Bateman Bicycle Company’s Noah Ramsay achieved another big result on Saturday, winning the 36th edition of the Iceman Cometh Challenge. The MTB race is a 48 km point-to-point event that starts at the Kalkaska County Airport and heads to Traverse City. Canadian Tyler Orschel finished second, with American Kerry Warner rounding out the podium. Over 5,000 riders participated in the race across various categories, making it the biggest single-day point-to-point MTB race in the U.S.
For Ramsay, the race went as well as it could have for him.
400 W for 90 minutes: Noah Ramsay rides solo for entire crit
“I felt quite in control for most of it. I initially attacked 12 miles into the race in some singletrack and got a 5-second gap, so I continued to push solo for a couple more miles until Alexey and a couple of others caught me,” he said. “Tyler Orschel and I went again a few minutes later at mile 16; we knew there was a long stretch of singletrack and wanted to see if we could get away or just make the less mountain bike-focused riders burn some matches when it opened up once we dropped them. I knew Tyler and Alexey Vermuellen were both favorites for the win, and they definitely made it hard for me.”
Ramsay said he really wanted to string out the group and force a selection so that he could enter the finish with a reduced group, minimizing the variables that could affect his chances of winning. The 21-year-old launched his last effort going into the final bit of singletrack, entering in first position, quickly establishing a gap, and pushing hard until the line to secure the victory.
He was happy to end the season on a high note.
“I launched my last dig going into the final bit of singletrack; I entered first wheel, quickly got myself a gap, and just pushed until the line to win it. I’m really happy to end the season on a high. There were so many talented racers out there, and I think I just played my cards right based on my strengths,” he said.
There was a little drama as he cruised to the finish, however, as he rounded one of the final bends. “I thought I was in the clear, but with so much sand dragged onto the pavement from the hundreds and thousands of riders before me, the changing surface in the sweeping turn meant I lost the wheels. I knew I had a big gap, though, so I just stayed composed and got up as fast as possible,” he…
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