The Sooke Bike Club wants to give bike enthusiasts more places to ride and draw more people into the sport.
Sooke council recently backed a plan which could see the bike club develop 30 hectares of land owned by Timberwest in the Sooke Hills for multi-use trail development. Timberwest is still considering the proposal.
B次元官网网址淭he Sooke Region doesnB次元官网网址檛 have one trail network that is giving us everything we need,B次元官网网址� said Heather Rose, president of the Sooke Bike Club.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e really focusing in getting people in the community involved in cycling.B次元官网网址�
Sooke has a myriad of trails, especially in the Sea to Sea Regional Park (Harbourview and Mount Manuel Quimper), but most are for advanced riders.
The bike club would like to see the development of a trail system that would offer opportunities for every level of rider. The trails would also be open to other trail users, such as dog walkers, hikers and runners.
B次元官网网址淭he need we see in the Sooke Region is having an area that is close, where weB次元官网网址檙e able to build and maintain trails, and where we can have some entry level trails,B次元官网网址� Rose said.
The club uses Sea to Sea Regional Park, Broomhill and Jordan River areas for bike rides now.
The group hopes new trails and programs will draw more riders, especially children.
Rose noted the physical and mental health benefits of bike riding. Biking for at least three hours per week decreases the chances of heart disease and stroke by about 50 percent, according to research.
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Sooke Bike Club members are already helping to lead childrenB次元官网网址檚 program with SEAPARC, and has expanded its offering for women, family and adult rides.
Club members will teach the Run Bike and the Intro Bike program at SEAPARC this spring, and lead group rides every Tuesday and Saturday, usually in the Broomhill area. There are also special events throughout the year. Those programs are in addition advocacy and trail development in the area.
Rose said the goal of the bike club is to have 200 members by the end of the year.
Last year, the club expanded its board to 10 directors and added two youth positions. The only paid position is for a local teen who does the clubB次元官网网址檚 social media.
B次元官网网址淪ooke is considered a strong mountain biking area. We want to introduce it and make it accessible to everyone,B次元官网网址� Rose said.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e sitting on the jackpot of tourism. People are wanting to ride is this area, but we donB次元官网网址檛 have that one area where there are both advance and novice trails.B次元官网网址�
editor@sookenewsmirror.com
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