Latest News
Wanted: A Few Good Riders Looking to Race
August 16, 2008 - Have you ever wanted to try your luck at bicycle racing? Jeff Tilbury is looking to entice 2-3 riders to join him in forming an unofficial team to compete in next year's Duluth Classic road stage race.
Held over the Memorial Day weekend on May 22-25, it's kind of a mini-Tour de France just 2.5 hours' drive from Fort Frances! Here's what's on tap:
- Friday, May 22 - 26 km solo time trial
- Saturday, May 23 - 58 km road race
- Sunday, May 24 - 78 km road race
- Monday, May 25 - 30 minute criterium
Why are we talking about this now? So you have the fall and winter to train, of course! Check out the Duluth Classic website for more information, stage maps and photos from last year.
Send the club an email if you're interested and Jeff will get in touch with you. What are you waiting for?
Raid on Reef Point Report
July 13, 2008 - It was windy and overcast, but the rain held off and the trail was nice and firm for the 2008 Raid on Reef Point. The iffy weather kept most riders at home, though, as only Jeff, Paul and Jason made the trip to Reef Point.
The guys covered some 25 km in just over two hours of riding, enjoying about 8 km of single track, 12 km of cottage dirt roads and about 5 km on the main road at Reef Point.
Check out the photo album for more pictures, including a few of some visiting riders we couldn't lure onto the trails.
Here's hoping the weather will be nicer for next year, and we'll have more single track ready to ride!
Trail Stride/Ride the Divide Report
June 30, 2008 - Jeff and Wendy made the trip south to Bemidji on Saturday to fly the flag at the annual Trail Stride/Ride the Divide race.
Despite the smallish crowd and gloomy weather, everyone had a good time. Wendy ran a strong race and finished well -- despite taking a wrong turn and running a few extra k.
After enduring a misty and somewhat disappointing run, Jeff got on the bike and decimated the field, coming home more than three minutes up on second place!
"The course was a 20 km loop along the ski hill, logging roads, atv and snowmobile trail and some newly cut single track," he explained. "All and all the trail itself did not get overly wet and times were fast for the bike."
Photo courtesy of skinnyski.com
Congrats to Jeff and Wendy on their performance! Check out the photo album for more pictures and visit the Minnesota Finlandia website forcomplete results.
Easy Wheeler Ride Update
June 25, 2008 - It was a great evening for a ride last night, and Jeff, Wendy, Paul, Ann and Mary turned out for a pleasant ride out to the Blue Heron Golf Course.
Check the photo album for more pictures and thanks for coming out!
Dryden Ghost Riders Visit
June 24, 2008 - While Jeff was racing in Duluth, Jason and Paul made the trip north to Dryden for a day of riding with the Ghost Riders on their trail network east of town.
While Jeff endured a gloomy day on the shores of Lake Superior, it was a gorgeous, sunny day in Dryden. And with more than 20 riders present to enjoy the fast and swoopy single track on hand, no one went home unhappy.
After three hours and 34 km of riding, Paul and Jason were grateful to kick back and relax at Steve Semeniuk's cottage at Thunder Lake.
The Borderland Bicycle Club thanks the Dryden Ghost Riders for a great day, and heartily recommends the trip north for some great riding. Check out the photo album for more pictures.
Way to go, guys!
Dirt Spanker Classic Report
June 23, 2008 - Jeff made the drive to Duluth early Sunday morning to ride the Dirt Spanker Classic MTB race at Mont du Lac. It was grey and a little chilly, but the rain held off for the Citizen and Sport classes, making for a fast and fun race.
"The climb out of the finish was granny gear all the way to the top," said Jeff. "Then you had about two minutes to recover before you were into the rolling single track on the top of the hill and had to pay attention again."
In the end, Jeff's leg's did him proud, powering him to his best result of the year -- 5th in his age class and 58th overall in the Sport category. And against a large and very competitive field to boot.
The downpour that hit the Comp and Expert races made the trail pretty greasy, and the grassy downhills were slick, too.
"The downhill sections were tricky for my race and they were only really wet from the dew, so muddy tires and rainy grass would definitely have made for an exciting ride down the mountain," confirmed Jeff.
See the official report for more details on the race, and check out the age group and overall results to see just how well Jeff did. Visit our photo album for more pictures from the race.
Way to go, Jeff!
People Who Damage Trails are Idiots
June 16, 2008 - A wet trail is a fragile trail. If you're out riding at Reef Point, stay on the top section and avoid mud and standing water. The long, cold winter and gloomy, wet spring have left much of the trail soggy and unrideable.
Jeff took these pictures the other week, showing a substantial amount of damage to the trail, all caused by someone on a motorcycle. He and Jason spent several hours trying to repair this damage, as well as that caused by someone who drove a 4x4 down the trail. Yes, a 4x4.
If you're out on the trail and come across someone on a motorcycle, ask them in the politest fashion to get the hell off the trail until it dries out. And then send us an email so we can pass along their description to the MNR.
A bit of common sense would go a long way to preserving the trail for others.
Rocky Mountain Demo Ride Report
June 9, 2008 - It was a great evening for a mountain bike ride last Wednesday, June 4. The guys from Rocky Mountain Bicycles rolled up with a trailer full of 2008 models and then handed them over to get dirty!
Despite rain earlier in the day, the clouds hung back long enough to enjoy a ride on the upper part of the Reef Point trail, combined with some fire roads and a bit of pavement to round out the experience.
And the turnout was good, too, with Chris, Shawn, Jeff, Dave, Zack and Jason all coming out to play in the mud. Keith and Hazen from Rocky kept the speed down so everyone could keep up, although Chris and Dave did manage to take a tumble or two to test their reflexes.
The BBC would like to thank Chris for arranging the visit, and offer high-fives to Keith and Hazen for a great ride. Check out some extra photos of the ride in the Photo Album.
Reef Point/Hopkins Bay Trail Advisory
May 18, 2008 - Please be advised that the trails behind the Great Bear are still too wet for riding. Jeff and Jason walked the trail today and spent several hours repairing damage made to it by a motorcyclist and some idiot in a 4x4.
A trail day to restore some singletrack and mark out a new section around the swampy bottom section of the trail is planned for the coming weeks -- stay tuned for more details!
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.
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!
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!
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!
