Iceman ranks third place in online site’s gear review survey. Check out their review here.
Iceman makes the podium on Singletracks.com reader survey
Author: Iceman Cometh Chalenge
Blue Care Network giving away ten free Slush Cup entries
Last year, ten-year-old Cici Copenhaver was entered into the #MIKidsCan Iceman Cometh complimentary entry contest by her grandmother, Barb Svalstad. Cici started riding bikes with Norte! Bicycle Club in the summer of 2016. When she started participating in Norte’s Vasa Domingos Sunday rides she could not get up a single hill. Yet, she stuck with it and learned a lot about drinking lots of water and eating a very healthy diet. Improvement is a process and not always an easy one. Her engagement with bikes even got the rest of her family to ride together.
During last year’s Slush Cup race she walked just one hill and it was a bruiser. Cici finished 2nd in the 10 & Under category and earned a spot on the Iceman podium!
Her coach from Norte!, Ty Schmidt, says that Cici exhibits everything that is positive about cycling. “She’s gritty. She’s tough. And she does it all with a smile. Plus, she wears streamers in her helmet! Who doesn’t love that,” he asked. For the 2017 Slush Cup race, Cici moves up to the 12 & Under category and says balancing school, sports, and Iceman training will be her biggest challenge.
If your daughter or son thinks they could be the next Iceman Slush Cup champion, Blue Care Network is giving away 10 entries so they can prove their mettle! Go to ahealthiermichigan.org and search for Slush Cup by September 15th to find details about training rides, tips and how your little bikers can earn a free race entry.
Mourning the loss of Mike Seaman
We are all mourning by the loss of Iceman racer Michael Seaman. Mike was hit by a car while riding his bicycle in Mt. Pleasant.
Mike embodied a true athlete. He raced multiple Iceman’s, was the only person to race every Lumberjack 100, and competed in many other races and sports.
Read this beautiful tribute to him. Donations can be made to the League of Michigan Bicyclists on his behalf.
Stay safe friends.
Red, White, and Aqua Blue! Warbasse Wins US Road Cycling National Champs!
Today, Larry Warbasse racing for Aqua Blue won the US Road Cycling Championship. He now will have the honor of wearing the Stars and Stripes Jersey for a year. We hope we see that jersey riding around Traverse City some time soon!!!
Larry is quoted saying, “I’m in disbelief. I think this has been the best two weeks of my life.”
We believe it Larry. We never had any doubts.
Along with Larry, 2 other riders from Michigan rounded out the top 6. These include Alexey Vermeulen and Brent Bookwalter. Congrats men!
Local TC rider Larry Warbasse wins Stage 4 of Tour de Suisse
Racing for Aqua Blue Sport, Larry Warbasse won the summit finish in Villars-sur-Ollon, Stage 4 of the Tour de Suisse from an early break away, giving him and his team their first world tour win!
Larry started his racing career right in TC and was known affectionately among cyclists as “little Larry”. His first Iceman was in 2003 at 13 years old. And now he’s winning stages.
Iceman and TC couldn’t be prouder to be a part of his cycling career!
Help Save Parts of the Iceman Course!
Grand Traverse County is selling a 160-acre parcel in Whitewater Township. The Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy is trying to protect this land and has made an offer to the County. However, there are competing offers so we need your help to ensure that the County makes a decision that preserves the land for recreation and economic benefits.
The property is a top priority for protection and is surrounded by State Land on all 4 sides. It contains critical recreational trail corridors such as the TC to Kalkaska Trail, the Iceman Cometh Challenge route, and Mud, Sweat, & Beers – The Filthiest Thing on Two Wheels utilizes the property for a portion of its annual bike race. The main access to a the popular Bullhead Lake is through this parcel as well.
By acquiring this parcel until the DNR is able to take title, the Conservancy would consolidate state/public ownership, maintain critical recreational corridors/access and also provide opportunities to expand recreational experiences in the future.
You can help! Email the GT County Commissioners (commissioners@grandtraverse.org) expressing your support of the Conservancy purchasing this land for eventual State ownership. Attend the County Commission meeting on Wednesday, June 7th at 5:30pm and voice your support. (Governmental Center, 400 Boardman Ave., Traverse City) #SpeakUp #ShowUp #GetInvolved
Here’s a sample email you can send to the commission.
subject – Please accept the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy’s offer for Sand Lakes Road Property
Dear County Commissioners:
Please help the Michigan Department of Natural Resources fill-in a critical piece of the Pere Marquette State Forest by accepting Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy’s offer to purchase the one hundred-sixty acre parcel on Sand Lakes Rd.
Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy has the expertise to manage the property and facilitate its transfer to the State of Michigan. By acquiring this parcel until the MDNR is able to take title, the Conservancy would consolidate state/public ownership, maintain critical recreational corridors/access and provide opportunities to expand recreational experiences in the future.
The property contains critical recreational trail corridors such as the TC to Kalkaska Trail, the Iceman Mountain Bike Race route and Mud, Sweat and Beers mountain bike race route. The main access to the popular Bullhead Lake is via this parcel.
Please give Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy’s purchase offer priority over competing offers for the property.
Defend Our National Monuments
This week, the Department of the Interior announced that it would be reviewing millions of acres of public land protected as National Monuments under a piece of legislation called the Antiquities Act. All National Monuments are at risk, but the Department of the Interior has specifically identified public lands in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Maine for review.
Take a survey – Enter to win a Trek Bike
People for Bikes is one of Trek’s most important parters, Trek is a big partner for the Bell’s Beer Iceman Cometh. People for Bikes is currently conducting a survey as part of a new initiative called Places for Bikes. The survey closes on 4/15, and we are helping them make a final push to get responses to the survey. Whether it can be shared through the event channels or you’re willing to share to your personal group of friends and contacts, anything you can do to help share this survey and help People For Bikes work toward a better world for cycling.
Thank you.
Steve Tilford dies in I-70 accident
It’s with a heavy heart we report that Steve Tilford, 57, the first US mountain bike national champion in 1983, died early this morning in a car crash on I-70 in eastern Utah. Tilford was an ageless bike racer winning multiple national championships and a UCI Masters World Championship over his decades long career. He was the Iceman champion in 1999 and 2000 beating riders almost 20 years younger. It didn’t matter if he’d been riding or training recently, if there was a race that captured his interest, he’d be there. He had an ability to focus his spirit and drive onto that particular event that set him apart from the rest of the field……and his “form” was always “coming around”. We’ll miss you, Tilley. Like (1) Dislike (1)
Pro Update: Howard Grotts
Specialized pro rider Howard Grotts won the 2016 Bell’s Beer Iceman Cometh Challenge with a time of 1:23:36 on a day that saw perfect “niceman” conditions.
He knows he got lucky with the weather but plans to return this year.
“No matter what the weather,” he added.
“I’d always heard about the race. Never had a chance to make it out, it’s kind of a fun time of year,” he said.
Coming at the end of the season he said conditioning is always varied amongst the pro riders, but the $6,500 payday for winning ensures the pros give it everything they’ve got when the tires hit the trail.
“Everyone is treating it as a fun race, but they put in a hard effort,” he said.
Grotts recently returned from South Africa and the Cape Epic stage race. He and his partner rode in support of Specialized Bike’s “A team”. They are allowed to help with a spare tire or bike in case of a mechanical failure. The team they were in support of finished the 7 day race in second place, 8 minutes down to the leaders.
Grotts is looking forward to a year of domestic races this year after racing UCI World Cup events in preparation for the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
“It’s a good time to step back from hunting UCI points,” he said.
He’s headed to events similar to Iceman to mingle more with fans in the United States.
“It’s an important aspect of being a pro racer, interacting with all the folks that are buying the bikes that I’m riding,” he said.
Entering his 6th year as a pro he’s still having fun and looking forward to races he plans to do for the first time this year, the Leadville 100 and the Breck Epic as well as the Epic Rides Off-road race series.
Grotts enjoys the early part of the race season.
“You constantly see results from training,” he said.
His weekly schedule includes two rest days, Monday and Thursday generally, sandwiched between rest days are an interval training day, tailored to whatever the next race is followed by a longer endurance day. For Leadville he’ll work on longer (30 minute) intervals, shorter races mean shorter intervals he said.
And yes, his job is still fun.
“Getting to explore new trails, whether they are in Africa or California, that’s probably the best part of this job,” he said.