THE CHANGES

For TIV5 it's quite obvious there was a big change - the location of the event! TIV5 was the first TransIowa not run in the northern part of the state. Still a “big ass loop”, but TransIowa had to move out of Decorah and northeast Iowa for one reason and it didn’t have anything to do with TransIowa, but rather myself. See, I was also involved in helping promote The Big Wheeled Ballyhoo, which was a festival created to have fun with 29ers and like-minded folks up in Decorah, Iowa. It is necessary to explain, for those who care, why TransIowa left it's long time relationship with this great NEIA city. The Big Wheeled Ballyhoo was supposed to be held on June 20-21, 2008, but as many know, that date was preceded by some of the very worst natural disasters the state has ever seen. Tornados and flooding ripped the area in early June, causing millions of dollars in damage, a high toll in loss of life, and a disruption in our daily lives that was unprecedented.

 

About 10 days before the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo, I was pressed to make a call on whether we would cancel the event in order to help vendors planning to come divert their energies elsewhere if we were not going to be able to hold the event. Calls were made to Decorah folks and I was told that the vendor/camping area was not suitable for use and there were no other viable plans that could be implemented in time to hold the event. It was relayed to me that the trails were okay, though. However, it didn’t really make sense to me to hold an event where you have nowhere to put people, and all I had to go on was my information that I was being fed from folks at ground zero. For that compelling reason and others, I called off the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo.

 

On the scheduled day of the event, I took a trip to Decorah to ride and posted this missive, which basically was about how I spent the whole afternoon up there and didn’t see but a few folks out on the trails. This got under the skin of certain locals up there and an email was fired off at me that stated “…please do not consider Decorah for any future events.” So, leaving the reasoning for that aside (that’s a whole different story), I’ll just focus on the effect it had on TransIowa. That was, I granted them their wish. As was stated in the TIV4 post, David and I talked about moving the event at some point anyway, it just came a year earlier than I had wanted. Then again, we don’t want to incur any ill will, especially since it was connected to another event entirely, with me being the common denominator there. David and I left all that behind and moved on with a new plan.

 

It was David’s suggestion to use Williamsburg to base TIV5 out of, and with that we decided to split up the course finding duties. This was a first for me, and to be honest, it was less stressful and a whole lot of fun. Going to see what David had cooked up was a great time and his seeing my end of it had occurred over several years of actual riding on bits and pieces of my end of things. My plan utilized different sections of previous TransIowa and Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational (GTDRI) routes combined with some new ground that plugged in with the loose ends of David’s course. We decided to tweak the checkpoint and cue sheet idea a bit. David suggested we go to a short lead out, with the first checkpoint only being 40 miles in. That did a few things in our minds. It kept the fast guys from planning out the first 100+ miles of their rides with regard to where to resupply, generalizations in regard to terrain, and how to pace their efforts. Now they would have a bit of the course to look at Friday night, but only 40 miles, leaving the rest a complete mystery and forcing a stop, albeit perhaps only a few seconds worth. It would also hopefully persuade folks to soldier on to the second checkpoint and beyond. Other than that, we kept things somewhat similar. On the sponsor front, we had more sponsorship proposals than we ever had and all without looking really. It was flabbergasting, to be honest, and David and I were super grateful.

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THE LEAD UP

TIV5 was preceded by a bunch of rain – 5.5 inches fell on the course one week prior to the event. That didn’t really have much of an effect, since the springtime weather had been rather dry before that. There were a few wet spots, but everything was passable, even the B-roads. The roads were spread with a lot of fresh gravel this time since federal bailout money was available to the counties. That and a west/northwest headwind the day of the event were the only extenuating circumstances that affected the outcome of TIV5. Otherwise, the weather was on par with TIV3, if maybe a touch cooler. The roster, set at 75 and allowed to contract with no add-ons after January 31, was down to 52 by race day – a typical number.

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THE EVENT

This year saw 52 participants take the rolling controlled start at 4 a.m. Saturday, May 2, under starlit skies. The opening salvos of the event were rather flat or gently rolling hills. Iowa has a reputation for being a somewhat flat state, but that notion would soon be laid to rest not long after the first checkpoint had passed. At about mile 65, the riders turned north at a town named North English where the big, incessant rollers started in earnest. The grade is steep, and one hill follows another with no respite. The roads were also interspersed with several of the infamous B-road sectors that give one a feeling of remoteness and a hint of what our predecessors had to deal with in their Conestoga wagons 175 years ago. Although mud was at a minimum, the rutted, uneven surface of some of the B-roads was difficult enough to force riders to walk the climbs.

 

Added to any TransIowa event is the wild card of weather. Sometimes the weather is such a factor that it precludes the possibility of any finishers at all (TIV2), or severely limits the amount of finishers and truncates the planned course (TIV4). This year the weather was a benign factor for the most part with the exception of a stiff afternoon breeze on Saturday that happened to coincide with the riders traveling the part of the loop that caused this wind to be at their faces. The resulting mix of headwind, bright sunlight, hills, loose gravel, and B-roads was too much for a great part of the field. Only 25 riders would leave CP2 due to others missing the time cut off or DNFing before reaching it. The weather had its say in TIV5, albeit in a subtle way. Leaving CP2 after 151 miles of the course was not an easy decision for some. Over half of the course remained, and now it was going into the dark of night on massive hills, B-roads, and more gravel than you can imagine. For a few, the nighttime was a nightmare.

 

“What kind of insanity drives one to repeat this back-of-the-woodshed total body beating year after year? That is the question my shivering, pain-racked body was screaming at my brain with every turn of the pedals on the long road back to Williamsburg in the wee hours of Sunday morning.” – Jim McGuire

 

Some pulled the plug, some wretched and vomited, some pedaled in a zombie-like haze to the beat of some voodoo playing in their minds. Whatever demons the racers dealt with, we can not totally fathom. However, the results of the pain and misery were evident upon the faces of the competitors as I observed them coming into CP3. Dave Pramann looked like he had aged ten years in the space of 65 miles. Charlie Farrow, whose body shut down on him in between CP2 and CP3, limped in and hit the convenience store for much needed fluids and calories. Tim Ek was drenched in sweat and moving gingerly. It was plain that the pain cave had been visited somewhere along the way.

 

Now moving into the depths of early Sunday morning, the final 15 riders left in the event forged on in whatever way that they could, relying on each other's company to continue on in what would otherwise be a futile attempt to finish the last leg of TIV5.

 

“I honestly don’t know how many people could have finished this entire ride alone. I’m pretty sure there’s no way I could have.” – Ben Shockey, fixed gear rider, 11th overall

 

The final leg was done by the first three finishers in just under 25 hours. That was an incredible feat considering the toughness of this particular course. Joe Meiser took the finish line first with Dave Pramann and Tim Ek having made a gentleman’s agreement on the road to tie for second out of respect for helping each other along the way, both physically by drafting and mentally by just being there.

 

“I’ll never forget when I was drifting backward after a pull down the line past you and you (Dave Pramann) looked over at me with a huge smile and we held hands for about five seconds without a word spoken, we were winning the TransIowa.”

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THE AFTERMATH

TransIowa is a bit unique in its own way when you think about how it breaks a person down. The obvious thing is the physical part. The brutality of 300+ miles of Iowa back roads is not to be taken lightly. However, the mental and emotional part is even more shocking, really. Grown men crying as they sit on the ground at the finish line. Freely given and accepted hugs, handshakes, and words flow amongst competitors and promoters alike. Alliances made on the road become lifelong friendships. It is hard not to feel it well up inside of me even now as I type out this story. TransIowa is like that. It gets into you, it breaks you down.

 

“I’m still a bit unglued mentally from it, actually… but in a good way.” “When we crossed the finish line and the stories were being told for about 10 minutes, then suddenly, slowly the group started to clap for us. I did all I could to not start crying in front of all of you” 

 

So, what is it that gets into you and why? How can it really be explained to those that have not taken on such a challenge? I am sure this bit of writing falls very short of the mark in regard to answering those questions. I just know that it has even gotten into me as a promoter/organizer. I can’t tell you how many times I have sworn off ever doing another TransIowa, but somehow the itch comes back, and I am not satisfied until I have scratched it. Not just a little bit either, but maybe until it is bleeding. I think that the 15 finishers of TIV5 would agree, and many of the folks that fell short of the challenge would not only agree, but say, “Hell yeah! Let’s do this again!" I think maybe it is all summed up in this quote from Ben Shockey:

 

“…thanks doesn’t seem to cut it but it’s all I’ve got right now. You allow us…encourage us to chase a dream no matter how crazy it may seem to others” – Ben Shockey

 

That is what motivates me and keeps myself and D.P. doing this year after year. It is why folks come back and do this event year after year, and why new folks come to throw down what they’ve got in the face of this huge challenge that we craft for them. It isn’t for everyone, but it is definitely a life-changing experience that all of us involved with TransIowa can attest to. Even though TIV5 has just been completed, a TIV6 is already in the works. 

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Here are some random thoughts as I leave TIV5 in the rear view mirror. That wasn’t so bad now was it? To say things went smoothly is an understatement. We had some bobbles, to be sure, but they were very minor. Nothing that remotely affected the outcome of the event and were very minor concerns. The dogleg issue. We will have to pay more attention to what will be seen in the dark now. Things get weird in the night, and maybe we could improve on some things in that area. Outside support was happening. I wasn’t too pleased about it, but it came in a form I had not considered before and hasn’t been addressed in a fair manner to racers before, so I withheld any judgements during the event. More on this in a bit. That was about it from a critically important viewpoint. There’s more, but it is mere fluff in comparison.

 

The social side: Here’s where we felt this TransIowa suffered a bit. The venue we started at was not conducive to larger public gatherings without spending money for spaces. Then other restrictions applied that wouldn’t cater to our type of folks either. It was just a difficult situation. To be honest, the pre-race meeting was figured out within a mere couple of weeks before the event took place. That’s cutting it too close, but that wasn’t for lack of trying. There just weren't many options out there. We won’t even delve into anything post-race! We are going to move the event and one of the priorities for 2010 will be in regard to pre- and post-race activities and where they can be held cheaply.

 

TransIowa Radio: Ya know, this is just a bonus dealio I do. I sent out a disclaimer on mtbr.com, my site, and the TransIowa site prior to TIV5 saying as much, yet certain folks bagged on me afterward for doing things all wrong, were disappointed (once again) that I didn’t mention their folks, and the posts were not coming up with audio. I see where this is going. I have to either make this a professional news casting/tracking/social media deal, or I quit doing anything at all. If you’ve been around TransIowa enough, you know that I don’t like adding extra work, so you might be able to figure out what happens next time. TransIowa Radio isn’t necessary. It isn’t integral to the event. It doesn’t seem to enhance my experience of it, and again, if I don’t have fun it gets axed. I “pay” for TransIowa, so I get what I want. Sound selfish? Then you just don’t get it. If I was charging a $250 entry fee for this, the tables would be turned. I may change my mind if it can be done easily and in a fun way. If not, so be it.

 

The date: I liked the date falling two weeks after Sea Otter. I had to go cover that event. If I didn’t have to, I’d maybe go back to the last weekend in April. Had we done that this year, we wouldn’t have had the event. Five and a half inches of rain and severe lightning will shut you down, but I can’t control that weather thing, so I can’t worry about that. The date will be in discussion with D.P., other promoters, and most importantly, the DK200 folks. We want to space out the dates so folks can consider doing both events. Plus, I may not be going to Sea Otter next year. We’ll see.

 

Technology: The issue of technology used for and during TransIowa has come up, mostly in reference to GPS units. I am not very concerned about the GPS thing since our cues are vague enough and road names are often repeated enough from county to county that doing anything in a timely manner with a GPS that might aid you in navigation is going to be difficult, if not near impossible. D.P. brought up a great point that screen size is so small that trying to read the screen while riding is not only difficult to do, but dangerous as well. So, GPS units, be they Garmin-type, stand alone units, or part of a cellphone app, are going to not only be hard to keep off the route of future TransIowas, but in reality also be nearly useless. That said, they are still against the rules! No, my concern about technology isn’t so much the GPS unit, but rather the cellphone. Let’s take a look at this nugget from Charlie Farrow’s TIV5 race report (found on his blog) as an introduction to where I am coming from.

 

“Note: In this era where a spontaneous life-line communicative capacity is available to anyone anywhere, this dogmatic approach to autonomy may seem rigid to some or antiquated to others; to me it's just the way I was raised and I am sure that I like it better than the new way, so I don’t plan on changing…“ – Charlie Farrow

 

So, Charlie isn’t a believer in using the cellphone from a self-sufficiency standpoint, regarding its use as somewhat of a diluting influence on the experience of tackling a challenge like TransIowa. Maybe he casts caution to the wind and doesn’t carry a cellphone at all, preferring to take the risks involved should he get injured or seriously hurt. I don’t know, and I am not saying you should not carry a cellphone either. No, I want to focus upon the idea that a lifeline of support is being established by some riders and that concerns me. I witnessed this from several points along the course of TransIowa. People were off and on their cellphones, talking to the person on the other end into going on, keep pushing, and not give in. I don’t know about you, but a clear-headed cheerleader talking into my ear is support and help in finishing the event. Outside support. Period. I know this is outside support because of what competitors write year-in and year-out in regard to riding with others in the event. Mentally, this support is huge. Ask them. I am not making this up. People suffering in the event together is one thing, but having someone available at any time that isn’t a rider is entirely different. So, if another rider is a support mentally to a rider in the event (and that is by pure chance), then what is a person talking to a competitor at anytime one desires throughout the event? You tell me.

 

That may sound harsh, but that is my gut feeling. If you had this cellphone lifeline going on during TIV5, then you did the route with outside support. The people that accepted support will have to live with that thought. Folks like Charlie Farrow will not. You decide which way is “right”. That said, I don’t know what can be done about it, if anything, other than to say this sort of thing better not be happening in my presence next year or there will be DQs. I don’t like to have to say that, but I know that some will do anything to finish this silly event, and others will abide by the spirit of the event without admonishments from me. I want to support those folks in the latter group. Those that choose the harder road. 

 

Checkpoints: I think we may consider changing up the way we do checkpoints as well. At least we will not be freely giving out checkpoint locations, that’s for sure. It creates an unfair playing field for those who can not, or do not have the possibility of getting folks they know to checkpoints. I’m not sure how this will play out. Maybe having checkpoints in remote locations will be what we have to do. Whatever happens, it is a problem that needs to be addressed.

 

TIV6: It will happen, it won’t be anywhere near the same location it was this year, and it will be tweaked in a few ways compared to the previous years. We were really encouraged by the outpouring of thanks immediately after the event. We were super encouraged to forge ahead and do another one. That said, TransIowa will not happen forever, and an astute observation to this very point was made by Charlie Farrow. Again, from his TIV5 race report:

 

“My message to all those that did not finish, for what itz worth, is to go for it again next year, but with an eye on using all that is given to you. One reason to make another attempt next year stems from the simple fact that guyz like Guitar-Ted and D.P. are a rare treasure to the cycling community and consequently, certainly, it would be unfair to simply assume that they will indefinitely be willing or even capable of providing us with this truly novel cycling experience year after year.“ – Charlie Farrow

 

I do not know when that day will come that I will say, “No mas!”, but rest assured that it will. I do know that I have treasured the experiences and people along the way so far. I expect that I will be adding to that treasure in the near future. I want to say THANK YOU to all that have contributed to my TransIowa experience. I can’t ever thank you all or thank you enough.