The XC races are done, except for Provincials, and the enduro season is now kicking into high gear. With the more than excellent Morden Back 40 done there are 3 long distance events left on the calendar: the 24 hours of Falcon Ridge, “Where’s the Beach? In-Stead,” and the Alter 8 at Birch.

Since this is our site here is the info regarding the “Where’s the Beach? In-Stead”

Date: Sunday, August 1, 2010

Contact Info: Lindsay Gauld; Hal Loewen

Location: Stead, Manitoba

Ages: 15+ as of December 31, 2010

Distances: 33 km (1 lap), 66 km (2 laps), 100 km (3 laps)

Start times: 9:00 AM for the 3 lap, 10:00 AM for the 2 lap, 11:00 AM for the 1 lap

Costs: $40, includes food ticket and t-shirt

Other information: Cut off times for the 2 and 3 lap race will be enforced. Food tickets for spectators and family members can be purchased for $10 - no food will be available for sale at the race site without a pre-puchased food ticket

Here is a map of the proposed course:

On June 19th Olympia cycling clubs fearless leader and most devoted member, Hal Lowen, will be competing in one of Canada’s largest epic xc race, The Test Of Metal. http://testofmetal.com/ . The 67km race course in and around Squamish BC, (consisting of 40km of insane BC singletrack!) well know for black diamond descents and heart attack accents, definitely makes prairie folk dream. 1200m of climbing! This will be Hall’s second time racing the Test of Metal, first in 2008 where he finished 3h and 54m putting him in 33 of 100+ riders in his category and 230th of well over 600 men. Good luck Hal!

test of metal, mens elite start, 2009.

Looks like this is in the forecast for tomorrow. Another day and time for tomorrow’s ride.

Sunday I have two family events but may find time to make it out to Bur Oak in the afternoon - maybe around 3:00ish.

Last weekend saw team Olympia6Nutz (Marty, Dan, and ?) compete in Swampy Donkey 2009. The boys finished 5th overall, coming in at 17:58:56. Well done

This weekend is another cross race. This one is put on by the Training Coop and should be a blast.

So, this article appeared on CBC.ca website yesterday, and it was kind of shocking.

Mountain bikers in LaSalle, Ont., are angry after the town’s council voted Tuesday night to ban the sport in a popular woodlot.

Pathways at the LaSalle Woodlot, an 85-hectare area located in Brunet Park on Normandy Road, will be blocked immediately to prevent cyclists from using them.

The pathways will remain open to activities town officials call “passive in nature,” such as walking, bird watching, hiking and picnicking.

At issue is the woodlot’s status as an environmentally sensitive area, a designation given to expanses of Essex County that house a number of rare species and provide a diversity of habitat types.

The damage from mountain biking in the LaSalle Woodlot was “continuous,” according to Terry Fink, the town’s director of culture and recreation.

“The aggressiveness of the sport, and the overuse of that woodlot, is beginning to have some negative impacts on the wildlife,” he said.

Mountain bikers who turned up at Tuesday’s meeting vowed to protest.

“We’re going to organize ourselves as a cycling community,” said Dylan Lanspeary, a member of the Rocket Mountain Biking Club, a non-profit group based in southwestern Ontario. “This issue is not going to go away.”

“We have a lot more firepower behind us that we could bring forth,” club member Peter Goldhawk said.

The cyclists will have a tough time convincing Coun. Ray Renaud, who is also a member of the Essex Region Conservation Authority, to change his mind.

“What we should be doing with our woodlots is being responsible in managing them so they flourish, not let them deteriorate,” Renaud said.

Are we in any danger of this happening here? Maybe. The important things to remember when ever we use trails:

• Always know if you have permission to ride a trail - it is a privilege and not a right
• Be considerate and polite of all other using the trail, especially those who are on foot, it is like we are the automobiles and they are the cyclists when we are on the same path as they are
• Don’t build trails without permission
• When training be hyper-aware of other cyclists not training (thinking of Bur Oak here): scan the parking lot, does it look like there might be others using the trails; pass with caution and not at your training pace; be polite when you pass - everybody is a good will ambassador when they are on the trail