River Valley Cycling

Supporting Cycling In and Around Fredericton

Moving the Odell park plan closer to action

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A little more than a year ago the city wrapped up the master plan for Odell Park. We let you know what we thought of it at the time. Now we’ve got an update.

Progress was slow during the pandemic but this summer the city and RVC have reengaged to talk about moving towards implementation. We’ve walked trails in the park with city staff, talking about both issues and opportunities. We met with them again in the park in July, and we now understand a little more about the future of the trails. RVC has been asked to propose an implementation plan that sticks true to the objectives of the master plan, reflects our discussions on the ground.

Here’s what we know:

  • Many of the existing trails will stay although there are issues to address through signage, improvements, or small re-routes.
  • There are opportunities for new connections – particularly where new builds would avoid sensitive areas and better link existing trails.
  • We can expect the city to close ‘Evil Streambed’. This one is of particular concern for Phyllis creek. That trail seems destined to be decommissioned and revegetated in the future.
  • RVC will be a partner in implementation, but work will need to be supervised by city staff.

Once we’ve put in RVC’s implementation proposal it will need to be approved by city staff (and possibly council).

This is a good outcome for the Odell park planning process that began way back in 2017 and had a few rocky stretches along the way. Riders could be in a very different position right now. We believe the city should demonstrate progress in 2021 by giving us the ok to put the existing trails back on Trailforks and allowing us to do some leaf-blowing this fall. We’ll include that in our proposal.

We’ll need help from RVC members. Rogue trail work won’t be helpful at this point. If you’ve got good ideas that you’d like to see in our trail proposal, or if you’d like to get involved when/if work starts happening – please get in touch with us! The balance in Odell is fragile. Remember to share the trails and use good rider etiquette.

Please let us know what you think… and join RVC!

New Pumptrack in Mactaquac Park

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At our AGM earlier this year we laid out our priorities for 2020 and mentioned that a new partnership with Mactaquac Provincial Park was something in the works. The staff at the park have been doing a lot to develop it as a riding area over the last 2 years – starting with a great winterbike grooming effort and fatbike rentals on-site. The goal now is year-round riding, so when they approached RVC about collaborating on a new pumptrack the answer was yes!

Over the last month RVC volunteer and exec. member Chris F designed and lead the construction of what is now the first proper pumptrack in the Fredericton region. Check this out!

Master builder and volunteer Chris F. with his latest creation in the background!

Set up with a compacted base and flowing curves, this thing should be a blast for riders of all ages and skill levels.

While the site still has some finishing touches yet to come, it is open for riding now (try closing a new pumptrack next to a playground and campground full of kids).

Construction in progress

Never ridden a pumptrack before? Check this out:

Where is it? Here:

Trailforks.com

Where is this collaboration with Mactaquac Provincial Park going in the future – good places! We’ve got some more trails on the go in the area that we’ll talk about soon. With plenty of camping, good food, and good trails in the area between Mactaquac and Woolastook, the headpond is ripe to become a great riding destination.

Join RVC in 2021

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It’s time to support your local trails. Join RVC!

As of today we are opening our registration for the 2021 season and launching our membership drive. To celebrate this, RVC is releasing a video that introduces the club, describes our mission, and features our riders. (Huge thanks to Joel at East Lens Media for such a great product)

We are hoping for our largest ridership yet as the summer of 2021 is going to be the season that we stay close to home – rediscover what we have in our own back yard – and support local!

As always, we’re making it affordable to join RVC with an individual membership costing only $30. Check out our membership structure to find out ways you can scale your support and/or add the whole family at a discount.

Where does your membership money go? Answer – into shaping beautiful trails and creating opportunities for riders to access them.

So what are you waiting for? Join RVC

2021 Annual General Meeting Highlights

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On March 2, 2021 RVC held its first ever virtual AGM using the MS Teams platform. The club exec was set up at the Signature Sound studio allowing us to have great sound and light, the ability to physically distance, and the appearance of being a pro-outfit! So before we get to the news – huge thanks to Max Guerette for securing this donation and for providing tech support. Also thanks to NB Power… because this whole thing was a minute away from being cancelled before their crews restored the juice to the studio on a stormy night.

The Signature Sound studio.

No on to business:

  • Membership in 2020 was stable despite the pandemic. RVC grew steadily over the last decade and has 550 current members. We also note that many of you supported the club by upgrading to ‘bronze’ and ‘gold’ status in 2020.
  • Money in 2020 was lean but RVC is financially stable. Not being able to host large races and other events had its challenges but RVC benefitted from 2 sizeable grants: $6,600 from the NB Trail Infrastructure Fund and $5,000 from Velo NB.
  • Winterbike in 2021 continues with 150 members as of the meeting. The Tour de Beer (Bubble Edition) was a success bringing nearly $1,000 to the club. We now groom 2 trail systems through the winterbike program: MVP and Woolastook and this would not be possible without the heroic volunteer efforts of our grooming team! Thank you guys!
  • 2020 had its successes and challenges. While we saw a variety of great new trails built and improvements made at Penniac, MVP, and Woolastook; we also had significant closures occur at the request of landowners. It is a good reminder that a ridership of our size requires organization for success and ongoing land access.
  • 2021 Priorities:
    • Woolastook – build several km of new trail east of the existing network through our agreement with the Province.
    • Mactaquac – build several km of new trail in partnership with the Provincial Park management.
    • Islandview – work with the MCFT to reroute small sections of 2 existing trails in order to avoid private lands.
    • Odell & Killarney Lake – approach the City of Fredericton with a willingness to begin implementing park master plans.
    • Grant Harvey Bike Park – host a trail day to improve and revitalize the RVC perimeter trail and make better use of the space for kids.
    • Penniac – establish a landowner outreach approach to build relationships along the ridge. Host big opening of 2 new trails!
    • Brookside – grow the north-side trail network by working with a willing landowner who’s contacted RVC.
       
  • Elections – your new 2021 executive is:
    • President – Chris Norfolk
    • Past-president – Nick Russon
    • Vice-president – Mike Hutchinson
    • Treasurer – Ian Groen
    • Secretary – Norm Siebrasse
    • Risk Manager – Chris Furlotte
    • Trail Manager – Bev Bunker
    • Sponsorship Manager – Melissa Bordage
    • Director-at-large – Adam Hadley

Meeting presentation available here.

Full meeting minutes available here.

Winterbike Plans 2021 – Woolastook

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More good news from RVC Winterbike. The snow is starting to fall and Woolastook is going to the focus of some serious grooming effort this winter. Get your membership now eh!

With almost 11 km of trail in the grooming plan for 2021 in a stacked-loop configuration there will be a lot of options for stitching together routes that will lead all the way up to the scenic lookout above Mountain Road. Beyond this guaranteed network there’s talk of some more distance being added in the park and beyond the lookout if snow conditions cooperate and everything comes together. We’ll see.

Woolastook mountain biking trails

Mike Hutchinson and Dave McFarlane have really put the sweat equity into getting Woolastook in shape for Winterbike and they plan to put in the grooming hours in the freezing cold so huge thanks to them!

There’s more good news coming with RVC Winterbike for 2021. Stay connected for more plans and announcements. Join RVC Winterbike and get pumped for smooth snowy flow.

Proud Members of: Velo New Brunswick

Canadian Cycling Association

International Mountain Biking Association