{"id":204,"date":"2019-10-15T23:00:06","date_gmt":"2019-10-16T05:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/iceman.saffire.com\/blog\/?p=204"},"modified":"2019-10-15T23:00:06","modified_gmt":"2019-10-16T05:00:06","slug":"iceman-update-a-crisp-start-to-the-finish-venue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/index.php\/2019\/10\/15\/iceman-update-a-crisp-start-to-the-finish-venue\/","title":{"rendered":"Iceman Update: A Crisp Start To The Finish (Venue)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Know what makes it really feel like the Bell\u2019s Iceman Cometh Challenge is just around the corner? 40 degrees and rain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I always smile the first time we see this kind of weather because of something my friend Sean Kickbush said while lining up at Peak2Peak a couple of years ago. We were doing that awkward dance before the Elite start; pedaling around in small circles just a few yards from the start line because we didn\u2019t want to be the first to line up, but didn\u2019t not <\/em>want to be first, either. It was cold and, as if often the case, windy at the base of the ski hill. Nerves, as you\u2019d expect, were frayed. Just then, ten minutes before the start, a few sprinkles fell, followed by something more steady. Sean, tense but smiling looked over and voiced his opinion on conditions. \u201cYou know what\u2019s better than racing in 40 degrees? Racing in 40 degrees in the rain. Yeah, that\u2019s a fun idea.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, we all clamor to do it when it\u2019s Iceman. Some of you nutcases even do your snow dances or hope for freezing weather. Once the gun goes off, the weather doesn\u2019t matter. This is Michigan, and this is Iceman; we all know what we signed up for, and we\u2019re going to give it hell no matter what. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This past Sunday, a few of the crew made the short trip up to Timber Ridge to start preparing for 10,000 of our friends to party. It was the perfect Iceman morning; grey, cold, and just damp enough to control the sand. As I pulled in, a solid group of riders from all over the state were pumping up tires and sliding snacks into their pockets. I\u2019ll admit, this weekend was the first time I had a fuzz of jealousy of the folks racing. Those guys and gals looked excited, eager, and ready for what is always an adventure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, I joined Mark Frick and Dave Heim on breaking out the stuff that makes the Iceman Iceman; <\/em>the banners. Well, they may not be the most important or exciting part of the event, but this infrastructure is precious. We popped open the massive shipping container and started organizing by the sponsor; a massive pile of Bell\u2019s signs, Trek banners neatly stacked next to Bontrager, a bunch of BISSELL close-by, and the Subaru VIP signs next to the golden VIP Parking banners. Seeing the container slowly empty was a great feeling, but the real treat was when Mark rolled out the barrels. Literally. The Bell\u2019s Brewery barrels, for me, immediately send a jolt of electricity through me; this thing is SO CLOSE!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout the morning, we also got a few updates from Northern Michigan Mountain Bike Association and their trails crews. They\u2019ve been working every night well past dark to get some of the course\u2019s re-routes finished up and packed in. Much of these re-routes will be flagged and started by the weekend, but there\u2019s plenty more to do to get them up to NMMBA\u2019s exacting standards. When you see a few guys in the woods over the next few weeks, make sure you give them a shout and say thank you! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last week, transfers officially closed, which means we\u2019ll be polishing up wave assignments over the next few days. We\u2019ll be doing what we can to get people where they should <\/em>be, if not exactly where they want to be. Our registration crew has been getting 60-80 emails a day for the past two weeks with questions and requests, and they\u2019ve given me two tips to pass along to those looking to skip up a few starting positions. First, just remember that we can only do so much shuffling. Second, Jessica and Denine like Two-Hearted Ale in a bottle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, the weather. I\u2019ll admit, I caught myself checking the long, long-range forecast the other day, and finally smacked my own hand away from the weather app. It\u2019s northern Michigan; the weather is going to change a dozen times between now and November 2, and another dozen times during the race. Don\u2019t sweat it. Just like the course, we\u2019re all in the same rain, snow, wind, or heatwave, and we know it\u2019s not going to stop you from finishing…or hanging around to party.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Know what makes it really feel like the Bell\u2019s Iceman Cometh Challenge is just around the corner? 40 degrees and rain.  I always smile the first time we see this kind of weather because of something my friend Sean Kickbush said while lining up at Peak2Peak a couple of years ago. We were doing that … Continue reading “Iceman Update: A Crisp Start To The Finish (Venue)”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"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":[90,136],"class_list":["post-204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-news","tag-timber-ridge"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204","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\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=204"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=204"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=204"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.iceman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}