How community resilience shaped B.C.’s – and likely Canada’s – best MTB community.
One year ago, in its December 2023 & January 2024 issue, Canadian Cycling Magazine published my story, In Cumberland, Biking is Life.
It was easily one of the most rewarding stories of my career. I moved to Cumberland, British Columbia, in 2021, just one year after discovering it’s mountain bike trails and community. The opportunity to interview the people that have invested in this community and report on its cycling culture was a privilege I won’t forget.
If you subscribe to Apple News+ or have access to the Libby App through your local library, you should be able to read the full story.
Cumberland Mountain Biking Images
I reached out to U21 Enduro legend Emmy Lan, Forbidden Bike Company Brand Specialist Stephane Pelletier, and local Martin Caruana to shoot images throughout Cumberland’s trail network. These are some of my favourites.
It was youthful stupidity. There was no scheme or plan. We were just doing what we loved. We would build bike trails and ride them.
Jeremy Grasby, UROC founding member and owner of The Riding Fool, the town’s bike-friendly accommodation option.
It’s impossible to replicate this anywhere else.
Chad Hendren, Gravity MTB Owner
I love that it’s not machine-built, so it’s still a bit rough and has a natural feel.
Emmy Lan, Forbidden Synthesis Team Rider.
Canadian Cycling Story Excerpt
The dust from the second consecutive summer drought was washed away by a September bomb cyclone that blew off the Pacific Ocean and dumped heavy rain across British Columbia’s Vancouver Island. For Dougal Browne, executive director of the United Riders of Cumberland, it was the green light he needed to add a new trail on the map.
Built throughout the summer, Mumbo Jumbo extends a classic Cumberland descent, Lost Wood to Blockhead, higher into the network. The trail crew had completed its work, but without rain, the freshly carved corners would never have had a chance to settle. “We’re really focused on building continuity between trails,” Browne said. “Despite the low grade, we wanted Mumbo Jumbo to be a black trail, so we added features to make the riding experience similar to the trails it feeds into.”
By October, trail conditions were stellar. Tacky dirt awaited a rider at every corner. The climbing trail, Sobo no Michi, was buzzing with a sense of urgency. It was mostly a local crowd, eager to complete the United Riders of Cumberland’s Gravity Nines challenge before the next autumn storm arrives.
Like so many Trailforks- or Strava-centric virtual events, the UROC members-only Gravity Nines challenge was formed to engage the community during strict COVID-19 protocols in 2020. Yet, it continues to grow in popularity. Participants had 21 days, beginning Oct. 1, to ride nine of Cumberland’s best gravity lines, such as Thirsty Beaver to Off Broadway or Blockhead to Cupcake. Completing the challenge earns a Trailforks badge and the chance to win a season’s ski pass at Mount Washington, a nearby resort.
The day’s crowd had loftier ambitions. They were after the coveted 9-in-1 badge, only awarded to riders who tackle all nine descents in a single day. Bragging rights and a set of RaceFace carbon wheels are on the line for anyone that completes the 34.5-km, 1,500-m ride.
At the end of the day, bikes lined the main street. They were piled up outside Riders Pizza, hung from walls outside the Cumberland Brewing Company’s patio and chained to bike racks on nearly every car parked on Dunsmuir Avenue. For such a small town, it’s fair to say Cumberland is bike-obsessed.
“Mountain biking is the economic driver,” said Jeremy Grasby, UROC founding member and owner of The Riding Fool, the town’s bike-friendly accommodation option. “I see it, 4VI (formerly Vancouver Island Tourism) sees it, and most of the main street sees it. As the trail network grows, so do the supporting businesses.”
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If you subscribe to Apple News+ or have access to the Libby App through your local library, you should be able to read the full story.
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