|
 The Iceman 1998 Traveling north, the forecast was uncertain. Four and one-half hours of open road displays the face of Mother Nature in many hues. Leaving Toledo, the sun peeking through high clouds, and the expectation of dry skies ahead, the Donaldson drove on toward the call of the Iceman! This years event was number six for the Donaldson, and spirits were high after number five had left Jim with broken chains and a broken dream. The call of the Iceman is all of that and more: broken chains and dreams. Hope ran strong though, even though the clouds got darker as he drove along, and then the rains came near Cadillac. Pulling into the Irish Inn Motel in Manton, Mi, the Donaldson was greeted with light rain but bone chilling temps. The promise of a welcoming bonfire at the Irish Inn were dashed due to the rain, but Lillian's provided an excellent menu selection and Jim ate his pre-race meal of soup and chicken stir-fry while mentally relaxing and setting strategy for the race. The lucky leprechaun and neon green lights above Jim's bed, foretold of better luck for the Donaldson in this year's race. Race morning dawned, cold but dry, and Jim made his way to Kalkaska high school. Jim's wave went off at 10:05 am, and after check in was done: 8:15 am, he asked "What now?" The weather kept changing, as the clouds darkened and rode high, then low; rain came in spurts from light to heavy, not lasting long and the temperature soared. [Jim] Allen and Donaldson wondered what to wear - booties, vest, jacket...and decided to wait another hour to decide because surely the weather may change again...and it did. Leaving the boot covers in the car (turned out to be a good choice) Allen and Donaldson finally got to warm up and make their way to their wave start. [Sherry] Simon had left for the Slush Cup start, and [Karen] McKee and [Mark] Hovsepian were ready as well. [Tony] Gwin was not in sight but somewhere ready to roar! The Viking sang the national anthem (what a sight) and the race was on. Gwin was out in the first wave of the MVW folks, and the goal for everyone else was to catch Tony. Conditions did not deteriorate and the damp sand provided some ease with maneuvering. Endo's did occur, but the falls everyone took did not destroy any tissue or cause too much lamentations. Wide roads, uphills, downhills, spills and thrills, they all rode their own story. Single track at times proved challenging for some, but the 1,800 finishers looked happy at the end of the line. This year's race finished with a hairpin curve coming out of the woods, then 200 yards of incline to pass under a Specialized tire just before the final clock. Cow bells ringing and crowds cheering greeted each rider as they pivoted that final turn. By noon the temp had settled in the high 40's and the rain was gone. The sun even came out for a short time to be followed by the rain again. Greeting one another at the finish line, Simon (back from [winning]the Slush Cup) Allen, Donaldson, McKee and Hovsepian (Gwin again was no where in sight) the MVW ate cookies and reminisced briefly. The telltale dirt imbedded in the right side of the helmet and right shoulder of McKee, Donaldson, Allen and Hovsepian brought renditions from each of their time in the dirt. A shower and time spent in the Jacuzzi, brought everyone out for a turn in downtown Traverse City. The weather had cleared, the temp rose to the 50's and TC provided some with key lime pie, ice cream or chocolate of your choice. After a job well done, they all deserved the goodies. After some shopping and gorging, everyone met at the award ceremony at the grand traverse resort. Suburus filled the convention hall, as the sponsor had several contests and promos for winning or purchasing one,and the ceremonies took place in the grand hall with some vendors, beer and T-shirts available for sale. The gang gathered together and waited for the calling of their names. They already knew how they finished and the Iceman gives awards 10 deep. The top three get merchandise or money and the following get medals. Simon took the top spot in the Slush Cup and McKee took 4th in her division of the Iceman. The ladies were the victors today! Allen was out of the top ten, and the Donaldson, although happy with his ride, whined about competing with the 40-year-olds and finished in the 15th spot for the 44-54-age category. Hovsepian was happy with his first Iceman tour and didn't think it was really all that difficult. What about the Gwinmeister?? Tony was 10 seconds out of 10th place for the medal win...he was despondent over that and of course there were the usual "if only I had...." Shoulda woulda coulda...we all tried to console him because he had a very strong ride of 2:06. However...his depression deepened as he heard about his beloved Buckeyes losing to MSU. There was no consolation after that....all of the Buckeye fans were shocked...didn't make sense...how could it be...the ceremony was over and the group all went on their way. Donaldson celebrated his ride with a Manitou micro brew at the U-and-I restaurant in downtown Traverse, then promptly fell asleep in the chair after 10 minutes back at the hotel. His dream of bringing home some hardware didn't come true, but did you know that the leprechaun did bring Jim some luck? His name was called as a door prize winner and he was presented with a bicycle pump, something that he really needed. The bay was tranquil on Sunday morning as the Donaldson prepared to leave the area. After coffee and a stretch on the beach, he said "Adios" and headed South on route 66. Isolated Christmas tree farms, and open lands filled with cows, horses and even some buffalo were part of the landscape furthest north. As the tires rolled closer to home past Lake City, Stanton, Lansing then Ann Arbor to Toledo, the rains returned and the temps dropped again. Spirits drooped for the beloved Buckeyes as cars heading north on the e-way flew the green Spartan flags as they returned from Columbus. Unfortunately for OSU, the leprechaun smiled on the Spartans as well. Last Updated 03/19/08 |
|
