This week I have managed to get out on the bike a good bit and what I have noticed is how much access and support Canadian Mountain Bikers have to the trails and surroundings. Coming from a Country that outcast Mountain Bikers for over a decade and banned them from forestery land which ‘we all owned’. Eventually Coillte threw us a bone and built us a few trails and then said ‘There you go, stay on them and stop riding the rest of Ireland’. Lack of maintenance on these trails led to bikers taking building back into their own hands and continuing to build illegal trails again. Well after living in Vancouver for the last six months and hearing all the stories about the North Shore and it development and seeing where they are today I would hope in my heart that the same future is there for my native Ireland.
Firstly working hand in hand with the local authorities to gain access to the Mountains and building trails that complement the land and its surroundings. Then making trails that are sustainable(unlike the trails that have been built back home) and clubs and businesses adopting them and maintaining them all year round. This is a practice that could be adopted back in Ireland by clubs and shops. Imagine Epic Mtb looking after Djouce trails and MAD Mtb looking after 3Rock. Or shops donating time or spot prizes to people who helped on trail maintenace days. Ive seen it all done over here to great reward.
It really only takes one day to clean and build up the erosion done on a trail. Thats one day not riding your bike over the 52 weekends in a year. The key here is taking control of your future and building/maintaining the trails that bring you so much fun and happiness.
This week I have been very lucky to ride on the fruits of this labour here in Vancouver. Less than 30mins ride from my place has me on singletrack in Mount Seymour. As you hit the trails you ride onto a multi use trail called Old Buck in which hikers, bikers and horse riders all share the trail. It climbs the Mountain and bring you to the higher bike specific trails such as ‘Team Pangor’, ‘Pingu’ and ‘Express’. All of which have been adopted by local clubs and shops and who maintain them on a regular basis especially coming back into the Spring season.
The network of amazing trails brings people from all over the World every year to ride in North Vancouver. The local bike shops have a great trade all season long and the local businesses (restaurants, shops, hotels) feel the benefits of this influx. Ask any serious Mountain Biker if they know about ‘The North Shore’ or Whistler, Squamish or any BC location and they will say ‘yes’….. Why? Because it is World famous for its trails. Imagine Ireland could be that place. We have the scenery and the forests. We may not have the elevation of Whistler but the lower North Shore is no bigger that Djouce or 3Rock (but it sure is steeper). Tourists always talk of how green and beautiful Ireland is, imagine the added revenue it would bring if there was a network of maintained trails all over Wicklow or Killarney?
My week gets better though. The following day I hit my local Mountain called Fromme. This is the birthplace of ‘North Shore’ riding. Its the first place any beginner will cut their teeth on the trails the shore has to offer. The first trail most ride will be ‘Bobsled’ as its the easiest the mounatin has to offer. The climb to the top of the trails isnt too long and its a pefectly groomed trail with rollers and banked berms. It has a few small wood features that get people used to riding the cedar.
Picture from Morgan Taylor/NSMB.COM
Each trail on the mountain is graded just like in a Ski Resort so you can progress as you get better. On this particular day my Wife Louise was with me. She is only biking about a year in Ireland and about 6 weeks in Canada, She has progressed more here in that 6 weeks than the year back in Ireland just from riding these trails. So much so that we moved up the mountain from the Blue beginner runs to some Black Diamond runs and she stormed down them on her new ‘ladies fit’ All Mountain Bike. So with better trails and challenges I feel that the Irish Bike Scene could create better riders that could progress onto World Cup Level and get Ireland onto the International MTB circuit.
To further add to this story I managed to take a trip up to my favourite riding spot on the Sea to Sky Corridor in Squamish, BC. This place is a different beast. It doesnt have the steep sheer drops in elevation like Fromme but has some of the best flowing trails Ive ridden. The spot we rode has a huge network of trails with all level of riders catered for. Once again the local Authorities and bikers got together and built designated trails. One of those is a trail called ‘Half Nelson’ in which the Local Government spent $60,000 to build it.
Its basically a 2.5km downhill ‘Pump Track’ that has you dizzy by the end with all the jumping and pumping you are doing all the way down. It attracts so many riders each year that it has paid for itself 10 fold. When the Squamish Authorities put a trail counter on it in 2010 it had over 12,103 riders down it in a 196 day peroid (average of 61 a day).
With great trails and great sights Squamish has become a huge attraction for visitors. Here is a quote from a directive presented by the local Authorities in Squamish in 2006:
Good quality trails and trail networks attract high profile events that bring visitors and participants. Local
examples of this include the Test of Metal (TOM), STORMY, Loop the Lakes Trail Run, the Squamish Dirt Bike
Association Cat Scratch Fever, Hare Scrambles and Family Fun Poker Runs.
The trail systems of the North Shore, Squamish and Whistler, are estimated to have collectively generated
$10.3 million in spending from mountain bike riders who live outside of the host community over the
period of June 4 through September 17, 2006. Mountain biking resulted in a total expenditure of nearly
$1.7 million to local businesses in Squamish** of which one third arose as result of hosting the Test of Metal
Race. These expenditures resulted in an estimated total of $582,000 in wages and salaries being supported
in the community through mountain biking. A total of $1.3 million was spent in Squamish by non-TOM out
of town riders over the survey period, resulting in new economic activity (GDP) of just over $1.0 million in
the province as a whole, supporting $424,000 in wages and salaries in Squamish.
Test of Metal Race brings in a third of income to region (bike related). Does this sound familiar to a race held in Ballinastoe each year? (RIP EPIC Blast). Not the massive figures or additional income but the idea of a race bringing additional money to a region. This is a quite simple idea that can bring an income into a Country like Ireland that needs it in these bad times. Get the Celtic Tiger back on his bike and hit the hills. We all know the growth of bike sales in Ireland in the last 5 years. We know the numbers attending the races. Especially this weekend with the introduction of the Gravity Enduro Series.
Right now I feel like I am standing at the far end of the rainbow and Ireland is at the other end wondering what awaits them in the future for their beloved sport of Mountain Biking. Let me tell you there sure is a ‘pot of gold’ if you all band together and support each other for the greater good. Eventually the Governing bodies will see the light and realise there is money to be made for all. The lure of fresh crispy Euro’s will have to come from somewhere after they ruin the rest of our country. Who knows the bike could save Ireland and kickstart its future in Tourism and better living.
The introduction of G-Ride in Wicklow and the new DH Farm in the Midlands is the start of it. When Coillte see there is an income they will come running. I hope when that does happen the right people are there to steer the ship into the right port. Best of Luck to the Irish MTB Scene, this weekend showed that you guys want more with over 300 racing in Biking.ie’s Gravity Enduro. If it doesnt pan out in the next few years I always have room on my floor for you all here in Vancouver. Viva La Revolution!
Im gonna give it another try soon when it beds in and make my final decision. If you are a pro you could probably link the whole thing up with doubles and gap jumping. But im not that good yet…hahaha. I think the problem might be that there are some better trails in Squamish very near to this so you might be spoiled a bit. Ill bring the GoPro next time and get a full run in so you can see.
