I drove the entire course over two days this past weekend. It is dry, dusty, and fast. A lot can happen to these roads in a week, and many are showing damage from the tractors and heavy truck traffic during the recent harvest. Remember, you are responsible for you, and you must pay attention and navigate with care. A second headlight for the B roads is not a bad idea, especially for the 200 mile riders.
The C stores have all been alerted to your impending arrival, and are looking forward to meeting you. You must make it to Orient before the store closes at 7pm! That is mile 130 of the 200, and mile 100 of the 150.
I have a few final edits to the course, and then the cue sheets and GPX files will be emailed out to you. The B road creek crossing on 160th street has been re-routed. It did dry up, but it turned into the mud pit of despair with no decent way to cross it. This was otherwise a great road, I am sad to have to leave it out.
We are expecting significant rain on Tuesday night and early Wednesday. Dry weather is expected for the remainder of the week, with above average temps through the weekend. The roads will dry out by Saturday. I expect even the dirt roads will be mostly rideable, with some muddy spots. The B roads near Orient were recently dragged, and may develop significant ruts due to rain. They will be an interesting challenge. The wider your tires, the more you will like them.
OCTOBER 19, 2024 Winterset, Iowa 