Iceman Images

Images sent in by Ron R. Thanks!

Iceman at the Pro Level!

I picked Derek and Ed up from the finish line and drove back to the start. When we arrived I saw some big names there getting ready to warm up. I was pretty nervous already because this would be my first Pro race and I would be riding a new bike I picked up the night before. You don’t have to tell me, I know riding new equipment for a race is breaking the 1st cardinal rule. I was offered the opportunity to race an ‘09 Specialized S-Works Epic and couldn’t resist. It was a beautiful bike. So, I rode around the parking lot a few times and then hit the trail for a couple of miles to see if there were any surprises I should know about right off the start. The toughest section I found was a sand pit just over a mile in. When I saw the 25-mile sign I decided it was time to head back. I got back to the truck where Derek was standing and took off some of the heavier clothing I had on for warming up. It was a couple minutes after that when we were called to the starting gate. We had 5 minutes until the start and my heart was racing already. I was standing in a pack of 56 riders. I heard the word “go” and we were off on a full out sprint for a sharp left hand turn. I managed to take the inside line and hold it. The first few miles were absolute chaos. My heart rate was pegged, guys were cutting others off to try and get a good position in line. I had someone=2 0try to get ahead of me, but he ended up taking his own front tire out on another rider’s rear wheel. This caused me to lock up the breaks, but I was able to get around in time on the left. As the race went on I found myself in a group of about 5 chasing the larger lead group, which at the time I had no idea there was a group of 3 off of the front of that group. I finally managed to join the main group and was doing my best to hang on to the rear tire of one of the Bell’s guys. I was unable to stay there though and a few miles after Williamsburg Road I was slowly falling off the back. I made a few hard efforts trying to get back on, but with no such luck. I felt like I was on my own personal time trial. I managed to catch two of the others that got spit out the back. I was riding with them until the last section of single track. I was trying to get to the single track first, but ended up second in line with no way around. We came to a short but steep downhill with a sharp left at the bottom. The rider in front crashed. He had slid just far enough off the trail for me to get around. I asked if he was all right but didn’t receive and answer. I saw him scrambling to get up when I rounded the next corner. Now I just had one guy I had to stay in front of so I was giving it everything I could when we entered the finish chute.

As I crossed the finish line I felt such relief that the rider behind me didn ’t catch me. After the race I had to take my new favorite bike back to the Specialized trailer to return it. That was the saddest moment of the day for me. After the awards and a bite to eat we decided to make an appearance at the Bell’s party. Which topped off the night with good beer and some dancing, well I think you could consider it dancing. We were very lucky that our teammate Biscuit agreed not to drink so he could drive us back to the room. Which we appreciated very much. It was a great weekend and I can’t wait until next year to try to improve my time. I ended up 26th with a time of 1:36, which beat my goal of a 1:40, but there’s always next year.

Images from Biz! aka Biscuit, aka Mark T.

Another Iceman in the books!

What an exciting weekend. Our team had 16 riders racing the 27 mile event and two of our riders (Bryan and Montana) took podium spots! To make this weekend even more exciting one of our team members got engaged. I personally could not think of a better event / place to propose!

For myself, the race was interesting to say the least. At the start of the race we stood waiting. During that time I got so cold that my team members in the same wave where getting concerned. But, in a few minutes the gun went off and all 98 riders started. Not more than 1/4 mile into the race I was taken out by a combination of sand and a rider hitting my rear tire. This combination left me laying on the ground watching every rider pass. I picked up my bike and the handle bars where parallel to the front wheel. At this point I wanted to just DNF but I grabbed my multi tool and got the bars almost straight. By the time I finished I could see the next wave of Single Speed riders starting. So I jumped back on the bike and started again with somewhat straight bars. I started to get passed by the Single Speed group which worked out well because I was able to hang onto the rear their rear tire until we hit one sand pit and I was way too far forward and again went over the bars. This time I saw Jared from our team pass. I was so focused on trying to fix my handle bars I didn't even hear what he said. Finally back on the bike and along comes Mark "Biz". We rode together for a few then he was able to gain ground in the last few miles of the race. After a few more miles I finally hit the finish and in 50th passing 48 other riders in my group.

Now that the race was over and the season was done for me it was time for a little celebrating. We hung out in the VIP tent of Gary Fisher and watch the Pro race, while dining on some seriously good food! For the first time in three years our team actually had a rider in the pro class. Mark P. did an awesome job hanging with the Pros!

After dinner with the team and the awards ceremony it was time for the real party. The Bells Beer after party and it did not disappoint! Awesome band and beer. Thank you Bells Beer and the Bells MTB team!

So what is next? Several of our team members still have cross races and adventure races left to do. We also have alot of team business to complete, such as new team members, sponsorship and budgets.