Get Signed Up, Then Get Riding

Step one, sign up. Step two, get riding. Registration for the 2021 Bell’s Iceman Cometh Challenge opens up on March 5, and while we can’t get together for our traditional in-person events, we’re meeting up on Watopia for a ride. 

Normally, we’d be hanging with dedicated riders at 7 Monks and Bell’s Eccentric Cafe to kick off the season. That may not be happening, but we’re really looking forward to helping the thousands of generous riders who donate or deferred their entries from 2020 to this season get locked in to race on November 6. If you are one of those kind-hearted riders, thank you! Make sure you’re furiously hitting refresh on your inbox for information on how to use your code to claim your spot in this year’s race! 

This year, we’re also offering a year-long Virtual Training Challenge through Strava. By committing to hit 500, 1,500, or 3,000 miles, you’ll be setting yourself up for your best Iceman ever, plus a chance to win monthly prizes from sponsors like Bell’s, Meijer, Trek, and more. 

You can get your training kickstarted with us on Saturday, March 6 Zwift. First up, join Race Director Cody Sovis 75 minute, no-drop ride at 8 am EST. Can’t quite get out of bed for that? Join 2019 Iceman winner Alexey Vermeulen for a 75 minute ride at 11am EST! 

For both events, make sure you sign up at the correct link and follow the leader on Zwift for an invite. Meet-ups are limited to 100 riders, so get locked in. 

Cody’s Ride
8am EST
Sign up here: https://forms.gle/qJfcGRcKDbxLvBzbA

Alexey’s Ride
11am EST (9am MST)
Sign up here: https://forms.gle/UozwZttiXZUZ8jSU8 

2021 Is Here…and November Is Coming!

Oh, hello there strangers. 

 

We’re finally through 2020 and things are slowly looking brighter, happier, and healthier. We have a long way to go, but thanks to the hard-working medical professionals, essential workers, and everyone who has done their part to stay safe, we can start to look at getting together in November! 

 

Every single edition of the Bell’s Iceman Cometh Challenge is special for its own reason, but we understand that this one, well, this one is going to be different. We’re hoping that November 6, 2021 serves as the family reunion we all didn’t get in 2020 and the one we’re all desperately hoping to bring our mountain bike community together. 

 

We wouldn’t even be talking about a 31st edition of the race without the thousands of riders who chose to defer or donate last year’s entry, so when you line up this November, make sure you say thank you to the guy or gal next to you; odds are, they helped to make this year’s event possible. 

 

Those same folks will get the first crack at registration. If you donated your entry, you’ll receive a link in your inbox that will allow you to get signed up. You can start feverishly hitting ‘refresh’ on your email account the week of February 15. 

 

If you deferred your entry to 2021, you’ll get a link that will allow you to register for the Bell’s Iceman Cometh Challenge or Meijer Slush Cup. We were hoping that we’d be able to just squeeze everyone in automatically, but our legal team reminded us that waivers are kind of a big deal. 

 

If you’re waiting to see what the COVID-19 situation looks like over the next few months, don’t worry; the link for your deferred or donated entry won’t expire until September 1. 

 

There will be questions. Jessica will have all the answers at icemaninfo@iceman.com so don’t hesitate to reach out! 

 

Unfortunately, we won’t be able to host our traditional in-person registration parties at 7 Monks in Traverse City and the Bell’s Eccentric Café. However, you can have a party all your own at 9 am on March 5, when all available spots are open to new Iceman riders! It’ll feel like the good ol’ days of hopping on right at 9 and registering because there aren’t many spots available!

 

Since we’ve had an awful lot of time to come up with some cool things to do, make sure you’re checking out a few neat things we’ve added to registration this year. 

 

Iceman Registration Donation. Last year, generous Iceman racers raised over $16,000 for Michigan Mountain Bike Association by adding just a few dollars to their registration. This year, we’re hoping to raise just as much for the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy. GTRLC protects and preserves natural areas all over northern Michigan including Arcadia Dunes, Bullhead Lake Natural Area, and Glacial Hills Pathway. They also helped to save the Sand Lakes 160, a 160-acre parcel of the Pere Marquette forest that serves as a critical point of intersection for dozens of Traverse City trails, including the heart of the Iceman course itself! 

 

Virtual Training Challenge. One of the toughest aspects of the past several months has been finding the motivation to get up and get moving without some of our favorite rides, races, and events. We’re hoping to recreate your riding community and help you nail your best Iceman Training Challenge. Join the 500, 1,000, or 3,000 mile Challenge groups and rack up the miles from March 5 to October 30. Along the way, you’ll earn milestones, get coaching tips from your favorite Iceman pros, and have a chance to win prizes from Iceman, Bell’s, Trek, Clif, and more. Each challenge group will have its own club on Strava, and if you hit your challenge goal, we’ll move you up to keep you riding! Watch for more on this next week! 

 

Donate A Sno Cone Entry. Every kid deserves a chance to shred. This year, we’re making it easy to donate a free spot to the Sno Cone race at checkout. We’ll give the spot you donate to any kid who wants to race but whose parents can’t swing it. No stress, no questions asked. Let’s build the next generation of mountain bikers today. 

 

We’ve also been working on an Iceman Zwift Meet-Up to give riders from across the country a chance to ride together, get in a tough workout, and connect! Watch for a Meet-Up calendar, instructions on how to join, plus links to the official, always-updated Iceman playlist and workouts for each ride!

2020 Registration Details

To view this information in the original email, please click here

Onsite Registration
Anyone can register at either one of our onsite locations for the 2020 Bell’s Iceman Cometh Challenge whether you are a first time rider, a 20th time rider, riding Meijer Slush Cup or racing in the 30 mile Iceman; all are welcome to come and celebrate with us. 

Come see us at the Bell’s Eccentric Café in Kalamazoo or 7 Monks Taproom in Traverse City on March 6.  Details are below:

Friday March 6, 2020
2:00 pm to 5:30 pm
Bell’s Eccentric Café
355 E Kalamazoo Ave
Kalamazoo, MI 49007
 
Friday March 6, 2020
2:00 pm to 6:00 pm
7 Monks Taproom
128 S Union St
Traverse City, MI 49684
 
Online Registration
 If you raced in 2019, early registration will open for you on Friday March 6th at 9:00 am.  On Thursday March 5th, you will receive a link to the registration page and an early access code that you will need in order to register early. Online registration will be open to 2019 racers only until Monday March 9th.
 
If you are a new racer or if you raced any year other than 2019, online registration will open for you on Monday March 9th at 9:00am. 
 
Racing Age
Please remember when registering that your “racing age” is determined by your age on December 31.
 
Questions?
 Email us at icemaninfo@iceman.com or visit us on Facebook!
2019 Photos
Looking from some great photos of you on the trail in 2019. Check these out from Rob Meendering! 

Bell’s Beer Iceman registration open

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

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 6th 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 9th 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 16th 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 16th at 12 Noon.

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

Bell’s Registration Party is Today. Watch the Promo Video

Bell's Registration Party is today. Watch the promo video

The 2016 Bell’s Iceman Cometh Challenge was one for the record books. Warm sunshine greeted racers at TImber Ridge Resort as they finished their fast 27 mile trek from Kalkaska. What will 2017 bring? That’s part of the fun of the event and to help you get registered we’ve compiled a quick and easy breakdown of the paths you can choose depending on your past Iceman history.

Never been in the race?

Option one, come to Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo on Friday, March 3, 2017 at 11am and register in person. Everyone that shows up between 11-4 gets in. Done. Option two, hope there’s room after the 2016 riders register online when the non-2016 riders get their online crack at it on Friday, March 17th at 12 noon. Tips to speed along your entry. Register for an Ice Society account at Iceman.com and get a USA Cycling number (not a license) ahead of time.

Raced in 2016?

If you raced in the 2016 Iceman and want to ride this year you are guaranteed a spot in the race as long as you complete that entry between Friday, March 10 at 9am and Friday, March 17 at 9am. After that it’s first come first serve until the race fills up at 4,500 riders for Iceman and 400 riders for Slush Cup. You can also come to Bell’s, it’s a fun party and a great way to kick off the weekend.

Save the dates, yes DATES

Save the dates, yes DATES.

While winter has finally returned to much of northern Michigan, allowing for the resumption of winter fat biking, we’ve been busy at Iceman HQ getting ready for the March 3 kick off for this years race registration. We’ll be at Bell’s in Kalamazoo that day, the party starts at 11am with in-person registration. Everyone that shows up to Bell’s gets in the race. Registration information has been updated at this link.

And new to the cycling calendar is the Michigan Mountain Bike Festival scheduled for August 25-27 at Boyne Mountain. Details are firming up but here’s what they have planned so far. This is a new event put on by the MMBA that they hope to move around to different areas from year to year. Registration should be up fairly soon.

Women’s Skills Clinic
Advanced Jumps & Burms Clinic
Hands-on Trailbuilding Class
Demo Fair & Food Trucks
Group rides on the new Avalanche trail
Kid’s Skills Clinic
Kid’s Movie
Storytelling & Bonfire Under the Stars
Shuttles to trails
On-site childcare
Chairlift Happy Hour on the Mountain
Live Band
Raffle
and last but not least…

Beer Tent

Oh, one more thing, we strongly encourage all the members of the Iceman Community to support the Michigan Mountain Biking Association. Representing 11 chapters across Michigan the MMBA works to advocate for and protect trail access, collaborate with land managers, communities and other partners to build and maintain sustainable trails. With the huge growth of mountain biking trails in Michigan this year, your contributions are more important than ever!

2017 Iceman Cometh Challenge Registration

2017 Iceman Cometh Challenge Registration  

The  2017 Bell’s Beer Iceman Cometh Challenge will be on Saturday, November 4th.

Registation for the 2017 Bell’s Beer IcemanCometh Challenge will open on Friday March 3rd at 11:00AM. Once again registration will be limited to first 4,500 Iceman riders and 400 Meijer Slush Cup riders.

More information coming soon!