16th Annual Uxbridge Icebreaker:
April 1, 2007
Uxbridge, ON
In a world filled with sarcasms and double meanings, it’s refreshing to know that there are still races named for the content of the event. There will be ice. Your bike will probably break. And if you think it’s a coincidence that it’s held on April fools day- Joke’s on you! Simple. Perfect. … I have since cancelled my tickets to the nutcracker ballet! The first mountain bike event of the year, the 16th Annual Uxbridge Icebreaker was a welcome change for the 270 riders participating in the event, who were all undoubtedly eager to shake off their winter trainer legs. Warm weather in the days leading up to the event melted the majority of the snow on the trails, and allowed race organizers to include certain singletrack sections that they have not been able to do in many years. However, the abundance of water on the course made for very soft trails, and lots of mud. Adding insult to injury, rain began to fall twenty minutes prior to the start of the event, which not only made muddy conditions muddier, but combined with cool temperatures and a brisk wind, a rather chilly ride. Since it started raining during my warm-up, I started to get a little cold, and so I decided to keep moving right up until the start of 25km race. When I arrived at the start line, to my surprise, there were no less than 177 riders overflowing from the staging area, all jockeying for a good starting position. I had no choice but to take a position at the back of the field with the turtles, instead of up at the front with the other bunnies. After the gun went off it took a good minute or so before us turtles reached the start line, mounted our bikes, and started making our way through the pack. The first part of the course was muddy double track, which wound it’s way out to the first of several gravel road sections, where it began to get easier to get by other riders. The gravel roads then made way to more double track, more mud, a little ice and snow, and a few fallen tree dismounts. The climbs and the downhills along the way would have been fairly tame for the most part, if not for the mud, snow, and ruts that helped to make things interesting. The last third of the course featured a few dry, fast singletrack sections, which felt absolutely fantastic after having followed, and eaten, the mud flung rooster tails of the 176 other 25km riders. 2nd overall, and a strong effort, after such a terrible start, I was happy with my race, and with the event as a whole. A first time “icebreaker”, I found the event to be well organized, the people friendly, and the course challenging. If you’re looking to lose your trainer legs early in the season, and you’re not afraid to get down with the brown, I recommend you add the 17th annual Uxbridge Icebreaker to your race itinerary next year. I’ll see you there! http://www.bikenxs.com/
