Iceman Cometh Challenge News

Summer Riding Tips

Summer is such a fun time to enjoy the great outdoors in Michigan. Sometimes, it can be easy to have a little bit too much fun! As we juggle busy summer events such as weddings and graduation parties, along with the invites for beach days and down-river floats, it can be easy to let training fall by the wayside. Here are some of my tips for staying in shape while still enjoying everything summer has to offer.

1.) Be proactive. If you are planning vacations or work tips, it’s a good idea to put those in your training schedule as soon as you know about them. It sounds commonsensical, but you’d be surprised how easy it is to forget about the effect travel has on training. You probably shouldn’t try to get off a 5 hour airplane ride and roll right into VO2 max efforts. If you schedule your workouts appropriately, you can focus your intensity training to occur prior to travel. This allows you to enjoy your trip and use it as a recovery period.

2.) Be flexible. You may not be able to take a bike on vacation with you. However, there are other ways to stay fit and have fun. One of my favorite things to do on vacation is to rent a bike or go for a run. You get to really immerse yourself in a city in a way that you just can’t replicate in a vehicle. As a bonus, you may become the person in your travel group that knows where all the cool cafés are! There are a huge number of shops that rent bicycles. A pair of cycling shoes and shorts takes up very little room in your suitcase. If you go through the effort of packing them, you will be far more likely to call a shop and rent a bicycle for a day.

3.) Be intentional. Everyone has different goals. For some people, racing at their very best is the focus of the year. If that’s you, set your intentionality on limiting external distractions. You may need to say no to that beach day invite if you already took an easy day for the week. However, for many of us (myself included), the goal is to squeeze every last drop of fun out of the summer. If that’s the case, then understand that sometimes training will look a little different than the ideal. Sometimes your aerobic rides will be replaced with fun hikes or a quick bodyweight workout in a campground. That doesn’t mean you will be out of shape come November. If you continue to focus on maintaining general bike fitness, the Iceman specific race fitness can be honed in on during September-November.

4.) Be coachable. It is very hard to be unbiased in assessment of oneself. I strongly recommend a coach to help you get the very most out of the time you can commit to training. A coach is not a necessity for having a great time at Iceman. However, if you want to really maximize your training benefit, a coach may be the missing piece of the puzzle.

I hope you have a fantastic summer filled with bikes, friends and fun!

Thank you to our 2023 Iceman Ambassador Elaine Sheikh @elaine_muskrat

Martin’s Spring Training

If you only know one thing about Holland, chances are pretty good that one thing is Tulip Time. We love to celebrate our tulips here, and since 2019 I’ve hosted the Tulip Century as a way of marking the arrival of spring. We ride 100 miles on some of the best roads in the area, and when we’re done, we gaze lovingly at the giant tulip we’ve drawn via GPS on the map. And of course, the route passes through some of Holland’s Tulip Lanes on the way through town.

Spring is also my favorite time of year to do hill repeats. It’s all too often I get excited to ride outside in the sunshine only to realize that it’s 40 degrees with 80mph wind. Rather than grind around one of my regular loops feeling sorry for myself, I’ve taken to turning these into days for hill reps. It’s a great way to stay warm and motivated at the same time! Try making a game for yourself, like “how much elevation gain can I accumulate in an hour,” or “can I complete 3 reps of every hill in the neighborhood?” I’m always looking for simple goals like this to keep rides interesting-what mini riding challenges do you like to set for yourself?

Thank you to our 2023 Iceman Ambassador Martin Harris @uncle.martin

Spring Training Tip

After ending a busy season on the Fat bike it usually takes me a while to transition from the Fat bike and indoor trainer season to outdoor riding on the MTB/Gravel bike. It’s my first year riding a Gravel bike and I absolutely love the opportunity to get a lot of gravel miles in on the endless Michigan dirt roads. I’m heading out my front door and the next gravel road is just around the block. A week long trip in March is always something for me to look forward to when the new season starts. I’m usually spending it “down South”, somewhere between, NC, TN and AL. This year I spent time with team mates in and around Asheville, NC and Slade, KY. It’s a great way to wake up those legs and get used to outdoor riding again, as the weather is usually nice and warm where it is still winter in Michigan. Putting in extra miles and getting a good amount of climbing in is an extra motivational boost for me to start spring training. It’s usually a great time with friends and gets my mindset back to summer riding.

Thank you to our 2023 Iceman Ambassador Nina Waschenfelder @ninasmtblife

What does spring training look like?

Spring is finally here, and for many cyclists like me, that means it’s time to hit the gravel roads and trails again. After a long winter of indoor training (not a lot of fat biking this year), there’s nothing quite like getting outside and feeling the sun on your face.

This time of year, I am juggling a full work schedule with the desire to get outside on local gravel roads and single track. I like to get a couple of early season gravel races in March or April and use them as a good test for all the indoor winter training.

This year I have a spring full of gravel events that keep me motivated. Next up is Cowpie EX endurance226 miles in May, Unbound 200 in June and one my favorite ultra gravel events Michigan Coast 2 Coast in June.

I like to pick events that make you dig deep and find those dark spots that you can push through to the finish. There is something about realizing that you can find that limit and realizing you can do a lot more!

Here are some of my favorite ways and spots to ride in the spring, along with some spring-related training tips to help you make the most of your cycling season.

1. Explore local parks and trails: One of the best ways to enjoy the spring weather is to explore your local parks and trails. Here in West Michigan, we have miles of singletrack and gravel roads to explore, with some tasty bakery stops for those that end up near Smyrna, make sure to stop into Otsico Bakery (one of my favorite stops!).

2. Find a friend or join a group ride: Riding with a group can be a great way to meet other cyclists, learn new routes, and have fun. Look for local cycling clubs or groups in your area and see if they offer spring rides for riders of all levels.

3. Take on a new challenge: Spring is the perfect time to set new cycling goals for yourself. Whether it’s completing a century ride, trying a new discipline like gravel or mountain biking, or working on your speed and endurance, spring is a great time to start exploring new adventures.

4. Focus on building endurance: As the weather warms up, you can gradually increase your mileage and work on building your base fitness. Start with shorter rides and gradually add more distance as your fitness improves.

5. Incorporate interval training: Interval training is a great way to improve your cycling fitness and speed. Incorporate short bursts of high-intensity efforts into your rides to challenge your body and build your cardiovascular fitness.

6. Don’t forget about recovery: As you ramp uptraining in the spring, it’s important to give your body time to recover. Make sure to incorporate rest days into the training schedule and take care of your body with proper nutrition and hydration.

Spring is an excellent time to get back on your bike and explore the world around you. Some of the best routes are the ones we have not yet ridden. So get out there, enjoy the sunshine, and happy riding!

Thank you to our 2023 Iceman Ambassador Tobi Tungl @tobitungl

No matter what, have fun!

Probably the best piece of training advice I can give is the simplest one: at the end of the day, we’re here to have fun riding our bikes! Hopefully things go perfectly and you achieve all your goals. That’s fun for sure! But chances are not everything will go perfectly. Maybe nothing will go as planned. In that unfortunate event, just promise yourself to learn from the lessons your experience brings so you can benefit from them the following year. Then, drop your shoulders, smile, and keep going! Enjoy the scenery and revel in the exuberance of the crowds and your fellow riders. Most of all, no matter what, be nice to race organizers and officials – and no matter what, thank every volunteer you see! Without them there would be no race!

Meet the author: Kurt Schaldenbrand has been racing bicycles since 1983. He’s been a licensed coach working with competitive and developmental cyclists since 1990 and has been head coach for the University of Michigan Cycling team since 2012.

The Iceman team wants to thank Kurt Schaldenbrand for his training tips series, we hope that you learned something from it! Although this is the last installment of his training series, rest assured this won’t be the last we hear from Kurt! And don’t worry we have a lot of exciting things coming your way! For the rest of April, you can expect to meet our influencers, catch up on another episode of Rider Radio The Iceman Cometh Challenge Podcast, and get a sneak peek at the 2023 Iceman Gear! So keep your eyes on our social feeds and we will see you in the woods…

Go fast to get faster!

If improving your time is one of your goals, there’s only so much that better technical skills can do for you. For such a long event, and especially given the many long and flat (less technical) sections involved, improving your ability to just plain go faster will be key. Many riders try to improve their average speed by always “just riding hard”. While this can certainly work, you’ll usually find that interval training is a more effective method. Break your efforts into 5, 10 or 15 minute chunks and go harder than you normally would. Recover between those efforts, and then go hard again. When that gets easy (or, easier!) then either add more time, reduce your rest, or add intensity!

About the author: Kurt Schaldenbrand has been racing bicycles since 1983. He’s been a licensed coach working with competitive and developmental cyclists since 1990 and has been head coach for the University of Michigan Cycling team since 2012.

Dress for success

Clothing choices, especially clothing choices for events in possibly less than ideal conditions can make the difference between a good outcome, and a bad one. With a name like, Iceman, obviously the biggest challenge at this event is often keeping warm. If your feet and hands get cold in chillier conditions the common go-to is “thick socks, shoe covers or winter boots and cozy gloves.” While these can help, often the best bet for keeping your extremities warm is keeping your core even warmer. A good base layer – especially a wool one – is your best friend. Another key for your feet: yes, thick socks (preferably wool again!) but not TOO thick. Let your toes have some room, otherwise you’re restricting blood flow, and blood flow is what’s keeping your feet warm!

Iceman Cometh, 25th anniversary Photos by John L. Russell, Great Lakes Images

You are what you eat

I’ve already said it, this is a long race! You’re going to need to refuel or risk bonking. Bonking hard! If you only do shorter races, or are used to pulling to the side of the trail to drink or eat when out riding, developing the ability to fuel on the go will be crucial. That goes double for figuring out what works on your stomach over the long haul. Keep in mind that as you consider your options (bars, gels, sports drinks) you’ll want to settle on something that does the job, but also something you can open and consume while riding – with a few hundred people all around you!

Technical riding considerations

While the overall course for the race isn’t all that technical, there ARE some technical parts. Add the possibility of snow or ice and the certainty of crowded trails and you can’t ignore your technical skills as an important component of your success on race day. So do make sure to practice those skills! Grab some friends and set up some drills. Practice following close behind someone on a narrow single-track section. Go find some sand and practice riding with less-than-perfect traction. Do some other races or attend some clinics. Grow your abilities, and not just your legs!

How often do you ride with a few thousand other people?

As I’ve mentioned before, this is a BIG event. Especially in terms of participation. With over 50 waves and hundreds of competitors in each wave, this is probably the most people you’ll likely be around on single track all year. What does that mean? That means you don’t always get to pick the line you want. That means your opportunities to pass slower riders will be limited. That means YOU will be getting passed as well. Often. You can let all of that impact you, get in your head and slow you down. OR you can come to peace with it and use it to your advantage. As much as all trails have a certain “flow” to them, so does riding in a larger group. Get into that flow – and go!