2021 Iceman Pro Field Update

We are moving right on through October, people!

After a rainy, muddy, “true” Iceman Out’n’Back yesterday, I can tell you the course is in better and better shape each week. After a dry stretch in late September, northern Michigan has received plenty of rain in October, albeit in almost summer-like temperatures. We’re finally hitting the groove of warm days and cold nights, with temps down into the 40s consistently in the 10-day forecast.

We’re also excited to have more and more Pro and Elite racers confirmed for November 6! With travel restrictions still in place and well-understood hesitancy about travel right now, we’ve put together strong men’s and women’s fields that will make for some exciting racing.

The Women’s Field

We are still well short of our goal of fielding 100 women in the Pro race, but we’re not going to give up. Expect to see 30 strong women toe the line in Kalkaska this year, and we’ve heard rumors of Katerina Nash coming back to defend her 2019 win.

We’re also excited to welcome Rose Grant, Paige Peters, and Marlies Meijas join us this year!

Of course, we’ve got a strong group of locals, too. A special nod to some hometown heroes: Valerie Hyrman, Marie Voss, Cindy Duby, Emma Schwab, and Bridgett Widrig represent a strong Traverse City showing!

AbigailSigal
BridgettWidrig
MaddyFrank
NickyRuszkowski
ShannonKochis
AbigailJean
JulieMomber
RoseGrant
SarahWilliams
ValerieHyrman
RebeccaMikrut
SydSchulz
CarolineDezendorf
ChaseSmith
HeatherCompton
MaryPenta
EmilyLeonard
MarieVoss
maudefarrell
AllisonWerkema
PaigePeters
MegJohnson
HannaDerby
SaviliaBlunk
KenzieStatz
BrookeLyman
KristyMcBride
EmmaSchwab
MarliesMejias
CindyDuby

The Men’s Field

Somebody let Geoff Kabush into the country and he will not leave…and we’re grateful! Geoff and 2019 winner Alexey Vermeulen are back, as well as multiple-time champion Brian Matter. We’re also excited to have Payson McElveen, Cody Kaiser, Cole Paton, and Kerry Werner in the mix!

Michigan has plenty of home-grown talent stepping up, including the impressive trip of Max Meyer, Garrett Jenema, and Kyan Olshove representing the present and future of Traverse City mountain biking. (As a part of its past, it’s both a thrill and a crushing feeling to have these kids absolutely stomp me these days)

PaulCobham
MatthewGrady
ScottHoffner
EarlHillaker
Dave “Sunset”Scott
EricTompkin
JonathanRoobol
LarsHallstrom
DallasFowler
MaxMeyer
NickVaughn
MayfordCombs
DanKannegieter
AlexeyVermeulen
JasonKloptowsky
GregSpringborn
NathanZgnilec
JohnOrlikowski
JaredDunham
ScottCervin
MasonSwitzer
MichaelO’Brien
KyleMacDermaid
StephenBarnes
ChrisOstberg
DanMcAllister*
MichaelAnderson
DanielBakshi
DanielShamburger
DavidBender
ScottyAlbaugh
BrandonDickson
AlexTenElshof
JoshuaHall
JordenWakeley
GarrettJenema
JEFFREYWeaver
DonHackney
ChadWells
PastaJ
JustinKreger
DanielSmith
DanKorienek
KeeganKorienek
JasonLowetz
SteffenHoward
AlexBurnside
DeanGericke
CaseyHildebrandt
DanKotwicki
MackyFranklin
JonathanShell
SebastianStankiewicz
JesseSmith
MattAcker
KyanOlshove
SeanCooley
RubenBacon
RichardCarson
PaulHesselgrave
KerryWerner
NolanVanderZwaag
JudahGustafson
MattSchweiker
BradHeckert
DanielYankus
CameronTimmer
BenjaminStrunk
GregoryTaylor
StevenBromiel
Billapodaca
AdamZimmerman
TomKirby
BrianAdams
BlayneRoeder
AndreSottile
BrentLockhart
CodyKaiser
JoelPoliskey
BrianHarris
TylerWeston
DavidChambers
ColePaton
LupeMartinez
JustinDonoghue
RobertRajcevich
RichardLandgraff
MichaelGreen
TannerVisnick
JosephRiggs
LukeMullis
JasonMuller
PaysonMcElveen
JeremeyRodriguez
BrianMatter
TimBochenek
ZachAndrews

We’re getting pumped. Best of luck getting in your last big training rides and races and stay tuned for event updates.

Friday Pre-Ride Info

This year, pre-riding the finish is going to be a little different. If you’ve been by Timber Ridge the day before the race in years past, you know there is a lot of action. To make it safer and less chaotic, Timber Ridge is limiting Friday parking. To park at Timber Ridge to pre-ride on November 5, you will need to call ahead and buy a pass. 


Iceman Pre-Ride Parking Option

If that’s not in your wheelhouse this year, consider parking somewhere else and hopping on the course. We strongly recommend parking at the Vasa Pathway Bartlett Trailhead, which is just a quarter-mile from hopping onto the course. 

From here, you can ride up the finish, then leave through Timber to avoid going head-on into traffic. At Land’s End, you can hop back on the course for another loop, or head back to the Bartlett Parking lot. 

More Parking Ideas


Einstein Cycles
Mt. Holiday
Meijer
Vasa Pathway Strombolis Lot
Sand Lakes Quiet Area, Broomhead Rd, Williamsburg, MI 49690


School is in session Friday, November 5. NO PARKING is allowed at Courtade Elementary School and you CANNOT access the school. You may park south of Courtade at Rasho Farms. There are NO shuttles on Friday, November 5. Please use the port-a-johns to take care of any necessary business

2021 Bell’s Iceman Cometh Course Information

It’s the Year of the Bear.

This year, the Bell’s Iceman Cometh Challenge is about coming back together. 2020 and much of 2021 saw the unprecedented overuse of the word “unprecedented”, and everything that went along with a global pandemic certainly put the importance of a bike race into perspective.

Suffice it to say that, in the nearly two years since we’ve welcomed 5,000 of our friends to Traverse City for a ride from Kalkaska to Traverse City, we’ve had plenty of time to think about how our race fits not into our lives but into the lives of our racers. We hope this is event, and every mountain bike ride you fit into your busy life, is an indulgence. Even as things get busier, don’t find time, make time to do the things you love with the people you love. We hope that includes pedaling through the Pere Marquette Forest every November, but no matter what that passion is, pursue like a group of riders ten seconds ahead of you on the course.

The Course

That brings us back to the topic at hand. 2019 saw one of the toughest editions of the race yet, with more elevation than any previous course and, at 32 miles, one of the longest Iceman races ever. Some people loved it. Some people hated it. Some people loved it until they hit the twin peaks of Headwaters, then they hated it. Of course, we also had some abysmal weather to deal with, which led to a record-level of rider evacs.

That was 2019. This is 2021. One of our main priorities is to keep this race fresh and different every single time we send you from K-Town to TC. This year’s course is almost a polar opposite of 2019, and we’ll preface it with this: if this year’s course doesn’t suit your “characteristics”, don’t worry. Next year probably will. Or the next year. Or the next year. Real racers race whatever course is put in front of them with the understanding that everyone is facing the same challenges.

The Start

We are back at the Kalkaska Airport this year and we’ll be making the most of the able runway the Village of Kalkaska provides us. We’ll be sending riders off a bit more directly this year, with a bit less “hemming-and-hawing”, as some would describe it. As always, it’s a drag race to get to the woods, with riders staying on the two-track this year all the way to where we re-join the course near JZ’s Party Zone.

There are still plenty of places to pass and make up ground as riders hit Smith Lake Road and the long two-track that eventually brings riders to Dockery.

Dockery to Williamsburg

Ain’t much changed here, the only big alteration from 2019 is that we’re going down the old Water Bottle Hill and staying off the newer bypass singletrack. The goal here is to avoid too much singletrack at this point in the race; according to our math and spreadsheets, the biggest percentage of one wave catching the wave ahead of It (not the first riders, mind you, but the bulk of riders) happens between 37 minutes and 45 minutes. That’s right here for a lot of riders, so keeping it as open as possible is the best way to reduce back-ups that create more back-ups in Make It Stick.

Once across Dockery, Make It Stick is the most selective climb of the race; whoever you’re with over the top is likely who you’ll race with along Sand Lakes Road and all the way to the Vasa.

That comes quickly after crossing Broomhead and hitting the longest section of singletrack of the race. Even for faster riders, it’s nearly 10 minutes of singletrack; if there’s a point in the race to really position for, this is it.

The Vasa and the Finish

After crossing Williamsburg Road, it’s just a few miles to the Vasa. Folks, we’re going left. We were going to go left at the Rock last year, but, pandemic. This is a huge change in the race because it takes away the ripple of climbs preceding the Boonenberg and the Boonenberg itself, a climb that has been used by many a rider in every wave to make their move.

Instead, it’s a flat, fast drag race toward Timber Ridge that is largely downhill until we take a right at the 25K/Special K split. That’s a long, gradual climb to the 10K, followed by another series of long, gradual power climbs the next 25K/10K split. You might immediately spot that there’s no Anita Hill this year. Why? We’ve done it every year. Let’s do something different.

There are still plenty of places to make a move for the Pros, and in a lot of ways, it will make the final 10km of the race even sharper. The non-stop rolling, punchy climbs from the Vasa CC Climb, plus the return of Madeleine’s Trail, all lead into Icebreaker.

We will have to take a closer look at the Timber Ridge finish as we get closer because Gordon has been spending a lot of time playing in the dirt at the camp. You’ll see his handiwork this fall!

Overall, this is a course for bears. One rider that comes to mind is Dan Korienek. It’s about power and the brutish application of strength not just for a few punchy moments but for long stretches. The course is under 30 miles again, with 1,200 feet of climbing, give or take a few to the GPS gods. It will also make for possibly bigger groups of riders than years past, which, should make it more fun; you can ride alone any day, but Iceman should be about racing whether it’s for first or not-last.

Finally, I think this also makes for a more tactical race, but not a negative one. Riders in the hunt for wins across the waves will need to balance their contribution to the group and be aggressive earlier in the race than in previous editions of the race. Leave it late, and it could be a crowded bunch you’re trying to get rid of.

You can nab the file and get it downloaded to your GPS and make sure you keep an eye out for some fall Out’n’Backs this month!

IMPORTANT WAVE ASSIGNMENT INFORMATION

***Update from the office: This was an April Fool’s Joke posted on 4-1-2021**

We have received a lot of emails from eager racers since we opened registration on March 5. While many have covered topics ranging from shuttles to Expo vendors and even the start location, one word is by far the most common: waves. We’re happy to unveil the 2021 Wave Assignment system! 

This has been a challenge for years and something we tinker with meticulously all year long. We know just how much wave assignments influence not just your competitiveness, but also your race day experience, and we value that. Over the past three decades, you’ve voiced your opinions, and we hear you. 

That’s why we are really excited about taking your feedback and creating the perfect wave assignment system. The idea really struck during last fall’s Virtual SRAM Ice Cycle Expo, which hundreds of you joined in on Zoom or on Facebook Live. We used a prize spinner to pick the winners of free entries, jerseys, even Cody’s beloved Trek Top Fuel! So we thought; people love the Prize Spinner; why not make it a Wave Spinner?

So, using technology pioneered by our friends at Saris, we unveil to you the Saris Wave Spinner! Instead of 55 waves in total, we’ve broken out 4500 racers into 100 waves chosen totally at random. Spin the wheel, get your wave assignment; what could be simpler?

“We’re really eager to see how this new format shakes up the race for everyone; and we mean everyone, because the Pros will also be assigned waves this way. Who doesn’t want to Geoff Kabush lining up next to a tandem? Of course we want to see Chloe Woodruff bumping bars with a twelve year old; we just don’t see any way this could possibly go wrong, “ commented Race Director Cody Sovis. 

There are actually 101 spots on the spinner, with the extra space designated “Tailgunner”. This wave will get a unique perk, though. In their registration packets, they’ll receive a handlebar-mounted clicker to tally all the people they pass from the waves ahead of them. The rider with the most overtakes at the end of the race will win a 2021 Subaru Outback! With just a big prize, we expect the last rider on this wave to finish in under 90 minutes, though there’s a fair chance they’ll leave a wave of destruction in their path. 

As you might have guessed, the change wasn’t an easy one to make. “This is a terrible idea and I want everyone to know it was Cody’s idea,” commented Steve “Iceman” Brown. He’ll be making his Iceman debut this year, but with that attitude, we might be tempted to stop the spinner somewhere in the high 40s for him. 

We hope you’re as excited about the Wave Spinner as we are! Until November 6, we hope you’re healthy, happy, and training…and lucky when it’s your turn to spin. 

Women Who Shred: New Program For Our Pro Women

The Iceman Cometh Challenge is for everyone. We want to do more to increase the diversity of our field, and this year, we’re taking the first step to get more women racing. 

Women have played a part of this race since its very beginning. For more than thirty years, the race day experienced has been enriched by female athletes at every level and in every age group. Behind the scenes, women are our most valuable volunteers, our smartest committee members, and the real reason we have a race that’s turned into one of the largest in the country. 

Still, we need to more to get them involved not just in the Bell’s Iceman Cometh Challenge but into our sport as a whole. As of right now, 13% of our field are women, and we want to do better. We’re looking at long-term solution to meet a goal I set back in 2018; I want to have 100 women in the Pro field. 

It’s not just about being fast. Women do a far better job in building community and connections that support and empower. By getting more women from this level of the sport in Traverse City and connected to our event year-round, we hope to foster those same connections, that same camaraderie, and that same inspiration riders like Katherine Nash, Chloe Woodruff, and others have offered in years past. 

That’s why this year, women can race in our Pro event for free. There are some caveats; the offer is open only to those who would be making their first start in the Pro category; if you’ve raced with us before at that level, you know it’s a great experience and we hope we can get you back even if you need to pay. You also must have a valid annual Pro/Cat 1 USA Cycling license, which is a requirement for all our Pro athletes. 

We hope this might encourage more women to make the trip to Traverse City and join us on November 6, 2021 for the first time. Additionally, we also hope this might lure some of our strong and consistent age group winners to step up to the Pro race, which will in turn open up new competition and podium spots for other women. That’s always encouraging! 

Our hope is that the best and fastest from both the men’s and women’s fields will slowly make the move to the Pro races; it should be a point of pride to be one of the top hundred fastest riders and to storm into the finish at Timber Ridge Resort the shouts and applause of 10,000 spectators! 
If you’re a Pro woman ready to take the start line with us, please contact icemaninfo@iceman.com or csovis@iceman.com.

Get Signed Up, Then Get Riding

Step one, sign up. Step two, get riding. Registration for the 2021 Bell’s Iceman Cometh Challenge opens up on March 5, and while we can’t get together for our traditional in-person events, we’re meeting up on Watopia for a ride. 

Normally, we’d be hanging with dedicated riders at 7 Monks and Bell’s Eccentric Cafe to kick off the season. That may not be happening, but we’re really looking forward to helping the thousands of generous riders who donate or deferred their entries from 2020 to this season get locked in to race on November 6. If you are one of those kind-hearted riders, thank you! Make sure you’re furiously hitting refresh on your inbox for information on how to use your code to claim your spot in this year’s race! 

This year, we’re also offering a year-long Virtual Training Challenge through Strava. By committing to hit 500, 1,500, or 3,000 miles, you’ll be setting yourself up for your best Iceman ever, plus a chance to win monthly prizes from sponsors like Bell’s, Meijer, Trek, and more. 

You can get your training kickstarted with us on Saturday, March 6 Zwift. First up, join Race Director Cody Sovis 75 minute, no-drop ride at 8 am EST. Can’t quite get out of bed for that? Join 2019 Iceman winner Alexey Vermeulen for a 75 minute ride at 11am EST! 

For both events, make sure you sign up at the correct link and follow the leader on Zwift for an invite. Meet-ups are limited to 100 riders, so get locked in. 

Cody’s Ride
8am EST
Sign up here: https://forms.gle/qJfcGRcKDbxLvBzbA

Alexey’s Ride
11am EST (9am MST)
Sign up here: https://forms.gle/UozwZttiXZUZ8jSU8 

2021 Is Here…and November Is Coming!

Oh, hello there strangers. 

 

We’re finally through 2020 and things are slowly looking brighter, happier, and healthier. We have a long way to go, but thanks to the hard-working medical professionals, essential workers, and everyone who has done their part to stay safe, we can start to look at getting together in November! 

 

Every single edition of the Bell’s Iceman Cometh Challenge is special for its own reason, but we understand that this one, well, this one is going to be different. We’re hoping that November 6, 2021 serves as the family reunion we all didn’t get in 2020 and the one we’re all desperately hoping to bring our mountain bike community together. 

 

We wouldn’t even be talking about a 31st edition of the race without the thousands of riders who chose to defer or donate last year’s entry, so when you line up this November, make sure you say thank you to the guy or gal next to you; odds are, they helped to make this year’s event possible. 

 

Those same folks will get the first crack at registration. If you donated your entry, you’ll receive a link in your inbox that will allow you to get signed up. You can start feverishly hitting ‘refresh’ on your email account the week of February 15. 

 

If you deferred your entry to 2021, you’ll get a link that will allow you to register for the Bell’s Iceman Cometh Challenge or Meijer Slush Cup. We were hoping that we’d be able to just squeeze everyone in automatically, but our legal team reminded us that waivers are kind of a big deal. 

 

If you’re waiting to see what the COVID-19 situation looks like over the next few months, don’t worry; the link for your deferred or donated entry won’t expire until September 1. 

 

There will be questions. Jessica will have all the answers at icemaninfo@iceman.com so don’t hesitate to reach out! 

 

Unfortunately, we won’t be able to host our traditional in-person registration parties at 7 Monks in Traverse City and the Bell’s Eccentric Café. However, you can have a party all your own at 9 am on March 5, when all available spots are open to new Iceman riders! It’ll feel like the good ol’ days of hopping on right at 9 and registering because there aren’t many spots available!

 

Since we’ve had an awful lot of time to come up with some cool things to do, make sure you’re checking out a few neat things we’ve added to registration this year. 

 

Iceman Registration Donation. Last year, generous Iceman racers raised over $16,000 for Michigan Mountain Bike Association by adding just a few dollars to their registration. This year, we’re hoping to raise just as much for the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy. GTRLC protects and preserves natural areas all over northern Michigan including Arcadia Dunes, Bullhead Lake Natural Area, and Glacial Hills Pathway. They also helped to save the Sand Lakes 160, a 160-acre parcel of the Pere Marquette forest that serves as a critical point of intersection for dozens of Traverse City trails, including the heart of the Iceman course itself! 

 

Virtual Training Challenge. One of the toughest aspects of the past several months has been finding the motivation to get up and get moving without some of our favorite rides, races, and events. We’re hoping to recreate your riding community and help you nail your best Iceman Training Challenge. Join the 500, 1,000, or 3,000 mile Challenge groups and rack up the miles from March 5 to October 30. Along the way, you’ll earn milestones, get coaching tips from your favorite Iceman pros, and have a chance to win prizes from Iceman, Bell’s, Trek, Clif, and more. Each challenge group will have its own club on Strava, and if you hit your challenge goal, we’ll move you up to keep you riding! Watch for more on this next week! 

 

Donate A Sno Cone Entry. Every kid deserves a chance to shred. This year, we’re making it easy to donate a free spot to the Sno Cone race at checkout. We’ll give the spot you donate to any kid who wants to race but whose parents can’t swing it. No stress, no questions asked. Let’s build the next generation of mountain bikers today. 

 

We’ve also been working on an Iceman Zwift Meet-Up to give riders from across the country a chance to ride together, get in a tough workout, and connect! Watch for a Meet-Up calendar, instructions on how to join, plus links to the official, always-updated Iceman playlist and workouts for each ride!

The Weirdest Iceman Week Ever…

It’s Iceman Week! For many of us, it’s like the week before Christmas, the Super Bowl, and National Pie Day all rolled into one. This isn’t a normal Iceman Week, of course, but nothing in 2020 has gone according to plan.  Continue reading “The Weirdest Iceman Week Ever…”