Iceman 2023: Mistakes Were Made

 It would appear that my blog has become a defecto race report on various events.  The last race of the year per usual in the Mitten State is the Iceman Cometh.  I can't remember if this is 7,8 or 9 Icemans.  Most blend together into a blur.  There was Mudman, several Niceman and an occasional lived to the billing Iceman.  

2023 wasn't warm, but with sun shining and no rain, temps in the upper 40's, it will be remembered as a Niceman.  The race where a lot of mistakes were made.  

I had shifting problems going into the race.  If I had ridden my bike a lot more before the race, perhaps it was something that could have been sorted out.  As is, I rode my gravel bike and indoor trainer.  I assumed the problem would be the same thing that has cropped up in the past.  It wasn't.  Don't Assume.  Test your race gear over and over.  

This lead to shifting getting stuck around every ten min dropping to every 2-3 min much later in the race.  Frustrating.

I had planned to use a water bottle that I had used with my bike every ride I had used it, and also use my USWE back pack that holds about 50oz of water.  The day of packing I decided to leave my back pack home and take a larger water bottle I have used on most of my gravel rides.  

15 min into the race I realized I couldn't physically take the bottle out of its cage.  It was locked in like a vise grip.  To drink I had to get off the bike and yank it out.  Frustrating.

This was my only nutrition.  Calories in the bottle.  Test your gear!  Don't change your plan without testing it.  Carry an emergency gel or something like that.  

Now my biggest takeaway from the race besides test your gear is how you deal with problems.  Monday morning I was working with someone and they inherently asked how the race went.  Somewhere in the conversation, I came to the epiphany of why didn't I just take the water bottle out of its cage and put it in my back jersey pocket.  

The answer was I became fixated on the problem, instead of brain storming a solution.  Tough lesson learned, but a valuable one.  Seek to be a solution oriented thinker.  

Besides the disappointing race time and frustrating mechanicals, riding your bike in the woods and hanging with your friends can never truly be disappointing.  Always grateful when the opportunity presents itself.  

Test your gear, seek solutions, pedal on.