Paid Shuttle, Support, Drop Bags & Rescue Service
Take advantage of our support package offered by our famous “Dirtbag Race Support” team! Leave your car near the finish line in Ludington and let us do the heavy lifting! We will transport you in comfort to the start at Au Gres (Lake Huron) and more importantly will support you at every checkpoint across the state. Proceeds support several nonprofit causes near to our hearts.
We will also accept a limited number of riders who can get to Friday’s pre-race meeting and Saturday’s start at Au Gres/Lake Huron but need SAG and rescue service (or need the shuttle but not the drop bags). Reserve any of the three options on the BikeReg registration site (see link above) when or after you register for the race. Scroll down to Event Items.
Here’s what the full service will include:
- Shuttle Service from Ludington to Lake Huron Start
- FOR THOSE SIGNING UP WITHIN TWO OR THREE WEEKS OF THE RACE WHO DID NOT GET THE LATEST EMAILS, PLEASE EMAIL LINDA AT lteepee1210@gmail.com AFTER YOU SIGN UP.
- Coach bus or van service from Ludington to the check-in on the east side at the Point Au Gres Marina and Campground. One stop along the way for food.
- Park in the back parking area (near the baseball field) of Oriole Field, 700 W Tinkham Ave. Ludington, MI 49431.
- Arrive by 10:30 am. The shuttle leaves at 11:00 am. Do not leave valuables in your vehicle. Note that you will need to bike from the finish back to Oriole Field so have the address on your phone and print a map as backup.
- You will arrive at Point Au Gres Marina in time for check-in and one of the pre-race meetings.
- Your bike will travel snug tight to keep them from banging against each other. The Dirtbag Race Support team and Coast to Coast organization are not responsible for any damage to your bike but be assured they will treat them with care.
- Continuing bus service to your lodging (at St. Mark Catholic Church in Au Gres or other nearby accommodations if you are not camping at the Pt. Au Gres campground) before the Friday check-in and pre-race meeting. You’ll bike back to your lodging after the meeting or spaghetti dinner.
- A spaghetti, garlic bread and salad dinner is available Friday after you arrive. You can purchase it under the Merchandise section below the registration options. This is a fundraiser for Breakthrough T1D (formerly Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation).
- You must ride 4 miles to the start in the morning but we will go get your sleeping/camping gear and a dry clothes bag and bring them to the finish line.
- Your camp/sleep gear and dry clothes bag must fit in a large duffel bag. We do not have room for cots, large mattress bags or large bins.
- Support and Drop Bags at Each Checkpoint
- You may provide up to four drop bags, including cooler items. We will provide tags so you can label each bag with your name and number and indicate which bag goes to which of the three checkpoints or finish. You’ll drop them off in the appropriate box Friday evening.
- We will also have a cooler for perishable nutrition. Please mark which check point and place in cooler. We will sort to smaller coolers that will be at each check point.
- Please use a small cinch, duffle or soft sided bag. No boxes or bins! Think squishy!
- Your bags will be dropped at a designated spot at the Gladwin, Marion and Big M checkpoints and a dry clothes bag will await you at the finish (along with your camping gear).
- At each checkpoint you will see a pop up tent with a banner. There will be a table with coolers of water and a container of Gatorade for your use. We will have your marked gear laid out on a trp. We will have a cooler with your nutrition.
- The service will include mechanical support at each checkpoint.
- Retrieve your gear/drop bag from our U-Haul in the Stearns Park parking lot after the race.
- Rescue/Sweeper Vehicle
- We will have three vehicles on course between checkpoints including a sweeper. We will be keeping track of your locations as you reach each checkpoint.
- A van and bike trailer will be near the back of the field for those that drop out and need a ride back to Ludington.
- If you need to drop out for any reason, you will be asked to contact Greg VanTol and Raymond Passchier with race staff (on your plate), but we also ask you to contact us so we can find you and pick you up.
- Keep in mind that, unlike your own rescue/support vehicle, you may have to wait quite a while to be picked up. In an emergency, call 911.
- The sweeper vehicle will collect bags left at each checkpoint and return them to the finish where your camping gear and a dry clothes bag will be.
- We will very likely get you your dry bag and camping gear to the finish before you finish. Your drop bags might arrive later in the evening so our recommendation is to not include any valuables in case you have to leave town before they arrive.
Experienced Team:
This same Dirtbag Race Support team handles shuttle and support for another one day ride across Michigan so you will be in good hands. Your contact is Linda Thompson-Poeder (email or 616-292-9664).
Cost & Payment:
$200 ($100 for shuttle only; $100 for drop bag/rescue service only). All profits go to nonprofit causes. This is in addition to your entry fee. Order it under Purchase Event Items when you sign up for the race. If you’ve already signed up, simply go back into BikeReg and order it separately. It will link it to your BikeReg race registration provided you use your same email address and name. All shuttle & support fees are 100% refundable if you alert us 60 days or more before the race date. Otherwise 50% refundable 8-59 days and non-refundable the week of the race. Dirtbag Race Support has to lock in bus sizes in advance so they need to know how many riders in advance.
Capacity:
The service has room for 55 riders as of now. The plan for that type of capacity includes a coach bus. If numbers don’t justify a bus, then number of riders is at Dirt Bag Race Support team’s discretion based on availability of vans, trailers, uhauls, etc., and we will do our best to accept last minute orders through the day before the race but it is not guaranteed. Signing up at least two weeks in advance gives us the best opportunity to supply shuttle and support for all who need it.
We hope this allows a lot of racers to race who otherwise would not be able to or takes pressure off a friend or family member, especially if they are not comfortable driving for that long, especially at night.