River Valley Cycling

Supporting Cycling In and Around Fredericton

Refresh of the MVP Enduro Zone Complete!

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Riders,

At the end of 2 weeks of work, the Enduro zone at MVP is ready for business ahead of the long weekend. Go send!

  • #BlazingDestruction and Pinball have been completely redone. Every inch fixed and buffed. Pinball had major drainage issues addressed.
  • A new connector called #COD (for “Cover of Darkness”) is open which splits from #BlazingDestruction and takes the rider to DNF.
  • Over 20 volunteers contributed 325 hours of work over 10 days! Thank you!
  • Dig-In Trail Building and Design were once again great to work with! Highly recommended to other clubs. Next for them is to head over to Woolastook to address a warranty issue on their trail from last year. Quality!
Max G’s ride-through of the new tuned-up #Blazing Destruction!
Jon N’s partial ride-through of Pinball
#COD

Please ride responsibly. These trail have changed. Even if you consider yourself a strong rider you should inspect all features before attempting to send them!

Again, this project would not have been possible with the support of some incredible and generous local businesses. Thank you to Remosft, Corey Insurance Services, Fredericton Family Chiropractic, and Chamberlain Wealth.

Enjoy… and don’t forget to support all of this fantastic trail work by joining RVC!

MVP Enduro Trails Update

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Riders, we’ve got great news… and an important safety heads-up. Read on.

First the good news. This week has seen huge improvements made to #BlazingDestruction. The volunteer turnout to work alongside Dig-In Trail Building and Design has been exactly what this trail needed. Huge thank you to everyone who’s been coming out to rake and shape. There is easily more than 100 hours of volunteer work into this project already and it will continue on next week on other trails. Also huge thanks again to the local businesses that have sponsored this work: Remsoft, Fredericton Family Chiropractic, Corey Insurance, and Chamberlain Wealth.

#BlazingDestruction

We will start to open up certain enduro trails this weekend. Follow our social for updates and pay attention to trails taped closed.

Now the safety news.

Later on this summer the landowner who’s given us generous access to the Flight Deck area will be having some of his timber harvested. The area is generally behind the enduro zone trails and we don’t expect any of our singletrack to be impacted. However, for about 6-8 weeks we could see some heavy traffic on the road that goes through the middle of this area. “Fern Gulley Road” has already been brushed out and it will start to be upgraded in advance of the harvesting and trucking that will occur later on. This is obviously a safety concern for us because riders are not accustomed to any traffic at the bottom of trails like V-Fib, Monkey Business, Slash, and Blazing.

Fern G. Rd.

We are already in touch with the forestry company that will be conducting the operation and we have a good channel of communication. We’ll be developing a safety plan that we’ll share as operations commence. We don’t expect a trail closure… but visibility and caution around intersections will be part of it. Working with landowners to preserve your riding access is part of what RVC does… often unseen.

Be safe. Have fun. Join RVC

Big Refresh of MVP’s Enduro Trails

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Riders, next week we are starting a project at MVP and welcoming Dig-In Trail Building and Design back to Fredericton! Dig-In will be working alongside RVC volunteers between May 7th and May 17th to improve drainage, resurface, reshape, beautify, and even build a bit of new trail. We worked with Dig-In at on our Woolastook project and we know they do really nice work!

This area serves as a training ground and introduction to machine build bike park style trails to many riders. The goal is to keep the trails sustainable and fresh. Blazing Destruction, Monkey Business, Pinball Slash n Berm, and Vfib will all see some work (including the flyover bridge). There will some new lines cut so hang on for updates! The team hopes to tackle the drop park as well!

Until this refresh is complete the Flight Deck area will remain closed. We will open trails as soon as we can and we ask that riders stay off any trails marked as closed.

This investment wouldn’t be possible without the generosity of several local businesses. We want to send a huge thank you to Chamberlain Wealth, Corey Insurance, Fredericton Family Chiropractic, and especially to Remsoft! The donation of these companies, as well as the sweat of RVC trail builders, is what is going to make this re-fresh possible. What a community! If you are interested in helping out too just get in touch with us and we’ll connect you with the build team!

Thanks to our project sponsors!

Skills Development Sessions this Month

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We’re psyched to be offering two skills development sessions starting in mid-May. These are back by overwhelming demand and we’re moving them early on in the season so you have lots of time to put your new skills to work. Our coaches have designed a program that has opportunities for all levels of riders. Read on below and get registered quick in the sessions that suit you. There’s no better value being offered anywhere so this will fill up faster than Nino Schurter on an e-bike.

MTB Fundamentals for Beginners

If you are already comfortable navigating various terrain on your mountain bike and are
looking for skills training to become more proficient on technical terrain, this program is
for you! This four-part series will focus on body position, line choice, braking (and when not
to), cornering and building confidence with descents and natural obstacles.

  • Session 1: Wed., May 15
  • Session 2: Mon., May 20
  • Session 3: Mon., May 27
  • Session 4: Wed., June 5

Required Gear List

  • Mountain bike in good working order – (bikes deemed unsafe won’t be able to participate)
  • Well-fitting helmet
  • Knee and elbow pads are optional (but recommended)
  • Bring snacks and water!

All sessions will be held at MVP and will run from 6:30 – 8:00 pm. Registration is only $50 and is only open to 2024 RVC members… so join! There are only 16 spaces available! Must be 16 years old and over. To register, contact RVC’s volunteer Director of Skills Development – heatherongo@gmail.com.

Read on below to meet our coaching team!

Spring Into Enduro

RVC is pumped for Enduro again this year and to get us started we are offering a three-part skills series to get you ready for the 2024 Enduro season. If you are already riding blue-rated (intermediate) descent trails comfortably and are looking to add confidence and progress your speed on descents, this program is for you! Each week we will work on skills to build rider confidence to tackle steeper/rougher terrain, carrying more speed over trail obstacles, navigating line choices and braking control.

  • Session 1: Tues., May 21
  • Session 2: Tues., May 28
  • Session 3: Tues., June 4

Required Gear List

  • Mountain or Enduro bike in good working order – (bikes deemed unsafe won’t be able to participate)
  • Well-fitting helmet
  • Knee and elbow pads are highly recommended
  • Bring snacks and water!

All sessions will be held at MVP and will run from 6:30 – 8:30 pm. Registration is only $50 and is only open to 2024 RVC members… so join! There are only 12 spaces available! Must be 16 years old and over. To register, contact RVC’s volunteer Director of Skills Development – heatherongo@gmail.com.

Chris and Jason will be coaching ‘Spring into Enduro’. Read their bios below.

RVC’s Coaching Team

Chris Furlotte has been mountain biking for over 25 years. He began racing downhill at age 17 and has competed in Canada Cup and Atlantic Cup races. Chris loves to pass on his knowledge and help riders push through their own personal limits. He’s been a driving force over the development of the MVP enduro zone.

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Jason Fitzpatrick is a certified, PMBIA instructor. He has a passion for coaching, teaching, and helping riders push their skills to the next level, all while having fun and feeling safe! Jason understands the importance of building fundamental skills and progressing at a safe and steady pace. Jason rides and builds enduro and jump trails around the local networks.

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Max Guerette started mountain biking at 11 years old.  He raced XC but gravitated towards jumps/drops, then freeride, and now trail riding. “I love exploring different lines on a trail. A feature alone might be very cool; however, a series of sections that make up a trail segment is what is amazing to me.  To share that with others and watch how they see/ride different lines is what makes this sport interesting and fun”. 

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Rachel Garland is a registered nurse and cycling enthusiast. She is a roadie turned mountain biker and has been riding single track since 2016. Rachel loves to race XC Olympic and marathon distances. She has NCCP community coach certification. She has coached Sprockids as well as women’s specific intro-to-mountain-bike courses.

Trails Opening for 2024

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Hey riders!

We’ve benefitted from an early spring and we’re happy to say that RVC’s hand-built singletrack is now ready to go! It’s still early in the season so you are going to encounter some wet spots, some debris from the winter, and the occasional downed tree. Ride responsibly, and if you are obviously creating a rut it’s time to carry your bike and turn around!

If you’re able to help, every little bit counts. That can be as simple as pulling over to drag a log off into the woods or if you are up for a little more commitment we can loan out our leaf blowers (which are strong enough to blast most sticks and winter debris off). Even just letting us know where the issues are is helpful.

Any machine-built flow trails within our network are still closed as they are not yet firm enough to ride and we haven’t completed our annual inspections yet. This includes “Learning To Fly” in Penniac, the “Flight Deck” trails in MVP, and the new yet-to-be-named Kodiak climber and descent trails in Woolastook. Please continue to stay off of these trails until we announce they’re open.

Remember, RVC is a volunteer propelled club and your membership is important. Joining RVC contributes to trail maintenance, and necessary costs like our liability insurance that keeps our access open. Join RVC for 2024 if you haven’t already… and enjoy your next ride!

Proud Members of: Velo New Brunswick

Canadian Cycling Association

International Mountain Biking Association