Catch The Fever: Iceman Cometh Challenge Is Almost Here!

We’re just over a week away from the biggest mountain bike race in the country! Every year, we look forward to the Bell’s Iceman Cometh Challenge as a chance to get all of our pals together in one place for one heckuva ride. This year, Iceman is celebrating its 30th edition and a tremendous story of growth. In 1990, founder Steve Brown lined up 39 of his friends in Kalkaska and pointed them in the general direction of Traverse City. Somehow, they stayed on course through 29 miles of the Pere Marquette State Forest trails. They made it, and then they came back next year. 

Today, the Iceman welcomes 5,000 riders to retrace those steps. It’s now the largest point-to-point mountain bike race in the country, with racers from over 20 states and more than a dozen different countries. While the course itself has a number of little changes each year to keep it fresh, there are memories in every turn, hill, and section of trail. That doesn’t change at the finish line, either. Tired, muddy, and smiling, we relive every second of the action with pals. 

Once showered and warm, racers and spectators alike cheer on the wave after wave of people still to finish, plus the SnoCone kids completing their one-mile dash around Timber Ridge. It’s a long, exciting crescendo to the arrival of the Pros. World champions, national champions, and scores of local heroes slam into Ice Breaker Hill and make their final dash to the line! 

Next weekend, we want to wish you the very best of luck! Whether you’re there to win or there to finish and have a beer, take a second to stop and soak it all in; we have a tremendous, world-class event right here in our backyard that we rely on to bring our community together and stay connected. We’re all in this together; make a friend, have fun, and save just a little for that last climb!