906 Polar Roll Fat Tire Bike Races

Riders roll-out at the start of the 15 mile 906 Polar Roll fat tire bike race in Marquette, MI, on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015. (photo by Ron Caspi)

Marquette Michigan -The air was alive with the buzz of fat bike tires as the first annual 906 Polar Roll snow bike race kicked off Saturday morning, February 21st, 2015. This new yearly event brought together over 250 bike enthusiasts looking for a special event for and by bike lovers.

The 906 Polar Roll featured two separate races kicking off with a 15 mile ride in Marquette and a 35 mile ride out of Ishpeming, with both races finishing in the Mattson Lower Harbor Park.

906 Polar Roll race director, Todd Poquette, said that the race was born out of an eager desire within the local cycling community to create more experiences specially focused on biking. You won’t see cash prizes being doled out to professional riders here. The mission of the race is on fun and raising money to maintain local trails. Says Poquette, “Every dollar that goes to a racer doesn’t go to trails.”

The Marquette area is renown for it’s great trail riding, attributed in part to our ability to sculpt and maintain miles of premiere networks in top notch condition. Proceeds from the race will be earmarked specifically for winter grooming to maintain the quality of our trails keeping them open and moving throughout the season.

Riders of the 906 Polar Roll 35 mile fat bike race roll out from the starting line in Ishpeming, MI, on Saturday Feb. 21, 2015. (photo by Ron Caspi)

Money raised by the 906 Polar Roll will go directly to local organizations RAMBA (Range Area Mountain Bike Association) and the NTN Singletrack, a committee that’s part of the Noquemanon Trail Network, both of which are entrusted with the care and maintenance of our woodland byways.

Another purpose of the 906 Polar Roll is to feature the biggest asset in our U.P. lifestyle, snow! With the popular trend in fat bikes on the rise and the excellent quality of trails available in the U.P. it won’t be surprising to see this event continue to grow in the coming years.

Poquette gives shout-outs to the support of more than 100 volunteers, the cooperation of the cities and other organizations involved, and especially, the local snowmobile clubs; without whose support the event would not have been possible.

With their mission of creating more community based riding events at heart you can look forward to plenty more fun based adventures in the near future. Upcoming rides will focus on mentoring area youth in their passion for mountain biking and the continued growth of our local cycling community.

Find out more about upcoming events sponsored by the 906 Adventure Team

The 906 Polar Roll fat tire bike race drew over 100 participants for it’s first ever run of the 15 mile course starting on the Iron Ore Heritage Trail in Marquette, MI. (photo by Ron Caspi)

by Erica McMillan

Out of curiosity and necessity I have become accustomed to wearing many hats in life. The latest hat in my collection is as owner/publisher/author/photographer/videographer for Marquette Magazine. Among other things I am a doula, certified breastfeeding counselor, NMU student, and mother of 5... whew, I'm getting tired just writing that...

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