Harbinger of Winter - The Iceman Cometh
It's 8:00 in the morning in upstate Michigan, the air temperature hovers around thirty four degrees and there is a light rain coming down. A few cyclists are milling about in the streets, but most are huddled in their cars; heat on full blast sucking up every last bit of warmth they will feel for the next two hours. By 8:30 the pace picks up with layers put on, over boots duct taped, and embrocation applied. Coffee and hot tea are slurped down. A few riders lap the parking lot while others ride rollers. The rain picks up. Soon, there is call for the first of fifty waves to line up at the start. At nine a.m. sharp the first wave is let loose to suffer for 30 miles in less than stellar weather conditions. Welcome to The Iceman Cometh, the largest point to point race in America. Nearly 5,700 riders race during the course of the day through rain, snow, wind and every other weather condition in-between. Started twenty five years ago, it is a race where riders care less about rank and more about just surviving. For Michigan, it's the last hurrah of the season - a sign that winter is just around the corner.
Brian Matter has been racing Iceman for 21 years, and he has now won it four times.
iceman.com
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 Welcome to Iceman. 25th edition, it's going to be cold. |
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| The Michigan State Psychiatric Hospital has been renovated and re-purposed into nice shops and restaurants. Much less creepy than some of the buildings look. |
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| The Old Mission Lighthouse at the tip of the peninsula. |
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| Winter is fast approaching, and the Caribbean blue waters of Lake Michigan are looking a little less inviting. |
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| Docks won't be used for awhile now. |
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| Sleder's, one of the oldest restaurants in Michigan. Complete with plenty of wildlife on the walls. |
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| The old State Theater, a classic place to catch a movie. |
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| "Twenty-five years ago I started this race, the entry fee was five dollars. I'd run across the street with that money after the start and buy burgers and hot dogs to grill after for the forty guys who raced." - Steve Brown, the Iceman himself. |
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| Has this been scientifically proven? |
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| It's not easy to find yourself on a list of 5,700 names. |
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| That's right, 2,601 and that's not even half the field. |
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| Packet pick up looks a little like mayhem, but with 5,700 racers how could it not? It is all handled really quite well, considering the mob. |
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| Light dustings of snow melt by noon, but race day yields a different pattern. |
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| Bushels of apples were brought in to supply the feed stations. |
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| Fire wood and fire barrels, ready to keep the masses warm come race day. |
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| Fun limit. No braaaaping in the streets. |
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| Booties, half covers, or straight up naked shoes. Everyone has a different level of tolerance for the cold. |
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| Keep moving to stay warm before the damp settles into your bones. |
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| When choosing a chomp, it must match your frame color. |
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| Pro Men's start. |
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| Pro Women's Start. |
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| By the time the first 20 waves had gone through, track conditions had changed drastically. All of the leaves and loose dirt the first racers experienced had been ridden out. |
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| There are plenty of logging road sections, and some are loose sand uphills. These are the times to put the hammer down and throw out an elbow if one wishes to gain a few places. |
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| When you aren't in a group, the long slog can zap your energy rather quickly. |
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| Georgia Gould found a strong rhythm and powered through at least a third of the pro men's field. |
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| The Iceman doesn't have a ton of climbing, and it doesn't need to. The climbs it does have are plenty when you are tired, cold, and at your limit. |
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| It's a different kind of fan who will stand out in the snow, sleet, and freezing rain all day to cheer riders up a climb. |
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| Getting tucked for speed. |
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| If you wish hard enough, you could find yourself on a warm sunny beach somewhere...wait. No, that won't work. |
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| Soaking wet and covered in sand, The Iceman took it's toll on people and bikes alike today. |
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| Georgia Gould brings it home. |
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| Nothing left out on the track; burning lungs, burning legs, frozen fingers and toes. |
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| Visibility was an issue. The choice was either eyes full of grit and sand, or glasses you can't entirely see through. |
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| That first warm drink does wonders for the soul after suffering through two cold, wet hours. |
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| Some will be washing a little Michigan sand out for about a week. |
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| At the end of a day like today, a nice warm fire and friends to share stories with are what Iceman is all about. |
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| The thick wet sand took a heavy toll on bikes. Brakes stopped working, chains snapped, and derailleurs broke. |
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| Michigan silt covered all of the race support vehicles in patterns that looked like a myriad of river tributaries. |
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| Giant bells, beers, and a swanky mink coat went to the Ice Queen. |
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| Kabush takes a swig of the victor's spoils. |
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| Next level cold weather bike wash. Just remove the shower head, and use a certain length of hose with a shower head fitting. No cold hands here. |
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| A little sand down the drain never hurt anything. |
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| Until next year, Iceman. |
iceman.com
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Dammit I coulda saw Georgia Gould and Emily Batty in person!! I'll register again in the spring and hopefully I'll make it next year!!
Congrats for Gould winning it her 2nd time, and Batty for finishing second!
Stunning images that really capture what we went through. Love the hotel wash setup. Sad not to see any pics of the nearly 200 fatbikers (personal bias
Pics: www.pinkbike.com/u/skigan14/album/Copper-Ridge-Bootleg-2014
Video: www.pinkbike.com/video/386025
@ LeDuke, that is an interesting point. The only explanation that comes to my head would be the the pros may actually ride the flat/uphill bits with the forks locked.