We want to thank everyone who raced, volunteered, cheered, and sponsored the Bear Claw Epic for 2018!

We knew this one was going to be extra special. When we broke our pre-registration numbers, with racers from all over northern Michigan and beyond, the anticipation reached an all-time high. First, the weather for race day couldn’t be better; we swapped 95+ degrees for a niceman-esque 44 and brilliantly sunny for the morning starters, and 60 degrees for the mid-morning start at 11:30. Second, we had a massive contingent of kids taking on not just the Bear Cub Epic balance bike race, but the Beginner, Sport, and even Elite races!

Finally, we saw plenty of family names from right here in Cadillac coming together to race and volunteers. Our Singletrack Sisters, our Cadillac Cycling Club, our sponsors like Blue Heron and G&D’s Pizza, McLain Cycle and Fitness, and a dozen others all showed up in big numbers to help us make this more than a fundraiser; this is a celebration of community, it just so happens to be on bikes!

We were also excited about the racing, too. With last year’s winner, Sean Kickbush, unable to attend, we had plenty of firepower in Jorden Wakeley, Brad White, Nick Wierzba, Alec Shau, Susan Vigland, Lauri Brockmiller, and Maddy Frank. Of course, having our hometown hero, Kaitlyn Patterson, sign up day-of and finish off a great day with a win was a real treat. The Men’s Elite race came down to a thrilling sprint between Wakeley and White, with Brad just nipping by for his first BCE victory!

None of this would have been possible without our sponsors and the dozens of volunteers that stuffed packets, helped out with early number pick-up at Clam Lake Brewing, and spent all of Saturday putting on one of the most enjoyable, laid-back, and well-run races in the state. Everything went so smoothly, and having all the little things taken care of allows our two race directors, Dustin Webb and Michele Andrews, to focus on the big stuff! There is just no way this race happens without the help of volunteers spending their time and energy with us.

It’s an important time to say thanks, but it’s also exciting to talk about what’s next. Our new Pavilion was approved and we should see it completed at the trailhead by the end of the season! Even before that, you may have already seen our parking lot expansion, which was approved by the DNR and ready to fit in more folks!

Finally, we just received approval for a trail proposal that’s been in the process for nearly two years. The DNR gave the green light to our biggest project yet, which will add eleven miles of new singletrack to the Cadillac Pathway in 2019! That’s right, we’ll be essentially doubling the amount of the trail on offer over the next year, and we can’t wait to get started.

Thanks again to everyone who spent their Saturday on the Pathway, and stay tuned for all the great things coming up this fall!