Hey! Where’d the trail go?

by

Despite our best efforts, trail conditions can change over time.  Changes can necessitate some maintenance actions like improving drainage, re-contouring the trail surface or removing fallen trees.  However, there are times when the best course of action might be to put the trail in a different place.  This was the situation for the southern end of Stickman Drive.

In the spring, the bottom end of Stickman descended into a seasonal pool of water and after about 10 meters, emerged out the other side.  This is fabulous habitat for spring peepers and salamanders, but less so for mountain bikes.

Pool on Stickman Drive
Seasonal pool on Stickman Drive

So the club scouted the area to determine if there was a drier, less sensitive route to connect to the ski trail at the end of Stickman.  A potential new alignment was flagged and mapped that avoided the areas prone to spring ponding.  A proposal was presented to the landowner for the realignment and permission was granted for the work.

Clearing of the new route happened in August.

New alignment of Stickman Drive.

After the new section was ride-able, the old alignment needed to be made unride-able.  Work happened over the weekend to naturalize the old trail.  Trees, ferns and logs appeared where there had been none before!

Step 1 – Dig hole in the trail.
A tree appears in the forest.
Step 2 – Fill hole with tree from surrounding forest.
Step 3 – Make it look like you were never there.

The old alignment has been reclaimed for the frogs and salamanders, and the new alignment will develop in to perfect mountain biking habitat.

Trail? What trail?

Gravel Season Closer Ride/Pub Night

by

It’s looking to be good weather, if a little cold, on Wednesday, Oct 2.  We’ll have our closing ride of the season which will end at Outspoken Brewing.

We will meet at 6:30pm at the disused school on Avery Rd and ride out to Red Rock then back, ending at the brewery.  Map: RideWithGPS.  If there is interest and there looks to be time, we can do a little teaser of one of a) north from Red Rock, b) Pebble Beach trail, or c) Red Rock to Goulais River ATV trail & logging road network.

There will be a C group option to ride as far as the windmills, which will include all the gravel but cut out some of the pavement and much of the climbing.

Bring lights and means to purchase celebratory beer.  We’re expecting a dry night and mild winds, but single-digit temperatures, so dress warm.

End of Season Gravel Ride Postponed

by

I know it’s not like me at all to postpone a ride due to weather, but I want to do the traditional end-of-season gravel ride (Red Rock and back ending at Outspoken) and feel like we’ll get more of a crowd out for it if we pick a day without lots of rain, so we won’t be holding it on Sep 25.

Stay tuned.  Our end of season celebration may not be on a Wednesday as we chase a good day in among the days of slowly worsening weather.  I’ll try to get the word out at least a couple days before the ride.

No gravel ride Sep 18

by

I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to host this Wednesday’s gravel ride as I have a whole bunch of bike wrenching to do before this weekend and no other time to do it.  Regular gravel rides will resume Sep 25 and I have a special treat for you all.  The roads we’ll ride that night, you won’t find on the map!

Kids Shredding Singletrack – Farm Team Edition

by

KSS is Expanding!  We’re creating a Farm Team to complement and grow the KSS group.

Have you got a trail rider looking for riding opportunities, but they are not quite old enough for Kids Shredding Singletrack?  Well we’re going to try something new this fall to meet that need.

KSS is expanding to provide trail riding opportunities for 7 to 10 year old’s.  (This is in addition to the 11-16 year old group that rides on Wednesdays.)  Farm Team riders will need to be comfortable riding the trails and able to ride at least 2 km on trails (e.g., 2 laps of the Kinsmen Adventure Trail).

  • When:Tuesday September 17 –  October 8th (4 weeks), 6:00-7:00pm
  • Where:Kinsmen Park/Hiawatha (behind the ice cream shop)

A typical session will include a brief discussion and demonstration of a skill or technique, then we will divide into groups to ride the trails.  We will stop at features where they can practice and develop their skills.  The focus will be on fun, but there will also be some learning going on!

Parents are welcome to ride along and, depending on the number of participants, might be asked to perform a “sweeper” role, trailing one of the groups and assisting the instructor/leader as needed.

To participate, your child will need to:

  • be a member of the Sault Cycling Club ($15 for youths, $70 for a family membership), register here: Join our Club
  • have access to a mountain bike in good repair
  • wear a helmet
  • be comfortable riding trails using a two-wheeled bicycle (no training wheels or balance bikes)
  • Kids will need to be fit and motivated enough to ride between 2 and 5 km of single track trail in an outing

The focus will be on introducing the kids to fun and safe mountain biking.

If you are interested in having your child participate, please complete the KSS Registration Form and the KSS Bike Check Form (yes we need both forms, even if you have participated in a previous SCC program).   Send these to Peter@SaultCyclingClub.ca by September 15, 2019.

If you have questions send me an email:  Peter@SaultCyclingClub.ca