New fat bike competition rolls into the U.P.
MARQUETTE — There’s a new fat bike competition in town, and it’s time to roll, as registration is now open. It’s called the 906 Polar Roll.
It’s a A 35-mile point-to-point race where it’s you against the wind, snow and the other U.P. bikers for a race to the finish, bragging rights and prizes.
“Fat biking is extremely popular in the winter and Marquette is the place to do it. We have two trail systems, one is in Ishpeming that is groomed and maintained by the Range Mountain Biking Association, the other is by the NTN in Marquette. I wanted to make a race that connected the two of them so people could experience two trail systems in one day,” 906 Polar Roll race director Todd Poquette said.
The 35-mile Long Ride goes from Ishpeming to Marquette’s Lower Harbor. The 18-mile Short Ride starts in Negaunee and ends at Marquette’s Lower Harbor as well. The event is part of the Great Lakes Fat Bike Series.
“The experience between summer and winter riding is completely different but when you are riding in the winter and out in the snow and you are on the bike route it’s like being a kid again. I see people out there in their 20’s all the way into their 60’s and 70’s and it’s literally just makes you feel like you are a kid riding around in a huffy,” continued Poquette.
The inaugural event takes place February 21st and is already gaining in popularity. Although registration just recently opened, 100 bikers are already signed up.
If you plan to get your roll on, you can go to www.906Adventureteam.com to register. The race caps at 300 bikers.