By: Terry Ritter Somewhere along the way I became an elder statesmen in the racing scene. Though I can’t pinpoint when this exactly was, I know it’s happened every season when the Iceman rolls around. There’s a chat with a new or novice racer and I reminisce regarding all the changes I remember over the years in the great November race. Though I’m sure others (though not many) can tell me some interesting changes, my quarter century of Iceman participation leaves me with a few things many people who identify with this event probably don’t know. There Used to Be a More Traditional Race Format For a number of years Iceman was organized like most traditional races. There were ubiquitous categories
By: Brian Reynolds Age Group Nationals was an “A” race for me so I was doing specific swim, bike, and run workouts to prepare. Three weeks before, I did a morning speed session run which went well but later that day my right calf became very sore and tight. When I woke up the next morning and took my first few steps I had a throbbing pain in my calf. It was the worst muscle pain I’ve ever experienced, but I continued with my swim and bike workouts that week. Three days after my injury was the Tri Del Sol race which I was signed up to do the Olympic triathlon. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to do
By Jared Dunham When you think of time trial racing, mountain bikes don’t usually come to mind, but occasionally you can get a race that combines the two. Time trials are the testing of the athlete against the clock, not other competitors. In a time trial race participants are sent off onto the race course one at a time with small gaps between each other. Each racer is timed individually and whoever finishes with the fastest time is the winner. While at there core, Road and Mountain Bike time trails follow the same formula, there are some differences compared to the MTB version. The mountain bike time trials I’ve raced at are: Yankee Springs TT, Custer’s Last Stand, Luton Park TT,
-By Kaitlyn Patterson, Team Athletic Mentors cyclist The question of the perfect Iceman bike is a favorite perennial debate. The reality that there is not just one ideal Iceman bike was illustrated in the past several years where the men’s race has been won on bikes ranging from full-suspension to full rigid with drop bars. I’ve split the difference over my five previous Iceman races- two on a full-suspension, three on a hardtail and this year is yet undecided. I started out the sport on an entry level full suspension, 27.5 Giant Lust which was my Iceman bike in 2014 and 2015. In 2015 it was enough to hang with the leaders but ultimately end up fifth. In 2016 I
By: Jacob Florey Whether you are a runner, cyclist, swimmer or all of these, you can do your part on a triathlon relay team. What better way to learn more about Triathlons. In the process of deciding to assemble a relay team or if you are invited to be a part of a team, keep in mind the type of people you are racing with. You want this to be fun! You should be with people you enjoy being with. Is your team super competitive or just doing this for fun? You need to have the same mindset going in to avoid stress and disappointment. How do you train for a relay? Do you keep normal training? Or if you normally
–By Kaitlyn Patterson, Team Athletic Mentors cyclist The first Saturday in November is a date circled in red for the past five years and stands as my favorite bike race/party. Thinking about riding into Timber Ridge into the celebration zone usually gives me goosebumps all year. I would love to say that every year I carefully crafted my training to arrive at Iceman as fit and fresh as possible, with my equipment dialed and mentally ready. In reality, most years my build-up has been less than perfect and the race itself has felt like pulling a rabbit out of a hat, with me more surprised than the crowd about the result. Starting medical school in 2016 has been an awesome
Athletic Mentors