Weekend Racing Report - November 4, 2006

ICEMAN COMETH Mountain Bike Race, Kalkaska-To-Traverse City, Michigan

Reports by Jason Brake and Joe Lekovish, Sunrise Sports Cycling Team

"I'm ICED Baby!!! - by Jason Brake

I can think of two positives that came with making a last-minute change to my Iceman entry from riding in the Expert Men class to moving up to the Pro class. First, with the Pro race starting at 2:30pm, my wife and I were able to sleep in past 9am, and then lazily make our way over to the Cracker Barrel for a big country-style breakfast. With all that time on our hands, I had the chance to sit back and read the paper over a cup of coffee, some turkey sausage, and a big bowl of oatmeal topped with brown sugar. Second, the later start time coupled with the limited field size of the Pro race meant that I didn’t have to deal with the hassle of large crowds and the stress of getting to the start line on time with the right wave of riders. So by 1:30pm, I was already parked in the back of Kalkaska Middle School, comfortably nestled in the warmth of my car and taking my time getting dressed and enjoying the wafting aroma of hot embrocation cream that filled the air with a menthol-like pungency.

And that’s about where the positives end. We’ll, I can also say that it was also a nice photo op being lined up with the best of the best mountain bike racers in Michigan and the mid-west. Believe me, I knew that I was in way over my head, but what the hell, I thought I’d give it a go.

The 06 Iceman was officially my first mountain bike race. Heck, I’ve got an older 1999 Trek 830 with RST forks and some awfully shitty components. I spend the last couple of weeks up until Iceman upgrading some of the more critical items, especially tires, but I was in no way going to break the bank on a bike I ride maybe 4-5 times a year.

At 2:30pm, Dearborn Michigan bike shop owner Tom Demerly gave a 5-second countdown over the PA system to kick off the 2006 Iceman Pro event. It was an immediate out-of-the-saddle sprint to get up to speed to keep up with the pack. I was happy just to be in the group.

After the start we made a left turn heading west, and before I knew it we were launched into the forest. I managed to keep pedaling with the group for another, oh, half a mile or so. From there I was dropped from the lead group, after which I was passed, one by one, by every other rider in the field. I found myself completely alone not more than eight minutes into the race.

At the time I didn’t realized that I was the last of the Pro men’s field. There was a point when all of a sudden I heard a group of rider’s coming past, but then turned and realized it was the Women’s field. There were a few of them that passed me like I was standing still. A couple more went by and I found the strength to grab a wheel. These chicks were flying, and I knew it would only be a matter of minutes before I was shelled again. I found that I could keep up with them on the flats, but when we started a climb they would seemingly float away from me. After bombing the descents I could catch them again, but once the road turned up again, as it seemed to often do, I could only watch as they disappeared in the distance.

At one point I crashed on a downhill, right into the sand. I hit pretty hard and it took me a few to get up. But other than that I rode a very, shall I say, conservative race. I ended up with a 2:14, which was way past my goal of breaking the two hour mark. Physically I felt decent. I rode 90% of the race completely alone and I wonder if I could have improved this time if I had a group to ride with or a carrot to chase. No worries, I’ll be back next year to once again take part in what was one of the most enjoyable and memorable weekends I’ve had in bike racing. Next year you can bet I’ll forego the sleeping in part and get my ass up to race with a more appropriate category.

"THE BEST RACE EVER - ICEMAN 2006!!! - by Joe Lekovish

Wow!!!

Wow! Wow! Wow!

Was it just me, or was ALL OF THE TEAM up in Traverse City for this race? Aren't we SUPPOSED to be a road racing team?

Everywhere you looked there were orange jerseys of Sunrise. Tom Demerly (who was doing the announcing) commented on it several times at the start. Iceman himself even came up to Dominick and I and said he really noticed a lot of the Sunrise guys racing. I mean, THE ICEMAN himself!!!

Unfortunately the team had a couple of mishaps. Matt Scott crashed HEAVILY on a sandy downhill while in the lead group and dislocated his shoulder. Word is he has a 3rd degree shoulder separation. Matt was in good spirits when I spoke to him at the finish and on the phone this morning. Hopefully it's not too bad and he's recovered quickly. In typical bike racer fashion, Matt was more bummed that he was in the lead group and feeling great when he crashed. He smoked the course in something like a 1:49 last year, so he was definitely looking better for this year.

Also, Mike Birmann flatted and had to walk to an aid station for a tube. Tony Wieczorek broke a cleat but still finished.

Besides the mishaps, the team had EXCEPTIONAL results!

Here's a recap of riders who cracked the top 10: