{"id":1112,"date":"2025-04-16T09:56:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-16T03:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/?p=1112"},"modified":"2025-04-15T22:01:10","modified_gmt":"2025-04-15T16:01:10","slug":"greetings-all-of-you-iceman-legends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/16\/greetings-all-of-you-iceman-legends\/","title":{"rendered":"Greetings all of you Iceman LEGENDS!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I\u2019m 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\u2019s the best party in the woods with 5000+ people doing hard things on their bikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

As I started typing this, I initially thought I\u2019d talk about kicking off the season and getting your \u201crace legs\u201d under you early in the year\u2014my 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: \u201cdoing hard things.\u201d The beauty and the magic of Iceman lay within its wide range of individuals\u2014national (and global) cycling professionals, the serious amateurs, the moderate and beginner amateurs, and of course the \u201cjoyriders\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019ve attended Iceman in any form, then you\u2019ve seen this on display at every skill level\u2014including our local friends sending it over \u201cMake It Stick\u201d last year\u2026 EPIC. *Shoutout to TP*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\u00b0F? The answer? It\u2019s personal. That\u2019s what makes Iceman so special. Every rider has a different reason for showing up\u2014and 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\u2019s as much festival as formal, you\u2019re doing it right. There\u2019s no \u201ccorrect\u201d way to race Iceman, other than to enjoy the hell out of it. We all ride this thing a little differently\u2014but what unites us is the energy we bring to the trail and the community that is built around it. I\u2019ve 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\u2019t speak for what a UCI World Cup is like or anything of the sort (I\u2019m 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Firecracker 50 MTB Race – Breckenridge, CO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

So whether you\u2019re 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\u2019s fast, it\u2019s fun, it\u2019s chaotic, and it\u2019s unforgettable. Let\u2019s keep it positive, keep it rowdy, and make 2025 the best year yet. I\u2019m looking forward to sharing more with you all throughout the 2025 season!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

See you all in the woods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Thank you to Mark Daisy @markdaisymusic for being our 2025 Iceman Trailblazer!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m 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\u2019s the best party in the woods with 5000+ people doing hard things on their bikes. As I started typing this, I … Continue reading “Greetings all of you Iceman LEGENDS!”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[205,18],"tags":[69,165,72,114,206,139,179,141],"class_list":["post-1112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-trailblazer","category-training","tag-iceman","tag-iceman-cometh-challenge","tag-kalkaska","tag-registration","tag-trailblazer","tag-training","tag-training-tips","tag-traverse-city"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1112"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1112\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1120,"href":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1112\/revisions\/1120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}