THE SHORT VERSION

TIV6 was the perfect example of what I write about this event: the weather is the wildcard. The event, which saw 57 competitors toe the line this year, was affected from the very beginning by the weather. I was sure it wouldn’t be bad, but to our dismay, it rained terribly hard off and on during the event, turning the roads into a muddy mess. B-roads were unrideable. We rerouted around a few, but by the end of the first day, the weather conditions had turned so sour we felt compelled to pull the plug on TIV6 at approximately the halfway point in North English, Iowa. Tremendous rain, worsening winds, and roads that were deteriorating as the event wore on all contributed to the race being cut short. I have not heard a single complaint about how things went down from any of the riders who all enjoyed what they could, and what was for many, the most brutal riding they had ever done in their lives.

 

Starting in front of Grinnell’s Bikes to You shop in the downtown area, riders took off in heavy fog and mist into the dank blackness at 4 a.m. in the morning on Saturday. Before 20 miles had been completed, we noticed lightning in the area, which grew in intensity and closeness to the point that the event was in danger of being cut short at CP1. Fortunately, the weather cleared the area without putting anyone in danger, but we saw some rain. The state of the roads became an issue for a big part of the field. In Iowa, we have what we call Level B Maintenance roads which vary from destroyed gravel to straight dirt to grass double track. There was a one mile section of B-road going into CP1 that was so mucky the riders were forced off their bikes and had to hike the entire mile. This, in combination with soft roads, caused 30 riders to miss the checkpoint cutoff time of 8 a.m., which was 44 miles into the event.

 

The weather improved the rest of the morning until about noon when cloud cover built back in and by 2 p.m. the rain kicked back into gear, which was only a warning shot of what was to come. The remaining riders took what was dealt to them and ground out the miles toward CP2, which was approximately 88 miles from the first checkpoint. The roads continued to be a problem for many as the tires of their bicycles were cutting into the gravel/mud/water mixture of the road surface. This was eating into their energy reserves, resolves, and most importantly, time to make the checkpoint cutoff of 5 p.m. By the late afternoon, it was becoming apparent the weather conditions were going to worsen. We had reports that rain would become heavy, winds were going to increase to 30mph, and the road conditions would therefore deteriorate even more. With riders barely on time to make cutoffs, it was the determination of D.P. and I to truncate the event and get the riders to a safe, warm place before the situation became dire. We made the decision to pull the riders at 7 p.m. There were only 8 riders left on course: Joe Meiser, John Gorilla, Corey “Cornbread” Godfrey, Matt Braun, Eric Brunt, Jay and Tracey Petervary (Tandem), Charles Parsons. These people became the finishers of this version of TransIowa, which was the second shortest distance of the six so far (TIV2 being the shortest).

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THE CHANGES

We were a bit dissatisfied with the event’s social side as far as Williamsburg was concerned, so we turned to the west and decided on Grinnell as a starting and finishing point. David was somewhat familiar with areas to the south, so we decided on Pella as a pass-through town early on. A covered bridge was also on the menu early on, along with a good-sized chunk of the previous TIV5 course, just to make things easier on us.

Later on, toward the end of the summer, I became aware that a possibility to review a pair of Oakley Jawbones was going to happen. Now, this usually doesn’t affect things like TransIowa, but this time things would be different. This marked something big for TIV6. The Oakley rep, Rob Versteegh, was a big fan of TransIowa. He really liked the event, and knew several of its past competitors. Rob got ahold of me and started telling me he had a lot of information about the Grinnell area, having ridden around there plenty, and even knew of a potential start/stop place for TIV6. That was a great help in getting a foot in the door in Grinnell. One of the most intriguing things we heard from Rob was that he could hook us up with a restored barn just outside of Grinnell. He didn’t know how we might want to use it, but he thought we should check into it. D.P. and myself did recon on October 24, 2009. We went down to Grinnell and set eyes on what would become the TransIowa finish line. We also decided to try to have the race start outside of Bikes to You in downtown Grinnell. A meeting with Craig Cooper, the Bikes to You Owner, Rob Versteegh, D.P., and myself took place on November 11. We got the start line set for right in front of Bikes to You. The barn was decided on as a finish line/overnight spot for spectators/support folks and a Chamber of Commerce person, Sheryl Parmley, was also summoned and on hand to help with motels and securing a pre-race meet-up spot. Unbelievable support from Grinnell’s folks so far, and we were just getting started.

 

The social end gets figured out: Sheryl really is due most of the credit for this. Working with local businesses that were Chamber of Commerce members, we were happy to score a lodging deal and a local restaurant, The Grinnell Steakhouse, as a perfect pre-race Meat-Up spot. Not only that, but Sheryl got the racers hooked up with dining dollars to subsidize the meal costs. Too cool!

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In another TransIowa-related happening over the winter, TIV3 tag along, Zach Dundas, got ahold of me via email to say that pre-orders for his book, The Renegade Sportsman, were being accepted. The book, which is about America’s under-the-radar, anti-establishment sporting scene includes a chapter on TIV3, which Zach described as being quite large and “as epic as the race is”. Speaking of media, I started a site to cover gravel events that have sprung up since TIV1 and called it “Gravel Grinder News“. As if I wasn’t busy enough!

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THE LEAD UP

On Friday the 13, I announced registration and the first week was fun with gifts of booze, cash cards, potato chips, cigars, and more coming in with all the cool postcards. By the end of the first week, we had 48 folks on board, all past TransIowa veterans. The roster was looking pretty stacked with quality talent already. After the first week of open registration, it was filled. Basically seven days. Then the postcards kept rolling in. Waitlist numbers exceeded 45 folks. Amazing. The fall off of riders normally seen after registration closes from the official roster happened, but to a much lesser extent. I transferred in six people before the waitlist was killed off on January 31, 2010. In fact, because volunteers get in free after their year of service, I had more than 75 on the roster. Some folks backed out, but considering comp entries for sponsorship of TIV6, it was looking like this could be a record number of starters for the April 24 honking of the horn. Speaking of that, a bit of TransIowa history died when my 1991 Honda Civic Wagon died. Better known as the "Dirty Blue Box“, it had thousands of miles of gravel travel on the odometer and was a fixture at two TransIowa events, being well-remembered by TransIowa vets. It was replaced by a 2003 Toyota Tundra that I dubbed the “Truck With No Name“.

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Usually I don’t even want to think about another TransIowa right after I finish one. I want nothing to do with it for months, and most of the time, I even toy with the idea of quitting it altogether. This feeling usually fades over the course of summer and by fall, I am usually thinking of routes and what to do to tweak out the event next time. That didn’t happen this time. This TransIowa started out differently, much differently. It came as a surprise at the time, but it seemed logical too. It was at the finish line of TIV5 that David and I, the last ones there that day, shook hands on TIV6. David just stuck his hand out and said, “TIV6?” You already know the answer I gave.

 

A sketch for a route was finished by June and a revision done by August. Busy schedules kept us from doing any recon, but getting this far was an unprecedented accomplishment. With another well-meaning recon effort wasted in 2009, I was hoping to get a break with the weather in winter. No dice! It snowed on December 10 and that was it. We were inundated with snow the entire winter, relegating recon to spring. The snow cover was heavy all across the state, and worries about flooding, damaged bridges, and frost heaves were becoming more serious as February faded. TIV4 started out in a similar fashion. Would this be a repeat? Fortunately we learned some good lessons from TIV4, just in case.

 

With things still under a frozen coating of snow right into mid-March, things were pretty quiet on the TransIowa front. Late in the month recon finally got going again. We found a checkpoint spot in What Cheer, made some decisions on timing, and more sponsors and sponsorship news was in the offing. Rob Versteegh met with me in the latter part of the month and we nailed down the Oakley O-Down at The Barn details, got his gravel ride mostly figured out and dubbed that “Rob’s M-COGG Ride” (Rob’s Metric Century of Gravelly Goodness), and I learned that Epic Designs was back on board with some bags for prizing. Salsa committed to giving away a frame set, and prizing was rolling in to Europa Cycles for the event. Sheryl got us approved with the City of Grinnell, a first as far as I could remember for a TransIowa start town. Now to just finish that dratted recon! It got finished a mere three weeks out from the event. Then D.P. had to get the cues sorted and figured out. It’s always a nerve-wracking deal to do cues, as I knew from my past efforts and D.P. felt the task at hand weighing down on him. We hit a rough spot there about two weeks out, but D.P. persevered and the cues and the rest of the event fell into place. Now it was out of our hands and we waited to see what the weather would bring.

 

The roads were incredibly dry and pounded into powdery fluff in lots of places. Reasons to explain this strange occurrence were wide ranging, but the fact remains that it was weird and actually treacherous in places. I figured a settling rain was in order, and to my surprise, we were forecast to get it on the Friday of the pre-race Meat-Up.

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THE EVENT PART I

The story of TIV6 started off with a drive in the "Truck Without A Name" to Grinnell in the rain. I was doing okay, blasting some tunes, when a van tried to pass me and then slip between myself and the feed truck/semi in front of me at 60mph. Yeah, they about put me in the ditch! Nice! I got there without further trauma and when I pulled into town, D.P. called and we met at Bikes to You in Grinnell's downtown area. We hung out and talked to Coop, the owner, and then hit up some grub. Finally, we decided to go to the motel and get our room. There we met Kevin Wilson, who has a bicycle consulting business, and we all chatted for a bit. The three of us went out and checked on a bridge over I-80 that was in question. It turned out it was not a bridge but an underpass, and it was fine. After purchasing a new rain jacket back in town at Bikes to You, it was time to set up for the pre-race Meat-Up. The volunteers were great and we had more help than we needed. Things were going smoothly, really. The gig was at the Grinnell Steakhouse, which was an awesome place – very nice inside, with our own room which was quite perfect and the service was incredible. Everyone was to "grill yer own" vittles ,which was a great way for the racers to meet each other. The meeting was fun and went well. Afterward, we hit the motel and got some short-but-sweet shut eye. Much of the talk was about the weather, of course, and we felt sure that with forecasts calling for minimal amounts of rain on Saturday, we'd be okay. As we left, the Meat-Up, we noticed that the air temperature was rather warm for that time of year, and there was much fog, even with a stiff breeze. Something felt odd about all this, but at the time we were more concerned with rest.

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THE EVENT PART II

I probably slept better than I had before any previous TransIowa, but that isn't saying that I got a great nights rest either! Any way you slice it, 2:30 a.m. is pretty early. D.P. and I, along with Daryl and Mark Pals, made our way down to the start area in front of Bikes to You. On the way down, we saw Steve Fuller riding to the start with a heavy bag he was carting down for another racer. We stopped and offered to carry it for him, which he gladly let us do. Then we were off again. When we arrived at a little after 3 a.m. there were bikers there already! Guess some people are like D.P. and I and can't sleep well before a TransIowa, eh? At any rate, we were able to spend some time with those who were hanging out before the start. Craig Cooper of Bikes to You and Rob Versteegh of Oakley spent the night in the bike shop's trailer and after everyone got down there Craig fired up the generator and we had great lighting at the start area which was really nice (Thanks Craig)! Bikes to You also allowed us to use some pop-up tents for our checkpoints which turned out to be a really good thing!

 

It wasn't long before we had everyone down there and ready to go. I had to have everyone sign the waiver at the last minute, which was unplanned because originally I had wanted that done at the pre-race, but had forgotten about it! Whoops! That put us about three minutes in arrears on time, but it wouldn't matter in the end. While everyone was trying to sign on, I had a bit of a warning to the racers about the downhills. After I finished, Odia, the wife of Salsa Cycles Tim Krueger, said that I sounded like a father leaving his sons in charge of the house for the weekend. Ha! I resemble that remark too! Once D.P. hit the horn on the Element we were off. The roll out was longish, due to the fact that we were in the heart of Grinnell and had to get the riders to the first gravel road before we pulled off. Once we did, the lights and commotion of the start were replaced by the tomb-like darkness and a thick blanket of fog. We could only see what the headlights illuminated, otherwise we were bouncing down the road in solitude and silence.

 

The roads were pretty sticky and gooey for the first miles. Worse than we had seen the night before. D.P. reckoned that a lot of riders had torn the beginning sector up reconning it after the pre-race. It looked to be true, and after a few miles the roads got a bit better. That was soon forgotten when we started seeing flashes of light. Trying to believe it was just micro-wave towers went out the window when we saw an obvious big flash which couldn't be mistaken for anything other than lightning. The worry level went way up! Then, after waiting on an overpass for any signs of the leaders, we took off and found a car parked backwards on the course with a bike rack on it. Uh-huh...hmm... Then a text comes on my phone from Paul Jacobson, "that was me". That turned out to be our pair of "eyes" to watch for the leaders. Paul texted not long after when they came by him. They were doing close to an 18mph average over the first 20 hilly, gooey miles. Amazing! It wouldn't last though. The rain unleashed its fury upon the course with strong, amazing blasts of lightning all around, but not on the course. It was getting pretty close to shutting us down, though, and as we crawled along some discussion was had to what we would do about ending the event.

 

About that time we noticed the fog disappeared. Shreds of blue sky could be seen coming our way and the rain was stopping. Maybe we would get this event in after all, but the damage had been done. We were told the thunderstorms had dumped up to an inch of rain in that short time. Water was standing on the roads, and of course, the B-roads would be unrideable. TransIowa vets knew not to even try and ride these sections, but others not so well-versed ended up with a real time-sucking situation on their hands. Unfortunately, over half of the field was wiped out before CP1 due to the conditions which prevented them from making the 8 a.m. time cutoff. The event started to take on the look of TIV2. Would anyone make CP2? Would the weather improve enough for the riders to make up time? These were the questions on our minds as we drove off on into the section between CP1 and CP2.

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THE EVENT PART III

Hope rises in the morning, they say, and we certainly were feeling more hopeful as we saw the leaders come into CP1. They were later than we imagined. The rain and B-road really put a dent into the their progress and time left was slim. D.P. and I knew there would be many that wouldn't make the cutoff. That said, the sun was out, the winds had died down somewhat, and it looked as though it might allow for the roads to firm up later on in the day. We stuck around for a bit after the leaders took off and then we set out to chase them down and continue our check on the roads and directions.

 

D.P. and I could see that this was going to be a really tough TransIowa. We passed the leaders and then we were on to the western reaches of the course. The hills were many, the roads were really soft and bad here, and the views...incredible. There is something about a rain washed sky, wet landscape, and springtime that is really beautiful. I doubt the racers were looking longingly at the bucolic countryside of Iowa. Something told me there was a lot of grinding of teeth about now. The roads were so bad in some spots, we were wondering how to negotiate the mud holes that had developed from the multitudinous dust holes we saw here just weeks ago. The Element pitched, swayed, and spat mud high into the air. At one point I remarked that if we continued to have spring road conditions in Iowa like this, we should promote a rally car race! It would be epic. We weren't doing a rally car race, although it felt like it at times.

 

We were checking out roads and trying to gather information. We were getting DNF calls and texts. I knew we would, but when CP1 volunteers told us 30 riders failed to make the cutoff, I was a bit stunned. The gravity of how tough this event was this time settled in, and D.P. and I knew another blow from "Mother Nature" would knock TransIowa down for the count this time. The event was teetering on the edge of collapse, and only a respite from clouds and rain were going to salvage something from what we had to deal with. Of course, we had dealt with bad situations before, so we soldiered on content in knowing we had experiences to draw from that would perhaps be valuable once again. It didn't help the bad feeling in the pit of my gut that had been there for hours though! We raced ahead all the way to CP2 and confirmed that almost all the sections we had chosen were doable. We only needed to reroute around one really bad B-road just outside of Pella, Iowa, that was an all-clay mire which would be a bit treacherous to walk due to the grade of the road. We marked it off on the way out to CP2, but we thought we should get back to man the corner where the reroute started to make sure the riders saw the flagging.

 

As we approached the corner, we saw the chase group just behind Meiser and Gorilla taking the wrong turn, only they didn't know it. We chased them down and set them straight. Whew! Now, what about Meiser and Gorilla? We saw the tell tale footprints in the mud, indicating that we were too late. We found out later that by the time we saw those footprints they were already gone down the road. Afterward, D.P. and I went to Pella to find any riders we thought would make the cutoff at CP2 and warn them of the reroute. When we saw time was running out on the riders coming into town yet, we hightailed it back to CP2 to watch what might happen with the event. By this time, the clouds were building back in, and I think we both knew it was a matter of time before the skies unleashed their fury on the hills and dales of Iowa's countryside again. By 2 p.m. we were getting into some drizzly showers. Hope against hope, we waited to see what we would be dealing with, and how far the riders would get before the inevitable happened.

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THE EVENT PART IV

As the afternoon wore on, we were more concerned with the potential weather situation. D.P. and I knew it was only a matter of time before too much rain would make the roads so bad we would see riders missing cutoffs. When we arrived back at CP2, we saw all the volunteers had the tent set up and ready to go. This checkpoint closed at 5 p.m. and on a normal day with normal roads, the lead group would have been there and gone by 2 p.m. Not today! It was closing in on 4 p.m. and we hadn't seen anyone show up yet when D.P. and I decided to head out to do some rerouting. We knew we had to remove about 4 miles of B-road to speed things up going into CP3. The time allotment was originally longer for this section anyway due to the tough nature and amount of the B-roads. With the rain and road conditions we had, they would be a killer on time. Fortunately, we had learned a thing or two putting on five previous TransIowas! D.P. and I left word with our volunteers to let folks coming through know to look for reroutes and then we bugged out.

 

It wasn't long afterward that we were caught in a downpour. It rained really hard! We found out later a lot of the riders were also caught in the same shower. We were extremely concerned, but it let up, so we forged ahead. The roads were some of the best we had run across all day in the sector we had to reroute onto. We were encouraged for a time by this. The winds were picking up out of the east/northeast though, and the feeling was ominous. Meanwhile, we were getting word that something big was going on at CP2. Meiser, Gorilla, and the rest of the chase group had arrived sometime after 4 p.m. and were having a debate under the tent in What Cheer. It was raining pretty steadily there and the riders seemed to be considering dropping out of the race en-masse. That would have been an unprecedented event, and D.P. and I wondered at this news. Still, we had a job to do and we had to get going up the road. We had just completed the first reroute sector and we were refueling the Element while I made another TransIowa Radio update. Then it was off to the B-road sectors closer to CP3.

 

We were in constant communication with volunteers from both CP2 and CP3 during this time and we were also getting reports on the weather from various sources. We were really busy! The news wasn't very good, on the weather front anyway. The winds were forecast to increase to 30mph with higher gusts and the rain was going to kick back in and stay all night. We were very concerned, and then it happened. Rain. No...not just any rain. Rain of biblical proportions. We couldn't even see to drive and had to park the Element on the gravel and wait it out. The rain bounced off the gravel in sheets it was hitting the ground so hard. It was amazing! I looked at D.P. and asked if he really wanted to continue to drive in these conditions. He said no, of course. We had been fighting to stay on the road all day. Several times we were nearly stuck and a couple of other times we narrowly missed going into the ditch. It was harrowing in the daytime, we couldn't imagine doing it in the driving rain with high winds in the dark. No. We were ending the event. It was madness to keep going, not only for us, but for the riders as well.

 

We debated a couple of scenarios to end with, then D.P. suggested we backtrack the course to see where the riders were. We heard the chase group had indeed dropped out of the event in What Cheer and were getting rides to Grinnell arranged for themselves. Gorilla and Meiser continued, of course, but then we heard something we were quite amazed by. A few riders we thought had no chance of making the CP2 cutoff not only made it, but rolled right on through and were still on the road! We had eight riders and seven bikes to worry about now.

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THE EVENT PART V

As D.P. and I raced backward on the course, we got a text message from Joe Meiser. "Who is still in?" I was in the process of tapping out my reply when the cell rang. It was Joe. He repeated his question. I knew his ruse right away. He was really saying, if anyone is still in the race, we're rolling. If not, we're done too. I told Joe besides he and Gorilla there were six people and five bikes still going, but we were calling the event. "So, you're calling the event, right?", came Joe's reply. I confirmed that indeed we were. I asked him where they were at and Joe told me they were at the EV Malt Shop in North English. It was just after 7 p.m.. We took off on blacktops to cut the time into North English. Our concern now was that riders may pass by the EV Malt Shop and that we would be left scrambling around in the dark tracking folks down. It was raining steadily now and the winds were picking up more, just like the forecast said they would.

 

We got to North English about 7:30 p.m. Joe and John confirmed they had not seen anyone else come up the street, which was on the route. We had made it in time! It was only 25 miles past CP2, and Joe told us it took he and John 2.5 hours to get there. Brutal! Joe mentioned we would have to go to the convenience store to finish the event since the malt shop was about to close. However, the proprietor overheard our conversations and offered to stay open to allow us to get the riders off the road! We were floored by the offer and gladly accepted. Once we had all seven bikes and eight people off the road, D.P. and I got our wet, cold selves inside where we found that the owner had reopened the kitchen and his help was serving food and hot chocolates to the weary riders! This was amazing! Not only that, but the riders were guided out back where the owner had hooked up a garden hose to hot water for the riders to de-mud themselves and their bikes with. Iowa is an amazing place with amazing people! I was floored by all of it and I thanked the owner several times. He was extremely humble and even offered to be open for a future TransIowa should we ever come around again! I don't think he quite understands that he may have more than eight people though! At any rate, it was a heartwarming scene and I was totally grateful to these kind folks at the EV Malt Shop in North English, Iowa.

 

By this time, several folks had arrived to assist in getting the riders back to Grinnell. Our CP3 folks were there, along with some others to help out. By about 8:45 p.m., we were heading back to Grinnell in a driving rain and wind that was sketchy on pavement. D.P. and I knew we had made the right decision and we were glad to have everyone safe and sound. That was it for the most part. TIV6 was in the books. It is always bittersweet to have this event end, and especially so with a shortened course. However, there was really nothing else for it. Riders we pulled were showing early signs of exposure, the roads were treacherous and would only grow worse, navigating in the dark around our reroutes would prove to be a sketchy prospect, and we didn't want riders getting lost in that terrible weather. Besides, we thought we wouldn't make it! Driving on these roads was proving to be downright dangerous in its own right! We felt bad about it, but we also felt very, very relieved and we believed we were doing the right thing. In the end, riders we have had contact with confirmed this. It just is what it is, but we still had time left in the weekend and we knew what we were going to do. To the barn!

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After we arrived in Grinnell, once again we downloaded a few items and headed out to the Barn where we had directed folks to go for the evening. The weather by this time was crazy. The rain was blowing sideways and coming so hard we could hardly make out the road going in. Once we arrived, a small but enthusiastic crowd was hanging out, sharing stories and drinking a few adult beverages. We stayed for a few hours, downloaded prizing to various folks that were in attendance, and bugged out for a good nights rest. By the way, no one got "The Stone" for this year's event. Meiser and Gorilla decided that we should turn it into the TIV7 stone, so we will be doing that. We also had a little critical input time. I invited the racers to voice any concerns or ways that they would like to see TransIowa changed. We got a pretty good suggestion regarding registration we will be seriously considering this coming fall. Otherwise, it seemed things were a thumbs up with everyone in attendance.

 

It was great to get to hang out with the racers that made their way out in the very less than ideal conditions. Rob Versteegh set it up beautifully and the barn was awesome. Thanks, Rob! It really was too bad the weather kept folks away because we had a blast out there. The next day we set out to get home to our families, but not before we were thanked several times by racers also making their way home. It was all very much appreciated and we are encouraged by all of you guys and gals. That was it. The end of a whirlwind, shortened, but exciting TIV6 that will be remembered for the crazy weather, tough road conditions, and high attrition rate. There are a lot of quotes and stories about TransIowa and why this type of event, which seems like crazy, stupid pursuit, attracts the loyalty and enthusiasm it does. One of my all time favorites is a quote from TransIowa veteran Dennis Grelk and seems a fitting way to end this tale:

 

"It's like a train wreck in many ways. You can see the imminent disaster coming from a long ways off, the witnesses can't look away, and the participants can't seem to escape it." – Dennis Grelk

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THE AFTERMATH

As last weekend's TIV6 event fades from memory and we move on, I would like to voice my thoughts coming out of this version of TransIowa. Some of this will be in response to reactions I have seen to the event. Some of this will be my reaction to things that happened during the event, and I will address the future a bit as well.

 

Statistics: I've seen all kinds of reports varying from errant mileage for the event to various misquotes and reasons as to why we ended the event when we did. Here are the hard facts, folks:

 

Riders: It was reported by myself and widely spread that we had 58 riders at the start. My fault – there were only 57 official starters for TIV6. Included in this were three women, one of which was part of our very first tandem team. 27 riders made it through CP1 and 8 made it through CP2.

 

Mileage: To CP1 – 44.18, from CP1 to CP2 - 87.68, from CP2 to North English - 24.26. Total mileage covered by the final eight riders - 156.12 miles. Original planned mileage for TIV6 was 314. Total time for those running at the end was approximately 15.5 hours.
 

Official statement for ending the event: The event was called due to dangerous weather and road conditions in a combination which would have put riders and the event directors at an unnecessary risk.

 

Concerns on TIV6: I had a couple of concerns, one that was not at all related to anyone in the event. Here they are:

 

Last year I voiced concerns over spectating/support and I mentioned that I had a plan in mind to deal with that. I implemented my plan, much to the chagrin of one individual who not only gave me plenty of gas about it twice during the event, but was bothering racers and also phoning my residence and pestering my close friend who was watching my children for the weekend. Look, TransIowa is not a spectator sport! Never was intended as such. I make no bones about that every year I run it and to everyone who asks me about this. I was extremely disappointed in this certain individuals actions and I have a personal challenge to this individual. I happen to know that you are quite capable as a cyclist. If you want to cheer on and support your rider, how about you sign up for TIV7 and ride with him? Otherwise, I hope to never see you at a TransIowa again. Nuff said...

 

Next concern was the weather. Of course, we can not control that, but I want to address the lightning situation that some riders expressed concerns over. First, the situation is covered on TransIowa's website. Basically, it says that you should take care of your own personal safety first. Of course, we would immediately shut down the event in case of severe weather which is enforced at the checkpoints, but you are responsible for yourself! This can not be expressed enough. If you were out on a training ride and lightning was a concern, you should do at TransIowa what you would do on your training ride. Whatever that is, I leave up to you. We cannot be your personal guardian and we are exactly the opposite of that. You have to make the call for your own personal safety. You are there at ground zero. We are not. TransIowa isn't worth your possible death. Do the smart thing. Now as far as this year is concerned, we were able to stop the event at a town which made sense to stop at. We had another bailout chance at another town up the road. As event directors, we have to be careful too, but in the end riders must control their own destinies when it comes to personal safety issues.

 

I also heard concerns over the truncated course and how we could call the riders at the end finishers of TIV6. That is a two-fold answer, and I'll try to make this brief. TransIowa is unique year to year. We have a different course and run it somewhat differently every year, and because of this fact, TransIowa isn't like other races. The race for 2006 can't be compared to the race from 2009, as an example. They are completely different situations, and that was intentional from the get go. The distances vary, the times vary. Sometimes we have truncated events, as in 2006 and 2008. Winners were declared in each case (although it isn't widely known that Lindsey Gauld was declared the winner at 2006's TransIowa). We have a precedent set in TransIowa for this sort of thing. Secondly, it is common practice at European stage races to truncate stages and delete stages altogether, yet they have winners and placings regardless. We feel that we have the right to recognize great riding performances at any particular TransIowa event. So ,we do what we do. Every year is different. Every year has its own story. We may have a situation someday where TransIowa will be so truncated, or postponed/cancelled, that we will have to do something different, but for now this works for us and the riders we have gotten feedback from.

 

Thank you! The City of Grinnell, Iowa, Grinnell Chamber of Commerce/Sheryl Parmley, Oakley/Rob Versteegh, Bikes to You/Craig Cooper, the volunteers of TIV6, Grinnell Steakhouse and staff, Comfort Inn and Suites and staff, and all the wonderful riders that came out this year to race a muddy, rainy, and windy event. Thanks to the sponsors! Oakley, Wilson Bicycle Consulting/Kevin Wilson, Salsa Cycles, Ergon, Twin Six/Ryan Carlson, Garmin/Gerald Hart, Hiawatha Cyclery, Epic Designs, Banjo Brothers, Gary Fisher Bikes, Trek Bikes, Guitar Ted Productions/Simple Strap/ByeKyle, Velocity U.S.A., and Europa Cycle and Ski. Special thanks to the EV Malt Shop in North English and the owner/staff. Your people were outstanding! Most valuable person: David Pals. Couldn't do this without ya! Thank you!

 

That's a wrap folks. Time to move on toward other events and things for 2010. I'll just leave you with this: there will be a TIV7 and it will be in Grinnell, Iowa. How can you say anything but “Wow!” As my co-director David Pals said, “Despite the weather, I think the event was a success.” Is that a crazy statement? Is it a sublime truth? Maybe both at the same time. TransIowa is a different sort of event that seems to engender a special bond between it and each competitor that dares take it on. It also forges a bond between competitors that is at once unspoken, but full of understanding. It has gone beyond the insane ultra-endurance challenge it started out to be and has become a mythical beast with superstitions, magic, and a certain romanticism that goes beyond reasoning. I cannot explain it and I have been here since the beginning of it all. I just know that it is.