The Polar Bear Epic 

2019 Edition

 

Finally the moment you’ve all been waiting for has arrived, the unveiling of the Polar Bear Epic 2019 Race Series! So grab your calendars and pencils boys and girls because we’ve got the details out for you!

The Important Stuff

First off, each of these races are going to be hosted at the main Cadillac Pathway Winter Sports Trail (WST), trailhead (3736 South Seely Road, Cadillac, MI 49601). All of these competitions will begin 2PM the day of. We will provided a sign up form for the race, free of charge of course, however day of registration will begin at 1:15 and end at 1:45PM. If you are a newcomer to the race series you must be ready by 1:45PM for the race briefing before the competition begins.

So the dates are as follows:

Race #1: 01/27/2019

Race #2: 02/03/2019

Race #3: 02/17/2019

The Race Signup Form can be found here

The Race

Each race will be 2 laps winding through part of our WST, with each lap being 4 miles.  

Much of the trail will be a tighter singletrack so we have opted out of having heats or a large send offs for participants. Instead we are going to be hosting this similar to a time trial method where racers will be released onto the trail one at a time, yes you have to wait your turn. These time increments between racers will range between 30 seconds to a minute depending on the amount of participants.

At the end of the series we will add up your two best times and determine your total time on the trail. We will take this time and place you accordingly in the overall standings.

A Strava segment has been made to time the race, and those who want a good position in the line for the race start will have to first ride the course by themselves prior so we can place exactly how fast you are, if not your getting put in the back 🙂 . Please note to race we do require that you use Strava!!!

If you raced last year and haven’t updated your time then we will take you best time from last year’s race and place you accordingly.

In addition, the first race we will be running the race in a counterclockwise direction, clockwise for the second race, and counterclockwise for the third race.

Polar Bear Epic (Clockwise) Strava Segment: https://www.strava.com/segments/16697374

Polar Bear Epic (Counterclockwise) Strava Segment: https://www.strava.com/segments/16859121

Racer Divisions

We’ve decided to go off of age and gender for our divisions in the series, this is to keep competition and make it anyone’s race.

The Divisions:

Men 19 to 44

Men Master 45+

Women 19 to 44

Men Master 45+

Juniors-Men 18 and under

Juniors-Women 18 under

Canceling and Scheduling Issues

If the trail is not in good condition then we will be canceling a race day. We will also cancel if the weather is not agreeing with us or if some other unforeseeable event were to occur. Either way we will make the call by 10AM the day of so keep your eye on social media before you leave for the race.

Rules and Regulations

  • Fat Bikes must have tires that are 3.8” width or wider.
  • You must be using Strava.
  • You must have a helmet.
  • You may not use headphones during the races.
  • Also, were not setting a minimum amount of races that you must do to qualify for overall placing in your divisions, and will be taking your best two out of three times if you races at three events. 

Donations

The Polar Bear Epic is designed to popularize Cadillac’s winter sports trail, and raise money towards grooming equipment, in addition to other various resources required to maintain the WST. The races are completely free, and everyone who is there to set them up are volunteers so please consider donating to the pathway. You can either donate your own amount or purchase a grooming badge through our “Donate” page. We will also be able to accept donations the day of the races!

Contact Info

If you have any questions or concerns please contact the race director.

Jared Dunham

Email: jdsingletrack@gmail.com