Support the MMBA today.

Support the MMBA today.

The Michigan Mountain Biking Association gathered their new board members and Chapter Advisory Council members for their 2019 strategic planning session on Sunday near the new DTE Energy Foundation trail in Chelsea, Michigan. It was an exciting day, spent talking about mountain biking in Michigan and planning about the future of the MMBA and the goals the group has for 2019.

The long-term future of the MMBA is bright, we have an energetic board with the ideas and vision to lead Michigan mountain biking forward and secure long-term funding for the organization. The short-term issue is cash flow…

The work the MMBA does is important to all of us. This summer MMBA executive director Melissa Werkman, the only employee of the organization, was instrumental in getting the obstructed license plate bill through the state legislature and signed into law. No longer can you be pulled over for having your license plate blocked by bikes on your hitch rack. Thank the MMBA for that one.

Now… you can’t specifically join the MMBA itself.

The MMBA wants you to join your local bike club, that money stays local and gets put to use on your home turf, providing your group with money for grooming, insurance and whatever else is needed right at home. Individual bike clubs like the Shoreline Cycling Club in Ludington and others listed at MMBA.org then choose to support the work of the MMBA by joining the Chapter Advisory Council. If your club isn’t supporting MMBA, talk to your board members, they should.

But what you can do is make a donation right now. Think about the work of the MMBA and how important it is to have an executive director with connections across the state and in our state capitol. Whether it’s the license plate law or negotiations with the DNR about trail access or E-Bikes, we need that representation.

Now take a minute and think about the price of a six pack of Bell’s Best Brown Ale, $10 or 12 bucks right? And worth every penny! Will you buy the MMBA a six pack to reward them for the work they’ve done this year? Is the work the MMBA does worth a six pack of Bell’s to you?

(Disclaimer: Melissa is not actually going to buy beer with the $10 bucks you send, she’s going to put it in the operating fund, you’re going to get a tax deduction as the MMBA is a 501c3).

We want everyone who opens this email to send the MMBA ten or twenty bucks, but we know everyone won’t, but if HALF of you follow through, then we can help the MMBA get through this year and give them some breathing room to do the work they need to do.

Thanks.

Iceman.

Transfer deadline is 10/12, MMBA Clinic for new riders on 10/13, Wave assignments on 10/19, Iceman Store closing on 10/26.

DTE Foundation Trail, two thumbs WAY up!

The Bell’s Iceman is Sold Out, now what?

The Bell's Iceman is Sold Out, now what?

For the 30th year in a row, the Bell’s Iceman Cometh Mountain Bike Challenge has sold out. What does that mean? Can you still sign up? How?

1. Iceman and his team run a heck of an event. It’s super fun and as popular as ever.

2. Yes.

3. When you sign up at this point, if there are transfers available, you get in and someone else gets out. Just like that. Should the number of transfers get to 0, then your entry is held in a queue, and you are not charged, until one of the 4,000+ riders decides they can’t make the party for one reason or another. When someone decides to get out, you get their entry and they get a refund. Minus a small fee, most of which goes to charity. We’ll stop with the transfer madness mid-October. Then we’ll get cracking on wave seeding.

Iceman Gear orders are delivered in person at SRAM Ice Expo packet pick up

Iceman Gear orders are delivered in person at SRAM Ice Expo packet pick up

Just a reminder that the Iceman Store is open, and that orders placed will be delivered to you personally by our Iceman Staff at packet pick up. The items aren’t event delivered until October. Please spare us the call in three weeks asking, “Where is my 2018 Iceman jersey?” They’re still in production.

Update Your Ice Society Info Now!

Update Your Ice Society Info Now!

Why?  We asked our Search & Rescue Guru Roger Putman to explain the importance of this info to our search and rescue teams:

“When I was on the Navy’s sport parachute demonstration team, it was always the “unexpected” incident that made it necessary to react quickly and decisively. Lack of pre-jump preparation, casual equipment inspections and the absence of a thorough emergency plan could lead to very bad conclusions. Although we had our share of malfunctions and “what the hell” incidents, it was because we always because put safety and precaution first and foremost that none of these situations resulted in serious injury…..or worse yet, a ride in the back of a black Cadillac station wagon’.

That is why we are upgrading our Iceman protocol and safety measures to add your emergency contact information to the sticker on the back of your race number plate. If you are injured and in urgent need of medical response, it saves valuable time so our medical teams can efficiently and quickly ensure your treatment and transport if necessary.

So besides being prepared for the “unexpected”, dressing for severe weather, making sure you are hydrated and having a spare tire, chain kit, charged up cell phone and a complete toolkit, help us to help you by checking your emergency contact info on your Iceman Social account and by ensuring the sticker on the back of your plate is correct at packet pick-up. Have a safe and successful ride.”

Thank you for helping us keep safety first.
Roger Putman – Bell’s Iceman Search & Rescue