U.P. or bust!
Heading up to the U.P. for the Miner’s Revenge race this weekend. This is just one stop along our Griswold family tour across the great North. Here we come Munising, Marquette, Houghton, Copper Harbor, Soo Saint Marie and then back. It should be fun and I will try to post a pic or two from the road, if possible.
Matt Portfleet, from Adventure Mining Co. is hooking me up with a sweet new headlamp for navigating in the copper mine cave. Thanks Matt.
Happy trails all!
Thad
Matt Portfleet of Adventure Mining Company wrote me today. He attached a couple more links for the Miner’s Revenge race in July, that you may find interesting…
WLUC TV6 news story (recent): http://bit.ly/15uF5M
NEW – Miner’s Revenge website: http://www.minersrevenge.com/
Register for Miner’s Revenge at: http://bit.ly/fzINI
Race registration is now up and I can say that it works properly, because I just committed myself to the 20 miler. Time to get myself a headlamp and begin some night ride training.
This is the race description as posted on Active.com: Steep climbs, rolling singletrack, fun descents, and riding with bats. The race takes place at the Adventure Mine in Greenland, MI. Part of the 5 mile lap is through the mine. Lights will be required. Because of the total darkness a GOOD headlamp will suffice. Free on-site camping Saturday night with campfires and fun. The mine is 48 degrees! Two race distances; approx 10 and 20 miles. E-mail caleb@goridebikes or call The Bike Shop in Houghton at 906-487-9500 with questions.
Registration Link: http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1743535
Sharing some correspondence that I had with Matt Portfleet (race coordinator)…
Thad,
Thanks for calling and getting some race details posted for us. We actually had a super quick meeting at The Bike Shop this morning to hash out the final details before they get widely publicized.
You’re correct, yes the loop will likely be approx. 4 miles, with multiple loops dependant on the racing category. There will be beginner, intermediate and advanced classes, likely 2 loops for beginner, and more for the other classes after we do some test runs and finalize the route here in a couple weeks. By the way, we still have 2 feet of snow in the woods at the mine site! We know the terrain well and the approx. routes, but we need some more melt to finalize the exact distances and difficulties. The loop will contain about a half mile underground. No lights are present at all underground, riders need to have their own. We may offer some discount prices on Black Diamond lights (we are a distributor) to registered racers, more details on that later.
The race is going to be a timed format. We had debated on a mass start, but with too many people it will become mass chaos underground if we don’t stagger the riders somewhat. So that is a change from what I had told you.
Camping will be primitive, porta-johns and water available. Camping is for registered racers and associated people. No fee for camping besides race entry. Basically one tent per entry, we just don’t want every racer to bring 20 friends with 5 tents as we don’t have the space.
Outside terrain is very hilly, great terrain. Inside is gravel/rocky with some tighter areas. There is plenty of outside viewing area, but no space for general public viewing underground. Basically race officials and probably some reporters/photographers for now.
We are working on getting the registration online at active.com. This should be ready very soon.
I’ll keep you posted with any changes or updates and if/when we get a website up and running. We’re working right now on adding a page to our site (www.adventuremine.com) but hopefully we can get a whole site just for the race itself up soon.
If you have any other questions, let me know.
Thanks,
Matt
A quick update on this race in Ontonagon County, MI (Western U.P.). I talked to Matthew Portfleet this morning, on the phone. He is one busy guy, thanks to the story that the Associated Press broke yesterday about his Miner’s Revenge mountain bike race. Matt was not given any warning of the AP press release and is quickly trying to get race details posted on the internet. You may call him at (906) 883-3371 or email him: mportfleet@yahoo.com for race registration. The race is also supported by The Bike Shop in Houghton, MI (906) 487-9500.
Race details are as follows…
$25 early entrance fee. $35 entrance fee on the day of the race (Sunday July 12th, 2009). Shirts with race logo will be available. The course will be a X-country style 3-5 mile loop in hilly terrain, with a 1/2 mile stretch of mostly flat cave riding. Matt recommended a Black Diamond light (or similar) for use in the cave. Primitive camping will be available on site for racers (with pit toilets and water, I think). This is their first race event. Their phones have been very active since the story broke. Details on class designations and race website to be posted soon.
If you plan to participate, let us know in the comments (below).
GREENLAND, Mich. (AP) – This Summer’s Miner’s Revenge mountain bike race in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is taking its name seriously.
WLUC-TV reports the five-mile race scheduled for July 12 at Adventure Mine in Greenland will include stretches inside the mine and on the surface. Adventure Mining Co. owner Matt Portfleet says there will be some tight spaces.
He says “a tall person might have to get off and push,” but that’s part of the fun and the challenge.
Adventure Mining, which offers tours of the site, says the copper mine operated from 1850 to 1920. It’s located in Ontonagon County in the western Upper Peninsula, about 85 miles northwest of Marquette.
Information from: WLUC-TV, http://www.wluctv6.com
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