Latest News
First Ride of the Season Reminder!
May 4, 2008 - Meet outside Skates & Blades by 6:10 pm this Tuesday, May 6, for our first official ride of the season! It will likely only be a short, stretch your legs kind of ride. We won't ride if it's raining or super windy, so keep your fingers crossed!
See you Tuesday!
Minutes from the March Meeting
April 7, 2008 - Four members showed up at Tim Hortons to discuss our activities for the coming season. Highlights of the meeting include:
- continuing our Tuesday night casual rides to attract new riders
- starting our first Tuesday ride of the year on May 6
- riding more often in International Falls to attract U.S. riders
- focusing on the Raid on Reef Point as our large event of the year.
Read the minutes of the meeting. The next club meeting is TBA.
March Meeting Date
March 6, 2008 - Our first meeting of 2008 is scheduled for Tuesday, March 25, at 7 pm at Tim Hortons. The meeting should only be an hour. Come out and show your support!
Let it Snow!
November 29, 2007 - With the first official snowfall of the season and temps approaching 0 F, it's time to close shop until spring. Watch what you eat, stay active, and we'll see you in May!
Run for Recovery Report
October 28, 2007 - It was chilly and breezy, but 25 hikers and runners turned out for the first Run for Recovery. Lorn Ricard won the 7 km trail run by just 16 seconds -- over a girl 42 years younger than him. Way to go Lorn!
No one got lost or hurt, and aside from some wet feet, a good time was had by all. Make sure you check out the Run Results for times, and browse through our Photo Gallery to see how much fun everyone had.
PAIN and the Borderland Bicycle Club want to thank the following sponsors for their support: Riverside Community Counselling Services, Substance Abuse Prevention, Pharmasave, Skates & Blades, The Great Bear, Rainy River Valley Safety Coalition, Northwestern Health Unit Harm Reduction Program, Road ID, Fort Frances Times, West End Weekly, Atikokan Progress, Rainy River Record and B93. And let's not forget, Jeff for organizing this event. Way to go, Jeff!
See you next year!
Run for Recovery Reminder
October 23, 2007 - Just a friendly reminder to get out your trail running shoes for this Sunday's Run for Recovery in support of the Parents Against Illicit Narcotics (PAIN) support group.
Download the forms on our Run for Recovery page or drop by Skates & Blades or Riverside Community Counselling Services to pick one up.
See you on Sunday at the Great Bear!
River Road Ramble Reminder
September 28, 2007 - The River Road Ramble is still a go for this Sunday, although you might want to keep a close eye on the weather. So long as it's not actually raining, we'll still be riding.
See our River Road Ramble page for complete details and check the Weather Network before you head out.
See you Sunday!
Easy Wheeler Ride Update
September 18, 2007 - It was a grey and gloomy night, but Jason, Jeff and Wendy came out for a fairly fast out-and-back on Highway 602 Tuesday evening. A tricky wind and scattered mist made things interesting, but Mother Nature held off and everyone made it home (mostly) dry.
The next Easy Wheeler Ride is next Tuesday, September 25.
Announcing the Run for Recovery
September 16, 2007 - In partnership with Parents Against Illicit Narcotics, the BBC is proud to co-host the Run for Recovery trail running event at Reef Point on October 28, 2007.
Check out our Run for Recovery page for complete details. Come out for a run and support PAIN in its fight against youth drug abuse.
River Road Ramble in Two Weeks!
September 15, 2007 - The season's second River Road Ramble is Sunday, September 30. Meet at the public landing below the water tower on McIrvine Road at 12:30 for registration.
We have new distances for this event. If 25-50 km seems like too much, choose 10, 15 or 20 km options. All riders leave at 1 pm Snacks and refreshments available after.
See our River Road Ramble page for complete details. Come out for a bike ride!
Minutes from the August Meeting
September 3, 2007 - Five members showed up at Tim Hortons to discuss our summer and fall activities. Highlights of the meeting include:
- discussing possible fundraisers
- looking into designing club jerseys
- agreeing to continue regular weekly rides to attract new members.
Results from Manitoba Provincial MTB Championships
August 27, 2007 - Local stud Jeff made the big trip west to the Birch Ski Area for the Manitoba MTB Provincials over the weekend and came home with a fabulous 6th place in the Master 40+ Sport race.
"It's definitely the premiere place to ride in Manitoba," says Jeff. "The course designed by Kevin Miller was a challenging 9 km mix of some leg burning climbs, switch backing descents down the valley and some ultra fast single track through the beautiful praire landscape that Birch has to offer."
Jeff's better half, Wendy, was busy snapping photos while hubby-to-be was pounding the pedals around the course. Check out complete results and more photos on the MCA website.
Way to go, Jeff!
August Meeting Date
August 21, 2007 - The August meeting is scheduled for next Wednesday, August 29, at 7 pm at Tim Hortons. The meeting should only be an hour. Come out and show your support!
Results from Powder Monkey Race in Duluth
August 20, 2007 - Hardman Jeff made the trip down I-53 to Duluth on Sunday for the Powder Monkey XC race at Spirit Mountain.
Quoth Jeff: "The course consisted of a leg burning switchbacking climb off the start into some tight technical rock-covered single track that had us make our way down and then back up the side of Spirit Mountain.
Check out these images of Jeff in action: Image 1 / Image 2.
"There was some great views of the big lake from the trail but with the cool day the pace was too fast to enjoy it for very long. The finish was a fast run past the main chalet and then quickly around a tight corner to a short leg burning climb to the finish line."
Jeff finished 11th in his class and a very respectable 50th of 90 overall. Next up for Jeff is the Manitoba MTB Provincials this weekend at the Birch Ski Area. Good luck!
Raid on Reef Point Report
July 15, 2007 - It was a beautiful day for a bike ride yesterday, and 16 riders came out for our first ever Raid on Reef Point! The trail was firm and fast, and with riders making the trip from Dryden and Atikokan it was a busy day.
With only a couple minor crashes and a few scrapes, everyone made it around the trail at least once. And with lots of cold water and a hot BBQ waiting at the end, the "after ride" get-together was a lot of fun, too.
Make sure you check out our Ride Results for times, and browse through our Photo Gallery to see how much fun everyone had.
The club owes a big round of thanks to Jeff for all his work brushing the trail and providing the organizing brainpower. Way to go, Jeff, and THANK YOU!
The club also thanks Skates & Blades, the Great Bear and Riverside Community Counselling Services for their support of the event.
See you next year!
Trail Update for Raid on Reef Point
July 14, 2007 - Jason, Jeff and Wendy spent the morning marking the trail and tidying up fallen branches and whatnot. The trail's in great shape, largely thanks to Jeff, who spent part of his vacation brushing all 7 km. Way to go, Jeff, and thanks!
Jason took a whole bunch of pictures today as well, and posted them to our Photo Album. The weather looks great, we've got lots of food, and with riders coming from Dryden and Atikokan, it should be a great day.
See you tomorrow!
Raid on Reef Point this Sunday!
July 9, 2007 - The inaugural Raid on Reef Point is this coming Sunday, July 15! Get out your knobby tire bikes and enjoy some great NW Ontario trail riding.
Registration opens at 10:30 and the ride kicks off at noon. The weather looks great and the trail is fast. Bring your friends, bring your family -- bring your bug repellent! Save yourself some time by filling out the registration and waiver forms.
Check out our Raid on Reef Point page for more info. See you on Sunday!
Results from Trail Stride/Ride the Divide in Bemidji
June 24, 2007 - Jeff and Wendy made the trip down Highway 71 to Bemidji yesterday to compete in the annual Trail Stride/Ride the Divide. It's a duathlon style race, with participants completing a 5 or 10 km trail run and a 10 or 20 km mountain bike course.
The heat and humidity were awful, and Jeff's seat post kept slipping -- it felt like he was riding a BMX at the end. Wendy ran the 10 km trail run and Jeff did both the 10 km trail run and 20 km MTB race, and his combined time was good enough for 4th overall.
Check out our Photo Album for some pics from the event. Complete results are available at MinnesotaFinlandia.com and you can see more photos of the race at SkinnySki.com. Congrats to both!
Easy Wheeler Ride Update
June 13, 2007 - It was a scorcher last night, with the mercury topping 30 C and a humidex close to 40 C. But Jeff, Jason and Conal showed up and enjoyed a fast-paced 16 km ride up to 8th Street and along the trails behind the sewage plant out to the Little Beaver ski hill. It's worth the trip if you don't mind a bit of climbing, as it's the highest point for miles and the view's great!
The next Easy Wheeler Ride is next Tuesday, June 19.
River Road Ramble Report
June 11, 2007 - It was a beautiful day for a bike ride yesterday, with eight riders (plus one passenger) coming out. Everyone completed their 25 km in good time -- helped along by a nice tailwind on the way back -- and without accidents of any kind. We even had two Daves show up!
Sadly, we all forgot to bring our cameras, but Justin Holmes of the Fort Frances Times did come to snap a few pictures. Watch for us in the Wednesday paper! Thanks to Jeff for his organizing and Chris for the awning.
Next up: the Raid on Reef Point on July 15!
River Road Ramble this Sunday!
June 6, 2007 - The season's first River Road Ramble is this Sunday. Meet at the public landing below the water tower on McIrvine Road at 12:30 for registration. All riders leave at 1 pm for their 25 or 50 km ride. Snacks and refreshments available after.
See our River Road Ramble page for complete details. Come out for a bike ride!
Easy Wheeler Ride Update
June 5, 2007 - It was a great night for a bike ride, even if it was just a little chilly. Six riders and two passengers enjoyed a 16 km ride out to the airport and back. Jeff, Paul, Jason & Conal discovered some nice double-track behind the water treatment plant and lots of other potential trails.
We all forgot our cameras again, but next week we'll try harder to get a group shot for the site.
The next Easy Wheeler Ride is Tuesday, June 12.
Easy Wheeler Ride Update
May 29, 2007 - After several weeks of crummy weather, Mother Nature relented last night. Five riders and two passengers enjoyed a 13 km ride along the lake and back. Justin from Fort Frances Times even came out to take some pictures for the paper -- watch for us in the May 30 edition.
The next Easy Wheeler Ride is Tuesday, June 5.
Race Report from Sandilands
May 28, 2007 - Jeff and Jason travelled to the second race in the Manitoba MTB Cup race series yesterday at Sandilands Provincial Forest. It was a tough 7 km course with a wide variety of tight, technical singletrack, sandy ATV trails and LOTS of hills (to go both up and down).
Photo courtesy of SkinnySki.com
An experienced racer, Jeff showed Jason how to get it done by finishing 8th in his age group. After slamming into and bouncing off numerous trees, Jason -- in only his second race -- decided that simply finishing would be enough, and he straggled home second-to-last in his age group.
Photo courtesy of SkinnySki.com
Check out some of the pictures the two took before the race in our Photo Album. Complete race results are available from the MCA.
If this is something you want to try, grab your bike and come riding with us!
Club Flyer Now Available!
May 15, 2007 - Tell everyone at work about the Borderland Bike Club! Get your spouse to put one up, too! Just download a copy and do it!
Rocky Mountain Demo Ride Report
May 7, 2007 - What an incredible evening! Keith Brodsky and Hazan Simson rolled through town with a trailer full of primo Rocky Mountain MTBs, and Paul, Jeff, Jason and Chris had a great time getting muddy out at Reef Point.
Everyone survived the experience of trying to stay with semi-pro rider Hazen, and Chris even helped break about six feet of new trail with his face when he missed a sharp turn at the bottom of a run (he's okay, no worries).
The BBC sends out a hearty thanks to Keith and Hazan for letting us demo the bikes, and to Chris for setting it all up. Check out some pictures of the gang and the bikes in our Photo Album.
