About 5,000 mountain bikers from across the globe gathered in Northern Michigan on the weekend of November 1st for the Iceman Cometh Challenge: a 30 mile point-to-point race through the woods.
The trail varies year to year, but it always starts at the Kalkaska airport, and ends at Timber Ridge Resort, a campground in Traverse City. This year’s race, which took place on November 1st, was a little over 30 miles.
Kat Paye is the CEO of the Festival Foundation, which organizes both the race and the National Cherry Festival. The Iceman, she said, is “its own culture,” created by a local named Steve Brown 35 years ago.
“He just loves the sport,” Paye said. “He does it out of pure love. And he started it with hamburgers in the parking lot for $10. You got to go ride the course that he created, and have a hamburger at the end.”
Starting at 9:15 in the morning on race day, waves of about 100 riders are sent off from the start line every three minutes. The 2024 race saw 48 waves of riders, plus six additional waves of riders under 18, plus two waves of Category 1, professional level riders.
Bob Schultz, a 68-year-old rider from Grand Rapids, finished 11th out of 65 racers in his age group. While not a pro rider, he said he’s been racing the Iceman for 28 years.
“You learn something new every year,” Schultz said. “And you think you would learn from your mistakes, but you never do.”
At the finish line in Cedar Ridge Resort, 10,000 to 15,000 friends, family members, race-lovers, and riders gather to celebrate with music, food trucks, and beer. Thousands of racers will return for next year’s Iceman, hoping to go even faster.
