Bob Hendrickson

The Ore to Shore Mountain Bike Epic is the newest member of the Greater Ishpeming-Negaunee Area Chamber of Commerce.

This mountain bike event is going into its 23rd year and brings over 2000 racers to the area both young and old to experience the hospitality and rugged natural terrain of Marquette County.

While you are reading this most likely the racers have already left the start lines in Negaunee. The 28-mile Soft Rock Race leaves in front of Lakeview Elementary School at 9 a.m. while the 48-mile Hard Rock race blasts out of downtown Negaunee on Iron Street at 10 a.m.

The unique element of this event is the race courses are only open to the public once a year thanks to the generosity of the private landowners which account for nearly the entire length of the courses. Please respect this and do not attempt to ride the course other than as a participant of the Ore to Shore.

The West End of Marquette County has numerous trail options for mountain bikers that can be ridden year-round. RAMBA (previously know as the Range Mountain Bike Association) maintains miles of interconnecting trails within the Ishpeming-Negaunee footprint, offering “Twisted singletrack built with love by twisted singletrack minds,” according to their motto.

Other events supported by and utilizing RAMBA trails include the summer events The Crusher, the Marji Gesick and winter event Polar Roll all hosted by 906 Adventure, along with The Fat-Ish winter fat bike race hosted by Go Get Outside.

And all of this can be experienced with a few visits to the West End of Marquette County, or better yet move here and experience it year-round.

The events and trail system has created quite the economic impact on the local communities. The opening of bike shops in both Ishpeming and Negaunee caters to the needs of visitors and locals alike.

West End Ski & Trail is a full-service bicycle shop in downtown Ishpeming and is located right next door to Velodrome Coffee Company. The two go hand-n-hand which cycling enthusiasts.

In Negaunee, Love and Bicycles is the go-to shop for bicycle repairs and sales. This shop opened in the spring of 2021 and quickly established itself as an old soul in the historic downtown. While there stop down a few storefronts to Midtown Bakery to fuel your ride or recovery.

For an after-ride beverage stop by the Cognition Brewery in Ishpeming or the Upper Peninsula Brewing Company in Negaunee. There are a lot of other businesses to discover on your visits some take some time and poke around.

To learn more give us a call 906-486-1111 or go to our website www.gincc.org. Our hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The office is located at 910 U.S. Hwy 41 West in front of Jubilee Foods & Fuel.

*EDITOR’S NOTE: Bob Hendrickson is the executive director of the GINCC. He currently resides in Negaunee with his wife, Laura, and daughter, Sierra. He enjoys mountain biking, skiing, fishing and hunting along with family time.