now, Wednesday's projected high of 9°F sounds positively balmy.

Trans Iowa: Ten Years Of Tales #26

In mid-November, the idea of Trans Iowa was hatched. The year was 2004. In the ten years since then there have been many stories and memories. These posts will tell of the most prominent ones to my mind. Maybe I'll even spill the beans on some things you never knew....

Chasing the first sunrise of T.I.V5 (Image courtesy of Cornbread)

 The 52 riders were all lined up behind the Dirty Blue Box, the horn tooted, and we were off on another Trans Iowa. As we had done the year previous, David called out the cues and I acknowledged them and turned when necessary. Everything was going well until after about 12 miles of heading mostly South I saw a "T" intersection coming up in the headlights. David was silent, so I said, "T intersection. Which way do I go?". David did not respond, and I looked over at him and he looked nervous and was rifling through his maps and notes. My heart sank. We had an issue!

I reached the intersection and David realized at that point that all his recon of the area had been done in the daylight, which made it obvious that you made a quick left and then a right to continue onward, but in the dark, you couldn't see that! Fortunately, due to our T.I.v4 experiences, I had copious amounts of rerouting materials onboard the Dirty Blue Box. We sprang into action, David marked the road with red duct tape arrows as I made some lathe board flagging. But where the heck is the hammer?!! Then I realized I loaned the hammer to the Checkpoint #1 crew to set up some banners and what not. So, I used the T.I.v5 limestone block trophy to hammer the boards into the ground with!

We no sooner got the flagging and marking done when David exclaimed, "Here they come!", and I saw a stream of LED lights zooming toward us at a fast pace. We dove into the Honda and zipped down the road. A quick calculation showed that maybe the riders would arrive before the checkpoint was ready! Oh oh! We made good time to Washington and arrived early, just in case. We found some checkpoint folks already there, so we debriefed them on what we were expecting and they got things in order just in case riders should appear sooner than later.

The leaders arrive at CP #1: (Image courtesy of K Stuedel)

The coffee shop was open, and we got some great tasting java, then we hung out as the light grew brighter and things warmed up a bit. Soon riders came into the town square and our checkpoint volunteers were stellar! They were so efficient and organized that the riders had their names checked off and new cues in their hands before they could catch their breath. 

David and I watched until we were satisfied all was going to be well, then we leap frogged the leaders just outside of Washington as we headed for the next significant city on the route, which was North English. On the way we had some fun on B Roads and navigating our way to North English. Our mood was light and we were enjoying a day out in the country. Soon we were getting closer to North English and a stop at the convenience store was plotted as we figured this would be where the leaders would stop before continuing onward. We figured this would happen since our new "short" lead out to CP #1 would leave the course resupply chances uncertain for the riders afterward. David and I pulled in and got a few items to munch on and drink as we awaited the signs of the first riders in to the rural oasis.

Next Week: A banana disappears in one bite!

Trans Iowa: Ten Years Of Tales #26

In mid-November, the idea of Trans Iowa was hatched. The year was 2004. In the ten years since then there have been many stories and memories. These posts will tell of the most prominent ones to my mind. Maybe I'll even spill the beans on some things you never knew....

Chasing the first sunrise of T.I.V5 (Image courtesy of Cornbread)

 The 52 riders were all lined up behind the Dirty Blue Box, the horn tooted, and we were off on another Trans Iowa. As we had done the year previous, David called out the cues and I acknowledged them and turned when necessary. Everything was going well until after about 12 miles of heading mostly South I saw a "T" intersection coming up in the headlights. David was silent, so I said, "T intersection. Which way do I go?". David did not respond, and I looked over at him and he looked nervous and was rifling through his maps and notes. My heart sank. We had an issue!

I reached the intersection and David realized at that point that all his recon of the area had been done in the daylight, which made it obvious that you made a quick left and then a right to continue onward, but in the dark, you couldn't see that! Fortunately, due to our T.I.v4 experiences, I had copious amounts of rerouting materials onboard the Dirty Blue Box. We sprang into action, David marked the road with red duct tape arrows as I made some lathe board flagging. But where the heck is the hammer?!! Then I realized I loaned the hammer to the Checkpoint #1 crew to set up some banners and what not. So, I used the T.I.v5 limestone block trophy to hammer the boards into the ground with!

We no sooner got the flagging and marking done when David exclaimed, "Here they come!", and I saw a stream of LED lights zooming toward us at a fast pace. We dove into the Honda and zipped down the road. A quick calculation showed that maybe the riders would arrive before the checkpoint was ready! Oh oh! We made good time to Washington and arrived early, just in case. We found some checkpoint folks already there, so we debriefed them on what we were expecting and they got things in order just in case riders should appear sooner than later.

The leaders arrive at CP #1: (Image courtesy of K Stuedel)

The coffee shop was open, and we got some great tasting java, then we hung out as the light grew brighter and things warmed up a bit. Soon riders came into the town square and our checkpoint volunteers were stellar! They were so efficient and organized that the riders had their names checked off and new cues in their hands before they could catch their breath. 

David and I watched until we were satisfied all was going to be well, then we leap frogged the leaders just outside of Washington as we headed for the next significant city on the route, which was North English. On the way we had some fun on B Roads and navigating our way to North English. Our mood was light and we were enjoying a day out in the country. Soon we were getting closer to North English and a stop at the convenience store was plotted as we figured this would be where the leaders would stop before continuing onward. We figured this would happen since our new "short" lead out to CP #1 would leave the course resupply chances uncertain for the riders afterward. David and I pulled in and got a few items to munch on and drink as we awaited the signs of the first riders in to the rural oasis.

Next Week: A banana disappears in one bite!

Trans Iowa: Ten Years Of Tales #25

In mid-November, the idea of Trans Iowa was hatched. The year was 2004. In the ten years since then there have been many stories and memories. These posts will tell of the most prominent ones to my mind. Maybe I'll even spill the beans on some things you never knew....

 In the run up to T.I.v5 there was a lot of stuff that was smooth and going great. The weather was looking great, (but had the event been on its "regular date" in April, it would have been truncated due to a 5 inch rain fall and lightning), the cue sheets were done, and we had sponsor stuff lined up. However; we still didn't have a pre-race meeting spot as late as three weeks before the event. At one point we were going to just have folks meet us at a hotel lobby to pick up their packets. In an eleventh hour deal, David Pals got us lined up with the Williamsburg Rec Center, where we were able to have a room and chairs enough to put on the pre-race meeting. But there would be nothing else- no meal, no beers, nothing.

The day of the meeting I had the chance to mosey on down to Marengo and hang out with David, his Dad, his brother Mark, and Dave Nice, who was in the event. It was a fun, relaxing time. We stuffed race packets in David's home, and that was also where we had planned to sleep for the evening before the event. Kind of like a sleep over for adults! I had a spot all lined up on a couch, if I recall correctly.

The Dirty Blue Box at the start line of T.I.v5

The meeting was spartan by Trans Iowa standards. I hauled up the stuff to the upstairs room with some assistance and got ready. The racers showed up and the meeting started. I remember being stumped by a few questions since David had handled a fair bit of the logistics and he happened to be out of the room at the start of the meeting.  I was a bit embarrassed.

Then it was time for the traditional call up for the race packets, which for T.I.v5 were in paper bags from World of Bikes in Iowa City that year. Previous to the event, I had made a concerted effort to weed out the no-shows and as I read off the names, I was noticing everyone was there, until I reached the one name that represented the only no-show of T.I.v5. I called the name out twice, and was just about to move on, when a female jumped up and said in a hurried voice that the man not present had transferred the entry to her. This was extremely amusing to me.

First of all, I have never allowed transfers of entries for Trans Iowa. Secondly, I knew this fellow was a pretty upstanding gent, and would have said something had this actually went down with the young lady. Thirdly, I had a female pestering me to get into T.I.v5 with about two weeks to go to the event via e-mail. I surmised that this was that very woman standing in front of me.

I admired her cheek, and I figured she was game to challenge me, so I would allow her to show me what she had. I slowly gave her the bag and asked her name, which she tersely pronounced and quickly turned away. Hmm..... "We'll see how that turns out", I thought to myself. And I filed that incident away for later consideration. It affected how I ran the Pre-Race meetings afterward to this day.

The starting line was just outside of town at a cemetery for T.I.v5 (Image by Cornbread)

That was the highlight of the meeting. Folks quickly left. The Lincoln Crew helped roadie out the meeting stuff, and then we ate at a local restaurant and headed back to Marengo where four of us sacked out at David's place after a nightcap of whiskey.

Trans Iowa v5 was starting out real smooth. However; I wasn't banking on anything going "real smooth" for an entire weekend. I had the typical pre-event jitters and I remember that when David woke up early to take a shower, (because he couldn't sleep either), at 2am, I awoke as well and I was up for the duration, for the most part.

The weather started out chilly and as we awaited riders to come down for the start, we saw a string of LED lights form and meander down to our position. Soon the area by the cemetery, (a reference to T.I.v3's finish line), was buzzing with riders and conversations. It was going to be a smooth start, or so David and I were thinking as we strapped into the Dirty Blue Box  for another Trans Iowa.

Tomorrow: A miscue in the dark....

Trans Iowa: Ten Years Of Tales #25

In mid-November, the idea of Trans Iowa was hatched. The year was 2004. In the ten years since then there have been many stories and memories. These posts will tell of the most prominent ones to my mind. Maybe I'll even spill the beans on some things you never knew....

 In the run up to T.I.v5 there was a lot of stuff that was smooth and going great. The weather was looking great, (but had the event been on its "regular date" in April, it would have been truncated due to a 5 inch rain fall and lightning), the cue sheets were done, and we had sponsor stuff lined up. However; we still didn't have a pre-race meeting spot as late as three weeks before the event. At one point we were going to just have folks meet us at a hotel lobby to pick up their packets. In an eleventh hour deal, David Pals got us lined up with the Williamsburg Rec Center, where we were able to have a room and chairs enough to put on the pre-race meeting. But there would be nothing else- no meal, no beers, nothing.

The day of the meeting I had the chance to mosey on down to Marengo and hang out with David, his Dad, his brother Mark, and Dave Nice, who was in the event. It was a fun, relaxing time. We stuffed race packets in David's home, and that was also where we had planned to sleep for the evening before the event. Kind of like a sleep over for adults! I had a spot all lined up on a couch, if I recall correctly.

The Dirty Blue Box at the start line of T.I.v5

The meeting was spartan by Trans Iowa standards. I hauled up the stuff to the upstairs room with some assistance and got ready. The racers showed up and the meeting started. I remember being stumped by a few questions since David had handled a fair bit of the logistics and he happened to be out of the room at the start of the meeting.  I was a bit embarrassed.

Then it was time for the traditional call up for the race packets, which for T.I.v5 were in paper bags from World of Bikes in Iowa City that year. Previous to the event, I had made a concerted effort to weed out the no-shows and as I read off the names, I was noticing everyone was there, until I reached the one name that represented the only no-show of T.I.v5. I called the name out twice, and was just about to move on, when a female jumped up and said in a hurried voice that the man not present had transferred the entry to her. This was extremely amusing to me.

First of all, I have never allowed transfers of entries for Trans Iowa. Secondly, I knew this fellow was a pretty upstanding gent, and would have said something had this actually went down with the young lady. Thirdly, I had a female pestering me to get into T.I.v5 with about two weeks to go to the event via e-mail. I surmised that this was that very woman standing in front of me.

I admired her cheek, and I figured she was game to challenge me, so I would allow her to show me what she had. I slowly gave her the bag and asked her name, which she tersely pronounced and quickly turned away. Hmm..... "We'll see how that turns out", I thought to myself. And I filed that incident away for later consideration. It affected how I ran the Pre-Race meetings afterward to this day.

The starting line was just outside of town at a cemetery for T.I.v5 (Image by Cornbread)

That was the highlight of the meeting. Folks quickly left. The Lincoln Crew helped roadie out the meeting stuff, and then we ate at a local restaurant and headed back to Marengo where four of us sacked out at David's place after a nightcap of whiskey.

Trans Iowa v5 was starting out real smooth. However; I wasn't banking on anything going "real smooth" for an entire weekend. I had the typical pre-event jitters and I remember that when David woke up early to take a shower, (because he couldn't sleep either), at 2am, I awoke as well and I was up for the duration, for the most part.

The weather started out chilly and as we awaited riders to come down for the start, we saw a string of LED lights form and meander down to our position. Soon the area by the cemetery, (a reference to T.I.v3's finish line), was buzzing with riders and conversations. It was going to be a smooth start, or so David and I were thinking as we strapped into the Dirty Blue Box  for another Trans Iowa.

Tomorrow: A miscue in the dark....

Friday News And Views

Colder than it looks

Hello from Iowa where it is a balmy.....something or another below zero. I mean really.....when it gets to ten below, anything beyond that is just silly. 

We've likely hit our coldest stretch of Winter a little earlier than maybe we usually do. That's good if true, I mean, let's just get this out of the way right now, eh? Interestingly, we're getting a day of reprieve Saturday when it is supposedly going to soar up into the 20's above. Wow! I think I'll unzip my coat a little!

However; post Saturday we go back into the deeper freeze with some silly forecast temperatures until Tuesday when things bounce back the other way. (Well, at least we are hoping so!) Then it seems that it stays that way for the near term through to Triple D. I sure hope it isn't 15 below the morning of that event!

Of course, it is hard to say what Winter may bring by the time Triple D rolls around, but I will be trying to cope with strategies as the temperature forecasts change on the way toward that event. I will be wearing totally different gear if it is above zero as opposed to below zero. I will be carrying more clothing to swap out if it is colder, and less, or none, if it is warmer, and that depends upon how warm it gets, or it doesn't.

See? It's a game of chess with the conditions. Make the wrong move, and you're toast. Heck, I may be bringing a small trunk load of clothes and gear with me on this venture, who knows?!

Want to start a debate? Choose tires as a subject!

Never discuss politics or tires in mixed company: 

In all of my days of writing on the inner-googles, I've probably never seen more debate sparked by anything more than I have with regard to tires. Tires- be they tubeless, not tubeless, toobed, not toobed, wide, thin, big, small, slick, or treaded, you just don't seem to get people all together on the subject of tires. In fact, it seems that for some folks it is akin to a religious offense if a view other than their own is presented as a valid option.

Of course, I was oft accused of being one of these "29"er zealots" eight years ago or so. Heck, I didn't really care what anyone else rode, as long as they were having fun. I just really saw a good point or two about having bigger diameter wheels on my off road bikes. And I still do, of course, but ya know, the wagon wheels done went mainstream nowadays and having beliefs like mine are seen as being "old school" now! Funny how the world changes, ain't it?

Now I went and stirred up the pot, (shame on me), by posting this link on Gravel Grinder News Facebook page and it struck a minor dissonant chord there. Hmmm..... Yep. Tires. They do seem to get the dander up.

Speaking of tires......OH! Yeah....that's right. Never mind!

Sterling Update:

Well, so far so good on the tubeless set up of the Fatback Sterling tires. I have to admit, I had my doubts about how this would go, but so far, I have been duly impressed by the overall set up of the ginormous fat tires. 

Secondly, the big take away for me is how much nicer the Sterlings are tubeless. I would never revert back to tubes if I have a choice here. These are so much better tubeless, it is almost as if they are different tires altogether from the way they ride tubed.

So, a bit of new info here on my take on these tires, in case anyone out there is following along with my rides on these, or cares to know: The tires have stretched a bit more. Now I am getting a 103mm/4.055" measurement on the casings. Keep in mind I started out at barely 3.8" with tubes and this is all on older Fatback Uma II rims which are 70mm wide. So, I can get along with this. Four inches is bigger than I had, and likely on a Rolling Darryl I might find that the overall width might go to closer to the advertised width. Now I am at peace with that part.

The big thing here is the flattened casing profile coupled with the lack of side knobs for lateral stability. The Sterling has drive and braking traction that literally blows the old Larrys away. I have no issues at all with drive traction or braking traction. However; the Sterlings have the uncanny ability to be driving forward with authority and exhibit little to no lateral stability at all. So, this means that you can literally feel the rear tire digging forward, for example, and that same tire is coming around sideways, or slipping into a rut like there is zero resistance to that. It's odd, but out back I can catch that. Up front, it can take off sideways on you and you just loose all forward momentum. Ruts, or softer sections of snow besides a packed track are treacherous anyway, but I think the Sterlings may actually be worse than a BFL up front in this regard. Maybe. It's close if not worse.

If things are well packed in, no worries at all. Ice? Psssshaw! The Sterlings are good on ice within reason. It's that dang lack of lateral stability. I still look at a Surly Bud and think that is the front tire I should have. Sterlings would be a fine rear tire anywhere, but if you don't have groomed trails, a front Sterling may give you fits like it does for me. Maybe. Or I'm just crazy.....

Okay, that's a wrap. Stay warm and safe, but ride em if ya can!

Friday News And Views

Colder than it looks

Hello from Iowa where it is a balmy.....something or another below zero. I mean really.....when it gets to ten below, anything beyond that is just silly. 

We've likely hit our coldest stretch of Winter a little earlier than maybe we usually do. That's good if true, I mean, let's just get this out of the way right now, eh? Interestingly, we're getting a day of reprieve Saturday when it is supposedly going to soar up into the 20's above. Wow! I think I'll unzip my coat a little!

However; post Saturday we go back into the deeper freeze with some silly forecast temperatures until Tuesday when things bounce back the other way. (Well, at least we are hoping so!) Then it seems that it stays that way for the near term through to Triple D. I sure hope it isn't 15 below the morning of that event!

Of course, it is hard to say what Winter may bring by the time Triple D rolls around, but I will be trying to cope with strategies as the temperature forecasts change on the way toward that event. I will be wearing totally different gear if it is above zero as opposed to below zero. I will be carrying more clothing to swap out if it is colder, and less, or none, if it is warmer, and that depends upon how warm it gets, or it doesn't.

See? It's a game of chess with the conditions. Make the wrong move, and you're toast. Heck, I may be bringing a small trunk load of clothes and gear with me on this venture, who knows?!

Want to start a debate? Choose tires as a subject!

Never discuss politics or tires in mixed company: 

In all of my days of writing on the inner-googles, I've probably never seen more debate sparked by anything more than I have with regard to tires. Tires- be they tubeless, not tubeless, toobed, not toobed, wide, thin, big, small, slick, or treaded, you just don't seem to get people all together on the subject of tires. In fact, it seems that for some folks it is akin to a religious offense if a view other than their own is presented as a valid option.

Of course, I was oft accused of being one of these "29"er zealots" eight years ago or so. Heck, I didn't really care what anyone else rode, as long as they were having fun. I just really saw a good point or two about having bigger diameter wheels on my off road bikes. And I still do, of course, but ya know, the wagon wheels done went mainstream nowadays and having beliefs like mine are seen as being "old school" now! Funny how the world changes, ain't it?

Now I went and stirred up the pot, (shame on me), by posting this link on Gravel Grinder News Facebook page and it struck a minor dissonant chord there. Hmmm..... Yep. Tires. They do seem to get the dander up.

Speaking of tires......OH! Yeah....that's right. Never mind!

Sterling Update:

Well, so far so good on the tubeless set up of the Fatback Sterling tires. I have to admit, I had my doubts about how this would go, but so far, I have been duly impressed by the overall set up of the ginormous fat tires. 

Secondly, the big take away for me is how much nicer the Sterlings are tubeless. I would never revert back to tubes if I have a choice here. These are so much better tubeless, it is almost as if they are different tires altogether from the way they ride tubed.

So, a bit of new info here on my take on these tires, in case anyone out there is following along with my rides on these, or cares to know: The tires have stretched a bit more. Now I am getting a 103mm/4.055" measurement on the casings. Keep in mind I started out at barely 3.8" with tubes and this is all on older Fatback Uma II rims which are 70mm wide. So, I can get along with this. Four inches is bigger than I had, and likely on a Rolling Darryl I might find that the overall width might go to closer to the advertised width. Now I am at peace with that part.

The big thing here is the flattened casing profile coupled with the lack of side knobs for lateral stability. The Sterling has drive and braking traction that literally blows the old Larrys away. I have no issues at all with drive traction or braking traction. However; the Sterlings have the uncanny ability to be driving forward with authority and exhibit little to no lateral stability at all. So, this means that you can literally feel the rear tire digging forward, for example, and that same tire is coming around sideways, or slipping into a rut like there is zero resistance to that. It's odd, but out back I can catch that. Up front, it can take off sideways on you and you just loose all forward momentum. Ruts, or softer sections of snow besides a packed track are treacherous anyway, but I think the Sterlings may actually be worse than a BFL up front in this regard. Maybe. It's close if not worse.

If things are well packed in, no worries at all. Ice? Psssshaw! The Sterlings are good on ice within reason. It's that dang lack of lateral stability. I still look at a Surly Bud and think that is the front tire I should have. Sterlings would be a fine rear tire anywhere, but if you don't have groomed trails, a front Sterling may give you fits like it does for me. Maybe. Or I'm just crazy.....

Okay, that's a wrap. Stay warm and safe, but ride em if ya can!

Whiteout

Ringing in the New Year has a bit of a different meaning these days. When I was a youginz, the folks would either get someone to watch us, or when we were old enough, would just leave us at home while they went out to celebrate the New Year coming in. Stories of drunken antics, late night shenanigans, or crashes, arrests, and death were not uncommon back then.

This has all changed, and probably for the better. In the family I am a part of, we spend the evening together, watching movies, eating snacks, and we all raise a toast at midnight before turning in for the night. My two children really look forward to this now, and I am afraid it has become the tradition for us through the years. Not that it is a "bad" thing, because it isn't, but it does affect the next day!

I wasn't too eager to get up, and I missed the planned ride some folks were doing on fat bikes in town, but had I went to bed earlier, I would have really disappointed the family. I went out and found it had snowed again, so I cleared the walk and around the cars. Then my son reminded me I had promised him a sledding outing. As it was his last day off from school for break, I decided against doing a ride at all and went out sliding with him. Time well spent.......

I could have groused, gotten angry, or sullen, and made myself no fun to hang out with, but ya know- not everything turns out as we expect, but if you let it, things may turn out even better than you imagined. 

There will be times for bike rides in the snow, but my son?  He won't be here to go sledding with someday.....

Whiteout

Ringing in the New Year has a bit of a different meaning these days. When I was a youginz, the folks would either get someone to watch us, or when we were old enough, would just leave us at home while they went out to celebrate the New Year coming in. Stories of drunken antics, late night shenanigans, or crashes, arrests, and death were not uncommon back then.

This has all changed, and probably for the better. In the family I am a part of, we spend the evening together, watching movies, eating snacks, and we all raise a toast at midnight before turning in for the night. My two children really look forward to this now, and I am afraid it has become the tradition for us through the years. Not that it is a "bad" thing, because it isn't, but it does affect the next day!

I wasn't too eager to get up, and I missed the planned ride some folks were doing on fat bikes in town, but had I went to bed earlier, I would have really disappointed the family. I went out and found it had snowed again, so I cleared the walk and around the cars. Then my son reminded me I had promised him a sledding outing. As it was his last day off from school for break, I decided against doing a ride at all and went out sliding with him. Time well spent.......

I could have groused, gotten angry, or sullen, and made myself no fun to hang out with, but ya know- not everything turns out as we expect, but if you let it, things may turn out even better than you imagined. 

There will be times for bike rides in the snow, but my son?  He won't be here to go sledding with someday.....

Trans Iowa: Ten Years Of Tales- Special Edition

In mid-November, the idea of Trans Iowa was hatched. The year was 2004. In the ten years since then there have been many stories and memories. These posts will tell of the most prominent ones to my mind. Maybe I'll even spill the beans on some things you never knew....

From T.I.v7

 Routes: From time to time, I get asked, "How do you find all these crazy roads for the different Trans Iowa courses?" I thought I would use this special edition of "Trans Iowa Tales" to try and answer that one question.

The heart of any new edition of Trans Iowa is the course. For whatever reasons, it was decided upon very early on to continue to find a new route every year. Obviously, this isn't easy, and I've learned several things over the years, which I couldn't possibly recount in a single blog post. However; there are a few things I can pass along that may give the reader some insights as to how I have done what I have done for courses.

Maps: Obviously, looking at maps is a big part of route finding, and fortunately, it is one thing I happen to enjoy pouring over again and again. Give me a good map, a cup of joe, and a quiet room and I am good for a few hours! So what constitutes a "good map"? That's a different answer than it is for 99% of the population these days.

Most folks want a map of the fastest point to point routes to get them where they are interested in going in the least amount of time with the fewest navigational obstacles. That runs a 180° in opposition of what I am looking for! So, most mapping tools and commercial road maps are worthless to the back road touring cyclists or gravelers. I found two maps that I use most often and an online resource to get fine details to do all of my route finding at home before I go out to recon a new Trans Iowa route.

I use a DeLorme Atlas of Iowa for an overall view of larger areas and for a hint at terrain. DeLorme uses a "plate" style approach to its atlas which disregards county lines and townships, which is great for me to "see the bigger picture" when it comes to connecting towns, cities, or features I am interested in looping into a course. DeLorme also puts in a small amount of gradations for elevation, so the bigger changes show up and can be used to determine where the big hills are going to be found. It is not good for finer details like which roads are B Maintenance, C Maintenance, gravel/pavement, nor can it be trusted to show you roads that are actually there. So, it is a good overview resource, but I don't rely on it for accuracy.

Even the best maps won't show you this. There is no substitute for reconning your routes!

For finer details, and for finding out where the dirt roads are, I use an Iowa Sportsman's Atlas. This is a spiral bound, paper paged map of all of Iowa's 99 counties, one page for each county. It is based off of the State of Iowa's Department of Transportation maps and shows all the paved, gravel, and B Level roads in the state. With this mapping tool I can draw out routes in colored pencil right on the pages, make notes, and come up with a rough idea of mileages. What it is not good for is getting a bigger view of the route, (since you are limited to seeing it county by county), and not all the maps are the same scale, which can lead to confusion and mistakes if you are not really watching for that. Also- these maps are generally a generation or two behind what the State has out, so they sometimes show roads that are not there, or roads that are not on the map that are there, or other anomalies.

The "real deal" for (almost) accurate maps is to go straight to the source, and in this state, that is the Iowa Department of Transportation. On their site there is a way to view PDF's of the latest Iowa maps for all roads in the State. I use this much the same as I do the Iowa Sportsman's Atlas, only the DOT maps are online, where I can magnify them to see things better with my old eyes and get the latest published information. However; it must be noted that although the State did a complete update, (dated January 2013), I found two roads taken out of circulation only 11 months later during T.I.v10 recon, so you still cannot count on those to be 100% accurate. On the plus side, I can print off the PDF's to matching scale sizes and assemble my own, large format map to see the route in total on paper in front of me if I want, or use the printed sheets of the magnified route for recon in the field.

Finding the big hills can sometimes just be the luck of the draw.

Finding Features: 

So, you may still be wondering, "How do you find so many freaking hills!?" Well, you can blame two things on that: One is to realize that it is just the nature of Iowa. You might be surprised to find out that Iowa has more hills than flats, and you can pretty much count on roads having at least some amount of gentle rollers all the way up to punchy, short, steep hills to climb, over and over again.  Really.....I don't have to look too hard to find hills folks! 

Secondly, I was taught to look for certain features on maps by former Trans Iowa co-director, David Pals, who is a college trained and professional geologist. The way rivers run are a big clue to finding more rollers and steeper ones at that. You can show me a map of a county and I can pretty much tell you where you will find the steeper hills and the most hills on any given road just by looking at the water and where it flows instead of at a grid of roads. (Thanks David!)

I also look for "non-grid" roads. These are roads that do not follow the rigid rule of "mile square" patterns that most roads do follow in Iowa. After awhile, you can tell whether or not these are "ridge roads", "valley roads", or just interesting, twisted roads based off old Native American trails, old trading routes, old stage coach routes, or the like. These almost always are worth looking into.

Twisty-turny roads are my favorite finds.

Putting It All Together: 

Once I have decided on a tentative route plan, it is time to go look at it with my own two eyes. While many former Trans Iowa riders may find this hard to believe, I am not laughing maniacally while I am driving a proposed route, nor am I looking for even more terrible things to throw at you.  I actually throw more things out than I keep, to be honest. Finding a balance between "toughness" and a course someone could actually complete is not an easy thing to figure out, especially when weather can really throw a wrench in the works, or take what you thought would be hard and make it a cakewalk. (Think the B Roads in T.I.v9)

Roads will be found that are not there, truncated, or road construction/repair may be an issue. Then re-routes have to be figured out, which is why I pack all my maps with me during recon and make notations. I take a lot of images, not just to show off to all of you, but as a visual reminder for later of what the course is like. I look for possible re-routes around B Roads in case of wetter weather, and earmark possible problem areas in case of a bad Winter or wet Spring.  Resupply options are checked out, and routing through cities and towns is considered out in the field as well. Things you can not possibly see on maps, like bad intersections, dangerous railroad crossings, or jig-a-jogs are notated and remembered for the cue sheet drafts.

Finally, all the data is plugged into an online route finder and that is where I draw up the final turn-by-turn cues and get a gps based mileage for the course which proves to be quite accurate. Once a final cue sheet form has been made by my plugging in the turn-by-turn instructions into a formatted document on the computer, I send the draft over to a friend who double checks my work for clarity and accuracy against the proposed route. If faults are found, I correct them. Then I print off a master set and in the Spring we do another recon with folks that drive the route by my cues and see if the directions make sense, and see if there are any mistakes. Road anomalies that may have arisen since the previous recon are taken into account, and may cause a rerouting and that obviously affects the cues. Finally, the route drivers give me their honest feedback on the route and if it passes muster, I set the cues in stone, and await the time to print off cue sheet sets.

This road, which was open during recon, was found closed during the Spring rechecking.

Finally, the day before a Trans Iowa, I try to drive at least to Checkpoint #1 on the route, and preferably about 100 miles in, to do a last minute check on whether any roads were closed or issues with flooding, road conditions, or other oddities are out there waiting to waylay us the next morning. I then can circumvent any immediate issues at the pre-race meeting so everyone has a heads up. This actually happened at T.I.v8 where I ended up taking a B Road out due to a swollen low water crossing due to overnight rains which were forecast for the evening of the pre-race meeting.

Even after all of that, the weather can shut down the event, so I have to be ready to swallow my pride and forgo all my preparations to cede the day to the situation I, (and the riders), are dealt to handle. Fortunately that has not happened since T.I.v6, which in itself is a minor miracle. (Which is to say we're due to get bombed out at T.I.v10, but if so, there is nothing I can do about that.)

That doesn't cover everything, but again, I tried to answer this question as thoroughly as I could in one blog post! I hope that gives you all a little insight as to how these courses happen every year.

Trans Iowa: Ten Years Of Tales- Special Edition

In mid-November, the idea of Trans Iowa was hatched. The year was 2004. In the ten years since then there have been many stories and memories. These posts will tell of the most prominent ones to my mind. Maybe I'll even spill the beans on some things you never knew....

From T.I.v7

 Routes: From time to time, I get asked, "How do you find all these crazy roads for the different Trans Iowa courses?" I thought I would use this special edition of "Trans Iowa Tales" to try and answer that one question.

The heart of any new edition of Trans Iowa is the course. For whatever reasons, it was decided upon very early on to continue to find a new route every year. Obviously, this isn't easy, and I've learned several things over the years, which I couldn't possibly recount in a single blog post. However; there are a few things I can pass along that may give the reader some insights as to how I have done what I have done for courses.

Maps: Obviously, looking at maps is a big part of route finding, and fortunately, it is one thing I happen to enjoy pouring over again and again. Give me a good map, a cup of joe, and a quiet room and I am good for a few hours! So what constitutes a "good map"? That's a different answer than it is for 99% of the population these days.

Most folks want a map of the fastest point to point routes to get them where they are interested in going in the least amount of time with the fewest navigational obstacles. That runs a 180° in opposition of what I am looking for! So, most mapping tools and commercial road maps are worthless to the back road touring cyclists or gravelers. I found two maps that I use most often and an online resource to get fine details to do all of my route finding at home before I go out to recon a new Trans Iowa route.

I use a DeLorme Atlas of Iowa for an overall view of larger areas and for a hint at terrain. DeLorme uses a "plate" style approach to its atlas which disregards county lines and townships, which is great for me to "see the bigger picture" when it comes to connecting towns, cities, or features I am interested in looping into a course. DeLorme also puts in a small amount of gradations for elevation, so the bigger changes show up and can be used to determine where the big hills are going to be found. It is not good for finer details like which roads are B Maintenance, C Maintenance, gravel/pavement, nor can it be trusted to show you roads that are actually there. So, it is a good overview resource, but I don't rely on it for accuracy.

Even the best maps won't show you this. There is no substitute for reconning your routes!

For finer details, and for finding out where the dirt roads are, I use an Iowa Sportsman's Atlas. This is a spiral bound, paper paged map of all of Iowa's 99 counties, one page for each county. It is based off of the State of Iowa's Department of Transportation maps and shows all the paved, gravel, and B Level roads in the state. With this mapping tool I can draw out routes in colored pencil right on the pages, make notes, and come up with a rough idea of mileages. What it is not good for is getting a bigger view of the route, (since you are limited to seeing it county by county), and not all the maps are the same scale, which can lead to confusion and mistakes if you are not really watching for that. Also- these maps are generally a generation or two behind what the State has out, so they sometimes show roads that are not there, or roads that are not on the map that are there, or other anomalies.

The "real deal" for (almost) accurate maps is to go straight to the source, and in this state, that is the Iowa Department of Transportation. On their site there is a way to view PDF's of the latest Iowa maps for all roads in the State. I use this much the same as I do the Iowa Sportsman's Atlas, only the DOT maps are online, where I can magnify them to see things better with my old eyes and get the latest published information. However; it must be noted that although the State did a complete update, (dated January 2013), I found two roads taken out of circulation only 11 months later during T.I.v10 recon, so you still cannot count on those to be 100% accurate. On the plus side, I can print off the PDF's to matching scale sizes and assemble my own, large format map to see the route in total on paper in front of me if I want, or use the printed sheets of the magnified route for recon in the field.

Finding the big hills can sometimes just be the luck of the draw.

Finding Features: 

So, you may still be wondering, "How do you find so many freaking hills!?" Well, you can blame two things on that: One is to realize that it is just the nature of Iowa. You might be surprised to find out that Iowa has more hills than flats, and you can pretty much count on roads having at least some amount of gentle rollers all the way up to punchy, short, steep hills to climb, over and over again.  Really.....I don't have to look too hard to find hills folks! 

Secondly, I was taught to look for certain features on maps by former Trans Iowa co-director, David Pals, who is a college trained and professional geologist. The way rivers run are a big clue to finding more rollers and steeper ones at that. You can show me a map of a county and I can pretty much tell you where you will find the steeper hills and the most hills on any given road just by looking at the water and where it flows instead of at a grid of roads. (Thanks David!)

I also look for "non-grid" roads. These are roads that do not follow the rigid rule of "mile square" patterns that most roads do follow in Iowa. After awhile, you can tell whether or not these are "ridge roads", "valley roads", or just interesting, twisted roads based off old Native American trails, old trading routes, old stage coach routes, or the like. These almost always are worth looking into.

Twisty-turny roads are my favorite finds.

Putting It All Together: 

Once I have decided on a tentative route plan, it is time to go look at it with my own two eyes. While many former Trans Iowa riders may find this hard to believe, I am not laughing maniacally while I am driving a proposed route, nor am I looking for even more terrible things to throw at you.  I actually throw more things out than I keep, to be honest. Finding a balance between "toughness" and a course someone could actually complete is not an easy thing to figure out, especially when weather can really throw a wrench in the works, or take what you thought would be hard and make it a cakewalk. (Think the B Roads in T.I.v9)

Roads will be found that are not there, truncated, or road construction/repair may be an issue. Then re-routes have to be figured out, which is why I pack all my maps with me during recon and make notations. I take a lot of images, not just to show off to all of you, but as a visual reminder for later of what the course is like. I look for possible re-routes around B Roads in case of wetter weather, and earmark possible problem areas in case of a bad Winter or wet Spring.  Resupply options are checked out, and routing through cities and towns is considered out in the field as well. Things you can not possibly see on maps, like bad intersections, dangerous railroad crossings, or jig-a-jogs are notated and remembered for the cue sheet drafts.

Finally, all the data is plugged into an online route finder and that is where I draw up the final turn-by-turn cues and get a gps based mileage for the course which proves to be quite accurate. Once a final cue sheet form has been made by my plugging in the turn-by-turn instructions into a formatted document on the computer, I send the draft over to a friend who double checks my work for clarity and accuracy against the proposed route. If faults are found, I correct them. Then I print off a master set and in the Spring we do another recon with folks that drive the route by my cues and see if the directions make sense, and see if there are any mistakes. Road anomalies that may have arisen since the previous recon are taken into account, and may cause a rerouting and that obviously affects the cues. Finally, the route drivers give me their honest feedback on the route and if it passes muster, I set the cues in stone, and await the time to print off cue sheet sets.

This road, which was open during recon, was found closed during the Spring rechecking.

Finally, the day before a Trans Iowa, I try to drive at least to Checkpoint #1 on the route, and preferably about 100 miles in, to do a last minute check on whether any roads were closed or issues with flooding, road conditions, or other oddities are out there waiting to waylay us the next morning. I then can circumvent any immediate issues at the pre-race meeting so everyone has a heads up. This actually happened at T.I.v8 where I ended up taking a B Road out due to a swollen low water crossing due to overnight rains which were forecast for the evening of the pre-race meeting.

Even after all of that, the weather can shut down the event, so I have to be ready to swallow my pride and forgo all my preparations to cede the day to the situation I, (and the riders), are dealt to handle. Fortunately that has not happened since T.I.v6, which in itself is a minor miracle. (Which is to say we're due to get bombed out at T.I.v10, but if so, there is nothing I can do about that.)

That doesn't cover everything, but again, I tried to answer this question as thoroughly as I could in one blog post! I hope that gives you all a little insight as to how these courses happen every year.