The City of Langford officially opened the Jordie Lunn Bike Park on Irwin Road on Tuesday, as around 50 community members and intimates of the late mountain biking legend gathered to pay tribute.
Before Darren Berrecloth, pro mountain biker and close friend of Lunn, rode through the parkB次元官网网址檚 red ribbon, LunnB次元官网网址檚 mother, Bonnie, was among those who made remarks.
B次元官网网址淥ur whole family is so grateful for the opening of this amazing park,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淲ith all of your commitment, your building skills, your energy and hard work moving mountains of dirt and rock B次元官网网址� youB次元官网网址檝e made such an amazing legacy for our Jordie,B次元官网网址� she said, referring to the city, the Wheelhouse Cycling Society and the legion of volunteers who developed the 20-acre bike park.
READ ALSO: Jordie Lunn, world-renowned mountain biker from Parksville, dies in accident
The labour of volunteers likely accounted for $3 million in the two-year build of LunnB次元官网网址檚 signature park, said Mayor Stew Young.
B次元官网网址淗alf of this park was built on the backs of volunteers,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭his is a really important part of our community now, and itB次元官网网址檚 just going to grow.B次元官网网址�
A recreational project of this scale would have taken years longer to complete were it not for Young and councilB次元官网网址檚 support of staff ideas, said Langford city manager Darren Kiedyk.
Lunn, a Canadian mountain biking star, died in 2019 as the result of a head injury while trail riding in Mexico. The native of Langford made an international name for himself as the fastest downhill racer in this country and the highest-ranked Canadian in North America.
The park in his name has been open since May 28. It includes mountain and multi-use trails, a pump track, zones for skills building and jumps and a professional jump line; the last of which would have been the mainstay for Lunn himself, said Berrecloth.
B次元官网网址淔rom travelling the globe for the last 20 or some odd years, IB次元官网网址檇 say this would be by far the best park in North America,B次元官网网址� he said. The parkB次元官网网址檚 size and variety of features make it nonetheless accessible and enticing to every riding level, he added.
With the addition of downhill and peddle-up trails in the parkB次元官网网址檚 second phase, B次元官网网址測ouB次元官网网址檒l have all elements of mountain biking, minus a chairlift, right here in this one facility.B次元官网网址�
READ ALSO: Westhills dedicates 38.5 acres for recreational use in Langford
As for safety considerations, Langford emergency services have mapped a number of emergency access points; several walk-ins and one vehicle accessible route near the parkB次元官网网址檚 largest jumps, said Langford fire department Capt. Paul Obersteller.
Second and third phases of the park will see the addition of a downhill trail and clubhouse, respectively, within the next year. Much of the current and planned park additions were dependent on a donation of 100 acres of land from Westhills Land Corporation, said Young.
Although definitive plans for events will have to wait until COVID-19 B次元官网网址渋s a little bit behind us,B次元官网网址� Young said the city plans to use the park for childrenB次元官网网址檚 events as well as national competitions.
Do you have a story tip? Email: kiernan.green@blackpress.ca.
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