Thirty one racers toed the line May 2 for the first CRANDIC Time Trial of 2023.
It was a hardy effort, as several days of severe winds had just started to subside, leaving us with "only" 20 mph sustained winds and some truly crazy gusts.

With all that wind, some racers switched to road bikes. Others used their time trial bikes but with shallower road wheels. The rest went off on our regular TT setup.
Remarkably, no one ended up in the ditch.

Looking at the results it's hard to spot a trend as to what was fastest.
But it's safe to say that no one set a PR that night, unless maybe this was their first CRANDIC Time Trial.

Thanks, as always, to everyone who helps make the race possible:
​our Chief Official, Larry Howe, and USAC-official-in-training Scott Kacena;
start/finish marshals Brad Roark and Gary Henry; turnaround marshal and photographer Burne Sippy; and photographers Michelle Wall and Nick Hoefer.
We couldn't do it without you!

Ready or not, racing season is here. This spring has been so cold and grey that "I'm not fit" seems to be somewhat of a chorus among regulars. Regardless, 32 racers toed the line May 4 for the first CRANDIC TT of 2022.

Big thanks, as always, to marshal extraordinaire Burne Sippy for the excellent shots from the turnaround.

A beautiful night for a time trial, not too hot, not much wind.

Turnaround photos by Burne Sippy.

Turnaround photos by Burne Sippy. Even selfies.

There were plenty of strong rides, but the fastest men's and women's times came from two triathletes. "It was definitely weird, but in the best way, to be back racing with people in person," said Joanna Hall of the Iowa City Cycling Club. "I didn’t feel like I did that well, but it was just so awesome to be out there with everybody and to see everybody having a good time, chatting, riding hard, and enjoying the beautiful weather." Joanna wasn't the only one to complain about being out of shape, but her effort was enough to put down the fastest woman's time for the night.

On the men's side, the Masters racers fared well but the fastest time was from Kaeleb Royster, a young triathlete. "I have been racing triathlon for 3 years and I have dabbled in the road racing. I love biking and racing, I am just not technically skilled enough yet. I have been more successful in triathlon, winning our collegiate conference as a freshman."

"I love this course," said Royster, "It's mentally challenging with the uphills on the way back. The roads are very safe and fun to race on."
Hall agreed. "That CRANDIC course is fantastic because it reminds you of all the areas you need to improve upon as well as areas you excel in. For example, I really need to work on pushing up and over the hill to crest, to maintain power and speed, but I was reminded that my aerodynamic position is quite efficient."

Special thanks to Kirschen Seah and Larry Howe for officiating, to Gary Henry and Burne Sippy for marshaling, and of course to Joanne Konrath McKillip, Jeff Cater, and Burne Sippy for all the fun photos.

The CRANDIC Time Trial series is presented by Steindler Orthopedic Clinic in Iowa City and hosted by Big Grove Brewery in Solon. Please take any chance you get to send them both some love.