Iceman Cometh Challenge News

Moving Fast into March: No Hibernation for Iceman Cometh Nation

Here at Iceman HQ, all this talk of March 1’s festivities has us itching for some riding. If getting signed up for the 30th edition of the Iceman Cometh Challenge doesn’t get you fired up to ride, then you’ve been cooped up inside for way too long!

Iceman athletes haven’t been hibernating. From Nordic skiing, fat biking, and even hopping on the trainer, our racers have been working hard to maintain and build fitness for a full season that seems to add more killer events every year. Remember the off-season? Well, that’s not really a thing anymore!

Around here, there is a fat bike race nearly every other week, and that’s a sport that’s grown to include races across the state. Some of the best Strava scores of the past two months have come from events like Fat Chance! at Crystal Mountain and the Big M Fat Bike Race near Manistee.

Activities on Zwift, TrainerRoad, and Rouvy count toward your Ice Society Strava score, and there are dozens of riders who have been raking in the points since November. New virtual events and races have made indoor racing a lot more fun and make it possible to ride with bike nerds from around the world.

Of course, some folks need to swap their pedals for skis to enjoy winter, and we’ve had a blast following the Michigan Nordic ski scene from Noque to Cote Dame Marie. This weekend, the 43rd Annual North American Vasa will start and finish in the same spot as the Iceman ends at beautiful Timber Ridge Resort. For Iceman racers, it’s got to be just a bit of a relief that they get to go down Icebreaker to start their 12, 27, or 50 km ski events, rather than finish up that short but cruel little slope.

There are also two fat bike races as a part of the Vasa’s Festival of Races, and it’s a testament to Northern Michigan Mountain Bike Association that racing on their expertly groomed and simply gorgeous Winter Sports Singletrack draws so many rabid fat bikers. NMMBA also played a huge role in designing and laying out our 2018 Iceman course, and they do a great job incorporating their years of racing and riding in putting together a fun, fast, and exciting route that suits a wide range of abilities.

If you’ve had a hard time peeling yourself off the couch, we really hope that get yourself signed up for the 30th edition of the Iceman Cometh Challenge gives you the motivation to get moving, and maybe even try something new before winter fades into spring. The countdown to our 30th year starts in earnest in just a few weeks with events at 7 Monks in Traverse City and Bell’s Eccentric Cafe in Kalamazoo. More details to come, but make sure you’ve got a plan in place to make this year’s race your best yet!

Bell’s Beer Iceman registration open

We want to thank the 300 or so riders that made their way to Bell’s Taproom in Kalamazoo and 7 Monks in TC on Friday, March 2nd for the in-person registration parties. A good time was had by all. Thanks to Bell’s and Clif Bar for the swag.

Now it’s on to online registration.

Online registration opened for riders that participated in 2017 (or entered & had to transfer their entry) on Friday March 9th at 9:00 am.

Online registration for new Bell’s Iceman riders opens the FOLLOWING Friday March 16th at noon which provides returning Bell’s Iceman riders a week to register before registration is completely open.

For the new riders that signed up in person, here is the link to the Ice Society article we posted a while back about how to link your Strava and why.

In other news…

As Michigan slowly emerges from this lingering winter it is important to remember that riding muddy trails during the thaws is really bad for trails. In most cases volunteers spend time away from their friends and families maintaining our fantastic network of Michigan trails and to have a few individuals who ignore chains across trails and trail closed signs is discouraging to say the least.

Save the date!

Our friends with the Shoreline Cycling Club in Ludington are trying to break the Guinness World Book of Records for the longest line of riders in a single line on June 9th. If you’ve always wanted to try to attempt such a thing stay tuned to the Ludington CVB calendar for more details as they emerge.

2018 registration starts March 2

“The registration protocol of the last three years has allowed riders to register for the Bell’s Iceman races at a time convenient to them and greatly reduced stress levels for everybody across the board so we’re planning on replicating that process for 2018”, said Steve Brown, Event Director.

“Registration for 2018 kicks off with our on-site registration party at Bell’s Eccentric Café in Kalamazoo onFriday, March 2nd from 10 AM to 4 PM. This year marks the 6^th year of the registration party at Bell’s Eccentric Café and the response has been very positive. It has become a celebration about the upcoming cycling season more than registration for the races. “Riders from the past season know they’re guaranteed a spot in 2018 but they still come to Bell’s Eccentric Cafe and register. It must be the Bell’s beer”, quipped Brown.

Registration forms will be available and Iceman staff members will be entering riders directly into the 2018 database on site. Personal attendance is required in order to get registered at Bell’s on March 2nd.

Can’t make it to the Eccentric Café on March 2nd?

2018 Iceman and Slush Cup online registration opens for riders who participated in 2017 (or entered & had to transfer their entry) on Friday March 9^th at 9:00 am which provides returning Bell’s Iceman riders a week to register before registration is completely open. (Don’t worry about the invitation code…it’s built into your Iceman account and will allow you to complete your registration).

Online registration for ALL Bell’s Iceman and Meijer Slush Cup riders opens Friday March 16^th at 12 noon.

Thus, for riders new to the Bell’s Iceman, there are two options to register. Option #1 is to attend the Bell’s Iceman Registration party at the Eccentric Café in Kalamazoo on Friday, March 2nd from 10 AM to 3 PM. The second option is to register online beginning Friday March 16^th at 12 Noon.

A total field limit of 4,500 Iceman riders and 400 Slush Cup riders will be accepted. The March 16^th online registration opening for all riders will operate on a “first come – first served” method. The number of entries available on March 16^th for the Bell’s Iceman and Meijer Slush Cup will be determined by the number of entries previously received.

The Bell’s Iceman entry fee for 2018 is $100.00 and includes the USA Cycling One-Day License and the online registration fee. USA Cycling members with an annual license will receive a $10 rebate upon showing their license at packet pick-up in November. The $10 USA Cycling annual license rebate is not available for riders in the Pro/Category 1 races.

2018 Meijer Slush Cup entry fees are $70.00 and include a USAC one-day license and the online registration fee.

The 2018 online registration system utilizes your Ice Society account on the www.iceman.com website. Thus, all registrants need to have an active account within the Ice Society. A new capability of the Ice Society is to allow parents to manage their children’s accounts with the same email address.

To eliminate confusion, tandem entries follow the one bike – one entry system. Tandem captains can enter their stoker’s name on their account page.

An USA Cycling account number (not an annual license) is required for each rider. For riders without an account number, you can create an account with USA Cycling by looking for the “sign-up” button in the upper right-hand corner of the www.usacycling.org website.