December 3, 2005 – If you’ve never heard of a small town by the name of Terrace it’s no suprise. A 16 hour drive north of Vancouver or a flight over endless mountain ranges will bring you to our small town in the Skeena Valley. It’s easy to think you’re stuck living in a hole when the Mountains of North Van are so far away or the thought of riding the chair lift at Whistler seems like it will never happen for you. With that said Mountain Biking is alive and thriving in the north like never before.

The Terrace Off Road Cycling Association has built a solid relationship with Ministry of Forests and the City of Terrace and it’s about to pay off! The City has pulled together their resources with Forestry and are prosposing a new technical x-country trail be built in town. HRDC is looking at helping fund the project which would create 5 new jobs this Summer, forestry has voluteered supplies and helicopter time, and the city is providing the land as well as funding for the project.

A board of local riders will help oversee the design and flow of the trail. An official from IMBA will be involved in a 2-1/2 day trail building workshop for the club sometime in March. These skills can then be applied to other trails in our area. The city has offered to go into a contract with Forestry and the club will go into a contract with the city to maintain the trail. The city is also proposing a name that trail contest in the schools which again exposes the sport and gets kids excited about riding. The Tourism Society is also currently being restructured and is looking at becoming more pro-active in promoting cycling opportunities in our community.

This kind of initiative is only the begining of more great things to come. I hope that if you’re in a small town miles from nowhere you can read this and become encouraged. You’re excitement for your sport is infectious and you may not even know it. Everytime we ride people are watching, and people want to be a part of something great. If your not sure how to get involved talk to your local bike shop to see if they need help with group rides, clinics, ect.

If you have a friend who is a teacher see if there is an opportunity to help teach kids about cycling in the classroom. When you open yourself up to meet new people and promote your sport the opportunities and places it can take you are limitless!