The many challenges of negotiating what nature throws at you, combined with the group effort of creating trails while adding in some man-made obstacles, is what prompted Paul Szego to become more involved in the local mountain biking scene.
Vast forests in York and Durham regions harboured great potential for trail riders, which led to the development of a club for mountain bikers nearly three decades ago.
That led to the incorporation of the Durham Mountain Biking Association (DMBA) in 2009, which currently boasts 1,200 members. While many members are from York Region, members come from across the Great Toronto Area and beyond to explore the area’s diverse terrain.
“Just being out in fresh air, in the forest, away from the cars, away from the crowds away from the deadlines… it’s such a rejuvenating, enjoyable activity,” says Szego, a member of the board of directors and DMBA’s York Region representative. “We’re really just trying to grow the community as much as we can and share that love and passion for such a fun sport.
“It’s challenging, physically, because it’s cardio. It’s also challenging mentally because you’re always 'avoid that tree, watch that root, watch that rock.' And like any sport, you’re trying to go faster, harder, smoother. You get that nice endorphin rush.”
In addition to the weekly trail-building gatherings, a sense of community has developed through group rides, and events like the annual take-a-kid-mountain-biking day, pancakes in the forest along with cleanup efforts partnering with the municipality.
There are several group rides in the different forests, including rides geared for beginners and others for women.
Mark Boucher, who currently serves as president, harkens to the group’s early days when the goal was to build trails in the woods on which to ride and maintain them. He figures there’s more than 100 kilometres of trails, with the system growing every year.
As they build single-track trails, club members look at the terrain choosing natural features they’d like to ride around or through and exploring where they might best add climbs, berms and all the twists and turns – maybe adding some banks, zig-zagging through the forest. And they all have names, like Burnt Toast, Big Butter and Logs Over Easy that appear on a master map mounted on the property.
Club members can often be seen riding trails in the Durham Forest, Dagmar further south, as well as the Uxbridge town loop and Walker Woods. There are also three main areas in York Region: Jefferson Forest, Ravenshoe or Brown Hill Tracts and Centennial in King City, which, with its twists and flow is attractive to young riders.
Szego says there are at least 50 km of trails in Jefferson Forest alone, which has more than 60 trails.
“We’re working on a section right now through Ravenshoe we’re thinking of calling The Apple Orchard because it just goes through a bunch of old apple trees, it’s probably an old farm and just zig-zagging through these old trees,” he says.
The group, they add, lives up to its tagline, “build, ride, respect,” with members often serving as “trail fairies” by picking up felled branches and unintended obstacles that can create a hazard for riders.
But much of the work involves building relationships with the landowners, which are conservation authorities and municipalities who approve all of the trail building before any of the work is done.
As good trail stewards, adds Boucher, communication with the landowners also involves passing along messages to group members. Club members are also involved in York Region’s forest advisory team.
“When we had the recent storm, the trees were down, we’ll help them to get the (group) … not to ride until the trees are removed,” said Boucher.
Much of the goal is safety. Given the inherent risks of the sport, club organizers said keeping the trails clear of additional hazards and respecting the environment is a focus.
While the club has a robust membership, there’s always room for more riders and trail builders.
“Tonight we meet at the parking lot at five o’clock, go build for a couple hours, back to the parking lot for chips and freezies and good socializing afterward. We’re always looking for more people that want to learn about it, want to get out, see the other side of mountain biking,” says Szego, suggesting water, bug spray and gloves could be handy, although not necessary, items to bring.
Anyone interested in joining the fun and maybe building some trails are encouraged to reach out to the Durham Mountain Biking Association. Those interested in checking out the club can join a group ride to check out the forests, the trails and meet other riders.
