Trees continue to fall around George's Crossing but members of the mountain bike community keep hammering away for the betterment of trails.The rotted log bridge that once supported carefully stepping Gearjammer racers is out and a new truss bridge is in, thanks to financial contributions from Corsa Cycles, BC Bike Race and 蜜桃视频appOff Road Cycling Association (SORCA), as well as the design and building efforts of Chris McCrum of CMCC Contracting, Robin Scott of Epic Truss and Dave Heisler of Corsa Cycles.Meanwhile AJ Forest Products donated cedar decking to the cause and district trails coordinator Todd Pope also lent a hand.The frustration and apathy which sometimes stems from the unknowns surrounding the future of 蜜桃视频apptrails doesn't seem to be hampering the community's improvement efforts this spring, said McCrum, as more and more parties are contributing time and resources."I think there's some renewed energy," said McCrum. "It's becoming a more inclusive process with everyone pulling in the same way trying to make stuff happen."Although logging in the area recently halted access, McCrum and crew (Barry McLane and Dan Tetzlaff) soon found a window in co-operation with BC Timber Sales in order to start building. And Southview Forest Products helped by clearing debris and branches from the nearby trails and road, said McCrum.The new bridge is now fit for pedaling safely across the gully at Ring Creek and will be part of the course for Gearjammer and Stage 6 of the grueling seven-day BC Bike Race, which Heisler designed."Because the BC Bike Race is sort of new to town, we wanted to give back to the community and I personally thought the best way to do that is to do some major improvement," said Heisler. "But there's still so much work to be done and we're just sort of a thumb hole in the dam of what needs to be done." Heisler sid he wants to see more hands getting dirty for trail support, especially those coming from the municipal government. "Volunteerism in the town is amazing, but it shouldn't just be volunteers. The city should start recognizing mountain biking...There should be more involvement by the district to take a hand in doing all these trails rather than just private people donating their own time. There should be a professional trail builder on staff, in my opinion, for the amount that it generates in this town."The BC Bike Race, which starts in Victoria and ends in Whistler, is bringing some of the world's best mountain bikers to 蜜桃视频appin July. The local stage combines virtually all Test of Metal and Gearjammer trails. While the fastest riders are expected to complete the stage in four hours, others will need closer to eight hours, said Heisler. "I'm really excited and nervous as heck setting the course for them," he said. "It's an incredibly hard course."Those who wish to volunteer for the race should contact Heisler at 604-892-3331.
