TRAVERSE CITY -- Prepare to get dirty.
Riders in the inaugural Ice Cross cyclocross event, planned for Sunday at Timber Ridge Resort, will maneuver a course of mud and asphalt, navigate manmade and natural barriers -- and yes, get dirty.
Spills and crashes are common on the short course race that requires riders to dismount and carry their knobby-tire bikes over and around strategically placed barriers.
Pete LaPlaca, a partner in Twin Bay Race Promotions who was instrumental in bringing the sport to northern Michigan, says the timed bicycle race has been popular in Europe for decades but has more recently caught on in the United States.
The Ice Cross is the third in a three-race series designed to introduce the fast growing sport to northern Michigan riders. Events held earlier this fall on the grounds behind the Grand Traverse Commons and on the Timber Ridge course were well received.
"Traverse City is a natural for the cyclocross. We have the perfect terrain and are already a mecca for bicycling," said LaPlaca, noting that the Ice Cross will piggyback with Saturday's popular Iceman Cometh 27-mile mountain bike race from Kalkaska to Traverse City.
"We are hoping the popularity of the Iceman will bring riders and spectators to the cyclocross event," said LaPlaca, who thinks the Ice Cross, held on a one-and-a-half to two-mile course, is a much more spectator friendly event. Beginner, intermediate and advanced level races challenge riders' endurance for 30 minutes to an hour.
"People can watch from one place and have riders pass by every few minutes," said LaPlaca, who became interested in the sport when his son, president of the Bend, Ore. Convention and Tourism Bureau won the opportunity to bring the National Cyclocross Championship to his location in December 2009 and 2010.
LaPlaca says his ultimate goal is to bring the National Cyclocross Championship to Traverse City in 2012.
"It would be a big boost for Traverse City and our biking community," said LaPlaca, noting that Bend is expecting 1,800 to 2,000 competitors for the race next month.
"It doesn't take much to get into the sport if you have a mountain bike," said LaPlaca, noting that while specialty bicycles are made for the sport, anyone with a mountain bike can compete.
The first race begins at 9 a.m., Sunday at Timber Ridge Resort. Pre-register at www.bikereg.com, or on the day of the race starting at 8 a.m. Registration ends 30 minutes before your race.
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