Announcements

Trails Fest 2019!, June 7th-9th

This year for Trails Fest we are planning a 3 day festival dedicated to trails…all kinds of trails. We will start the weekend with an urban trail event, starting and ending at Outspoken Brewery. On Saturday we will have an epic backcountry adventure called the Great Batchawana Adventure Ride – pick 20, 40 or 70km worth of adventure. Sunday is our classic trail party at Kinsmen Park, with a few twists thrown in this year, including the grand opening of a new kid’s balance bike trail.

Friday June 7th – Urban Trail Adventure

Pick the 23km Hub Trail ride (paved, multi-use pathway circumnavigating the city) or the Fort Creek ride (urban mountain biking).

Both rides will depart from Outspoken Brewing (350 Queen St. East) at 7pm.  Following the rides enjoy a post-ride beverage (cash bar) and snacks (included) on the deck at Outspoken.

For more details, and to register for these rides click the links below. There is a small fee that covers post-ride snacks and supports the local trail development activities in Sault Ste. Marie. ($10 for club members, $15 for non-members)

You can keep an eye on and discuss these rides on Facebook too, Click Here!

Saturday June 8th – Great Batchawana Adventure

The Great Batchawana Adventure Ride will introduce you to the Batchawana backcountry. There will be three distances – 70km, 40km, 20km – pick the distance to suit your energy level. All three rides are challenging and will take you from the shore of Lake Superior deep into the Batchawana River country.  The ride begins with coffee and fritters at the Voyageur Lodge at (time) to start your day and there will be a few surprises along the way. Food will be available to purchase at the end of the ride at the Voyageur Lodge.

If you’re thinking about Crank the Shield, this will be your best opportunity to ride the terrain of Day 1.  Your guides will include locals who rode last year’s race.

For more details and to register for these rides click the links below. There is a fee that will cover the breakfast,other goodies, and help support local trail development activities in Sault Ste. Marie. ($30 for club members, $45 for non-members)

You can keep an eye on and discuss these rides on Facebook too, Click Here!

Sunday June 9th – Trails Fest

Come to Kinsmen Park between (opening time) and (closing time) to try some demo bikes from 3 of our local bike shops: Algoma Bicycle Company, Duke of Windsor Sports, and Vélorution Bike and Ski. In addition to bikes from their own stock, they have gotten in factory fleets from top brands Cannondale, Giant, Norco, Salsa, Scott and Specialized! Demos are free but will require you to bring ID and sign a waiver.

Participate in guided trail rides with experienced trail riders and certified mountain biking coaches to get to know what our amazing trails have to offer. Participation in these rides is free, but you will be required to sign a waiver. We also encourage you to consider becoming a club member to provide ongoing support to events like this. Click here to learn more about our club and to join.

Enjoy some tasty BBQ, local craft beer from Outspoken Brewing, and other local goodies like St Joseph’s Island Coffee from Café Natüra, All for very reasonable prices (bring cash).

Have your children test their skills on the Sprockids kids’ obstacle course, where young riders can learn some new tricks in a safe and fun environment.

Check out the grand opening of the new balance bike trail for very young riders to enjoy the park no matter what they’re riding. It’s a fun, flowy trail that the whole family can enjoy safely.

Check out booths and activities from dozens of other community partners

  • Algoma Bicycle Company
  • Duke of Windsor Sports
  • Vélorution Bike & Ski
  • City of Sault Ste. Marie
  • Algoma Public Health
  • Outspoken Brewing
  • Café Natüra
  • Voyageur Trail Association/Saulteaux Club
  • Feeding Your Soul
  • Canadian Armed Forces
  • Sault Ste. Marie Region Conservation Authority
  • Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Club
  • Hub Trail Festival
  • Canadian Mental Health Association
  • Fit Bodies Fit Minds
  • Catalyst Fitness
  • Food Bank Farm
  • Country Way Health Food Store
  • Sault College Natural Environment and Outdoor Studies
  • Algoma Highlands Conservancy

Looking forward to seeing you there! You can RSVP to this event on Facebook too! Click Here!

Road Season is Back!

At this point we weren’t sure if we were going to get a road season or not, but Mother Nature finally sobered up.

Our first ride will be this Wednesday, May 8th at 7P.M. We will meet at McMeeken Arena and will have the same format as last year: an A-B group, riding as one or two groups depending on numbers, and a C group, a more social ride for beginners.

The A-B ride (viewed here: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/29906412 ) will be a 43.7km out and back to the end of Sunnyside Road. The A-B rides will be a social pace due to the conditions of the roads in the area; there will be no official sprints.

The C ride (viewed here: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/29906431 ) will be a 22.8km loop with an option to add more sections depending on our legs.

Trail Maintenance Day – Saturday May 11, 2019

Bike loaded up for trail maintenance activities

The snow is still in the woods, but we’re already planning and looking forward to another fabulous riding season, with lots of exciting developments. To prepare the trails for the season we will be having a spring trail maintenance day on May 11th. 

Saturday May 11, 2019 from 9 until “the energy runs out, or the work is done!”.

No previous trail work experience is required to attend and you don’t even have to be a member of the Sault Cycling Club (but we encourage joining for all of the benefits you receive!).  We welcome all help!

Come out and learn the basics of trail maintenance and play a part in getting our trails ready for another season.

I’m looking for volunteers to help orchestrate this event.  Specifically, I’m looking for:

  1. 2-6 crew leaders to lead crews on the day of the event (each group will be provided with maps/directions for specific maintenance tasks)
  2. people with backpack leaf blowers
  3. 1 person willing to coordinate refreshments on the day of the event

Mark May 11 on your calendars and come on out for a fun spring day in the woods, on your favorite trails!

If you can’t make the 11th but are willing to help out, we can match you up with maintenance tasks that can be done on your own schedule. Contact Peter to arrange.

For more information shoot me an email at Peter@SaultCyclingClub.ca

First Gravel Ride of 2019 – Monday Apr 29

I will be hosting two gravel rides each month through this season. These will be no-drop social rides because they can tend to get pretty exploratory sometimes.

For each ride, I’ll publish a rough outline of where we’re headed, but we may well decide “hey, that looks interesting over there!” so bring your sense of adventure. Also, bring lights. You never know how long we’ll be out!

A gravel or cyclocross bike is advised, but we’re an inviting crowd. If you can keep up on a mountain bike or have the handling skills to tackle our planned route on a road bike, then come on out and have fun with us!

Be sure to purchase your membership before the ride. I will not be accepting cash or cheques at the start location this year since we can now purchase memberships online as well as in any of the bike shops.

This week, we’ll start at 6:45pm at the R.M. Moore school at the corner of Base Line and Carpin Beach Rd where we’ll head up to explore Creek Rd (and hopefully make it as far as the beaver pond) before turning around and doing the same on Prince Lake Rd. If time allows, I’d love to check out Marshall Dr as well.

Sprockids Registration is OPEN

It’s TIME. Registration is open and space is limited so please make sure you’ve read the program details to understand the requirements and program dates, and if registration fills up you can join the wait list and still hope to get in.

Register now at https://zone4.ca/register.asp?id=20737&lan=1&cartlevel=1

See our previous post to learn more about the Sprockids Program https://saultcyclingclub.ca/2019/04/11/sprockids-registration-opens-april-14th/