Manitoba and Saskatchewan get some IMBA Love

Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew helps improve racecourses in central Canada

Volunteers in Prince Albert strike a pose in front of the colourful IMBA Outback. In the following four hours the group built a beautiful piece of contour singletrack to avoid a previously mandatory section of dirt road. It will be a fun and sustainable addition to the racecourse.
As if fun singletrack wasn't enough, the group also built log rides for the locals to enjoy and practice on year-round. It's a great idea to design a racecourse that gets used often and is enjoyed by locals.
Randy Schenk, IMBA's volunteer representative in northern Manitoba sports some fine IMBA gear while working. The work started during the Trail Care Crew visit in Swan River led to a new 5km long singletrack trail that can be used in the racecourse.
Both weekends were celebrated by going for a ride on Sunday. There is lots of great riding to be found through the woods and over bridges in Swan River and Prince Albert.

Two small prairie towns are taking advantage of the growing IMBA presence in Canada and are working towards improving their local mountain bike racecourses. Swan River, Manitoba and Prince Albert, Saskatchewan invited IMBA's premier grassroots program, the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew, to visit for a weekend of trailbuilding and trail design education. Trail Care Crew leaders Nat and Rachael Lopes worked with local clubs, Tread the Thunder, and Rock 'N' Road, to assess their existing racecourse loops and offer ideas for enhancement. The Crew also taught a trailbuilding school in an effort to expand trailbuilding knowledge and leave participants with insight to tackle local trail issues. Despite some cold weather, and torrential downpours in Prince Albert, a lot was accomplished.

The goals were to improve the racecourses for long-term sustainability, race-day event success, and year-round enjoyment. Both towns have one race each year and are always looking to improve the course and their events' reputation. Despite the mellow terrain of their landscape, the clubs were seeking challenge, as well as fun.

Historically, the two courses had a reputation for being very technical and challenging. Unfortunately, this was due to trails that were on the fall line and are now deeply eroded. For the long-term longevity of the trails, and the image of the sport, it was important that these trail sections be improved. Re-routing these sections and replacing them with longer flowing climbs and descents was the most appropriate option. To keep the technical aspect of the trail, the group chose to incorporate challenge into the re-route by installing log rides.

Between the two weekends, more than 200 hours of volunteer work were logged. Participants got a chance to design and construct new singletrack, resulting in almost 2km of new trail to enjoy.