Darth Days – Merritt
Jul 21st
Friday afternoon before a weekend road trip. The heat of the summer has melted time into a slow supple lump. It drags its way across the clock, the weight of it the only thing keeping the seconds hand moving. It s malleable form no longer able to move on its own it relies on its flaccid weight to pull the seconds hand across the face of itself. I am stuck in the tar pit of Friday afternoon, unable to think of anything but the sweet smell of sun baked pine needles and the soft sounds under my tires of the duffy trails of Iron Mountain.
4:02 and I am in warp speed, time is catching me up! Bike home, throw the bikes, cooler and gear into the truck and we are happily bumping down the Coquihalla. We gather another team mate in Hope, at a rest stop and chat up the weekend over pie. Sod the calories, I’ll put them in reserve for tomorrow.
The hotel is the best of all things a hotel should be: cheap. The furniture could have been gran-mammies , but the showers were hot Tommy guns of cleaning power . The free breakfast and waterslide topped off the deal .
Saturday morning at 9am we met the crew and scuttled to the top.
The mosquitoes were glad to see us and soon we were lost in a black cloud. Only one cure for that and that is movement!
The trails were cool and dry, the conditions perfect. Loam, rocky technical and tight corners between tree tried to keep us off our bikes. The almost succeded too!
The truly beautiful thing about Merrit is the changes you will see in the trails as you meander through them. At the top its dry, sweet smelling dirt trail with small sub alpine trees, knurled and dried taught barley a handle bars width apart.
The ancient crevasses, the waterways are moist soft areas, fertile and blooming, with air you could cleanse your soul with. Grass grows waist deep here, only a tire wide trail of tamped greenery to show you the way. By this time you have stopped for a rest and realize that you have been on the trail for an hour. The good news is you aren’t even halfway down and it keeps getting better from here!
The Godey Creek trail is a field trip through every ecology available in BC. If you can stop having so much fun on your bike and take a look around you’ll see things like this:
Mosquito photo bombers. Only available in Merritt.
A few minutes into the first run I crashed. I don’t know what stopped me so fast but it sent me sailing over the bars onto my chest. Thankfully I had a great crew to come pick me up and dust me off. One of them even found my glasses for me.
Glasses. Now borked. I thanked the trails gods for armour and we all got back on our bikes. Later on one of the guys saw blood.
It must have bled for all of 5 seconds. I was hoping the mosquitoes would see it as a donation but they continued taking their dues the old fashioned way.
The next day we did another quickie of 98 and Goodey Creek. There would be no more pie but we chewed up a big slice of good times and headed back home.
Women of Mountain Biking Survey
Jul 20th
Sacred Rides Mountain Bike Adventures has launched a Women of Mountain Biking Survey to gain a deeper understanding of why women mountain bike, and to specifically understand:
-Are more women mountain biking, and why are some women still reluctant to mountain bike?
-What are the unique needs of women riders, and should the mountain biking community/industry be doing more to facilitate and encourage women to ride?
The results of the survey will be shared publicly to help guide the growth of the sport and industry. The more women that participate, the stronger the potential of the survey. All women mountain bikers are invited and to participate, and share the link to this important survey.
The survey will be open until Friday, August 20, 2010, and the results will be made public and available to media on Friday, August 27, 2010
Take our Women of Mountain Biking survey
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Sacred Rides MTB is a different kind of mountain bike tour company. Of course we care about clocking miles of trails, pushing ourselves beyond boundaries, and toasting a hard fought ride with our fellow Riders–but just as much, Sacred Rides cares about sharing the benefits of our cherished sport with new Riders. Check out our Women’s Rides and Skills Camps
The Windy City Adds First Ever Dedicated Bike Park
Jul 14th
Sitting atop land that had been undeveloped for many years, a wooded area once thought of as a hotbed of gang activity and other illegal activities, The Garden is a community project built by Chicagoland BMX/Mountain Bikers, and the Chicago Park District. Grand opening 7-31, details inside.
As one of the few wooded areas close to downtown without specific zoning, local riders had attempted to use the land for recreational use with little to no success for nearly a decade. In the fall of 2008, the Chicago Park District had announced plans to plow the land which prompted action by a group of individuals interested in putting the land to good use.
Led by Tim Hovey, Daniel Peter, and Jeremy Kawka, a group of local riders began to attend Park District meetings and crafted a proposal for the land. Delighted with their proposal, the Park District allowed initial construction of the bike park under careful watch during the summer of 2009. With shovels, wheelbarrows, piles of dirt (graciously donated by Lake Street Landscaping Supply), a chainsaw or two, and hard work, the riders not only built their bike trails, they also built fence-lined pedestrian walkways for nearby residents. On top of that, they worked alongside the Park District to clean the area of broken glass and assorted trash.
As the area began to take shape, the seriousness of these riders, backed by CAMBr West, convinced the Park District to accept The Garden proposal and in the Spring of 2010, this land has been sanctioned as Chicago’s first-ever bike park!
The Garden Crew and CAMBr West are throwing an event named “Settin’ Down Roots: The Garden Dirt Jam” – a celebration of everybody’s, from-the-ground-up, hard work and the park’s recent legal status.
The event, starting at noon on July 31st, will include a race, a huge raffle, local vendors, music, the best riders in Chicago (possible appearance of a pro or two), and other events for the entire family. All proceeds will go to CAMBr’s continued efforts to bring safe, fun riding opportunities to the Chicagoland community. Go to gardendirtjam.cambr.org to sign up and get more info.
Check it out here: thegardenjumps.com
