Course Info
The Events
The 2009 Iceman Cometh Challenge is a point to point mountain bike race held traditionally on the first Sat ur day of November. The race starts in downtown Kalkaska, Michigan and finish es twenty eight miles later at Timber Ridge RV & Recreation Resort on the eastern edge of Traverse City, Michigan. The course consists primarily of dirt roads, two-tracks (the majority of the course), abandoned railroad beds, and the world famous Vasa Nordic ski trail. It crosses only one paved road (Williamsburg Rd at mile 16) as it winds through the breath taking (literally) terrain of the Pere Marquette State Forest in North ern Lower Michigan. In 2008 3,001 athletes from 36 states and Ontario participated!!
Iceman attracts competitive cyclists from 36 states including Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois,Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and as well as Ontario, Canada. Cyclists 
ability levels vary from fi rst time racers to seasoned professionals. Ages range from 3 years to 82 years of age.
The Meijer Slush Cup offers beginning riders with a half frozen version of the Iceman. Approximately 8 miles long, the Slush Cup starts at Timber Ridge, follows the Vasa 10K ski trail, and then merges with the Iceman trail before winding up back at Timber Ridge.
The Meijer Sno-Cone is geared for riders under twelve who want to discover the thrill of bike racing. Each participant receives a medal, number plate, and stickers.
Juniors Take Center Stage
New for 2009, Iceman riders 18 & under have two categories for boys and one for girls. Michigan Youth Cycling is once again offering college scholarships for the top three fi nishers in the new "MYC Scholarship Men 12-18" category for males and the "MYC Scholarship Women 12-18" for females (in lieu of the old Expert Men 15-18 and Sport Men 15-18 as well as the All Women 12-18 categories). For those males who don’t want to compete for the MYC scholarships, a "Beginner Men 12-18" category has been offered.
The new "MYC Scholarship 12-18" categories will kick off the Iceman racing as the fi rst wave at 9:00 AM so we can all cheer on the future of cycling! ." There is always a ton of excitement surrounding the very first wave of the Iceman each year and we thought that we should showcase the younger athletes this year. These riders are just plain fast and deserve the recognition of all the adult Iceman riders that follow", said Matt Baroli, Michigan Youth Cycling’s Executive Director. "It will give me goose bumps to hear the National Anthem and then see these fine athletes tear out of the start line."
REGISTRATION IS STILL OPEN FOR JUNIOR RIDERS WITH A LIMITED AMOUNT OF ENTRIES AVAILABLE. DON’T MISS OUT! For more info go to www.michiganyouthcycling.org
Iceman Course
Starting in downtown Kalkaska, the Iceman trail consists of dirt roads, two tracks (the majority of the course), abandoned railroad beds, and the world famous Vasa Nordic ski trail. Approximately 28 miles long, the course crosses only one paved road (Williamsburg Rd. at mile 17) as it winds through the breath taking terrain of the Pere Marquette State Forest in Northwestern Lower Michigan. Course highlights include “Steve’s Secret”, “Lombard’s Luge,” “Cassle Cliffs,” and “Ice Breaker” (the last hill to climb). The fi nish line at Timber Ridge, just east of Traverse City, will be a welcome sight to all Icemen and Icewomen. The course can be best described as a road race on dirt.
Grand Traverse Cycle is once again spon sor ing the Feed Stations! Watch for their catchy signs on the course as you ap proach the three designated feed stations. The Ice House, Oasis, and Ice Station Zebra are located at about seven, seventeen and twenty three miles into the course, respectively. Volunteer crews will be serving up loads of Gatorade, cookies, fruit, and water for all! Plans are underway to make the Oasis at Williamsburg Rd. a real happening with its own an nounc er and PA so the entire crowd can hear who’s made it that far. A gas grill for warming up quick lunches is also a possibility.
Slush Cup riders will use the last Iceman feed station, Ice Station Zebra, located on the Vasa Trail.
As always, there will be a large recovery center at the finish line.
Two clothing bag trucks will be parked at the Start line. Each racer will receive a numbered adhesive strip that cor re sponds to their race number. That number is to be used for your clothing bag. The clothing will be transported to the Finish line and placed under the big tent for you to pick-up there. Each rider is responsible for providing their own bag. Please don’t place valuables in your bag as we cannot be responsible for lost or stolen items. The first truck will be for waves 1-15, the second for waves 16-30.
Riders wishing to drop out of either the Slush Cup or the Iceman are asked to do so at any one of the food stations along the course. If you abandon the race at any other location, we cannot be responsible for returning you to the Finish line.
For the personal safety of all riders, the Iceman course will close at 2:00 PM at Williamsburg Rd. for Expert, Sport, and Beginner racers. Those riders (except for Pros) failing to meet the 2:00 PM cut off time will be directed off the course and into a waiting BATA bus to continue on to the Finish line.
First Aid personnel will be located at each food station and at the Start/Finish line for each event. Mobile emergency vehicles and medical service volunteers will be stationed along both the Iceman and Slush Cup trails. Be sure to extend a special “thanks” to the safety crew volunteers as you pedal by!
We cannot be responsible for clothing, tools, or bike parts left at food stations or along the trail. We will make our best effort to get these articles to the lost & found box at the finish line but cannot make guarantees.
Unfortunately, we cannot provide maps of the course before the event since the course is convoluted enough that even locals with maps have gotten very lost in the Pere Marquette State Forest. All it takes is one wrong turn to ruin an outing.
It doesn't seem like much to dispose of an energy gel wrapper
by dropping it during a race. "It's only one" must be the mind
set. It seems like that mind set also occurs when folks are
just out recreating as foil wrappers appear on the trail all
year long.
Race staff and volunteers spend a whole day cleaning up the
trail after the big race. We understand that there is bound
to be stuff left on the trail, but recently it has gotten a
bit out of hand. If one out of four racers use an energy gel,
and 1/2 of those drop the wrapper, that's 250 packs of slimey,
guey, sticky, and covered with ants and dirt (why do you think
they named it that way) foil wrappers that have to be picked
up afterwards. That's almost 10 wrappers per mile!
Don't ruin a pristine forest, take the two seconds to put
the gel pack back in your pocket so it can be properly disposed
once your adventure is finished.
Principles of Leave No Trace:
Plan Ahead and
Prepare
Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
Dispose of Waste Properly
Leave What You Find
Minimize Campfire Impacts
Respect Wildlife
Be Considerate of Other Visitors
Please remember to take the necessary precautions with your cycling equipment throughout the entire Iceman weekend. If you have to leave your bikes on top of your car, lock them. If you are heading out to celebrate a strong finish, leave your bike in your hotel room for the evening. Traverse City is still a classic Midwestern town where you can leave your car unlocked while stopping at the grocery store, but bikes and other cycling gear can walk away very quickly if left unattended.
The one exception to this rule is that you can check your bike into the Bike Corral at Timber Ridge and have confidence that the Traverse City Central High School Trojan Softball Team will take excellent care of your machine in your absence.
2010 Saturday, November 6
2011 Saturday, November 5
