River Valley Cycling

Supporting Cycling In and Around Fredericton

Getting Ready to Ride Series

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Hey riders!

After a really popular spring and early summer we are going to reboot the ‘Getting Ready to Ride Series’ group ride. If you just bought a mountain bike and want an intro to riding single track around Fredericton this is the weekly ride for you!

Every Sunday morning for 4 weeks beginning July 24th the group will tour a new trailhead. The focus is getting comfortable on your mountain bike; then progressively introduce climbs, descents, rocks and roots over single track trail networks. 

Here’s what you need to join the ride:

  • A mountain bike (knobby tires) that’s in good working shape
  • Your RVC Membership. Join here!
  • A good attitude, a bottle of water, and a spare tube

Here’s what a few riders who just went through the program had to say about it:

Jo Sto: “This group has helped me climb higher, go farther, descent faster and go on adventures I never dreamt possible.“
Noortje Kunnen: “I always thought mountain biking would not be something I would enjoy. When RVC announced a beginner group, my husband convinced me to give it a try. Under the leadership, encouragement and patience of Heather and Michel, I have come to love the sport. They gradually introduced us to various trails, building our confidence and skills and making new friends along the way!“

Carole Ouellette Volpe: “Joining the RVC Getting Ready to Ride group challenged me and helped me get comfortable with Mountain biking. Each week, we explored beautiful new trails and learned new skills. This group is welcoming, dynamic and encouraging!“
Debbie McCluskey: “This beginner group has been such a great way to get into the MTB scene. I am in absolute awe of the Trails we have available to us.. definitely something for EVERYONE with a cherry on top! After riding with this group, pushing ourselves a bit with each ride, I feel very proud to add another way of describing myself… I AM A MOUNTAINBIKER !“

Join the conversation and get the details for this ride series each week by following RVC on Facebook.

The “Fast Five” Skills Sessions

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In case you haven’t noticed RVC is back in a big way for 2022 with lots of programs. Heather’s weekly Sunday morning Beginner Ride Series has been a success and we just opened 6 weeks of Wednesday Evening Social Rides with a huge turnout of 25 riders on the first rip.

You’re hungry for more. We hear ya!

With so many new riders and with so much to offer on RVC’s trail network we’re putting on a monthly skills development clinic each month from now until October. Each session, hosted by the talented Chris Furlotte, will focus on a new technique that is key to taking your ride further.

With lots of experience riding, racing, and coaching – Chris F. has a lot of knowledge to share.
FocusRider Goals
June – Why, When and How of Ratcheting
We will cover what ratcheting is and when it is used. Riders will learn the proper body and ride position in situations that ratcheting is needed.		Apply proper body and ride position in situations on trail where ratcheting is needed
July – Choosing your Ride Line
Learn to read the trail. Riders will be shown how to read singletrack to choose lines and where to look. Riders will be shown how to look ahead at the trail and prepare to adjust riding position as required.		Be able to read singletrack trails to choose ride line and plan for adjusting body position as required
Aug – Braking and Cornering
Learn when and when not to brake. Riders will learn proper techniques to effective braking. Riders will start work on cornering techniques and how braking is connected to it.		Know when to brake and when not to.  Apply proper techniques for effective braking and cornering.
Sept – Navigating Descents
Now that riders have the proper ride position, are reading the trail, know how to brake and how to corner, we will tackle descending! Chris spent most of his biking career trying to descend as fast as possible and will share techniques so you feel more comfortable tackling steep descents.		Ride steep descents with confidence
Oct – “Feature” Attraction
Now that the base skills are in place, riders will work toward more technical natural trail features like rock gardens, chutes and roll overs/ roll downs.		Apply proper technique and body position over more technical trail features.
Learn to ride corners with the best of em’

Each session is free for RVC members. Non-members pay $30 through e-transfer to  treasurer@rivervalleycycling.com (see what we did there… wink wink). Stay connected to River Valley Cycling on Facebook to find out the location of each session and be part of the conversation. Each evening session will begin at 7:00 and run for 90 minutes.

We begin in June on the evening of the 23rd at Odell Park with our session on ratcheting. Meet up at the main Rookwood Ave parking lot.

Gain the confidence to let go of those brakes and Pin It!


Odell Park Progress

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With the permission of the City, Odell Park is now back on RVC’s website and Trailforks. This is the result of a lot of productive conversation between RVC and city staff over the past 2 years. It marks a turning point that is consistent with the Odell Master Plan, which included mountain biking in the site’s future, through well maintained and sustainable trails.

There’s a lot of work to do. City staff have asked RVC to come forward with trail maintenance and improvement priorities for 2022 – and we’re putting together a plan now. We’ll be proposing a few projects that will improve rideability and correct issues with the existing trail network. We’ve heard from many riders already but if you have a project idea please get in touch with RVC.

Odell Park mountain biking trails

Not all trail are sanctioned, so you’ll notice that the maps don’t include any of the legacy trails that run into sensitive environments. The old Evil Streambed and Bumblebee trails that cross Phyllis Brook numerous times will likely be decommissioned and revegetated in the future – so RVC is asking members to please avoid those. As well, the Creekbed trail that continues downhill from Red Arrow and collects a lot of water may be the subject of a future city project and is not included in the sanctioned trail plan.

While the heatmap shows may trails that will remain it also has some very foggy zones that show where braiding has taken place.

Odell can be wet in the spring. Please ride responsibly and avoid braiding trails or expanding wet holes – those will just become issues for volunteers to address. It’s a beautiful place and RVC is extremely happy to be in a position to say that riders are welcome to use the park. Remember to yield to hikers and remember to support RVC by joining us.

RVC’s 2022 Priorities

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Stop – if you read nothing else: RVC Membership registration for 2022 is now open! Join RVC!

We had a great annual general meeting this week. It felt good to have some face-to-face engagement about riding and trails and Grimross Brewing Co. taproom is always welcoming!

We know that not everyone felt ready to pile into a bar and get shoulder-to-shoulder. For those of you who couldn’t be there we put together a summary of what to expect from the club this year.

Priority #1: Singletrack Trails. Obviously.

  • Woolastook – so that money we came into from the Canada Community-Building Fund… we’re making big plans with it. We’ve hired McElhanney trail consultants’ master trail builder (and local legend) Matt Hadley to produce a master plan for the park that will guide our project. We’re envisioning 15km of stacked loop trails that improve rideability, wayfinding, flow, and reduce motorized vehicle conflict in the front country. In the backcountry we envision a climber and flow descent from the lookout with a few advanced side options. There will be trail for all riding levels in this plan. We aim to start building this year.
  • MVP – this year the parking lot will see some water management work so that Winterbike 2023 hopefully has to contend with less of a glacier. We also plan to give some love to Slash n’ Berm in the Flight Deck area.
  • Odell – over the past 12 months RVC has collaborated with the City of Fredericton in mapping out how the Odell Park Master Plan will be implemented. We have some projects lined up for this year and we’re working out the details with city staff on how they can happen. We aim to have mountain biking completely authorized with RVC viewed as a partner in sustainable trail management.

Priority #2 – Skills Development

  • Beginner rides – we’ll host a spring “Getting Ready” ride series that leaves nobody behind. Join us to build some lung capacity for the climbs and learn how to handle a mountain bike. If you’ve just found this sport and want to make some connections this ride is for you! We’ll post helpful tips on our blog and social accounts over the spring.
  • Technical Ride ‘n Learn – as the trails dry out and our progressive descent trails open up we’ll host a ride n’ learn series for solid intermediate riders who want to get comfortable with the type of Technical Trail Features that are throughout trails like Monkey Business.

Events

  • New Penniac Race – we’re supporting a few riders who have an interesting idea about a friendly race format that will combine running and riding on July 10th. Mark your calendar.
  • Woolastook 4 – we’ll be back on Aug. 28th with our annual Woolatook 4 hour endurance race. Expect some new twists in the course this year.

Elections

The annual election occurred and our slate of executives were acclaimed for the 2022 year. RVC welcomes Heather Ongo to the team!

  • President – Chris Norfolk
  • Vice-President – Mike Hutchinson
  • Treasurer – Ian Groen
  • Secretary – Norm Siebrasse
  • Trails Director – Bev Bunker
  • Sponsorships Director – Melissa Bordage
  • Director of Risk Management – Chris Furlotte
  • Director at Large – Adam Hadley
  • Skills Development Director – Heather Ongo

Now – if you like what we have in mind for the year we need your support!

2022 RVC Annual General Meeting

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Riders, our AGM is coming up. This is your chance to learn about what is going on for 2022 and to provide your input. We want to hear from you. Find out more about our events and trial plans. The meeting starts at 7:00 at the Grimross taproom and will run 60-90 minutes. It’s a great chance to share a drink with your fellow riders. The election of the 2022 club executive will happen at this meeting.

Proud Members of: Velo New Brunswick

Canadian Cycling Association

International Mountain Biking Association