Grrrr, Phhhtt, Scratch, Claw, ROAR!

It amazes me how the Iceman Cometh manages to single-handedly ruin the year of countless mountain bikers who are denied access to this November race. It brings out the worst in people. It really does, and I don’t quite understand it.

This year, I finally get to witness the event as a racer. Actually, I’ve never been there, before, so I get to witness the event, period. I’m not looking forward to it as the greatest race ever, because I know it’s not. I’ve been told that it’s not my kind of race. I like technical singletrack. This race, I’ve been told, is essentially the anti-technical singletrack.

Last year, I didn’t make it in. Like all lotteries, I lost. “Oh, well,” was my reaction. I was disappointed that a few of my teammates were going without me, but that was the extent of it.

In one of the multiple Iceman disappointment threads at the MMBA Racing forum, I made the comment, “It’s nice that so many Michigan mountain bikers have nothing better to do than bitch or worry about registration to a race.” Seriously, that’s great news for our economically-challenged state!

Sure, there are going to be people who say, “Di, you just don’t understand,” or, “I have a long history with that race,” or, “Grrrr, phhhtt, scratch, claw, ROAR!” The day that I treat an entry to a race that seriously will be the day that I know I will need to take some time off from mountain biking. I hope that day never comes.

I hope it never comes because I am not an angry or bitter person. I brush off the bad and I find humor in most situations. Yesterday’s post was humor. Hey, I laughed!

This may seem harsh, but probably only to the people to which is refers, but I am kind of relieved that the very people who are taking this denial to the race with much anger and resentment are not going to be my competitors. There is something to be said for sportsmanship, and one’s true sportsmanship, whether it is poor or good, is quite obvious when the chips are down.

I know that entry to a race, or really anything, is not going to improve my life or bring me happiness. If I have not found happiness in my daily activities and my personal achievements which are independent of other people or events, then nothing can bring me true happiness, and that is a much bigger problem than being denied entry to the Iceman.