Another well deserved thanks to J&W events and everybody who helped bring the Icycle around again this year! This proves to be a favourite every year, and this year was no exception. Icycle racers appreciate the unique flair that this event offers, such as its icy winter time scheduling and the one and only night-time downhill race. The crown jewel of this race is its positive, laid back atmosphere. It's hard to find a race with the same kind of vibe these days!
Jeremy and I bucked up and raced the big-bike XC class. You have to have a minimum bike weight of 35 lbs, 12 inches or more of suspension travel, and flat pedals. Big thanks to Chris Herndon for letting me borrow his Specialized SX trail for the event! I knew I had big shoes to fill when I realized that this was the only bike there that had ever been raced at a world championship! It wasn't all fun and games though- he left me with his 38t single ring and a road cassette! Although we will both feel like crap for the next 5-7 days and we've both sworn never to race cross country again for the rest of our lives or next icycle, which ever comes first, we had a great time. I got second place, and jeremy pulled across the finish not far behind me in 4th. (I almost took myself out during the lemans start when I slipped in the mud while running to my bike!)
After the XC, we headed over to the DH course, the top of which is really high-speed and exposed on one side, the bottom half of which is really pedally and flat. The downhill race had record attendence in the pro/ex class and the competition was stiff! It was Dave's first Icycle experience. I started out my practice by getting rag-dolled on the first fast section of the course. I rung my bell pretty good and knocked the wind out of myself. That shook me up pretty good and rather than feeling dominant in practice, I spent the rest of practice trying to regain my confidence. Both of us had way too much fun practicing and were pretty well spent by race time. I got 8th and I think Jeremy and Dave ended up in 11th and 14th respectively. We all had a great time and it set a great tone for the upcoming season!
It's less than a month away from the March 8th DH race in Clemson SC. I always love this race as it's kind of a hometrack for me. Having been a part of the crew that put on the original Clemson DH races back in the early 2000's, I have a special place in my heart for racing here! The guys with the Clemson freeride club have done a spot-on job of designing the track for this year's race and I had the chance to preview it yesterday. The top half of the course is the same as last year- several nice table top jumps, some good high speed berms, and one long pedally section (it wouldn't be the southeast without at least one pedal section!) A new section has been added after the wall ride. I
nstead of squiggling around the trees after the wall, it now goes behind the wall with a series of three fast 180 degree berms with jumps in between them. Then it hits a tight, flat left hander, leading into a brand new long high-speed, tight off-camber section with a ton of diagonal running roots. It looks like its going to finish down the railroad-tie stairs in front of the picnic pavillion at the bottom of the run. It should be really fun, and I can't wait to race it! Another big thanks to the Clemson crew for all of the hard work and thought they've put into this thing!
