Iceman Cometh 2024

The last race of the season had arrived. The forecast was sunny and cold, around freezing at first light with temps rising to mid-40’s: perfect.

We have the start line dialed. Subaru is a major sponsor and if you drive a Subaru you get preferred parking, and that we did, front row watching the sun rise and my fellow racers warming up in the cold on the airport runway in Kalkaska, Michigan, the location for the start of this incredible race weekend.

As the sun rose, it was getting warm quickly. Standing in the corral awaiting the start of Wave 1, I decided to shed some layers in a panicked last minute change. Just a wool base-layer and my Bikeman long sleeve jersey. The National Anthem was played by the local high school band and we were suddenly flying around the airport, fighting for position prepping for two track and into the singletrack about 2 miles into the 30 mile day.

This is the hardest part of the day. The best description is a World Cup start: this is the time to absolutely get carried away and blow up. I’m old. I can’t hang with the kids anymore and my goal is to find folks I know, who’ve been faster than me over the years and try to hang. This was my first indication I may be on a decent day as I dropped my first “carrot”.

This years track was heavy with singletrack and a little less climbing. I’d found my group and importantly leading the first person on my list to beat every year. On a short climb I went past another carrot: I’m on a good day, able to close gaps, flowing nicely and chasing the podium.

And there it continued, some chatter in the group, filling gaps as they opened and the amazing late fall sun beaming through the woods. The last climb isn’t particularly steep, it isn’t particularly long but after 30 miles and being close to the red line, it just sucks enough. Our group broke up a bit as everyone found their strengths on the hill and as always, I struggled just a little more than some others but amazingly closed all those gaps on some woop-de-doos and banked turns of a bike park they used just prior to the finish line.

With a Bells beer in hand I was happy to take the age group top step again. It’s always a stressful build up with all the hopes and expectations on the line. Now it’s time for off season, fix some aches and pains and do it all over again next year.

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