Trans Iowa: Ten Years Of Tales #36

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....

The lead group gets in with about 15 minutes to spare at CP#1

 David and I arrived in Monroe, Iowa where we had a checkpoint stop set up about 50-ish miles into the event. We had one B Road in between the start and the checkpoint, because I figured that everyone needed to have one B Road experience before Checkpoint #1 in case they didn't get any further. Well, that one B Road accounted for much mayhem. The rain and lightning certainly had its effect as well, since afterward I heard stories about guys hiding in ditches and how bad it was to see and ride on the peanut butter like roads.

Well, all our volunteers were in place and we were wondering how much the weather would delay the riders when it began to become apparent that we may not have many riders actually get through at all before the cut off time. There was something like 15-20 minutes before the cut off when here they came! The lead group had been spotted.

The way the small group approached us was almost as if they had already finished the race. Arms were raised in "victory", and smiles and casual paces were the order of the moment there. You could tell the riders had been through a tough spot and were still trying to piece together what had just happened.

The B Road that did a lot of folks in: Image by S. Fuller

The riders were soaking wet and muddy. They were not well organized, but a few slipped on up the road while others weighed their options for convenience store fare and a brief regathering of strength and thought. David and I decided we'd better get outta town and catch up with the lead group and scope out the road ahead. But not before a bit of a confrontation that got a bit testy.

There was a friend of a rider in Trans Iowa that wanted to know where Checkpoint #2 was so he could go on ahead and sit there and wait to see his friend go by. Well, this was one of the things we were wise to from T.I.v5 and was the reason we were not giving away checkpoint locations anymore. In fact, the volunteers at CP#1 had no idea where CP#2 was, and this particular fellow had already exhausted that resource before asking me. I reiterated that we had announced at the Pre-Race Meat-Up and in blog postings beforehand that the locations were secret. Well, this guy got ticked off and told me he'd find out some way. I stated that if I or anyone else I knew reported him anywhere near the checkpoint his friend would be DQ'ed, which really set the guy off. He stormed away and David and I made our way up the course. That wouldn't be the last I'd hear about this guy, though I wouldn't hear about what he did until after T.I.v6 was over.

Apparently he found my home phone number and called it. He got a family friend who happened to be there watching my kids at the time. He badgered her about the location of CP#2, which she had no idea about, (and really, she had no idea about what he was talking about at all, since she only knew Trans Iowa was a bicycle race I put on), and finally the guy hung up on her. This didn't set well with me at all, and precipitated a stern response from me, but that can wait till later.......

The leaders just past CP#1: The roads were a mess!

Meanwhile the leaders were headed West and North of Monroe for a bit on some rain soaked, soft roads. The going looked absolutely brutal as we passed them by. Amazingly, John Gorilla and Joe Meiser had pulled a slight gap on the group here. A gap that would grow and stay away for the rest of the event.

The Sun actually came out for a bit during this stretch and I remember thinking we may recover from that crazy rain storm and lightning and have a decent event after all. This was tempered by the call from CP#1 which informed us that 30 out of the 58 that had started failed to pass through the checkpoint in time. David and I kind of figured that might be the case, but to have had the field decimated by so much so soon was a bit disheartening at first. Suddenly David piped up and said something to the effect that Trans Iowa was supposed to be tough and to have it any other way was not really in the spirit of the event. I agreed to that, but I still felt bad for those who were stymied by the events of the morning.

That's not a trick image of a Hot Wheel! We really saw this past CP#1

The rest of the morning was basically taken up with dealing with a B Road past Pella, which was a pass through town on the route. We had decided that since we had so few in the event yet and that those folks were desperately close to missing time cut offs that this particularly nasty, wet, clay B Road was unnecessary and would likely put people outside the time limit. We made our reroute and went back to see that someone, (likely Meiser and Gorilla), had already walked down it, missing our flags at the point we were trying to head folks off at. So David and I went back to that corner and arrived just in time to head off the chasers and set them straight. This was all a rather hectic and hurried part of the event for me and David, but it reminded me of our T.I.v4 efforts and this wasn't that bad.......yet!

We decided that with some further DNF's since CP#1 that we were not far from seeing everyone left in the event! We thought along the lines that if we went backward to the Pella convenience store near the east end of the city, we could catch the riders going by and make them aware of what was going on with the reroute.

On the way there we saw Matt Braun and told him what was going on and then we caught a couple riders at the convenience store. There wasn't much time for anyone further back to actually make the cutoff in the town where CP#2 was, but David and I decided to hang out there anyway, since we had already covered the roads up to CP#2 and had come back on the course to the place we were then. We had some down time, so we spent it there.

Next: Decisions, decisions, decisions....

Trans Iowa: Ten Years Of Tales #36

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....

The lead group gets in with about 15 minutes to spare at CP#1

 David and I arrived in Monroe, Iowa where we had a checkpoint stop set up about 50-ish miles into the event. We had one B Road in between the start and the checkpoint, because I figured that everyone needed to have one B Road experience before Checkpoint #1 in case they didn't get any further. Well, that one B Road accounted for much mayhem. The rain and lightning certainly had its effect as well, since afterward I heard stories about guys hiding in ditches and how bad it was to see and ride on the peanut butter like roads.

Well, all our volunteers were in place and we were wondering how much the weather would delay the riders when it began to become apparent that we may not have many riders actually get through at all before the cut off time. There was something like 15-20 minutes before the cut off when here they came! The lead group had been spotted.

The way the small group approached us was almost as if they had already finished the race. Arms were raised in "victory", and smiles and casual paces were the order of the moment there. You could tell the riders had been through a tough spot and were still trying to piece together what had just happened.

The B Road that did a lot of folks in: Image by S. Fuller

The riders were soaking wet and muddy. They were not well organized, but a few slipped on up the road while others weighed their options for convenience store fare and a brief regathering of strength and thought. David and I decided we'd better get outta town and catch up with the lead group and scope out the road ahead. But not before a bit of a confrontation that got a bit testy.

There was a friend of a rider in Trans Iowa that wanted to know where Checkpoint #2 was so he could go on ahead and sit there and wait to see his friend go by. Well, this was one of the things we were wise to from T.I.v5 and was the reason we were not giving away checkpoint locations anymore. In fact, the volunteers at CP#1 had no idea where CP#2 was, and this particular fellow had already exhausted that resource before asking me. I reiterated that we had announced at the Pre-Race Meat-Up and in blog postings beforehand that the locations were secret. Well, this guy got ticked off and told me he'd find out some way. I stated that if I or anyone else I knew reported him anywhere near the checkpoint his friend would be DQ'ed, which really set the guy off. He stormed away and David and I made our way up the course. That wouldn't be the last I'd hear about this guy, though I wouldn't hear about what he did until after T.I.v6 was over.

Apparently he found my home phone number and called it. He got a family friend who happened to be there watching my kids at the time. He badgered her about the location of CP#2, which she had no idea about, (and really, she had no idea about what he was talking about at all, since she only knew Trans Iowa was a bicycle race I put on), and finally the guy hung up on her. This didn't set well with me at all, and precipitated a stern response from me, but that can wait till later.......

The leaders just past CP#1: The roads were a mess!

Meanwhile the leaders were headed West and North of Monroe for a bit on some rain soaked, soft roads. The going looked absolutely brutal as we passed them by. Amazingly, John Gorilla and Joe Meiser had pulled a slight gap on the group here. A gap that would grow and stay away for the rest of the event.

The Sun actually came out for a bit during this stretch and I remember thinking we may recover from that crazy rain storm and lightning and have a decent event after all. This was tempered by the call from CP#1 which informed us that 30 out of the 58 that had started failed to pass through the checkpoint in time. David and I kind of figured that might be the case, but to have had the field decimated by so much so soon was a bit disheartening at first. Suddenly David piped up and said something to the effect that Trans Iowa was supposed to be tough and to have it any other way was not really in the spirit of the event. I agreed to that, but I still felt bad for those who were stymied by the events of the morning.

That's not a trick image of a Hot Wheel! We really saw this past CP#1

The rest of the morning was basically taken up with dealing with a B Road past Pella, which was a pass through town on the route. We had decided that since we had so few in the event yet and that those folks were desperately close to missing time cut offs that this particularly nasty, wet, clay B Road was unnecessary and would likely put people outside the time limit. We made our reroute and went back to see that someone, (likely Meiser and Gorilla), had already walked down it, missing our flags at the point we were trying to head folks off at. So David and I went back to that corner and arrived just in time to head off the chasers and set them straight. This was all a rather hectic and hurried part of the event for me and David, but it reminded me of our T.I.v4 efforts and this wasn't that bad.......yet!

We decided that with some further DNF's since CP#1 that we were not far from seeing everyone left in the event! We thought along the lines that if we went backward to the Pella convenience store near the east end of the city, we could catch the riders going by and make them aware of what was going on with the reroute.

On the way there we saw Matt Braun and told him what was going on and then we caught a couple riders at the convenience store. There wasn't much time for anyone further back to actually make the cutoff in the town where CP#2 was, but David and I decided to hang out there anyway, since we had already covered the roads up to CP#2 and had come back on the course to the place we were then. We had some down time, so we spent it there.

Next: Decisions, decisions, decisions....

Trans Iowa: Ten Years Of Tales #35

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....

Riders gather in the gloom of night for the start of T.I.v6 in Grinnell

It was 2:30 am and David and I were mobile and milling about our room at the Comfort Inn & Suites. We hit out for the short trip to downtown Grinnell and along the way we spotted Steve Fuller carrying a heavy drop bag precariously while riding his rig to the start. We flagged him down and offered assistance which he gladly accepted and we then continued on to the start line, amazed that he was already on the way down there. It was shortly after 3am in the morning! Our surprises continued as we rounded the corner and here were more racers in front of Bikes To You already, milling about and getting ready to take off.

It was obvious as the 58 racers made their way to Broad Street that there was a high level of anticipation for this event.More so than I recall for some other Trans Iowas. "Coop" from the bike shop had spent the evening with his buddy Rob V in a trailer parked outside across the street from the shop and when they emerged, Coop fired up some nice, bright lights that made for a nicer start than it might have been

Ready to roll!

I had forgotten to have the waivers signed, so in a last minute frenzy I passed around a clipboard with waivers to sign and we didn't get started off right on time due to that. Whoops! I guess I was so focused on the signing in of the riders at the Pre-Race Meat-Up that I spaced off the waivers altogether.

The race vehicle for this version was David's Honda Element. I had intended to use my new-to-me truck, but David insisted we use his Element and as it turned out, it was a more roomy, more comfortable, and capable vehicle with its all wheel drive. It also would mark the first time I had not driven a Trans Iowa during the event, which felt odd.

So, the riders were set, and we tooted the horn a tad late, but we were off. The roll out was long, we had about 4 miles of pavement to get them out of town, but when we turned right off the pavement on 50th, hit the gas, and went over the first little hill, we were on our own in a little envelope of light. Everything else was foggy, and then pitch black. A flawless start to T.I.v6, and I was now the one giving the cues to David for turns and we were just a couple of oddballs out in the dark on a hilly gravel road, headed Westward. The roads were wet, we were on a long stretch, and the conversation was slim due to our being a bit groggy and the anti-climatic stage of this part of the event for us. But things would not stay very calm for long......

Light at the end of the tunnel: This sighting saved T.I.v6 from stopping early.

I noticed some flashes of light, and asked David about cell towers or what have you out this way. He wasn't sure, and with his focus on the driving, he wasn't seeing the soft flashes of light in the sky far away like I was. But soon it was unmistakeable. Lightning was in the area! We hoped it was not headed our way. We stopped on an overpass over I-80 and watched for the leaders. After we saw the pack coming we took off and headed South. That's when the skies cut loose and all the lightning strikes were now right outside of our windows!

It was getting really serious now and David and I were entertaining the idea of cutting off the event at the first checkpoint. We finally decided to try and get to the checkpoint first before we made any final decisions, but it was looking really bad. We were totally prepared to pull the plug on the whole thing when suddenly a fresh bit of light that wasn't branching out in bolts of deadly electricity was sighted dead ahead. The clouds were thinning noticeably, the rain, which had been torrential, was suddenly now nothing but a fine, drippy shower. Sunlight appeared high in the sky to the South. We were good to continue!

Next: The Sloppy Ends...

Trans Iowa: Ten Years Of Tales #35

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....

Riders gather in the gloom of night for the start of T.I.v6 in Grinnell

It was 2:30 am and David and I were mobile and milling about our room at the Comfort Inn & Suites. We hit out for the short trip to downtown Grinnell and along the way we spotted Steve Fuller carrying a heavy drop bag precariously while riding his rig to the start. We flagged him down and offered assistance which he gladly accepted and we then continued on to the start line, amazed that he was already on the way down there. It was shortly after 3am in the morning! Our surprises continued as we rounded the corner and here were more racers in front of Bikes To You already, milling about and getting ready to take off.

It was obvious as the 58 racers made their way to Broad Street that there was a high level of anticipation for this event.More so than I recall for some other Trans Iowas. "Coop" from the bike shop had spent the evening with his buddy Rob V in a trailer parked outside across the street from the shop and when they emerged, Coop fired up some nice, bright lights that made for a nicer start than it might have been

Ready to roll!

I had forgotten to have the waivers signed, so in a last minute frenzy I passed around a clipboard with waivers to sign and we didn't get started off right on time due to that. Whoops! I guess I was so focused on the signing in of the riders at the Pre-Race Meat-Up that I spaced off the waivers altogether.

The race vehicle for this version was David's Honda Element. I had intended to use my new-to-me truck, but David insisted we use his Element and as it turned out, it was a more roomy, more comfortable, and capable vehicle with its all wheel drive. It also would mark the first time I had not driven a Trans Iowa during the event, which felt odd.

So, the riders were set, and we tooted the horn a tad late, but we were off. The roll out was long, we had about 4 miles of pavement to get them out of town, but when we turned right off the pavement on 50th, hit the gas, and went over the first little hill, we were on our own in a little envelope of light. Everything else was foggy, and then pitch black. A flawless start to T.I.v6, and I was now the one giving the cues to David for turns and we were just a couple of oddballs out in the dark on a hilly gravel road, headed Westward. The roads were wet, we were on a long stretch, and the conversation was slim due to our being a bit groggy and the anti-climatic stage of this part of the event for us. But things would not stay very calm for long......

Light at the end of the tunnel: This sighting saved T.I.v6 from stopping early.

I noticed some flashes of light, and asked David about cell towers or what have you out this way. He wasn't sure, and with his focus on the driving, he wasn't seeing the soft flashes of light in the sky far away like I was. But soon it was unmistakeable. Lightning was in the area! We hoped it was not headed our way. We stopped on an overpass over I-80 and watched for the leaders. After we saw the pack coming we took off and headed South. That's when the skies cut loose and all the lightning strikes were now right outside of our windows!

It was getting really serious now and David and I were entertaining the idea of cutting off the event at the first checkpoint. We finally decided to try and get to the checkpoint first before we made any final decisions, but it was looking really bad. We were totally prepared to pull the plug on the whole thing when suddenly a fresh bit of light that wasn't branching out in bolts of deadly electricity was sighted dead ahead. The clouds were thinning noticeably, the rain, which had been torrential, was suddenly now nothing but a fine, drippy shower. Sunlight appeared high in the sky to the South. We were good to continue!

Next: The Sloppy Ends...

Friday News And Views

Trans Iowa Tales: If you have been reading along with my remembrances from the past Trans Iowas, you know those have been the Saturday and Sunday posts here for awhile. Well, looking at where I am at, and with the time span I am allotting for this series, I realized I have to step up my game on the tales, or I'll be still writing them right on up to T.I.v10!

That won't do, because I have some business to cover here before T.I.v10 happens. In light of this, there will now be four postings every weekend on Trans Iowa Tales till I am finished.

If that is too much for your brains to comprehend, go outside and ride your bicycles for the weekend, see a movie, or visit some other site, but I am going to put this content out there regardless. Trans Iowa was/is a big part of my life. Has been for 10 years now, so I wanted to write about some of my experiences before the big #10 happens in April.

After I cleanse my brain of this series I will start to get into some of the meat and potatoes going into T.I.v10 that the riders will need to be paying attention to and after that, Trans Iowa v10 will run. After that is all over, well, you can all expect a long respite from anything Trans Iowa.......

When non-tubeless designs are run tubeless.......

Here We Go Again.....

The gravel rider scene, and the fat biking scene are both going through the throes of the consequences of the "tubeless tire experiments". Much like how 29"er folks and before them, the old 26"er mtb crowd did, these new niche areas of the cycling world want to think that any tire can be run tubeless with success. I suppose that depends upon what you term as "success". One or two rides, a couple months, or longer? Riding a tire till it wears out might be the benchmark here, but with many folks, there are troubles. Just peruse the "innergoogles" and see for yourself.

To my mind, a repeatable, easy to do, reliable, long lasting, performance enhancing set up is my definition of "a successful tubeless set up". Maintenance should only consist of air pressure adjustments and sealant refreshes until the tire wears out or loses so much of its tread as to be less than optimal in terms of performance. Many times, the "ghetto methods" don't result in this outcome, or the tires that were never designed to be tubeless give out in one manner or another. Match a bad rim with the wrong tire? Boom! Foul up the steps in the conversion somehow? Bang!

That's why systems like UST, Bontrager's TLR, or others designed with regard to actually working tubeless with proper rim and tire bead designs are easily repeated, reliable, and long lasting. Whenever I get news about a disaster in tubeless experimentations, it is 99.9% when trying to convert components never designed to be tubeless into a tubeless system. Obviously, there is something to my observations there.

But even industry folks sometimes think otherwise. I received the following comment on another site from a guy representing a well known company: "Running a tire tubeless has no effect on the longevity of the tire. Any tire can be run tubeless......" Hmm..... Ya know what? This person may want to rethink that statement.

Take a look at the image above, (received by me from a Gravel Grinder News reader the same day I got the comment, ironically), which is of a non-tubeless designed tire run tubeless with Stan's. (Actually, the reader said both tires failed similarly that were on the bike) Do you think it would have done the same thing with tubes installed? Maybe being run tubeless didn't agree with this non-tubeless designed tire, maybe?

And I've seen lots of similar cases. Obviously there is problem, and it does have something to do with the longevity of tires being run tubeless that were not designed to be run that way. Not everyone or all tires have this issue, but to say "all tires can be run tubeless" with no effect on the lifespan of the tire is a falsehood. Rider beware!

Fender Time Is Coming!

Fenders, Mud Guards, or whatever ya call 'em!

I will be fitting some fenders this weekend on a couple of rigs to ready them for the "muck season", which I made mention of yesterday. Plans are for the BMC, (shown here), and the Vaya to get them for sure. I may also buy another Planet Bike set for my soon to be finished fixed gear Raleigh townie.

I know some folks leave fenders on certain bikes all year, but I haven't gotten to that point just yet. Maybe I will someday, but for me, just "liking" fenders for part of the year has been a major shift in my thinking. You see, I never liked fenders much up until recently.

I do have one bike, my "Gravel Mutt Mark II" Trek that may get a full coverage, metal fender set and retain those permanently. I have some plans for that bike, but they may wait for a bit. In the meantime, the other bikes will get a "seasonal change" to fenders, and when we get to more stable, drier weather, they will come off the BMC and Vaya yet again. At that time I'll likely do a drive train refresh, as the crap weather, melting snow, and debris left from Winter will be raising cane with my chains, rings, and cassettes, so no use in replacing that stuff just yet. Plenty of chances to trash out things before I spend dollars to make everything nice and shiny new again.

Okay, that's a wrap. Hopefully some of you out there can be out riding bicycles. Otherwise, get outside and have a great weekend!

Friday News And Views

Trans Iowa Tales: If you have been reading along with my remembrances from the past Trans Iowas, you know those have been the Saturday and Sunday posts here for awhile. Well, looking at where I am at, and with the time span I am allotting for this series, I realized I have to step up my game on the tales, or I'll be still writing them right on up to T.I.v10!

That won't do, because I have some business to cover here before T.I.v10 happens. In light of this, there will now be four postings every weekend on Trans Iowa Tales till I am finished.

If that is too much for your brains to comprehend, go outside and ride your bicycles for the weekend, see a movie, or visit some other site, but I am going to put this content out there regardless. Trans Iowa was/is a big part of my life. Has been for 10 years now, so I wanted to write about some of my experiences before the big #10 happens in April.

After I cleanse my brain of this series I will start to get into some of the meat and potatoes going into T.I.v10 that the riders will need to be paying attention to and after that, Trans Iowa v10 will run. After that is all over, well, you can all expect a long respite from anything Trans Iowa.......

When non-tubeless designs are run tubeless.......

Here We Go Again.....

The gravel rider scene, and the fat biking scene are both going through the throes of the consequences of the "tubeless tire experiments". Much like how 29"er folks and before them, the old 26"er mtb crowd did, these new niche areas of the cycling world want to think that any tire can be run tubeless with success. I suppose that depends upon what you term as "success". One or two rides, a couple months, or longer? Riding a tire till it wears out might be the benchmark here, but with many folks, there are troubles. Just peruse the "innergoogles" and see for yourself.

To my mind, a repeatable, easy to do, reliable, long lasting, performance enhancing set up is my definition of "a successful tubeless set up". Maintenance should only consist of air pressure adjustments and sealant refreshes until the tire wears out or loses so much of its tread as to be less than optimal in terms of performance. Many times, the "ghetto methods" don't result in this outcome, or the tires that were never designed to be tubeless give out in one manner or another. Match a bad rim with the wrong tire? Boom! Foul up the steps in the conversion somehow? Bang!

That's why systems like UST, Bontrager's TLR, or others designed with regard to actually working tubeless with proper rim and tire bead designs are easily repeated, reliable, and long lasting. Whenever I get news about a disaster in tubeless experimentations, it is 99.9% when trying to convert components never designed to be tubeless into a tubeless system. Obviously, there is something to my observations there.

But even industry folks sometimes think otherwise. I received the following comment on another site from a guy representing a well known company: "Running a tire tubeless has no effect on the longevity of the tire. Any tire can be run tubeless......" Hmm..... Ya know what? This person may want to rethink that statement.

Take a look at the image above, (received by me from a Gravel Grinder News reader the same day I got the comment, ironically), which is of a non-tubeless designed tire run tubeless with Stan's. (Actually, the reader said both tires failed similarly that were on the bike) Do you think it would have done the same thing with tubes installed? Maybe being run tubeless didn't agree with this non-tubeless designed tire, maybe?

And I've seen lots of similar cases. Obviously there is problem, and it does have something to do with the longevity of tires being run tubeless that were not designed to be run that way. Not everyone or all tires have this issue, but to say "all tires can be run tubeless" with no effect on the lifespan of the tire is a falsehood. Rider beware!

Fender Time Is Coming!

Fenders, Mud Guards, or whatever ya call 'em!

I will be fitting some fenders this weekend on a couple of rigs to ready them for the "muck season", which I made mention of yesterday. Plans are for the BMC, (shown here), and the Vaya to get them for sure. I may also buy another Planet Bike set for my soon to be finished fixed gear Raleigh townie.

I know some folks leave fenders on certain bikes all year, but I haven't gotten to that point just yet. Maybe I will someday, but for me, just "liking" fenders for part of the year has been a major shift in my thinking. You see, I never liked fenders much up until recently.

I do have one bike, my "Gravel Mutt Mark II" Trek that may get a full coverage, metal fender set and retain those permanently. I have some plans for that bike, but they may wait for a bit. In the meantime, the other bikes will get a "seasonal change" to fenders, and when we get to more stable, drier weather, they will come off the BMC and Vaya yet again. At that time I'll likely do a drive train refresh, as the crap weather, melting snow, and debris left from Winter will be raising cane with my chains, rings, and cassettes, so no use in replacing that stuff just yet. Plenty of chances to trash out things before I spend dollars to make everything nice and shiny new again.

Okay, that's a wrap. Hopefully some of you out there can be out riding bicycles. Otherwise, get outside and have a great weekend!

Dusty Dreaming

This is what I am missing these days.

Winter.........it's been real good this year. Definitely a "true" Iowa type Winter in which we've seen plenty of snow, plenty of sub-zero temperatures, and the opportunities to be outside and indulging in that Winter stuff has been available for a long time now. Winter kicked in early and looks to be sticking around for at least another month.

It is about now that I start thinking about all those 3GR rides and just finding new roads with plenty of B Maintenance road action thrown in for good measure. Dust and rocks. Roads that dance up and down for miles on end. Birds and flowers. The wind rustling in the grass. I guess it is part and parcel of living in an area blessed with four distinct seasons, each with their own appeal for a cyclist like myself.

However; Winter is still gripping us hard here. It went down to -15°F last night and we'll be seeing that negative sign in front of the temperature several more times before it disappears for (hopefully) the rest of the year.

So, I can't really expect to feel those awesome feelings I miss from the Summer anytime real soon. I can dream though, and I can scheme. I did a little of just that last night as I started to sort out the fleet for the upcoming gravel road season. Tires swapped, wheels changed, bicycles re-imagined, and maybe even a new one? Yes, maybe even a new one. We'll see. That is not totally up to me, but I am thinking something will be showing up soon. Stay tuned on that front......

In the meantime I just have to dream and wait. Oh.....I will still be having fun on the fat bikes. I will also be playing around in that in between time when mud is king and riding some squishy roads. I still have to complete tweaking on all the parts and bikes I have here to be ready for when "it" does come. That glorious first day of the year when one does not need a jacket to ride outside. And after that, the first day warm enough to wear short sleeves.

It won't be long now. I can almost feel it........................

Dusty Dreaming

This is what I am missing these days.

Winter.........it's been real good this year. Definitely a "true" Iowa type Winter in which we've seen plenty of snow, plenty of sub-zero temperatures, and the opportunities to be outside and indulging in that Winter stuff has been available for a long time now. Winter kicked in early and looks to be sticking around for at least another month.

It is about now that I start thinking about all those 3GR rides and just finding new roads with plenty of B Maintenance road action thrown in for good measure. Dust and rocks. Roads that dance up and down for miles on end. Birds and flowers. The wind rustling in the grass. I guess it is part and parcel of living in an area blessed with four distinct seasons, each with their own appeal for a cyclist like myself.

However; Winter is still gripping us hard here. It went down to -15°F last night and we'll be seeing that negative sign in front of the temperature several more times before it disappears for (hopefully) the rest of the year.

So, I can't really expect to feel those awesome feelings I miss from the Summer anytime real soon. I can dream though, and I can scheme. I did a little of just that last night as I started to sort out the fleet for the upcoming gravel road season. Tires swapped, wheels changed, bicycles re-imagined, and maybe even a new one? Yes, maybe even a new one. We'll see. That is not totally up to me, but I am thinking something will be showing up soon. Stay tuned on that front......

In the meantime I just have to dream and wait. Oh.....I will still be having fun on the fat bikes. I will also be playing around in that in between time when mud is king and riding some squishy roads. I still have to complete tweaking on all the parts and bikes I have here to be ready for when "it" does come. That glorious first day of the year when one does not need a jacket to ride outside. And after that, the first day warm enough to wear short sleeves.

It won't be long now. I can almost feel it........................

Thoughts On The Regulator

Salsa Cycles Regulator Titanium post

Seat posts seem to be a somewhat boring component, but ever since I have started up the Gravel Grinder News quest for the most comfortable seat post, I have learned that there are indeed many things to learn about such seemingly simple objects.

If you are riding a "proper" mountain bike which is sized correctly, you probably have several inches of exposed post out of the frame. Many folks probably do not consider that a seat post flexes, but they do, and that is a very good thing! However; now designers of seat posts are going further and using seat posts as a way to absorb vibrations on purpose, like the Ergon CF-3 post does. I had heard friends rave about how titanium seat posts rode as well, so I figured that since Salsa Cycles was now offering a version of a titanium post, I would jump on board one to see what all the fuss was about, and to see if the titanium post would perhaps mitigate some potential discomforts.

The Regulator was pretty convincing at Triple D

Of course, I used the Regulator at Triple D, and have done several shorter rides since that 67 miler over all sorts of rough ice, snow, and post holed, teeth jarring frozen trail. Here's my initial thoughts from the perspective of riding a fat bike.

First of all, I am very familiar with how my titanium Mukluk rides with a Salsa Shaft post which is made from aluminum. The Regulator post was a noticeable difference from that old post with the titanium bike. Much, much smoother over smaller chatter. In some cases, I couldn't feel many vibrations that I was feeling with the aluminum post in back to back rides on both posts. There is certainly an improvement to be had in ride feel with the Regulator post. No doubt about that.

Downsides? Yes- there are a few. First off, (and this may be okay for many riders), the springy action of this post is undamped. That means if the post absorbs energy, and flexes, it will return that energy and this is felt with a tendency to bounce a couple of times after bigger hits and when going through abrupt transitions in terrain. Like a "g-out", for instance. Think about a car with bad shock absorbers, and maybe that will give you an idea, but it wasn't that bad! However; it was definitely noticeable, and as I said, it did not bother me. That said, I never was bounced out of my saddle, so it was not severe like that in anyway. Lighter riders will likely never notice this, by the way. (I weigh 230lbs, for reference.)

Secondly, this post is not all that light. I weighed this in at 310 grams, which was 30 grams heavier than the Shaft post it replaced. However; the comfort factor increased by an order of magnitude with the Regulator post installed, so the weight penalty here is maybe forgivable. Consider that for heavier folks, or riders that carry a heavy backpack, the peace of mind in knowing that this post is made from metal, and can handle some abuse, well that weight may be seen as an asset in those circumstances. I've snapped off a carbon post before, and it ain't something I want to try again, I can tell you that much!

Thirdly, the post is expensive. No doubt about that. However; it's in line with a 400mm lay back Eriksen Sweetpost and Moots Cinch Post pricing, so the 410mm Regulator at $275.00 or so isn't bad. But that's still a lot of coin for a seat post.

 Again, I paid my own money for this post, and I am glad I did try it. It definitely has been and will be an asset in my fat bike riding. The next test will be on a gravel road bike set up where I will see how it does for mitigating the "paint shaker" effect of rough gravel roads. That will have to wait until the roads come out of Winter first though.

Stay tuned for updates.....

Thoughts On The Regulator

Salsa Cycles Regulator Titanium post

Seat posts seem to be a somewhat boring component, but ever since I have started up the Gravel Grinder News quest for the most comfortable seat post, I have learned that there are indeed many things to learn about such seemingly simple objects.

If you are riding a "proper" mountain bike which is sized correctly, you probably have several inches of exposed post out of the frame. Many folks probably do not consider that a seat post flexes, but they do, and that is a very good thing! However; now designers of seat posts are going further and using seat posts as a way to absorb vibrations on purpose, like the Ergon CF-3 post does. I had heard friends rave about how titanium seat posts rode as well, so I figured that since Salsa Cycles was now offering a version of a titanium post, I would jump on board one to see what all the fuss was about, and to see if the titanium post would perhaps mitigate some potential discomforts.

The Regulator was pretty convincing at Triple D

Of course, I used the Regulator at Triple D, and have done several shorter rides since that 67 miler over all sorts of rough ice, snow, and post holed, teeth jarring frozen trail. Here's my initial thoughts from the perspective of riding a fat bike.

First of all, I am very familiar with how my titanium Mukluk rides with a Salsa Shaft post which is made from aluminum. The Regulator post was a noticeable difference from that old post with the titanium bike. Much, much smoother over smaller chatter. In some cases, I couldn't feel many vibrations that I was feeling with the aluminum post in back to back rides on both posts. There is certainly an improvement to be had in ride feel with the Regulator post. No doubt about that.

Downsides? Yes- there are a few. First off, (and this may be okay for many riders), the springy action of this post is undamped. That means if the post absorbs energy, and flexes, it will return that energy and this is felt with a tendency to bounce a couple of times after bigger hits and when going through abrupt transitions in terrain. Like a "g-out", for instance. Think about a car with bad shock absorbers, and maybe that will give you an idea, but it wasn't that bad! However; it was definitely noticeable, and as I said, it did not bother me. That said, I never was bounced out of my saddle, so it was not severe like that in anyway. Lighter riders will likely never notice this, by the way. (I weigh 230lbs, for reference.)

Secondly, this post is not all that light. I weighed this in at 310 grams, which was 30 grams heavier than the Shaft post it replaced. However; the comfort factor increased by an order of magnitude with the Regulator post installed, so the weight penalty here is maybe forgivable. Consider that for heavier folks, or riders that carry a heavy backpack, the peace of mind in knowing that this post is made from metal, and can handle some abuse, well that weight may be seen as an asset in those circumstances. I've snapped off a carbon post before, and it ain't something I want to try again, I can tell you that much!

Thirdly, the post is expensive. No doubt about that. However; it's in line with a 400mm lay back Eriksen Sweetpost and Moots Cinch Post pricing, so the 410mm Regulator at $275.00 or so isn't bad. But that's still a lot of coin for a seat post.

 Again, I paid my own money for this post, and I am glad I did try it. It definitely has been and will be an asset in my fat bike riding. The next test will be on a gravel road bike set up where I will see how it does for mitigating the "paint shaker" effect of rough gravel roads. That will have to wait until the roads come out of Winter first though.

Stay tuned for updates.....

Where Do The Old Components Go?

NOS 6 speed Shimano 600 Freewheel

One of the most baffling things to my mind is how perfectly decent designs made for cycling go by the wayside, never to be manufactured again. Instead, an inferior design is manufactured as a replacement part and what is worse, most of the time the replacement parts are more than just inferior. Many times the replacement parts really are bad parts. It is such a shame.

Take for instance the following: A customer brought in an old freewheel he wanted replaced on a perfectly good 27" wheel with a Wolber rim, (decent dual wall extrusion, eyeletted, and anodized), and Sun Tour hub. He produced an old Shimano box and inside was a NOS Shimano 600 freewheel. Now I have seen my fair share of Regina and Sun Tour 6 speed free wheels, but never one like this Shimano unit.

It spun so freely, with a quiet snicking of the free hub pawls that would make any mechanic smile. The finish was jewel-like, and the cogs featured beveled teeth which were slightly canted for better shifting. Compared to a new replacement 6 speed freewheel, there is no way I could honestly say the replacement is anywhere in the same ballpark in terms of quality. So, why can't we just keep making that Shimano 600 freewheel forever? Wouldn't that be nice? Couldn't that be done at a reasonable price?

Then there are things like the original 110BCD Shimano XTR square taper interface crank. Those were some of the most beautiful, functional cranks ever made. Hey- they still make decent cartridge bottom brackets, so at least we have that part! But that crank was so well made and so versatile, it just seems a bit odd that it isn't still made yet. I mean.....why not? Given the option to buy that crank or a.....I don't know,  a Velo Orange crank, just to pull something out of thin air..... Well, I know which one I'd rather get for an old bike, or heck.....a new gravel grinder!

While it is true that some real clunker parts were made in the past as well, it just seems a waste to have had something that was so perfectly functional and beautifully made go by the wayside when we really could still use those same parts today.

Where Do The Old Components Go?

NOS 6 speed Shimano 600 Freewheel

One of the most baffling things to my mind is how perfectly decent designs made for cycling go by the wayside, never to be manufactured again. Instead, an inferior design is manufactured as a replacement part and what is worse, most of the time the replacement parts are more than just inferior. Many times the replacement parts really are bad parts. It is such a shame.

Take for instance the following: A customer brought in an old freewheel he wanted replaced on a perfectly good 27" wheel with a Wolber rim, (decent dual wall extrusion, eyeletted, and anodized), and Sun Tour hub. He produced an old Shimano box and inside was a NOS Shimano 600 freewheel. Now I have seen my fair share of Regina and Sun Tour 6 speed free wheels, but never one like this Shimano unit.

It spun so freely, with a quiet snicking of the free hub pawls that would make any mechanic smile. The finish was jewel-like, and the cogs featured beveled teeth which were slightly canted for better shifting. Compared to a new replacement 6 speed freewheel, there is no way I could honestly say the replacement is anywhere in the same ballpark in terms of quality. So, why can't we just keep making that Shimano 600 freewheel forever? Wouldn't that be nice? Couldn't that be done at a reasonable price?

Then there are things like the original 110BCD Shimano XTR square taper interface crank. Those were some of the most beautiful, functional cranks ever made. Hey- they still make decent cartridge bottom brackets, so at least we have that part! But that crank was so well made and so versatile, it just seems a bit odd that it isn't still made yet. I mean.....why not? Given the option to buy that crank or a.....I don't know,  a Velo Orange crank, just to pull something out of thin air..... Well, I know which one I'd rather get for an old bike, or heck.....a new gravel grinder!

While it is true that some real clunker parts were made in the past as well, it just seems a waste to have had something that was so perfectly functional and beautifully made go by the wayside when we really could still use those same parts today.

Fulfilling A Promise

The end of a great day

My son had been wanting to go sledding for a while. However; one thing or another has been getting in the way for about a month now. Sickness, super cold weather, or some other activity. He was pretty disappointed several times. But not this past weekend.

It started out with about 4 inches of fresh snow, so that was good, but we needed to clear the walks and street parking first. That took up about two hours.  Jacob helped with that chore and did a great job.

Then we had some lunch, and oddly enough, the gals went out shopping, leaving us by ourselves. Jacob decided we needed to just chill out and watch some television for a while. Eventually, after I just about feel asleep, he got up and announced that it was time to go sledding. So, I put the sled in the back of the Truck With No Name and we set out for the dike to slide down as many times as he wanted to.

There were other things I could have done that day that were cycling related. I could have gone and supported the local snow bike race, and run my fat bike. I could have gone to Des Moines to ride with friends on gravel to Perry Iowa and back. Yeah.....but those things are not all that important. I was reminded of that when earlier in the day, Jacob was going though a rough spot, and I stopped and had a bit of a time out chat with him. Calmed him down. Everything was better after that, and then he said to me later,

"Thanks for encouraging me earlier, Dad."

Beats going on any bike ride any day, for my own purposes. Glad I decided to stay home and spend my time with my son instead.

Fulfilling A Promise

The end of a great day

My son had been wanting to go sledding for a while. However; one thing or another has been getting in the way for about a month now. Sickness, super cold weather, or some other activity. He was pretty disappointed several times. But not this past weekend.

It started out with about 4 inches of fresh snow, so that was good, but we needed to clear the walks and street parking first. That took up about two hours.  Jacob helped with that chore and did a great job.

Then we had some lunch, and oddly enough, the gals went out shopping, leaving us by ourselves. Jacob decided we needed to just chill out and watch some television for a while. Eventually, after I just about feel asleep, he got up and announced that it was time to go sledding. So, I put the sled in the back of the Truck With No Name and we set out for the dike to slide down as many times as he wanted to.

There were other things I could have done that day that were cycling related. I could have gone and supported the local snow bike race, and run my fat bike. I could have gone to Des Moines to ride with friends on gravel to Perry Iowa and back. Yeah.....but those things are not all that important. I was reminded of that when earlier in the day, Jacob was going though a rough spot, and I stopped and had a bit of a time out chat with him. Calmed him down. Everything was better after that, and then he said to me later,

"Thanks for encouraging me earlier, Dad."

Beats going on any bike ride any day, for my own purposes. Glad I decided to stay home and spend my time with my son instead.

Trans Iowa: Ten Years Of Tales #34

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....

 Trans Iowa v6 was organizationally one of the easiest I have ever been a part of. However; logistically it was one of the most difficult ones. Not since the days before T.I.v3 had I been so stressed out. The reason why was clear- the Winter wouldn't go away. 

David and I got some minimal recon done late in the Fall, but in the second week of December, a big snow storm came and that was that. Recon would have to wait till early Spring, or so we thought. However; early Spring didn't come until late March!  We were unable to get going again on recon until the last weekend in March, and then it was done in fits and starts by myself, or David on his own. Not until about a week before the event did David and I get the recon completed.

Now that everything had been done, we had a week to get the cues done. I wanted David to send over a draft so I could double check them for accuracy. E-mails were sent and at one point, David sent me an e-mail that sent me into a tizzy. Essentially due to all the last minute stress he was about to throw in the towel and forget all about doing the cues!

There was a phone call, a few more e-mails, and finally the crisis was averted and David got the cues done. The explanation I received at the time was that David didn't feel as much a part of things as he felt he should. We worked through the issues and I stressed I could make him be as big a part of things as he wanted, but in the end, I don't think the issue was ever really resolved completely. It wasn't clearly understood by myself or by David exactly what would make things work for him more smoothly, but I also think that it was so close to the event that all I was worried about was getting T.I.v6 off the ground. At any rate, most folks had no clue that T.I.v6 almost didn't happen!

The first "Pre-Race Meat-Up" was a success

With that crisis averted the rest of the details did come together. We met at Grinnell at Bikes To You, got our motel room, and scoped out the Steakhouse. We met up with Kevin Wilson, who donated the Trans Iowa logo stickers to the cause that year, and he was driving us to go check out a crossing of I-80. On the way over, his GPS was trying to tell us we were supposed to turn underneath I-80 and I remember chuckling to myself and thinking that even GPS stuff isn't 100% spot on.

Anyway, I remember it being wet, and the concerns about rain, soft roads, and impassable B Roads were weighing on our minds as well as the riders. We were holding out hope that the forecast of only 3 tenths for Saturday in the area would hold up.

Williamsburg's pre-race meeting for T.I.v5 produced our "imposter" racer, but this time I made that possibility impossible by making all the racers sign in when they came to eat. Only racers signing in would get their name called up for a bag, so no one could jump in at the last minute anymore and claim another no-show rider's spot. In fact, if you didn't sign in before the meeting, you couldn't ride. It worked. I also remember that we had only a minimal amount of no-shows despite the sketchy weather forecast.Only 2 in fact.

The "Pre-Race Meat-Up", as I dubbed it, was a huge hit with the riders, and apparently with everyone at the Grinnell Steakhouse as well. The wait staff came over as we were clearing out to ask us if we were coming back the following year! David and I were smiling. It obviously was a huge step forward from the year before, and we were pretty excited for the event to kick off the following morning.

Next: T.I.v6 gets off to a soupy start......

Trans Iowa: Ten Years Of Tales #34

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....

 Trans Iowa v6 was organizationally one of the easiest I have ever been a part of. However; logistically it was one of the most difficult ones. Not since the days before T.I.v3 had I been so stressed out. The reason why was clear- the Winter wouldn't go away. 

David and I got some minimal recon done late in the Fall, but in the second week of December, a big snow storm came and that was that. Recon would have to wait till early Spring, or so we thought. However; early Spring didn't come until late March!  We were unable to get going again on recon until the last weekend in March, and then it was done in fits and starts by myself, or David on his own. Not until about a week before the event did David and I get the recon completed.

Now that everything had been done, we had a week to get the cues done. I wanted David to send over a draft so I could double check them for accuracy. E-mails were sent and at one point, David sent me an e-mail that sent me into a tizzy. Essentially due to all the last minute stress he was about to throw in the towel and forget all about doing the cues!

There was a phone call, a few more e-mails, and finally the crisis was averted and David got the cues done. The explanation I received at the time was that David didn't feel as much a part of things as he felt he should. We worked through the issues and I stressed I could make him be as big a part of things as he wanted, but in the end, I don't think the issue was ever really resolved completely. It wasn't clearly understood by myself or by David exactly what would make things work for him more smoothly, but I also think that it was so close to the event that all I was worried about was getting T.I.v6 off the ground. At any rate, most folks had no clue that T.I.v6 almost didn't happen!

The first "Pre-Race Meat-Up" was a success

With that crisis averted the rest of the details did come together. We met at Grinnell at Bikes To You, got our motel room, and scoped out the Steakhouse. We met up with Kevin Wilson, who donated the Trans Iowa logo stickers to the cause that year, and he was driving us to go check out a crossing of I-80. On the way over, his GPS was trying to tell us we were supposed to turn underneath I-80 and I remember chuckling to myself and thinking that even GPS stuff isn't 100% spot on.

Anyway, I remember it being wet, and the concerns about rain, soft roads, and impassable B Roads were weighing on our minds as well as the riders. We were holding out hope that the forecast of only 3 tenths for Saturday in the area would hold up.

Williamsburg's pre-race meeting for T.I.v5 produced our "imposter" racer, but this time I made that possibility impossible by making all the racers sign in when they came to eat. Only racers signing in would get their name called up for a bag, so no one could jump in at the last minute anymore and claim another no-show rider's spot. In fact, if you didn't sign in before the meeting, you couldn't ride. It worked. I also remember that we had only a minimal amount of no-shows despite the sketchy weather forecast.Only 2 in fact.

The "Pre-Race Meat-Up", as I dubbed it, was a huge hit with the riders, and apparently with everyone at the Grinnell Steakhouse as well. The wait staff came over as we were clearing out to ask us if we were coming back the following year! David and I were smiling. It obviously was a huge step forward from the year before, and we were pretty excited for the event to kick off the following morning.

Next: T.I.v6 gets off to a soupy start......

Trans Iowa: Ten Years Of Tales #33

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....

The first year for both of us: Image by Ari Andonopoulous

 Many things about Trans Iowa v6 were so, soooo easy. Like the place to have the pre race meeting. I actually had the choice of two places, but one of them was intriguing to me from the factor of the way the restaurant was set up. It was a "grill your own" meat place. I had been to several of these types of places throughout my lifetime, and I knew the drill. I thought it would be a great way to kind of stimulate mingling amongst the riders before the event. It might be a good way to let those folks get to know each other a wee bit better. Looking back on it, I would say I had the correct hunch there. Interestingly enough, the Grinnell Steakhouse had just recently opened up as well, so it was as new to Grinnell as Trans Iowa was.

It was just amazing to me that this detail had been squared away so easily and so soon. What a complete departure from Williamsburg! The start line was also another cool deal, and one I had wanted to try. A downtown start. No more starting at the edge of towns, in weird, out of the way places. Now we could engage the city, albeit in the dead of the night, but still. I was liking this better.

Another thing we decided to do with the new venue was to redirect the event even more toward a self-supported nature. David was actually the instigator on this front. He was a bit turned off by how some other events had "softened" their approach to this and I was in complete agreement. To that end, I decided to do two things: One was to not let anyone know but the checkpoint volunteers for their respective spots where the checkpoints were at. This would eliminate the "followers" and hopefully the support of which we had seen and heard of during v5.

The start has been in front of Bikes To You since v6: Image by J. Boucher

Secondly, I made the announcement that Trans Iowa Radio would never happen again. Too many folks were just not getting it. No matter how much I made a fuss about that feature not being a report on any individuals in particular, I still was being roundly criticized for not providing detailed coverage. As if running Trans Iowa during all of that wasn't enough. So, the dirty little secret there was that I actually had planned on doing T.I. Radio all along. But I figured if folks didn't think they would have that "resource", they wouldn't get their hopes up, and the criticisms wouldn't happen. Turns out I was right about these things as well. Happily, I can report that Trans Iowa Radio has finally found its rightful place amongst the listeners, and the criticisms have fallen off since v6.

So, the infrastructure for the event was in place, our tweaks were thought through and we were excited about them. We needed a course though. The three checkpoint idea was retained, and David and I got in about 1/4 of the distance looked at before a big snowfall in early December wiped out any hopes of doing recon for awhile. Hey, maybe Spring would come early and we'd get it done.

Next: Our backs against the wall.......

Trans Iowa: Ten Years Of Tales #33

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....

The first year for both of us: Image by Ari Andonopoulous

 Many things about Trans Iowa v6 were so, soooo easy. Like the place to have the pre race meeting. I actually had the choice of two places, but one of them was intriguing to me from the factor of the way the restaurant was set up. It was a "grill your own" meat place. I had been to several of these types of places throughout my lifetime, and I knew the drill. I thought it would be a great way to kind of stimulate mingling amongst the riders before the event. It might be a good way to let those folks get to know each other a wee bit better. Looking back on it, I would say I had the correct hunch there. Interestingly enough, the Grinnell Steakhouse had just recently opened up as well, so it was as new to Grinnell as Trans Iowa was.

It was just amazing to me that this detail had been squared away so easily and so soon. What a complete departure from Williamsburg! The start line was also another cool deal, and one I had wanted to try. A downtown start. No more starting at the edge of towns, in weird, out of the way places. Now we could engage the city, albeit in the dead of the night, but still. I was liking this better.

Another thing we decided to do with the new venue was to redirect the event even more toward a self-supported nature. David was actually the instigator on this front. He was a bit turned off by how some other events had "softened" their approach to this and I was in complete agreement. To that end, I decided to do two things: One was to not let anyone know but the checkpoint volunteers for their respective spots where the checkpoints were at. This would eliminate the "followers" and hopefully the support of which we had seen and heard of during v5.

The start has been in front of Bikes To You since v6: Image by J. Boucher

Secondly, I made the announcement that Trans Iowa Radio would never happen again. Too many folks were just not getting it. No matter how much I made a fuss about that feature not being a report on any individuals in particular, I still was being roundly criticized for not providing detailed coverage. As if running Trans Iowa during all of that wasn't enough. So, the dirty little secret there was that I actually had planned on doing T.I. Radio all along. But I figured if folks didn't think they would have that "resource", they wouldn't get their hopes up, and the criticisms wouldn't happen. Turns out I was right about these things as well. Happily, I can report that Trans Iowa Radio has finally found its rightful place amongst the listeners, and the criticisms have fallen off since v6.

So, the infrastructure for the event was in place, our tweaks were thought through and we were excited about them. We needed a course though. The three checkpoint idea was retained, and David and I got in about 1/4 of the distance looked at before a big snowfall in early December wiped out any hopes of doing recon for awhile. Hey, maybe Spring would come early and we'd get it done.

Next: Our backs against the wall.......