One of Canada’s largest mountain bike festivals has arrived in Ontario for the first time

It’s time to dust off your bike and put on your helmet: one of Canada’s largest mountain bike festivals is being held in Ontario for the first time.

The Crankworx Summer Series Canada kicks off Thursday and features a series of competitions where expert riders can show off their tricks. The organizers also offer different routes for beginners to get their feet wet (in the mud).

Many local Ontario residents say the event gives seasoned riders a chance to showcase their work.

“When I started riding…we didn’t have slopestyle events or anything like that,” says Toronto resident Keon O’Brien, who took up mountain biking after visiting the Joyride 150 Indoor Bike Park in Markham as a teenager.

The 20-year-old has been training for six years and often attends riding events in British Columbia.

“A lot of family comes to this event,” said O’Brien, who will perform on a slopestyle course on Saturday.

“It’s super cool to have events at home with the hometown crowd.”

The Summer Series program began in 2020 with the goal of helping Canadian athletes grow. It is modeled after the Crankworx World Tour, which takes place annually in Australia, Austria, New Zealand and Whistler, BC

Christopher Coppitts, the Crankworx Summer Series Canada project manager, said Ontario has always been on the team’s radar as a host province.

“Ontario has a rich history and has produced some of the best slopestyle athletes, just with smaller hills,” he said.

“As a result, some of them are focusing their efforts more on the trick and slopestyle discipline.”

Resort built three new courts for the festival

The festival is held at Horseshoe Resort, located near Horseshoe Valley and Penetanguishene roads in Barrie.

The resort said it has built courses for three main events, including an aerial descent for big jumps, a double slalom course and a course where riders compete against each other.

There will also be a slopestyle course where athletes perform tricks in front of a jury.

“It’s really cool to bring slopestyle and Crankworx back to the county I grew up in,” says Uxbridge, Ont. resident Brayden Barrett-Hay, who helped design the slopestyle event.

“I’ll just hang out, ride the track with everyone at the event and help them sort out the lines and how to ride them.”

Festival attracts 5,000 people, resort estimates

Barrett-Hay said mountain biking is quickly gaining popularity in the county, thanks in part to social media videos showing the sport’s accessibility.

“I think more and more people are just looking for really fun sports that are outdoors and want to push their bodies physically, and it’s just moving forward a little bit,” said Barrett-Hay.

Jonathan Reid, general manager of the Horseshoe Resort, said that while the venue would previously close for the summer season, the resort began offering lifts for mountain biking in 2009. benefit of that service.

Horseshoe Resort is not alone. With mountain biking gaining momentum, ski resorts around the world have shifted gears to accommodate the sport during warm months.

“All the major resorts take bicycles on their chair lifts and people cycle on trails that are built through the woods,” Reid said.

Reid expects the festival to draw up to 5,000 people, supporting local tourism.

“When so many people come to the property… they all put in local communities and spend money and whatever, and it’s great for local employment as well,” he said.