Iceman Cometh 2009 Lives Up To The Hype

Iceman Cometh 2009 lived up to the hype and I lived through the challenge.

Having never raced before, I signed up early this year with the thought that I had many months to prepare. It started with a great group of guys I have had the pleasure of riding with for the last couple years… the BERC boyz. Even though I was not able to put in the training hours to get to the level most of the group was at, we still did plenty of rides together. We were now all training for the Iceman.

What really kept me going was my good friend Steve D. We rode many miles together over the summer. Steve encouraged me to get out and ride when I was less inclined to. He was willing to ride with me at night when I was more available despite his preference for day time riding. Steve didn’t much care for the Dutton hill at night, but still let me incorporate it into many of our rides. I couldn’t have prepared for the Iceman like I did without Steve.

The week prior to the race I was nervous. I felt I did not get enough long-haul rides in over the summer. Still I was excited about the challenge. I did not have to worry about mechanical issues because I was assisted with a pre-race tune-up by Steve K, John S, and Dave S. Steve graciously opened up his workshop and offered his tools while Dave and John gave of their time and expertise. John also did a last minute derailleur adjustment for me the day we were leaving. The bike performed flawlessly during the race. I was unfortunate that Steve K could not join us at the Iceman due to his injury.

The Grand Traverse Resort was a good place to stay. Close proximity to the finish and not too far from Kalkaska. It was somewhat surreal to see all the bikes going in and out of the hotel. Some even riding them in the large lobby. I roomed with Paul M and John G. The room was very comfortable and had a great view of bay. We woke up to a fabulous day on Saturday. John said I missed a beautiful sunrise… I was still sleeping. Paul and John were great roommates and kept me on schedule. They even let me have one of the two beds to myself. I wonder why?

My goal heading into the race was simply to finish and have a good experience. Being it was my first race I had little data to set a time goal. On the first few tough climbs at the Iceman I saw some riders walking them. I then set another goal… I would ride up as many hills as possible, without walking, even if it meant crawling up very slowly on the granny gear. That plan was working until someone stopped dead in front of me, without warning, without pulling over, halfway up a hill. I had no choice but to stop. After that I think I intentionally dropped to my feet only once or twice. I do remember doing so at “Anita’s Hill”. I was halfway up when I felt my quads starting to give. I decided that it is better to walk rest of this hill and be able to finish the race. I may have walked up the very last climb as well. I can’t remember as I was delirious at that point.

It was interesting to see the dynamics of the conflict between the pro/expert racers and the sport/beginner riders. Some were there to win at any cost. Others were obviously over their heads or simply in it for the experience. I did my best to look behind and move aside for those that were fast approaching. Others were oblivious to the faster riders or were not courteous enough to keep right when possible. There were a few clashes I witnessed. One resulted in a crash. An aggressive racer came upon me as I was going downhill on a narrow single track. I was behind a slower rider and could not pull aside. The one behind yelled “passing on left”. I thought “you’re kidding”, but sure enough he was pushing beside me in the leaves. He then hit a hidden tree stump and went flying, hitting the guy in front of me and sending him into the brush. Somehow I avoided the tumble fest and stopped. The biker who caused the wreck quickly got up and asked “You OK?”. Without waiting for a response he jumped back on his bike and took off. The guy face down in the brush looked to be in his 50s and was a little disoriented. I helped him get on his feet and removed the leaves tangled in his bike. Outside of this incident, the majority of the riders were great sports.

Overall the event was well organized. The start of the race was great. I liked riding to the staging area from the parking lot. It gave me a chance to test the equipment and prepare mentally. Steve arrived minutes before the start and was able to find me. We started the Iceman together. I kept pace with Steve for a few miles, but he pulled ahead and I lost him. I was pacing myself to conserve for the duration. I felt pretty good for the first 2/3rds of the race. My hamstrings were bothering me most of the race. I got a little break when I came upon the traffic jam leading up to “The Wall”. There were at least 100 riders waiting to go down the backside of the hill through a very narrow switchback!

The last third of the race was grueling. I was overheating with my jacket on, but yet I did not want to stop to take it off. In hindsight I should have. The last few miles I anxiously looked for every next mile marker. The last climbs were the most painful. The sounds of the crowds and announcer at the finish kept me going. When I entered the chute towards the finish I felt an enormous sense of accomplishment. I started to tear up out of sheer joy of finishing. The tears quickly stopped when I needed to appear manlier as I passed all the people lining the finish and cheering me on. It was a great moment. When I came to a stop I put my feet down. My legs then seized and I could not move for about 10 minutes. When I could eventually get myself off the bike and walk I felt great, and have since.

After the race we cleaned up and napped at the hotel. We then went to a party at an old school house rented by Jeff C and his family. The house was really cool and the food was great, chili and chicken noodle soup. We relaxed and told race stories. Jeff, his wife, and mother were great hosts. It was a great end to a fabulous day.
I am in for the next year’s Iceman. Now I have a personal time to beat. I will be looking forward to the next biking season. I may even get out a few times this winter. Somehow I feel like the season was incomplete without the ‘ice’ part of the Iceman.

~Pablo



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