{"id":1431,"date":"2025-10-02T21:37:42","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T15:37:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/?p=1431"},"modified":"2025-10-02T21:37:42","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T15:37:42","slug":"the-big-dance-approaches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/02\/the-big-dance-approaches\/","title":{"rendered":"The \u201cBig Dance\u201d Approaches"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Here we are. Almost exactly one month out from the greatest point-to-point mountain bike race in the country. Can you feel that? Maybe it\u2019s a little turn in your stomach. Maybe it\u2019s a fast-paced foot tap on the floor. Maybe it\u2019s just a big ear-to-ear cheesing smile. Maybe it\u2019s all of those? Either way, the \u201cBig Dance\u201d is almost here, and we\u2019ve got ~4 weeks to get the final touches on our fitness, get our nutrition plans dialed, solidify our post-race celebration plans, and to make sure our bikes are tuned and ready to rip full gas no brakes out of Kalkaska! I for one can’t wait, and am excited to be on the Iceman podcast coming up talking about my Leadville journey and all things as it relates to Iceman (tune in when the episode drops!).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There\u2019s no looking back now, the course is getting dialed as you read this and the Northern Michigan woods are ready to make you suffer and smile all at the same time. I for one, CAN\u2019T WAIT. I\u2019ve really put a focus on a number of different things that I have felt really embody everything that Iceman Cometh is, and sometimes I find it hard to not be redundant in these blog posts with the topics I covered: Doing hard things, excuses and motivation, riding for the grit, appreciating and riding for our people, the gift of the ride, no right or wrong bike, pacing strategies, and the community and overall vibes on course. I truly believe that these are the key elements to why Iceman is so special; so maybe this is a recap of all of those with a little extra focus on a few things while you dial your final weeks into race day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Do hard things. This is for you. This is for the people who believe in you. You\u2019ve already won the day by rolling up to that starting line. If the only thing you can do that day is make it to the line, do it. If you don\u2019t make it to the finish, who cares. You showed up with thousands of bike-folk to do something hard, and if everyone could do it\u2026 they would. When you\u2019re climbing Make It Stick 10-12 miles in and it hurts, think about the work you put in and what it means to you to get to the finish line. When you\u2019re going up Icebreaker and your legs feel blown up and want to cramp, think of your people waiting at the finish line STOKED to see you. Leave everything out there for yourself and for your people; the pain is temporary but the accomplishment is forever.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Excuses and Motivation. Same as above. This is your moment to get back what you put in. Fend off the excuses these last four weeks; put in early mornings or post-work rides (with lights!). Be able to say \u201cI didn\u2019t train as much as I wanted, but I got after it these last few weeks and feel as ready as I can be.\u201d\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Train with grit. Maybe we\u2019re past this, maybe we aren\u2019t. The beautiful thing about Iceman (and every other race) is that everyone is suffering at about the same level; the only difference in that suffering is the clock. Whether it\u2019s a pro finishing in under an hour and 40 minutes, or a \u201cjoy rider\u201d finishing in 4 hours\u2026 the pain is all the same. Heart rate maxed, lactic acid piling up on the climbs, respiration in full control by your central nervous system – everyone is feeling it. Get out and train on the hard days when you don\u2019t feel like it to build the grit needed to get over the finish line.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. No right or wrong bike. Your bike is your bike. Whether you\u2019re on a dually, a hardtail, a sendy bike, a gravel bike (it\u2019s a mountain bike race! ;)), a unicycle\u2026 you can\u2019t go wrong. Figure out what makes YOU the fastest you can be. Be that tire pressure, tire size, chainring size, an aero suit, a banana costume, or a tutu\u2026 the right bike is the one you feel the most comfortable on.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. The gift of the ride. When you\u2019re out there, remember that you get to do this. Your body allows you to do this, and that isn\u2019t guaranteed. Remember that there are hundreds of thousands of people who would love to be in your shoes suffering on a bike across the beautiful Northern Michigan riding as fast as they can to the Bell\u2019s Celebration Zone. We are fortunate to get to do this, and always remember that. Nothing is guaranteed.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Pacing. Practice makes perfect. If you don\u2019t know your FTP nor ride with a power meter, then you\u2019ve got just a few weeks to figure out what your maximum performance heart rate is to be dialed come November 8th. Heart rate is the easiest (and cheapest) way to figure out where you need to be to maximize your day out there. And maybe you don\u2019t even need heart rate; maybe rate of perceived exertion (RPE) is enough to get you through 30 miles of Northern Michigan\u2019s finest. Whatever it looks like for you, do what you can to be ready come race day, and be ready to change up your \u201cgame plan\u201d on the fly!<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. Vibes on course. Remember while you\u2019re out there – everyone is trying to have a good time. Negativity does no one any good. If you need to pass, don\u2019t force someone off the course. Call it out, wait for things to open up, then get by and make up the time with the energy you just saved (also be sure to let those folks by as well when it\u2019s safe!). Be a light for someone out there – just a simple \u201cyou got this\u201d or a \u201cyou\u2019re doing great, keep going\u201d can mean all the world to someone as you go by. Thank a volunteer when you ride by. And by all means, look out for each other out there. Work together, whether that\u2019s taking a pull or letting people know there\u2019s a massive stick on course, sand, or a rider approaching. This is our community that we all love, and it\u2019s beautiful. Let’s keep it that way.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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    Get out there, put in the final touches to your training so you can pump out as many watts that you\u2019re capable of, and make 2025 the best year yet. I\u2019m rooting for you. See you in the woods!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

    Here we are. Almost exactly one month out from the greatest point-to-point mountain bike race in the country. Can you feel that? Maybe it\u2019s a little turn in your stomach. Maybe it\u2019s a fast-paced foot tap on the floor. Maybe it\u2019s just a big ear-to-ear cheesing smile. Maybe it\u2019s all of those? Either way, the … Continue reading “The \u201cBig Dance\u201d Approaches”<\/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":[1],"tags":[69,165,72,139,179,141],"class_list":["post-1431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-iceman","tag-iceman-cometh-challenge","tag-kalkaska","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\/1431","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=1431"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1431\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1436,"href":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1431\/revisions\/1436"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}