Iceman weekend arrived with the promise of 15 hours of nonstop rain, 50mph wind gusts, and unseasonably warm temperatures in the 50s. Race in full rain gear? Shorts and short sleeves? It really was a crap shoot on Saturday morning. One of my favorite parts of the day was rolling around the start corrals in Kalkaska watching people freak out about what to wear. I joined them, starting my warmup with tights, a jacket, thermal gloves, shoe covers, and a beanie all of which I discarded in my drop-bag at the last second to ride the race in shorts and short-sleeves. Ultimately that was the right choice, and I passed some seriously overheated people who wore winter gear despite 9am temps hovering at 52 degrees.
The main event is a 30(ish) mile point-to-point race from Kalkaska to Traverse City every year on the first Saturday in November. This you probably knew already. But did you know they change the course every year? For 2022, the infamous “Make it Stick” hill was out, so the Keen party had to move to Anita’s Hill. Also, in what I think was a first, they re-routed the course the day before the race to avoid a logged-out mud pit (THANKS!)? The event was pretty spectacular, so whoever’s calling the shots up there in Traverse City is doing something right. Well done, folks.
The “other main event” at the Iceman is called the Slush Cup. It’s a shorter, looped race in Traverse City that shares the same epic finish that the Iceman has. We had Coyotes dominating that event as well. This write-up attempts to capture the stoke, the excitement, and the great racing that the event typifies. I skipped over most of the stuff about the massive party at the finish line… you just have to be there to experience that I guess.
Scroll down (or click here) for Slush Cup coverage! Including both the youngest finisher of the race (Aspen Trierweiler) and first place overall for women (Reese Drajka) and men (Braden Forrester)!
Iceman Pro Racers
Other than driving out to USAC Nationals, our kids don’t get many opportunities to see pros race in person. Iceman always brings a stellar group of pros and this year was no different. For the women, USA National Champ Savilia Blunk was racing in the stars-and-stripes against defending champ Rose Grant, and Grand Junction, Colorado superstar Alexis Skarda. On the men’s side, 2019 champ and Michigan native Alexey Vermeulen was back to face last year’s champ Cole Paton, along with other stars like Kerry Warner, and Michigan-based pro, Kyan Olshove (A FORMER FREAKING COYOTE) currently of Bear National Team. Our kids had a blast texting all these pros in the week leading up to the race asking for tips and generally fawning over their heroes taking the time to talk to them in the days leading up to the race.
On race day, Alexey won in a breakaway, every mountain biker who is from Michigan was thrilled, and I think that includes Alexey who has said this is one of his highlight races every year. This photo below pretty much sums it up. There’s nothing quite like Iceman. If you want to hear Michigan fans fawn over our local hero, this video is a perfect capture of the excitement at Icebreaker, 1.5km from the finish line. Whoever filmed this summed up everyone’s feelings about the victory (sound on).
The finish to the women’s race was insane with Alexis Skarda narrowly defeating Savilia Blunk in a sprint finish (pictured below). Savilia described the finish as the most exciting of her career… and she’s won an actual national championship. Again, there’s nothing quite like Iceman. Oh, and that video features our very own Reese Drajka at 4:24, so there’s that as well.
The 2022 Course
The course started with some threatening mud puddles, but it was spectacular once you got about 3 miles in, with only a few mud-bogs to contend with. The beginning (pictured below, left) was an absolute mess at 9am when the first waves went off. I doubt it improved much, but that period was pretty short and once you got rolling, the course was in really good shape (pictured below, right).
With a tad under 1,900′ elevation over the 29-mile course (29.47 from the start line to my cabin at Timber Ridge), the course isn’t really all that hilly, save for a few stand-out hills. With “Make it Stick” being removed from this year’s course, the return of Anita’s Hill was more important than expected, with the Keen party in full effect halfway up. Our junior riders informed me that Anita’s is a battle scene of people nursing cramps and walking up the middle of the trail by the afternoon waves, so you can imagine the madness of juniors flying by at Mach-2 amid that craziness. In the morning, it was just a bunch of people enjoying beverages, playing drums, and screaming at me to pedal harder. Good times!
Icebreaker – The infamous final hill most years was a false alarm this year, cruelly sending riders out for 1.5km of singletrack and a final climb at Woodchip. Here’s Reese Drajka demonstrating proper Junior Racer form for passing old folks on the climbs while still making time on her opponents. It’s called “tuck and weave” and it seems to work pretty well for her.
Woodchip Hill – The final hill for 2022 was Woodchip. It’s usually in the race somewhere near the end, but this is the first time I recall it being the grand finale. Enjoy these videos of our kids making it happen:
Part of the fun on Woodchip is having Lee Marine yelling in your ear while running next to you. Seriously motivating and he’s still the best fan in the woods:
Road Crossings Mid-Course
Parents looking to cheer on their kids mid-course have several options, all of which require a manic dash from the start venue to a dirt-road crossing to another dirt-road crossing, and so on.
The most popular stopping points are as follows:
- Dockery Rd. – About 25 minutes into the race, riders cross their first “major” gravel road, and parents, Kalkaska-based fans, and the Sherrif’s department are on hand
- Broomhead Rd. – If you approached from M-72 this year, you got a booming sound system, a portable cocktail bar, some people screaming and dancing, and some mud. It was a party in the woods. But, I missed the party and came from the south this year. Whoops.
- Broomhead Rd. – If you approached from Supply Rd. to the south, you got a course marshal, Coach Brian, and Jim Davis from MiSCA in the woods yelling at you, but no party. You’re welcome. 🙂 Pictures are below.
- Williamsburg Rd. – The emotional halfway point in the race is really 2/3rds of the way through. There’s a straight-line steady climb to the only paved road crossing in the race and always a handful of fans there to cheer on racers.
The Finish Venue
The finish of Iceman includes several spectator-friendly climbs including the famous Icebreaker (where barriers keep the crowd back from the riders, and Wood Chip Hill where fans line the course and run alongside racers up the hill (a Lee Marine tradition that our juniors look forward to all year). Because their kids have been on-course for 2 hours before they arrive Timber Ridge, parents (and several 1,000 spectators) congregate at one of the hills for some spectating (pictured below):
Iceman Podiums
Our juniors were fast enough on the day to rack up some great podiums (we’ll cover the podium haul from Slush Cup below, don’t worry). The 30-mile Iceman was once the domain of moms, dads, weekend warriors, and a select few professionals who were actually able to finish the race in under 2 hours. Those halcyon days of clear trails and parents that are actually faster than their kids are long gone. Today’s Iceman age group waves are dominated by the junior racers, most of whom are right at that 2hr. threshold, and all of whom passed well over 300 other riders according to the super-official Alt Podiums from Iceman.
Iceman Podiums
- Anabel Miller, 2nd, Girls 17-18 (2:02:46)
- Gerrit Boer, 4th, Boys 17-18 (1:43:50)
- Madine Whitmer, 4th, Girls 17-18 (2:04:32)
- Matia Battjes, 5th, Girls 9-14 (2:50:24)
Iceman Finishers
- Hazel Cherney, 6th, Girls 9-14 (2:52:59)
- LJ Nykamp, 6th, Boys 15-16 (1:49:51)
- Emma Cavner, 7th, Girls 15-16 (2:32:13)
- Drake Marine, 10th, Boys 17-18 (1:53:23)
- Haydon Frehr, 15th, Boys 17-18 (1:57:07)
- Tristan Hubbard, 16th, Boys 9-14 (2:15:14)
- Levi Minnerick, 17th, Boys 17-18 (1:58:36)
- Luke DeWall, 18th, Boys 9-14 (2:16:16)
- Silas Ondersma, 23rd, Boys 17-18 (2:05:44)
- Evan Mosher, 24th, Boys 17-18 (2:07:49)
- Sam DiLaura, 27th, Boys 17-18 (2:03:55)
- Grant DeWall, 30th, Boys 9-14 (2:47:06)
Slush Cup 2022!
Slush Cup is the 9 mile version of the Iceman Cometh Challenge. Long a favored proving ground for young racers, it’s a loop that starts and ends at Timber Ridge. The course designers ensure the shorter-distance racers to still enjoy a nice climb up Icebreaker. Coming hot off the heels of their Elementary State Championship, Coyotes dominated some podiums at this race too.
Slush Cup Podiums
- Reese Drajka, 1st, Girls 11-12 (40:14) FIRST OVERALL!!! (all ages, including adults)
- Braden Forrester, 1st, Boys 13-14 (36:02) FIRST OVERALL!!! (all ages, including adults)
- Laila Hubbard, 1st, Girls 10-Under (43:20)
- Hudson Roberts, 2nd, Boys 15-16 (38:19)
- Sammy Weaver, 2nd, Girls 10-Under (45:04)
- Landree Darnell, 3rd, Girls 10-Under (47:14)
- Will Hughes, 3rd, Boys 11-12 (40:22)
- Easton Roberts, 3rd, Boys 13-14 (38:25)
- Sawyer Willink, 4th, Boys 10-Under (43:42)
- Harper Roberts, 5th, Girls 10-Under (48:42)
Slush Cup Finishers
- Ocean Trierweiler, 7th, Girls 11-12 (47:22)
- Aspen Trierweiler, 34th, Girls 10-Under (1:37:50) Youngest female finisher!!!
