Sports · Traverse City
Traverse City’s Iceman Cometh Challenge is Nov. 7: about 30 miles from Kalkaska to Timber Ridge, with registration full
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — The Iceman Cometh Challenge, the point-to-point mountain bike race that draws thousands of riders to northern Michigan each fall, rolls Saturday, Nov. 7, from Kalkaska to the finish at Timber Ridge outside Traverse City.
The course covers about 30 miles from the Kalkaska Airport to Timber Ridge, mostly on dirt roads, two-tracks and the Vasa trail system, according to race organizers. It crosses one paved road, Williamsburg Road, at about mile 17.
Roughly 5,000 riders take part. Registration is full and the waitlist has closed, according to the race’s registration site, so anyone without a spot this year is a spectator.
Watching. The finish area at Timber Ridge is the main gathering spot, with waves of amateur riders arriving through the day before the professional races. Mid-course road crossings draw crowds too, but organizers ask fans to park legally and stay clear of the course and riders.
Weather is part of the race. Iceman’s early-November date means conditions range from dry and fast to snow and freezing mud, which is part of the event’s reputation. Riders and spectators should dress in layers and check the forecast the night before.
Traffic. Expect heavier traffic in Kalkaska in the morning and around Timber Ridge and the Vasa trailhead area in the afternoon. Start times, wave schedules, parking and shuttle details are posted on iceman.com.
Sources:
Iceman Cometh Challenge, official site (date, course, Kalkaska start, Timber Ridge finish, Williamsburg Road crossing), https://www.iceman.com/
Iceman Cometh Challenge registration site (registration full, waitlist closed), https://www.registericeman.com/
Photo: cogdogblog, “Fire On The Rim 2016 (29140992694).jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, CC0, cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fire_On_The_Rim_2016_%2829140992694%29.jpg
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