Cross the Mitten: 2018 Michigan Coast to Coast Gravel Grinder – Results

by Mark VanTongeren

Saturday brought the first annual Michigan Coast to Coast Gravel Grinder sponsored by Salsa Cycles to the state’s lower peninsula. The course covered 210 miles of mostly gravel roads across the mitten state, starting at Lake Huron’s Saginaw Bay and heading west to the finish in Ludington along the Lake Michigan coast.

Inspiration for the Coast to Coast race came from a now-defunct Coast to Coast adventure race that crossed the state on bikes, foot (orienteering) and canoe many years ago. Race promoter Mark VanTongeren of the Grand Rapids area decided to bring the trans-Michigan race back as a gravel grinder to capitalize on the sport’s growing popularity.

As recently retired Trans-Iowa race director Guitar Ted can attest to, mapping long gravel routes can be challenging. Fortunately for the folks of the Wolverine state, Salsa-sponsored rider and gravel guru Matt Acker of Grand Rapids undertook a side project marking the state’s gravel roads and putting them online at gravelmap.com.

VanTongeren used Acker’s map to plot a route from Saginaw Bay to Ludington, not knowing who the man behind the oh-so-helpful Michigan gravel road map was. When Van Tongeren showed the map to Acker, the gravel maven chipped in some of his local knowledge to add to the challenge of the route while recognizing the usefulness of his handiwork.

Acker added several miles of roller coaster-like forest service roads, two tracks and snowmobile trails in the Manistee National Forest to create the final route. In total, the route included about 6,300 feet of climbing. Adding to the challenge, similar to the Dirty Kanza 200, riders were only allowed to meet support vehicles at three checkpoints along the mixed terrain route.

The race covered Michigan’s Lower Peninsula from East to West. photo: ridewithgps.com

Two-hundred miles of gravel makes for a long day on the bike, and not surprisingly, the weather was on folks’ minds leading up to the race. All forecasts pointed toward substantial rain and a 40-degree start.

“Not to make it worse or anything, but these drops hitting the windshield are frozen.” @BikeShopCX #micoasttocoast

— Amanda Nauman (@_amanda_panda_) May 11, 2018

Mother Nature deemed the riders in her good graces, as temperatures reached the 50s for much of the day and the sun shone upon the mid-mitten crossing route. The race started on the east “Sunrise Side” of Michigan with a firey-red 6:12 a.m. sunrise start. Riders dipped their rear tires into Lake Huron and they were off.

Two-hundred thirty-eight riders started the 210-mile race. Organizers gave them 21 hours to complete the cross-mitten journey, and come 3:12 a.m. on Sunday, 198 of the starters had completed the trek.

The Coast to Coast race started with a Lake Huron sunrise. photo: Andy Klevorn / Singletrack Showdown

The west side of the start got some rain in the days before the race. It firmed up the doubletrack and snowmobile trails to create the race’s signature sections in the Manistee National Forest. Because of the rain, riders who heeded race organizers’ 40mm minimum tire width recommendation really benefitted as they racked up the miles. Mountain bikes and fat bikes were good choices, while riders in the pack with skinny tires struggled as the gravel roads and paths softened up with traffic.

At 210 miles and three weekends before the Dirty Kanza 200, the Michigan Coast to Coast race was a good chance for DK200 competitors to get a good long-distance training ride in and enjoy the state’s excellent post-race beer options. Accordingly, the race brought two 2017 DK200 podium finishers all the way from California in Amanda Nauman and Menso de Jong.

As arguably the two favorites in the first-year race, both the Golden State natives delivered. Nauman led wire-to-wire in the Women’s race and finished in 12:53, for an average pace of 16.3 mph. Selene Yeager finished second and Michelle Hance third.

After missing out on her Salsa couch photo at Land Run, Nauman got redemption on Saturday.

In the Men’s race, De Jong was the top dog as well. De Jong helped drive the pace of the lead group and pulled away from the field as conditions toughened as riders reached the west side of the state. He finished the race in 11:53, for an average clip of 17.7 mph. Local hero Mike Bernhard finished second and Nicholas Stanko took third.

Full Women’s and Men’s results for the 210-mile race are below.

The race finished at Ludington’s Stearns Park, a quintessential Lake Michigan coastal setting with a sandy beach, pier and lighthouse. Racers dipped their front tires in the 45-degree Lake Michigan and moms who made the state crossing got a Mother’s Day rose. Baths in the frigid Great Lakes water, however, were rare.

Race organizers have already decided the Michigan Coast to Coast Gravel Grinder will be back for 2019. Next year it will be held on June 22 to give riders more time to train outdoors, more time to finish during the longest Saturday of the year and to avoid awkward talks about racing on Mother’s Day weekend.

Women's Results: 2018 Michigan Coast to Coast Gravel Grinder

Men's Results: 2018 Michigan Coast to Coast Gravel Grinder