NMMBA Trail Series 2019: Three Races, One Cause
Summer is well and truly here, and that means it's time to add a few dates to your calendar.
For the second year, Northern Michigan Mountain Bike Association is partnering with Short's Brewing Company to offer area mountain bikers a challenge. The NMMBA Trail Series includes three events that highlight and explore the unique experiences of the Traverse City Trails Network, Glacial Hills, and Cadillac Pathway.
Each event raises money for NMMBA, our local trails association that builds, maintains, and protects trails all over the region. We work with NMMBA on a number of issues, share information, and help to support great outdoor experiences from Bellaire to Cadillac, Glen Arbor to the trails of Traverse City. It's a partnership that has seen memberships, trails, and advocacy rise to all-new levels in the past few years!
The Series kicks off on July 20 with the third edition of the Traverse City Trails Festival presented by Short's Brewing Company. The event includes 40, 25, and 15 mile distances, plus an 8 mile kids' race, with a twist; the 25 and 15 mile events offer both the option to race and to just tour the same course at your own pace! Either way, it's a unique opportunity; the majority of all races use singletrack trails that are unmarked the other 364 days of the year. If you want to learn, explore, and add more trails to your repertoire, there's no better way to see them for yourself!
Things come home to Bellaire on August 18. The Short's Glacial Hills Challenge is one of our biggest fundraisers of the year, and brings riders from around the state to explore and experience our world-class trails. As a part of the Championship Points Series, we have a chance to welcome riders to the woods and to downtown Bellaire for the weekend; once riders make the trip, they always come back! The Glacial Hills Challenge offers multiple distances and categories, so you know you'll be in the right group for you.
Finally, fall racing heats up at the Cadillac Pathway with the Bear Claw Epic on September 28. Just over a month out from the Iceman Cometh Challenge, more and more riders are using the BCE as the the start of their autumnal campaign, but it also serves as the grand finale of the NMMBA events. No race has grown as quickly, and for good reason. The challenging, fun course is great test for beginners and experts alike, and the staggered start times mean you're always mixing it up with riders your speed. The post-race refreshments and vibes are some of the best on the scene, too!
