Kabush wins Iceman Cometh on his Open gravel bike

Pendrel third in Michigan's late fall mountain bike race

Terry McKall November 5, 2018

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Racing this thing at a MTB event was something I’ve wanted to do since I got it. Adventure, Road, Gravel, CX, MTB? Not sure what to call my @opencycle U.P. but it sure is fun. After debating it in my head all week I rode some trails in Squamish, checked the forecast, and I was sold on giving it a go. The course at Iceman Cometh was perfect for it and I had a huge smile on my face after pulling off the first drop bar victory at this legendary event. What was my set-up? Breaking it down: – @opencycle U.P. Special @yeticycles Turq Edition (owners of the companies are friends from back in the day so got together on this collaboration) – @stansnotubes Valor 27.5 wheels with @maxxisbike 27.5 x 2.1 Aspen TR EXO at 20/21psi (The U.P. can fit road/gravel or 27.5 x 2.1 MTB tires) – @rideshimano Dura-Ace 9170 Di2 hydro system, 46/34 x 11-32 gearing, XTR pedals, 160/140mm rotors – @pro_bikegear Vibe 44cm bars, 100mm stem, seatpost, Turnix saddle – @lizardskinscycling DSP 3.2mmtape – @enduro_bearings Ceramic XD-15 BB – @stagescycling R side only power meter (no room on L side with design) – King Ti cages w/ @camelbak Podium bottles w/ @guenergylabs Watermelon hydration mix – @oakleybike ARO3 helmet, Flight Jacket glasses – @wd40bike Wet Lube The other big question at Iceman is what clothing do I wear. Luckily I have tons of options from @garneau. This year I wore a long sleeve undershirt, long sleeve Course skinsuit, leg warmers, cycling cap, Pro Lite Shoe Covers, and Rafael 2 gloves. Let me know if you have any other questions. 🍻 #keepridinguntilthefunstops 📸: @notubesmaster

A post shared by Geoff Kabush (@geoffkabush) on Nov 5, 2018 at 9:33am PST

Geoff Kabush defended his 2017 Iceman Cometh victory on Saturday in Michigan, but the win wasn’t the only notable thing about the Canadian’s race.

The vetran mountain biker raced to the top step of the late fall mountain bike event on his Open Cycles … gravel bike? Adventure bike? Even Kabush seems unsure what to call it, but it was the right tool for the job on Saturday. You can see full details of the unique, race winning drop bar bike on Kabush’s Instagram feed, but he was running 27.5 x 2.1″ tires and a 2x, Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 Hydro drivetrain on his very limited edition Yeti Turq / Open Cycles U.P. frame.

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Needed a quick shower after Iceman before hitting the road north for cyclocross Pan Am Champs today. Luckily @chloewoodruff is a gracious winner! Iceman is such as awesome event with 4000+ participants. Still need to find more in my hill sprints to get away from the speedy @stanspivot team but a fun day of racing! 📷 @notubesmaster @icemantcmi

A post shared by Catharine Pendrel (@cpendrel) on Nov 4, 2018 at 7:15am PST

Canadian Olympic medallist Catharine Pendrel was third in Iceman Cometh behind Stan’s-Pivot Pro Team duo of Chloe Woodruff and Sophia Gomez-Villafane. Pendrel then drove straight from Michigan to Midland, Ont. for Sunday’s Pan-American cyclocross championships. Pendrel finished seventh at the Silver Goose CX on day two of her mtb/cx double header. The multi-discipline racer heads to Peterborough, Ont. next for Canadian cyclocross national championships, which run from 10-11 November, 2018.

Iceman Cometh is a long-running, late season mountain bike race in Michigan. This year over 4000 riders tackled the route from Kalkasa to Traverse City. Known for its frigid temperatures, which occasionally veer from below freezing snow to muddy slog-fests, Iceman Cometh has been running continuously since 1990.