New Trails in Edmundston, NB

IMBA's Collins Bishop being interviewed by a local TV crew.
Some of the Edmundston Trailbuilding School attendees.
Velo Edmundston hosted a well-attended group ride for the weekend's festivities.
Velo Edmundston founder Luc Michaud powers away on a climb.

It's always exciting to see the first few trails of an entirely new trail system take shape. Where there was once nowhere to ride, new trail experiences emerge and new possibilities open up. When several residents of Edmundston, New Brunswick, came home after a few years living in Western Canada, they returned to incredibly beautiful forests, ancient mountains and endless fireroads. But they did not come home to much singletrack.

As a result, Velo Edmundston has dedicated itself to building and progressing its town's mountain bike culture, whether through building new singletrack trails, holding cycling events or showing their local residents how mountain biking can be an asset to the city. These guys (and girls) are thinking big and invited the Subaru-IMBA Trail Care Crew of Kelly and Collins Bishop to town for some guidance and instruction.

During the weekend, the Subaru-IMBA Trail Care Crew offered Velo Edmundston advice and resources for building both their club and the overall plan for their trails. Out in the woods, the Trail Care Crew instructed Velo Edmundston's builders on construction techniques and held a design workshop (AKA "Fun With Inclinometers"). As the weekend went on, though, it became clear that Edmundston's trails have had a good start during the last year.

During the summer of 2007, volunteers headed into the woods and began what is today a system of five cross-country trails and one downhill trail. These trails will eventually be a part of a trail system that will overlook the town of Edmundston and connect the city to one of the nearby ski hills. Edmundston's trail designers are well versed in IMBA trail design and construction techniques and the city's hills are now seeing their first contour-line singletracks, full of insloped turns and grade reversals.

Trails, of course, are only part of building a mountain bike culture. As the new trails have emerged, Velo Edmundston has held regularly scheduled group rides throughout 2008 and are planning new events for 2009 and beyond. In what is always one of the most exciting parts of a new trail system, suddenly there are new places to ride and the club is making sure that everyone has an opportunity to come play.

One of the club's goals is to create a trail system that will allow mountain biking to have a positive impact on the community. As a result, a progressive trail system is underway that will include all skill levels (from brand-new beginners to seasoned experts). Since most of the land for the trails is privately owned, they are working closely with landowners to ensure that trails are built properly and safely. They are building trailheads near local schools to engage kids in mountain biking and trail sports as an alternative to sedentary activities like video games. They are working with local businesses to show how mountain biking and adventure tourism can really be an asset for Edmundston.

It's obviously very early in the process, but the results look good so far. With over 10 km of trails built in the first year, the trail system is taking shape. Moreover, funding has been secured for 2009 and more trails are planned for next year.

IMBA would like to thank Velo Edmundston for all of the hard work they are investing in their city and to thank all of the local businesses and sponsors who made the weekend's Trailbuilding School a success.