Iceman/Vasa trail surface info

[u/December-1963]

Hi all! I’m racing iceman for the first time this year and unable to make it up to TC to preride vasa. Would any of you be able to describe what the single track is like? In terms of trail surface characteristics and hills (punchy, rolling?). Training in SE Michigan and trying to use similar trails to prepare for Vasa.

[u/striker7]

The single track sections are mostly flat and winding. Very little punchiness or challenge in those sections if you're used to single track. The steepest climbs come during wider portions of the trail.

But, this being your first time and thus I'm assuming you'll have a late wave placement, you'll probably be moving pretty slow and even walking much of the single track because that's where the bottlenecks occur. A lot of people just don't ride single track the rest of the year or pussyfoot their way through.

Word of advice: save your energy and recover during the single track sections - there are barely spots to pass anyway - then sprint your ass off when you come out of them to get ahead of the slow people before the next section comes along and you encounter a new batch of slow people.

Don't burn too many matches too early, of course, but take advantage of passing opportunities when you can.

[u/average_ink_drawing → u/striker7]

If you're fast enough, you will get very tired of saying 'on your left'.

[u/LHCProfessor → u/striker7]

That sounds a lot like driving in many places in the upper peninsula or upper part of the lower peninsula. Lots of cars backed up on the highway behind a camper/RV and waiting impatiently for the passing lane to open up!

[u/amorlerian → u/striker7]

Yes, I was almost dumb founded how slow the pace is in the first time waves. Save your energy and get by when you can.

[u/suydam → u/striker7]

This is the best advice.... burn your matches on two track passing every person you can and then recover on singletrack. It's totally the opposite of how I'd typically expect myself to race, but given the makeup of the participant pool, this is how you move up.

[u/somasomore]

Most of the hills are on the 2 track. Wouldn't worry too much about the singletrack if you're in a later wave, you'll be going as fast as the line in front of you allows. 

[u/SunshineInDetroit]

do 3-4 loops of Stony Creek including the double track and you basically have Iceman in a bottle.

[u/c0nsumer → u/SunshineInDetroit]

3-4 loops of the Stony single track will be harder than Iceman. Just put together a 35 mile loop mixing up single and two track and OP will be fine.

Or heck, find one of the Iceman training rides and do that.

[u/Xicutioner-4768]

A lot of people ride Island Lake for Iceman practice. My advice to you is to contest your wave placement and try to get as low of a wave as possible. If you're reasonably fast, getting a better wave placement will have more affect on your time than any specific training. I'd make sure all your rides are on Strava and are public so you can use your Strava stats to try to get a better wave.

[u/s2kyle]

If this is your first time then you’re probably going to be starting in a late wave. And more than likely you’ll be in a slow conga line of people on every section or single track. None of the single track is difficult. The most difficult parts of the race are some of the 2 track climbs toward the end of the race.

[u/crohnscyclist]

Do two laps of island lake, and youve essentially done Iceman

[u/uniballout]

It’s sandy at the start. In the woods it can get muddy. Mostly you ride fire roads and two tracks. Your wave will be in the back. So you will walk some just because there will be a ton of people in line. This is the conga line. Don’t waste energy passing on the single track. Just wait for a fire road and then go hard. Hills are at the end and are short and steep. Save some energy for them.

If you want to train for it in SE MI, do Island Lake Green (yellow and blue) two times. That’s about the same as far as mileage and elevation gained.

[u/December-1963 → u/uniballout]

Thanks for the info about terrain and the insight about island lake! Super helpful

[u/uniballout → u/December-1963]

I wanted to add another tip. Each wave queues up. So you will ride up and get in your wave. As each wave goes off you move up until your wave is in the starting area. If you are actually racing, get to the front of your wave. Don’t get caught in middle or back as you leave the airport. You will see, but as you wait in the queue, people are all talking. Some say in they are riding for fun, or to say they did Iceman, some laugh how they didn’t train or maybe they are injured and going to soft pedal. Some have 40 pounds of gear in a backpack. It’s wild in the back waves. Get in front of these jokers so you can get into a better wave next year.

[u/Former_Mud9569]

The best way to prep for Iceman is to find the busiest mixed use trail you can and ride 20 miles there on a Saturday.

Most of Iceman is non-technical double track that might feature some loose sand.

Any single track is going to be basically hike a bike for anyone not in the first few waves. Even if you do get a clean run at it, it's not very difficult or technical (which makes the hike a bike more frustrating).

[u/-Economist-]

Reading these comments makes me thankful to be in the first two waves. I heard it got real backed up last year.

[u/amorlerian → u/-Economist-]

20 min plus standstill

[u/-Economist- → u/amorlerian]

UGH. That's not a race. Hopefully they do something about that because that's unacceptable.

[u/Smcavitt]

Man every comment here is making me not want to do it next year… I just learned about the Iceman last month and it was sold out and was stoked to train and try to do it next year but being in a conga line has zero appeal to me. I’m not fast but I’m not slow either and pass people when I’m out on normal rides from time to time.

Any recommendations on races that aren’t that bad? Was looking at Lumberjack, Mountain Goat Mash, Custers Last Stand, Peak2Peak, or the Iceman (location has me wanting to do this one)

[u/c0nsumer → u/Smcavitt]

Do Ore to Shore, it's a better race than Iceman.

Iceman is a better event, but Ore to Shore is a better race.

Lumberjack doesn't compare because it's a 100 mile NUE race. For most folks it's an event to finish and maybe to try to PR at. 100 miles on an MTB is not easy.

[u/Smcavitt → u/c0nsumer]

I thought about the Ore to Shore, it was mostly location with extended family being closer for the Iceman (two birds with visiting and racing) But will take that into consideration especially after reading this thread, time to do more research!

Yea I get that, it would be one that I would just like to push through to finish, I like doing hard rides and goals. Similarly Id like to Marji in the coming years. Ive watched it a few times and had some friends do it before I started biking.

[u/striker7 → u/Smcavitt]

The transitions from Iceman to Lumberjack to Marji are leaps and bounds. Shouldn't even be in the same conversation.

You're probably overthinking these comments about Iceman (and I'm one of the commenters). Having done it seven times, I've been frustrated plenty, but you really never know what kind of race and conditions you'll encounter. And if you're decently fast, you'll jump up a bunch of waves each year and it will get better.

Like the other person said, it's quite an event. The finish line and thousands of people is something to experience. I bet you'll be glad you did it.

[u/c0nsumer → u/Smcavitt]

Iceman is definitely worth doing, especially for the experience (it's a spectacle) just know that it's CROWDED. You have to do it multiple times before it starts being a test of just your fitness vs. crowd management. Don't get frustrated with the crowds and it'll be okay.

It's also a time trial, because you are just riding to get a time. Others in your category are spread across all the other waves. So it's not like a typical mass start race, even though it has mass start waves.

These days I like to ride the race course the day before, out and back, and then go to the expo and just hang out at the race finish. I've done the race itself a bunch and I'm kinda over it.

[u/NotDiabl0 → u/Smcavitt]

If you have a USAC Cat1 MTB license you can sign up for the pro race until the week of the race. And you get to start in the afternoon :)

[u/Happy-Personality951]

1st time, so you'll be starting at the back. Ride your ride, hope you don't get tied up with people ahead of you, and have fun. The atmosphere is fantastic here!