The Terrace Off Road Cycling Association (TORCA), has announced that construction for their ‘green loop’ has come to an end — but it’s not open to the public yet.
The trail will be closed until their grand opening in Spring 2019, as any riding or hiking on it will lead to significant damage. With the wet season coming up, the ground needs some time to set.
But there’s already been some peepers getting their shoes muddy.
“We didn’t really announce that it was open, but people knew that it was here,” says Aleksa Havelaar, Director of Trails of TORCA. “You can’t hide a new trail for very long.”
READ MORE: Trail tips for the muddy spring season
Havelaar says that although there are a lot of trail projects on the go, this one is special as it’s the first beginner-type trail. Many of the mountain bike trails around the area are rated difficult and there wasn’t a place for somebody to learn.
“This one will definitely open up a lot of people to the sport,” she says.
For Tyler Wilkes, President of TORCA, he says that mountain-biking has really changed over the years, which is great for the economies in smaller towns.
“Mountain biking went from being a sport where people like me and my buddies built trails by hand and it’s now mainstream,” says Wilkes. “Kids do it, families do it, and it’s big for tourism too.”
The excavation process took approximately seven weeks and cost $95,000, which was half-fronted by Recreation Sites and Trails B.C.
The Terrace Community Forest, Terrace Community Foundation and the Northern Development Initiative Trust also contributed financially. TORCA was able to fundraise $7,500.
READ MORE: Cariboo First Nation using mountain biking to engage youth
As for the name itself, the ‘green loop’ trail is still waiting on an official title. TORCA ran an online suggestion forum, asking the public to “Name That Trail!”
The winning name will be announced at their AGM on Nov.8.
When open, the ‘green loop’ will be accessible off the LaLa Valley trail, from the Spring Creek parking lot side.
And for anyone planning to sneak onto this newly-beaten path — there are serious consequences that TORCA will be implementing.
“I actually have shame stickers that I’m going to start using,” says Havelaar jokingly. “I shame everybody.”
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