Iceman Cometh 2009 - Race Recap

Another Iceman Cometh Challenge is in the books and even with all of the unknowns going into this years race; I would have to say this was my favorite Iceman of the five I have participated in.

JHK and Heather Irmiger taking the time to pose with me at the expo
Waking up the morning of the race, Marla and I were surprised to see that the temperature was already 53 degrees at 7:30am. “Iceman?” I don’t think so. We left for the start a little after 9 and met up with my brother-in-law, who was also racing, at the start line. After some last minute checks and well wishes, I headed for the start. I really liked the new starting venue in downtown Kalkaska. For more racers, it somehow seemed less congested and the roll out through the neighborhood before hitting the woods was cool. I felt good right from the start and just tried to keep from getting held up behind slower riders. Things were moving along pretty well and except for a couple of the usual deep sand pits, the trail was in great shape. After about an hour of pedaling, I still felt strong and was starting to feel something that I hadn’t felt during a race before – confidence. Confidence in my fitness to maintain the pace I was riding and confidence in my riding skill. I was beginning to have thoughts that this could be a good finish time.

That was until I reached the wall. This was a section of the trail where you went up a good sized climb and then back down through some tight singletrack with some switchbacks. Well, with all of the additional racers this year. This section became a bottleneck and when I got to the top of the hill, there was a parking lot and no one was moving. I stood there for over 4 minutes before I was able to start moving again and then, it was very slow going. After two hours, things were still going well and I was still feeling strong. It was pretty uneventful up to Anita’s Hill, where I had to get off and do my first hike-a-bike up a climb. Nearing the finish at Timber Ridge, I couldn't’t quite clean the climb up the woodchip hill, so another quick hike a bike before heading down into the singletrack surrounding the finish. There, a rider went down hard in front of me. I was able to avoid him, and after stopping to check and make sure he was OK, I took off for the finish. Twisting and turning through Timber Ridge, I reached the finish and looking at my stopwatch, I thought I had beaten my best time, or so I hoped.

So what does all of this rambling mean? The results were bittersweet. My final time was 2:47:30, finishing 113th of 150 racers in the Sport 37-39 category. This was ONE SECOND slower than my best time of 2:47:29 set in the 2005 Iceman. Two seconds quicker and I would have beaten my time. If not for the four plus minutes of inactivity at the wall, I would have had it! Then again, if I would have just pedaled a little harder….., so no excuses. I am feeling pretty good right now. If I could race Iceman again tomorrow, I would. I am ready to take it on again right now. I don’t know if I will be in the race for 2010, but if I am, I am now one motivated racer. On the bright side, I beat my time from last year by 15 minutes and 15 seconds.

I just need to thank my wife Marla for all of her support and help before, during and after the race. Thank you! I also need to thank all of my teammates from Team Sandbag Racing. You guys and gals rock! From the team dinner the night before to the campsite with hot food and cold drinks at the finish, to the support and encouragement of the team, Awesome! Thank you for everything! And a big congratulations to my teammates who raced in the Iceman as well! There were some great times posted and some great efforts put forward by all the TSB’ers. Great job guys!!!

Counting Down the Days

Iceman Cometh Challenge

Kalkaska to Traverse City

November 7th

~30 miles in the woods with 4,500 of my closest friends

Am I ready? Hell Ya!

This is shaping up to be an interesting Iceman race. There are a lot of unknowns and new wrinkles to add to the usual pre-race anxiety level. Physically, I am probably in the best shape I have been in the past few years. Mentally, I am all over the place. I have been concerned about the health of the twins and trying to do what I can to keep them as germ free as possible with all of the crud going around at school. So far, there have just been coughs, sniffles, and a case of Strep Throat for Ethan. I have been worried about the budget problems at my employer. Six firefighters have been laid off so far this year and there is a threat for six more as the recently passed state budget just cut $532,000 in revenue sharing from the City of Bay City. I have been concerned with the health and welfare of members of my family.

It is all a part of life, you deal with it as best you can and try to not let it consume you.

I am really looking forward to heading up north and enjoying Iceman weekend. I can wait to see the members of Team Sandbag and to enjoy their company, and I can't wait to give it all I have on Saturday during the race. Leave nothing on the table and race hard!

Going Peak 2 Peak

Today was the 4th annual Peak 2 Peak mountain bike race held at Crystal Mountain. This was my third P2P as I missed last year due to Ethan's Kidney surgery. I can honestly say this race has become my favorite of the season. The whole vibe at the race, the course with its mix of fast single track, technical sections and the climbs, most notably the dreaded ski hill climb, all come together to make this an awesome race.

Over the past few years, this event has become a family event for us. Marla and the twins come with me, we get a suite, and enjoy our time there together. We loaded up our stuff Friday morning and left after the kids got out of school. We arrived at Crystal around 7pm and headed right for the pool. After that, we ordered a pizza and enjoyed it as a late night snack. Not the best pre-race meal, but hey, we were having fun.



I got up the morning of the race, had a good breakfast, and prepped my bike. Timing was done by use of a disposable D-Tag this year. I have used the D-Tag for 5k races, but this was a first for a MTB race. I went up to the start and tested the timing tag to make sure it worked and then got in line for my wave start. I did my usual and hung toward the back of the pack as we rolled out through the streets of the village before hitting the trail. The trail was fast and tacky. great conditions for the race. I passed my share of racers and was passed by just as many others. I felt really good considering this was my first race since Ruby in July, so I pushed a little harder than usual. I didn't have a cycle computer for the race, so I didn't know how far we had went or what my time was, but I think I liked that better. Nearing the end of the first lap, we hit the ski hill climb. I put it in the granny and just started the long spin up. I nearly made it, but had to hike a bike the last little bit before it started to flatten out towards the top. Different for me was the addition of a slalom on the downhill portion of the ski hill. In the past, it was an all out bomb down to the bottom, but today, we had to get on the brakes and weave through some sets of barriers on the way down.

Starting my second and final lap, I was still feeling pretty good. My legs were a little tired, but not bad considering the lack of race miles I have put in this year. I am normally a pretty laid back racer, letting people pass at will and riding on someones wheel for a while before making a pass, but today, on the second lap, I was more aggressive. Rather than worrying about making a pass stick, I just went for it and whatever happened would happen. This was the most passing that I have done in a race I think. While my standings don't show this, it was fun to be calling out "on your left" for a change. I finished up my last lap, crossed the finish line to the cheers of my family who was there waiting, and thought to myself that I had a good race, not knowing anything about my time or how I finished.



As it turns out, I shaved 3 minutes off personal best for this race, finishing in 2 hours 5 minutes. What impressed me more was that my second lap didn't fall off from my first: 1:02:30 and 1:02:51. I felt good at the end and could have done a third lap, which is encouraging for the Iceman in a few weeks.

After the race, we took a ride on the Crystal Clipper chair lift to the top of the mountain and back down, then went swimming again before heading for home. It was sleeting there when we left as the sunny skies we enjoyed for the race gave way to the clouds and precip. I am now getting excited for the Iceman Commeth coming up in November and seeing my TSB family at the race.

Peal 2 Peak results: http://www.raceservices.com/09/p2p/101709_st.txt

Catching up

Well, I am finally home from a week-long camping trip to the Bay City State Rec. Area. It is camping close to home, but once you are back in the woods, it is like being up north. This weekend was the "Halloween Harvest" at the campground. There was campsite decorating, crafts for the kids, and the big event - trick or treating around the campground. It was a rainy week, a cold week, but after the fiasco with our camper and the mice damage, it was great to just be camping and camping in style at that, in our rental travel trailer.

This is our lot along with my parents lot


The family in costume and out of costume


I am getting excited for the upcoming Peak 2 Peak mountain bike race at Crystal Mountain. This is one of my favorite races and I really look forward to it each year. I can't believe it is only a few weeks away....

Let's see, I helped make apple crafts at school with the twins, I had a physical last week, I got my flu shot, There was an article about me in the Bay City Times, and I am still on vacation for the rest of the week. Hopefully there is still a fire department to go back to when I go back....

Here is a link to the article:
http://www.mlive.com/living/bay-city/index.ssf/2009/10/meet_your_neighbor_todd_shorke.html

Oh, by the way, I didn't recently start mountain biking, but I do race mountain bike for Team Sandbag racing!

Good Morning

There is just something about getting out of work after a twenty four hours shift and getting on the bike to relieve some stress and unwind. This is especially true on a weekend morning when the sun is just starting to come up. This morning was one of those mornings.

I left work this morning at 7am and just took a relaxing ride. I didn't push the pace or set any goals for the ride, I just took it all in. I enjoyed the sunrise, the cool temperature, the sights and smells of the morning, and the distinct lack of traffic on the roads. It was only an hour long ride, but now I am home waiting for the kids to wake up so I can share one of the last full days I have with them before school starts again.

There is a fresh pot of coffee brewing and I splurged this morning, picking up a dozen doughnuts for us all to enjoy. So far, I would say this has been a very nice day.

Back on the Bike

I was finally back on my bike yesterday for the first time since my adventure filled ride at the Rifle River Rec. Area, about two weeks ago. A lingering problem with pain in my left foot has kept me from riding, but it is feeling better now and I was able to commute to work yesterday and squeeze in a ten mile ride on my way home this morning. This has kept me from running as well, and I am starting to get a little cranky about it. Hopefully there will be no steps backward and only continued healing. I can handle some pain, but it was so bad at one point, I couldn't even sleep.

Looking forward, I am now registered and have hotel reservations for both the Peak 2 Peak at Crystal Mountain and Iceman races. I am also considering racing the 30 miles of Pain Haven in September if I can get the day off from work. I had hoped to get a few more races in this season. Maybe a cyclocross race is in my future as well.

Where has the summer gone?

The family and I just returned from a camping trip to the Rifle River Recreation Area in Lupton. It was a great trip with plenty of good times for all. The kids played on the beach and began to turn into fish in the water. We rode bikes and rented two kayaks, taking many trips across Grousehaven Lake. The kids really loved being in the boat and I think after this trip, my parents are seriously considering buying a kayak.

I went on what I thought would be a nice relaxing ride on the roads and trails around the rec. area as I had about an hour to kill before dinner, but that wasn't quite the case. It started out well, I was cruising on some fast, packed sand two-track. I was thinking how nice a 29'er would be for this, soaking up the chatter and washboard bumps. Someday, a big boy bike for me.... Anyway, I made it to the far back corner of the state land, and made a wrong turn, ending up on Sage Lake Road. I wasn't sure what direction to go to find the entrance to the campground, so I set off in the direction I thought I should go. After about fifteen minutes and one monster climb, I realized I had no idea where I was. The best option was to backtrack and return that way. I got back to where I had got off track, looked at the trail map that was posted there and decided to try to make up time cutting through the woods on the singletrack. That was going well until my handling felt funny. Yep, flat rear tire. I was hoping it was a slow leak and shot a co2 cylinder into the tire then continued on my way. I had to do this one more time before I finally made it back to the camper, just before dark and an hour later than planned. All in all though, it was a great ride.

My vacation now only has one day left and then back to work. I was able to run a 5k race, go camping, attend the Bay County Fair, and spend a lot of time with my family. I had planned to race the Tailwind USA-C race at Pontiac Lake tomorrow, but an pain in my foot, a cortisone shot, some relief, and now some pain again is going to keep me from racing. Good luck to my Team Sandbag brothers racing at Pando and Pontiac Lake this weekend. Tear it up boys!