Going on and on and on about the Iceman...

So I'm left wondering 'what if.'
My track coach used to tell us not to be in the Been family.  Coulda been, Shoulda been, Woulda been.  I'm definitely there after Iceman 2011.
What if i hadn't gotten sick? what if i hadn't gotten caught out in the wind so many times during the race?  What if I'd found somebody to take pulls with like I did last year?
Go to page 11...


Was a sub 2 hour Iceman even possible?  On a 18.98 lb SingleSpeed I believe it is.
One things for sure, I couldn't possibly have trained or planned any better.  I quadrupled my training mileage from the year prior.  The whole two months prior to Iceman was spent training for Iceman, foregoing even my beloved Cyclocross racing.  Even taking the Optygen HP gels for a month prior was a huge help, so again, I couldn't have done any more than I did. After all, getting the flu was not something I could have done anything about.  The bike could not possibly have been lighter.  I even borrowed some super light parts and dropped about 0.7 lb.  Tires were just about perfect.  The Stan's Raven is an amazing piece of engineering.  The Rocket Ron is too, but was probably out of its element on the smooth fast track of Iceman this year.

My mistakes were running the 42x18 gear and not taking some Tums immediately before, and possibly during, the race.  I was spun out for most of the race, and although I struggled mightily on the hills, I should be.  It's SingleSpeeding.  That's what we do. I should have run 42x16 and ran the hills if I had to.

In the end I dont know and will never know if a sub 2 hour Iceman was possible this year.  This is my fourth Iceman, but my first on a SingleSpeed.  Lessons learned will be applied next year.  I just hope and pray I can manage the same training as I had in 2011.  If so, and the weather holds out for Iceman 2012 I'll have a great shot. I should be starting in Wave 4 or 5 with even faster riders.