River Valley Cycling

Supporting Cycling In and Around Fredericton

Finding a Balance on Trail Dogs

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Many of us love good trail dogs. Riding is a great way to exercise yourself and your pup and a cool way to spend time together. Most dog owners also understand their responsibilities.

Not everyone is comfortable with riding around trail dogs however, and we need to find a balance for all members. After a recent discussion among the RVC executive (half of whom own trail dogs), we’ve decided we need to clarify a club position.

RVC Trail Dog Policy

Well trained trail dogs are welcome on RVC’s trails with owners who are practicing good etiquette (in full control – respecting signage and local rules – leaving no trace). RVC will post notice when group rides and special events are dog-friendly to let owners and other riders know what to expect.

RVC executive – June 2024

The right way to interpret this statement is that if RVC hasn’t specifically indicated that an event is dog-friendly, pup should stay at home. We’ll try and offer a few social rides that are dog-friendly and when we do, all riders will know to expect pups on trail.

Thanks for your cooperation.

New Woolastook Trail Names

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We’re ready to release the names for the trails in the new section of Woolastook opened up last fall and this spring. We had a lot of fun with the name suggestions that came in from members through our survey, and from names that we’ve heard people throwing around on rides. We get that everyone’s bored of the “T-Whatever” temporary names… so here we go!

Fox Trot (820 m)

This was the first ground to be broken on our massive Woolastook project. Named as a nod to the ‘Fox’s Den’ campground that’s been such a great neighbor.

Missing Link (820 m)

This was the crux of the whole project. The area had been thoroughly scouted over the years looking for a way to break through the wet seeps and springs that seemed to pop out of the ground everywhere. Only after we engaged the real professionals at McElhanney who designed our master plan and walked the land did we see that it was possible to find high ground and open up the Woolastook back-country.

Twenty-one (1.1 km)

Well… because there are twenty-one switchbacks above mountain road to get to the top of the climb. Keep pedaling! While this is intended to be a climb trail we recognize some beginners may want to use this as the easiest way back down the hill after making it to the top.

Radical Ledge (680 m)

This unique trail features riding on exposed bedrock before it turns downhill with some significant berms and drops. Named to give a nod to one of the pillars of our local ridging community. One-way traffic.

Big Wooly (730 m)

A flow trail. This sends the rider down quick towards some big turns, rollers, and jumps (no mandatory air). Just as the trail takes a huge turn to the left near the bottom there is a connector that shoots you towards Mammoth… otherwise follow the line and head back for another climb of Twenty-one. Downhill only.

Mammoth (1.5 km)

A flow trail. A natural extension of Big Wooly with the same speed. Look for more berms and rollers and some optional jumps. Everything is big. This takes you all the way to the lake and a short climb return shoots you to the start of Missing Link for another lap. We think the ‘Wooly Mammoth‘ linkup will be one of the most popular segments in town. Downhill only.

Woolastook mountain biking trails

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!

Proud Members of: Velo New Brunswick

Canadian Cycling Association

International Mountain Biking Association