Iceman Cometh Challenge

About the Event

The Bell's Iceman Cometh Challenge is held on Saturday, November 8th, 2025. Additionally, the Ice Cycle Expo and packet pickup, presented by Michigan Bicycle Law, will is held Friday, November 7th at the Grand Traverse Resort in Acme, MI. Over 5,400 men and women as well as 300 children in 77 age divisions will take part in the Bell's Iceman Cometh events. The main event, the Bell’s Iceman Cometh Challenge presented by Trek, is around 30-mile point-to-point cross-country mountain bike race from Kalkaska to Traverse City, Michigan. Additionally, the Meijer Slush Cup and Sno-Cone events add an 9-mile course for beginning riders as well as a race for children 10 & under. An estimated 12,000 spectators line the courses to catch the excitement of all the Bell's Iceman Cometh events.

Races Offered

Meijer Slush Cup

Nov 07, 2026

straighten

Distance — 10 Miles

terrain

Type — Running

timer

08:45

sell

$90.00

Tandem - Meijer Slush Cup

Nov 07, 2026

straighten

Distance — 10 Miles

terrain

Type — Running

timer

08:45

sell

$90.00

Bell's Iceman Cometh Challenge presented by TREK

Nov 07, 2026

straighten

Distance — 30.9 Miles

terrain

Type — Running

timer

09:15

sell

$140.00

Tandem - Bell's Iceman Cometh Challenge

Nov 07, 2026

straighten

Distance — 30.9 Miles

terrain

Type — Running

timer

09:15

sell

$140.00

Iceman Junior (18 & under)

Nov 07, 2026

straighten

Distance — 30.9 Miles

terrain

Type — Running

timer

12:30

sell

$70.00

Meijer Sno Cone

Nov 07, 2026

straighten

Distance — 1.25 Miles

terrain

Type — Running

timer

15:00

sell

$0.00

Pro/Cat 1 - Bell's Iceman Cometh Challenge

Nov 07, 2026

straighten

Distance — 30.9 Miles

terrain

Type — Running

timer

15:00

sell

$140.00

Weather History

These values represent the 3-year monthly averages for November in Traverse City.

thermostat Temperature

1.9° / 7.2°

wb_sunny Feels like

-3.4° / 2.4°

light_mode Avg sunshine hours

4h 18m

water_drop Avg rainfall

2.2 mm

ac_unit Avg snowfall

0.5 cm

air Avg wind speed

16.4 km/h (Gentle breeze)

opacity Sweat loss rate

Low

terrain Course conditions

Firm and slightly soft

sunny Max UV Index

Low (2.0)

humidity_mid Humidity

74.9%

wb_twilight Sunrise

08:39

nightlight Sunset

18:14

About Traverse City

Learn more about the host city, Traverse City.

Traverse City is a scenic city on the Grand Traverse Bay of Lake Michigan. Directly north of Traverse City, the Old Mission Peninsula splits the Grand Traverse Bay in two, with a beautiful windswept landscape and great views of the bay on either side. Slightly to the west, the Leelanau Peninsula, with its charming small towns, forms the "pinkie finger" of the Michigan peninsula, jutting into Lake Michigan. Both peninsulas are prime winemaking regions within the state, and as such are one of the main tourist attractions in the region. Over a million visitors come each year to tour the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, a scenic lakeside park with impressively large sand dunes. It's also a very popular destination for outdoor activities, owing to the proximity of Lake Michigan in summer, the impressive autumn colors, and the high snowfalls in winter.