Valpraiso was the first pass through town. We did go East a bit as well, but even in the crosswind we were making excellent time. We were flying as the course went pretty much straight North and the 25mph Southerly wind was at our backs. The clouds dissipated as the morning went along. Tubeless failure! The Moots rider looked dejected as I passed him by. I saw that his tire was completely off the rim. Suddenly I hear a loud BOOM! and the guy jumped off his rig. At about 18 miles in, we saw a cyclist just remounting and coming back onto the road. We did see one other cyclist having issues. Bummer! But this was a rarity all day from where I was in the group. I noted a cyclist at the side of the road not ten miles in with a flat already. Cyclists were fairly spaced out now and the nervousness of the start was forgotten. This jockeying in the dark went on for a half an hour, maybe 45 minutes, and then we were settling into a good place amongst the throng. We were a nervous bunch, but fortunately Tony and I were able to get around a lot of this and we picked our way forward through tens of cyclists as we motored along. Sandy, loose, deeper road surfaces, and riders were pitching sideways, slowing dramatcally, speeding up dramatically, or veering sideways to avoid someone else. However, I also had to be very wary of every cyclist around me, not knowing if these folks were good night riders or not. I generally am the one driving the truck leading out the light show, but this time I was a part of it instead. The rolling start in the dark, amidst the throng of cyclists was a thrill for me.
It would be about an hour before I dared turn off my lights. Obviously we all had our lights on, as at this time of year it is dark at 6:00am. Then, it came like a wave and it was our turn to finally set sail on our journey.Īfter a nervous start in the dark, this was the first image I dared take. Then the cyclists up front were counting down to zero, and before I knew it, I was standing, straddling my bike, watching rows ahead of me clip in and go. Then moments later I heard the RPM's drop slightly, and I turned to Tony and said, " This is it. I heard the truck fire up, and a cheer went up from the crowd as the thunderous V8 engine came to life. Again- I've no idea whatsoever what it was that was said. Then I saw Corey Godfrey, one of the principals of Gravel Worlds, up on the bed of an early 70's Ford Ranger giving something of a speech. This was about the time that people showed up and the area got packed in with nervous cyclists. Or maybe my hearing is gone from all the Rock & Roll.
Suddenly, a bull horn amplified voice was heard, but I have absolutely no idea what it was that was said, as it was from too far away for me to make out clearly. The time crept forward to 6:00am and we chatted with various folks we saw and knew from previous Trans Iowa events or from other gravel races we've all been to. The start was oddly vacant of riders considering that there should be approaching 300 riders there. My traveling companion, Tony, was all ready to go and we hit the road at about 5:15 to reach the start with plenty of time to spare before the 6:00am rolling neutral start. I was three minutes to having to get up anyway, so I shut off the phone's alarm, and started getting ready to head down to the Fallbrook neighborhood for the start of the 2015 Gravel Worlds. (That's a hint) I shut the danged thing off and went back to sleep, for a little bit, anyway. I blamed MW, who is from Lincoln, and whose brother is known as P-Nut. The clock was waaaaaay off! By the way, if you know your Lincoln music history, this could be construed as a cruel irony. It was the room's alarm clock, set for 6:00am, only it wasn't 6:00am at all. I jumped completely out of the bed and stared at the source of the noise. Holiday Inn, Downtown Lincoln, Nebraska:īEEP! BEEP! BEEP! ".
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