PedalTrout

The beginning of the NSMTBTA as captured by Sue Earle's laptop

Twenty passionate people gathered in Truro on December 5th to discuss the state of mountain bike trails in Nova Scotia. The public forum led by Garnet McLaughlin of the Cobequid Eco-Trails Society and Sherry Huybers started as an information and idea session and ended with the committment to organize a non-profit association with the mandate of advocating for mountain bike trails across the province.

Along with providing useful information on everything from land access to funding to cooperating with other user groups, Garnet made a very poignant observation - that mountain bikers in this province have lost out time and time again when trail use is discussed between builders and governments. The problem is that we've never had an organization to represent us, therefore we're frequently overlooked.

The Nova Scotia Mountain Bike Trails Association (NSMTBTA)will be the answer to that problem. As soon as the association is registered we will hold our first AGM to elect directors, establish a plan of attack and begin our work of securing land and developing trails that mountain bikers in Nova Scotia will be able to ride for decades to come.

If the positive energy present at yesterday's meeting was any indication, great things are about to happen. Want to get involved or be kept up to date? Send an email to NSMTBTA@gmail.com and we'll add you to our mailing list. Things are looking up for mountain bikers in Nova Scotia.

What can I say that you don't already know about this guy? Tom IS mountain 
biking in Nova Scotia! Former proprietor of "The Bike People" bike shop in 
Halifax, ex-cross-country racer, ride promoter, master trail builder, crazy 
bike handler, friend to every cyclist in the province no matter what shop they 
are loyal to, fun-loving Irishman and all-around great guy! Tom can barely be
squeezed into one month, he's the rider of the decade!

I have had the pleasure of riding with Tom on a regular basis for the 
last three years, and I know we'll be riding buddies for the rest of our 
lives. He lives and breathes biking! He is an active member of Bicycles 
Plus Cycling Club and not only runs their weekly mountain bike rides, he 
also puts on their points series race, A-GORE-Aphobia in Gore every year 
and does a heck of a job!

Only getting his driver's license when he turned 40 to be better able to 
drive his new daughter around, he has lived on his bike for most of his 
life. He is connected with every generation of cyclist in the province, 
from senior racers and enthusiasts to children of all ages. He is a 
certified commissaie and routinely volunteers his time to officiate at 
local cross-country and downhill races. He has been a card-carrying 
member of IMBA for many years and is an experienced trail builder. One 
of the few 'Master" trail elves we have here! He is also the mastermind 
behind the Shubie Park Ice Races held every year on Lake Charles, 
getting cyclists of all ages out and riding even when the weather is 
miserable!

Tom loves nothing more that to bring his faithful dog, Fergus, out to 
Spider Lake any evening of the week and hammer the young bucks into the 
ground for hours. We call him "Mad Skillz" Kavanagh for his abillity to 
stay upright and pedaling through the gnarliest terrain! You can always 
count on him to join you for a post-ride "beverage" usually in the Irish 
Ale variety, and keep the conversation bright and filled with 
bike-related ideas!

I could go on and on and still never come close to covering all that Tom 
has done for the sport in Nova Scotia. Someday he'll receive a lifetime 
acheivement award for his contributions, but for now, I'd like him to be 
the December "Rider-of-the-Month" on PedalTrout.

Thanks for the submission, Geoff, we'll be sending Tom some Propeller Beer
and if you're lucky he just might share it with you!
Know somebody who you think should be Rider of the Month? Drop us a line
and tell us why. Include a photo if you can! 

Richard Holloway, aka “Blind Guy Biking”, left Victoria BC in early June 2009 to cycle to St. John’s, Newfoundland in 3 months. What makes this trip unique is that Richard is legally blind. What make this trip important is that he plans to raise $250,000 for disadvantaged athletes in Canada. What makes this trip different is that Richard will ride as the ‘stoker’ on a tandem tricycle. What makes this trip fun is that he will provide the opportunity for others to ride as ‘captain’ for parts of the trip.

The “Pedal for Medals” Tour will drive to Victoria at the end of May, where Richard will dip his toe in the water before getting on the Greenspeed tandem tricycle which will transport him for more than 8000 km to St John’s in time for Labour Day. He expects to ride for approximately 500-600 hours with the help of two co-captains, Aaron Matthews and Len Ashby, and several volunteer captains along the route. They will be averaging about 7-8 hours per day of riding for more than 75 days with a few rest days on weekends.

Many of the rest days will be used to attend fund-raising events along the route. Richard’s goal for this trip is to raise a quarter million in funding for physically and intellectually challenged athletes to be dispersed to a number of organizations with whom he is involved, in particular Special Olympics.

Richard and his crew will ride from Halifax and arrive in Pictou County on Monday, August 24^th at approximately 4:00 p.m..  On Tuesday August 25^th , Summer Street Industries will host a “Pedal for Medals” breakfast from 7:30 until 9:30 a.m.  A hearty pancake and sausage breakfast will be available at a cost of $5.00.  Proceeds from this pancake breakfast will support Special Olympics. The public is invited to come and meet Richard for breakfast on Tuesday morning.  More adventurous souls can bring their bicycles and join Richard at 9:30 as he begins his ride to Antigonish and beyond.  Craig Aucoin, a visually impaired Pictou County native, along with several Special Olympian athletes will be joining Richard for his ride on Tuesday.

The “Pedal for Medals” breakfast has been supported and sponsored by:  the Pictou County Progress Club, Pictou County Special Olympics, Pictou County Bikeways, ECFM, PRDC, Summer Street Industries, Holiday Inn Express, Glen Haven Manor, Scotsburn Dairy, TRA and Sobeys.

Richard is no stranger to fund-raising. Starting in high-school before he lost his sight, he learned that he had a gift for “the ask”. In recent years, he has raised thousands of dollars for: CNIB, United Way, Achilles Track Club, Organ Donor Program, YMCA Strong Kids, Leader Dogs for the Blind, Team Diabetes, Special Olympics and McKellor Conservation.

Richard is a motivational speaker for the Peel Board of Education, where he speaks to primary students about developing the ability to achieve whatever they can imagine.  He has also given talks to a variety of not-for-profit organizations, touching over 50,000 people. He is currently the President of the Brampton chapter of the Progress Club and the President of the Peel Chapter of the Achilles Track Club. He has been a YMCA volunteer for over ten years and has been a Big Brother for many years.

Mr. Holloway is also an accomplished athlete, having completed 17 full marathons in places like Boston (3 times), Oahu in Hawaii, New York (5 times), and Dublin, Ireland.

He has frequently been heard saying: “YOU DON’T NEED TO HAVE SIGHT TO HAVE VISION”. Blind Guy’s new vision is to bike from sea-to-shining-sea and to share the vision with special athletes all across the country.

 For more information about Blind Guy Biking – Richard Holloway,

or the “Pedal for Medals” Tour, please contact:

Anna Holloway,   Pedal for Medals,   P: 905-874-0544, C: 647-668-7554  

E: blindguybiking.holloway@gmail.com      http://www.blindguybiking.com/

 

For more information about the Pedal for Medals breakfast, please contact Paula Irving at PRDC at 752-6159 x225.

It's been almost 4 days now. 4 days since those little bastards attacked me at Gore. Finally, the swelling is beginning to subside, although the pain still runs rampant through my ankle, bouncing from nerve ending to nerve ending like a school girl on a sugar high.

The hornet stung my ankle within the first 15 minutes of my 8 hour solo race. It was a good 60 minutes or so before I stopped swearing and inventing profanities, first out loud and then to myself. I've been stung many times before by bees, wasps and hornets. Gorenets are different, though, and this one was the king of the jerks. I've done a little research into Gorenet stings since Sunday, and I'd like to share my findings in the hope of offering help to anyone who may have shared my fate on Sunday, and anyone who may fall victim in the future.

Finding#1.  Gorenets are a super-species of hornet that arrived in Nova Scotia inside a crate of seedless watermelons. Were you one of the unfortunate souls who happened to bite into one of those fruits and think, "Hey, I thought these were seedless!", well... let's just say those weren't seeds you were finding. Welcome to Canada, Gorenets.

Finding#2.  Gorenets prefer hot dry climates and usually feed on young blueberries and old cow dung. Therefore, you will likely only find them on farms where both are present at the same time. They choose to nest on trails because, unlike most hornets, Gorenets can only fly for short bursts at a time. Nesting on trails allows the insects to walk from the nest to their cow dung supper and back again when nobody's looking.

Finding#3.  Gorenets are the Jackie Chans of the insect world. They will buzz around their victims in seemingly ridiculous and gravity-defying manoevres before delivering a sting that has the wallop of 1000 nunchucks.

Finding#4.  Killing a Gorenet is a bad idea. When injured or killed, Gorenets release a pheremone that signals all the other Gorenets into vengeful rage. Multiple Gorenet stings can be fatal!

Finding#5.  Gorenet injuries do not heal quickly. If you've been stung by a Gorenet expect swelling and pain for up to 5 days. The afflicted area may even turn black and blue. Those with allergies to regular hornet stings should definitely not mess with the Gorenet unless Epipens aplenty are at hand.

Finding#6.  If you keep riding your bike for 8 hours steady after receiving a Gorenet sting it will very successfully take your mind off the pain of your wound. Once the pain from riding has subsided, however, you may want to indulge in copious amounts of Advil until the Gorenet sting finally takes a hike.

You are now equipped to handle an encounter with a Gorenet. Should you find yourself under attack, don't play dead and don't climb a tree. Pedal like hell and pray the Gorenets aren't drafting . If you do get stung, drop me an email... I have some new curse words to help ease your pain.

Karen DeWolfe of Sussex, New Brunswick made the jump to racing in the Elite category only 2 years after starting to take competition seriously. Although her initial motivation to train for Elite competition was her husband’s racing career, Karen now holds her own as the 5th ranked Elite woman in Canada. As a member of the Cannondale Mountain Bike Team she’s showing the world what east coast women are made of.

Traveling to race across Canada, Switzerland and the United States may be every mountain bike racer’s dream, but Karen admits that it’s not always easy. “Finances are always a challenge,” says Karen, “It is hard to find a job that gives you enough flexibility to travel to all the races, but it is hard to travel without money.  It has been very interesting trying to balance work, training, racing and traveling the past few years.”

Although Karen spends a good deal of time traveling to compete, she is also a welcome face on the local race scene.

“There is really solid competition in both Canada and the U.S. at the national level.  The races tend to be a little longer (than local races) and the pace is really fast. Local races are always a great chance to try out new strategies and test out new ideas in racing with less worries about results.  It's a really important part of my race season.

The courses as I travel to new places can also be very different to what I am used to from Atlantic Canada and the east coast.  Western courses can vary from pretty extreme British Columbia trails to fast hard-packed trails at altitude (always a challange for sea level dwellers).  Racing nationally is a great way of opening up my idea of what mountain biking is and learning to ride my bike in different terrain.

Karen’s off-season training includes a twist that helps keep her on top of her game. While many competitive mountain bikers use cross country skiing, running and weightlifting for a winter fitness boost, Karen has added gymnastics to her training regime. “I found it kept me in really good shape and also allowed me to work on my spatial awareness which can really cross over to the mountain bike.”

Karen may hold bragging rights as one of Canada’s top offroad riders, but her attitude is nothing short of modest. Highly approachable and overtly friendly she is a fine role model for those wishing to follow in her footsteps. That shouldn’t surprise anyone though, it’s the stereotypical mountain biker attitude. As Karen puts it, “The people are great no matter what level you race at in mountain biking.” and she is no exception!