The Iceman Cometh Challenge is one of North America's largest point-to-point mountain bike races that traditionally is held the first Saturday of November. This year's Iceman Cometh featured nearly 5,000 riders spanning all skill levels from beginner riders to pro tour riders. The race started at the Kalkaska Airport in Kalkaska, Michigan and finished nearly 30 miles away at the Timber Ridge RV and Recreation Resort just outside of Traverse City, Michigan. This year's course featured a mix of dirt roads, two tracks and abandoned railroad beds.
It was quite the emotion finish this year for Shimano athlete and Michigan local Alexey Vermeulen as he won his first-ever Iceman Cometh Challenge beating the four-time champ Brain Matter by nearly 22 seconds. Joining Alexey on the podium were Shimano athletes Brain Matter 2nd, Geoff Kabush 3rd, and Ben Sonntag 4th.
For the women, it was a battle between teammates Katerina Nash and Hannah Finchamp of team Clif Pro with Katerina beating Hannah by just under a second. Hannah Finchamp finished in 2nd place beating the third-place finisher by nearly 7 seconds.
