School was in for local mountain bikers on Saturday.
The subject: trail building 101.
A group of mountain bikers went to class at the City of Red Deer’s civic yards administration building on Saturday morning to learn how to build trails that will last. In the afternoon, they got an opportunity to put their lessons to the test.
About a dozen volunteers grabbed their shovels, hoes and pickaxes to carve out a new section of trail just north of the city’s mountain bike park, which is located on the slope near 79th Street and 47th Avenue.
The instruction and trail build was a joint project between the City of Red Deer, Central Alberta Bicycle Club and the International Mountain Bike Association.
Association spokesperson Rachael Raven said the organization travels to communities across Canada to share its expertise and help others build sustainable trails.
“Our mission is to create, preserve and enhance great trail opportunities for mountain bikers,” said Raven, who was one of two members of the association in Red Deer to demonstrate trail-building techniques.
The goal is to build trails that are sustainable, she said. “A big part of that is having a low impact on the environment.
“We want to build it once and build it properly, and, hopefully, it’s there for a very long time.”
Local bicycle club member Keren Leckie said the morning instruction was useful and showed that the club had been on the right track with its own trail-building efforts.
They got some new information though that will help the club, which wants to step up its trail building in coming years. Among the tips was guidance on how to keep water from accumulating on trails so they aren’t eroded and how best to build trails that will last.
“We want to build a trail and ride it,” said Leckie. “We don’t want to spend a whole summer working. We want to have fun too.”
Club representative Rod Rysavy said while mountain bikers are keen users of the trails, they are open to all including joggers, walkers and any who enjoy strolling or taking in the outdoors.
Rysavy said the club wants to see more trails built around the city. The best way to do that is to showcase what can be done at the mountain bike park, which the city has officially sanctioned as a place for trail riding.
“We really tried to make this into a model area so we can have more trails as the city expands,” he said.
“It’s a sustainable trail, but it’s not just sustainable for mountain bikers, it’s sustainable for all users.”
The club has about 70 members but is always looking for more people interested in joining or volunteers to help build trails. Donations of lumber, dirt or the use of heavy equipment are also welcomed. For information go to http://centralalbertabicycle.blogspot.ca
pcowley@www.reddeeradvocate.com