The 2017 Bell’s Iceman and Slush Cup officially kick off nine days from today on Friday, November 3rd! Let the madness begin.
Long-time sponsor CLIF Bar has $900 bucks burning a hole in their pocket and wants to donate it to three worthy cycling-related charities. All you have to do is nominate them. Read this for more information.
And in that same spirit of generosity, an anonymous donation means that Junior Iceman categories will be competing for $5,000 in college scholarships through Michigan Youth Cycling again this year.
A reminder that the Iceman Store closes this Sunday (10/29) at 9pm. You may have caught a sneak peak at some of the 2017 Borah Teamwear jerseys available in the Iceman Store at the Peak2Peak bike race Saturday. On another store-related note, the Headsweats coupon code is good for select items at Headsweats.com not in the Iceman Store. We’re sorry about the confusion caused for more than one shopper with that ad.
Friday, Friday at Timber Ridge Resort!!
Packet Pick up and the SRAM Ice Cycle Expo both open at 10:00 am in the Michigan Ballroom at Grand Traverse Resort & Spa and run until 9:00 pm that night. Be sure to check out the newest mountain bike gear, do a little swagging, and sample a Bell’s Brewery seasonal offering all at the same time.
Friday is also a very busy day at Timber Ridge Resort as our staff prepares for the big day on Saturday, athletes are checking out the last few kilometers of the race-course, and Timber Ridge’s camping guests are arriving. We are adding to Friday’s Icemania at Timber Ridge this year with the addition of the Central Market Place. The Market Place is really an extension of the SRAM Expo; it’s just located 100 feet from the finish line. What’s an outdoor Expo without a little beer and food? Timber Ridge Resort will open up the Bell’s Beer wagon a little early this year Friday afternoon and will also have a couple of food trucks ready to serve up their specialties. Friday afternoon will also be a great opportunity to purchase beer tickets and avoid the lines on Saturday.
Mike Dega, of Velofix Detroit, will be ready to serve any and all racers who encounter a mechanical issue while scoping out the race finale. “I got a flat two years ago while pre-riding the finish line and it really put me in a jam. All the local shops were swamped with last minute tune-ups and repairs so by the time I called, it was too late for them to help me out. As a result of that experience, we’ll have our Velofix van stocked with spare parts, tires, and tubes along with mechanics standing by ready get you rolling for Saturday. We want to keep Friday night stress free”, said Dega.
Joining Velofix in the Central Market Place on Friday will be Louis Garneau, Massey Fish, Cross Country Ski Headquarters, Joshua Tree and Cannondale bikes. Others, including; Kong Coolers, 45 Nrth and LMB will join the CMP on Saturday.
“With everything going at Timber Ridge Resort Friday, parking will be non-existent within the property so we have arranged for Blue Lakes by the Bay shuttle buses to make loops between Rasho Farm and Timber Ridge from 1:00 to 5:00 pm Friday. It’s a quick 5 minute trip and we have volunteers following the shuttles with Penske trucks for the bikes. It will operate just like the shuttles on Saturday”, said Steve Brown, event director.
The Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy will again partner with Iceman for the official Iceman sticker. This year we’ve mirrored the theme from the Bell’s Oarsman color scheme to create the 2017 Sticker. Look for the GTRLC booth near the Trek booth and the registration table downstairs to get your stickers this year or order online at MyRaceSticker.com Proceeds from the sale help fund GTRLC initiatives like this summer’s purchase of 160 acres in Grand Traverse County