Why We Ride: A Trailblazer’s Love Letter to Iceman

Hello to all my fellow racers. I’m incredibly honored to be chosen as a Trailblazer for Iceman 2025. November 8th will mark my fourth Iceman, and honestly, it can’t come soon enough.

When I sat down to write this first post, my mind bounced between so many topics: tires, hardtail or full suspension, nutrition, when to push, when to recover, when to burn a match. But as I kept thinking about all those details, it all came back to one simple word:

Love.

It’s love that gets us up at 4 a.m. on a freezing fall morning when most people are staying warm inside. It’s love that fuels the drive to get in the calories, pack the gear, and head to the airport. Love for the sport, for the challenge, for Iceman, and everything you earn the moment you cross that finish line.

From the adrenaline of the rollout and fighting for position before the singletrack, to picking lines that dodge the worst sand before Dockery. To the drums at Make It Stick, the cheers at Williamsburg Road, the grind up Woodchip, and the final push over Icebreaker Hill. We look forward to it all, not because it’s easy, but because we love this race. (And let’s be honest, having Bell’s Beer as a sponsor doesn’t hurt.)

As the year rolls on, we train. We learn. We get more in tune with our bikes, our bodies, and our minds. We notice what needs work and what’s improved. It’s a year-round process of tinkering, healing, growing all for one cold, glorious day in November, when we race as hard as we can to finish as fast as we can.

Family and friends often say we must be a little crazy to ride our bikes through the woods from Kalkaska to Traverse City…in November. My response? You might be right, but I love it.

Everything we put in the early mornings, the long rides, and the sore legs comes with support. Family and friends, spouses, pick up the slack so we can chase this passion. Without them, Iceman wouldn’t be what it is. So, thank you to everyone who helps us get out the door for a ride, a race, or the national holiday known as Iceman Day. Your support means everything, and it never goes unnoticed.

For most of us, Iceman is the end of the season A final chapter in a long book of training and racing. It’s a celebration of the effort, the struggle, the grit—and the reward is 5,000 friends, a finish line, and maybe a Bell’s or two.

May you get the wave you want. May the PRs come. Keep the rubber side down and I’ll see you in the woods.

Thank you to Chris Mutnansky @the_racing_ref for being our 2025 Iceman Trailblazer!

Motivation: Where are You?

I came up with a list of topics to write about for this blog but thought there was no better time to discuss motivation than right now. I don’t know about you, but the shoulder season can be tough for me in terms of staying motivated to ride. As soon as winter hits and the time changes leaving us in darkness at 5pm, I feel my body go into hibernation mode. Rest is not a bad thing. A lot of the time our body actually needs time to recover and rest or else we may get burned out or cause an injury. And we all know there is nothing much worse than being forced off the bike because of an injury. However, there is still a struggle to stay motivated especially during the winter. 

A few tips that have helped me stay motivated in the past include:

1) Have a workout buddy. It is extremely effective to have someone there to hold you accountable. It is much much harder to say no to a ride (or other activity) if you know a friend is there waiting on you. We don’t want to let our friends down, and let’s be honest, everything is more fun with friends! 

2) Sign up for a race or event. Having a race or event in the near future is helpful to keep the motivation alive! Who wants to show up to a race with no training? Ouch.

3) Follow a training plan. My “A” race this year is Marji Gesick – 100 bike. I have a training plan that I am currently following on Training Peaks that gives me specific workouts every week. I enjoy checklists, so this is nice because when I complete the workout for the day, it feels like I am checking it off the list! A training plan will provide general (or specialized, pending the plan) guidance making it easier on you so you do not have to constantly be thinking about what you should be doing next. 

4) Mix it up. Feeling burnt out with riding? Or more specifically sitting on the trainer in the winter? Do something different. Go to the gym and lift weights, run, swim laps at the local pool, take a weighted pack out on your favorite hiking trail, increase your step count for the day, join a fitness class, or do yoga. There are endless other ways to stay active when you are feeling unmotivated to hop on the bike. Cross training is very beneficial. 

5) Watch or listen to something inspiring. If you are stuck on the trainer, watch a cool video of someone doing something you love or are interested in. Listen to a podcast or an audiobook to help the time move faster. 

6) Set a goal for yourself. A goal that is achievable but only if you put some work in. Again, this takes me back to my love of lists and crossing things off. Once you set a goal, create smaller steps to meet it, then you can check it off the list once complete and move on to the next! 

When all of these tips fail, know that it is absolutely OK to rest and listen to your body. If you are anything like me, you probably have a million other things going on at the same time and there is never enough time in a day to do all of the things we need to or want to do. Something has to give before we break. We can’t stay motivated all of the time and we don’t want to cause any burn out. So make sure to listen to how your body and mind are feeling and if the answer is rest, cozy into your couch and relax. 

Thankfully, we are starting to see some nicer weather here in Northern Michigan and that always helps increase the motivation! Let’s get out and ride! 

Thank you to Haleigh Dunn @life.with.haleigh for being our 2025 Iceman Trailblazer!

Greetings all of you Iceman LEGENDS!

I’m excited to be a part of the Iceman ambassador program and to be a guest blogger in 2025. This year will mark my 6th Iceman appearance, and I stand firmly in saying it’s the best party in the woods with 5000+ people doing hard things on their bikes.

As I started typing this, I initially thought I’d talk about kicking off the season and getting your “race legs” under you early in the year—my undergraduate and grad school studies were focused on exercise physiology; so I thought that might be a great topic to share some insight on. However, my mind shifted quickly after I typed that line above: “doing hard things.” The beauty and the magic of Iceman lay within its wide range of individuals—national (and global) cycling professionals, the serious amateurs, the moderate and beginner amateurs, and of course the “joyriders” just out there to do something hard while crushing some snacks (and maybe a cold one or two) on course. Each of these cohorts make Iceman what it is: a place for everyone to thrive in whatever way that looks like to them.

One of our good friends (Pauly H.) turned my wife and me onto a book by Steve Magness called “Do Hard Things.” Without giving away the book (because I highly recommend everyone read it), the general concept is that toughness is a skill, not a personality trait. It can be trained like anything else. True resilience is about psychological flexibility, not stoicism. If you’ve attended Iceman in any form, then you’ve seen this on display at every skill level—including our local friends sending it over “Make It Stick” last year… EPIC. *Shoutout to TP*

In reflecting on this, it brings to mind the big question: Why do 5000 people (and another 5000+ of their friends) show up the first weekend in November to ride a mountain bike race that starts at 9am in temps as low as 29°F? The answer? It’s personal. That’s what makes Iceman so special. Every rider has a different reason for showing up—and every one of those reasons is valid. Whether you’re chasing a podium, hammering to beat your PR, high-fiving strangers while rocking jorts and a banana costume, or just soaking in the wild energy of a race that’s as much festival as formal, you’re doing it right. There’s no “correct” way to race Iceman, other than to enjoy the hell out of it. We all ride this thing a little differently—but what unites us is the energy we bring to the trail and the community that is built around it. I’ve been fortunate to race around our amazing state, and even more so fortunate to have done a few races around the country, and I can confidently say that not a single one compares in energy to Iceman. I can’t speak for what a UCI World Cup is like or anything of the sort (I’m very much somewhere between the moderate and serious amateur rider), but I get the chills every time I come cranking up Woodchip and Icebreaker and see all the people cheering, handing out dollar bills, and looking for high-fives along the gates. That is this community. No ego and no selfishness; just positivity, support, and literally the best vibes in the woods. 

Firecracker 50 MTB Race – Breckenridge, CO

So whether you’re already deep into your training plan or just beginning to ruminate on what costume to wear, just remember: Iceman is what you make it. It’s fast, it’s fun, it’s chaotic, and it’s unforgettable. Let’s keep it positive, keep it rowdy, and make 2025 the best year yet. I’m looking forward to sharing more with you all throughout the 2025 season!

See you all in the woods.

Thank you to Mark Daisy @markdaisymusic for being our 2025 Iceman Trailblazer!