“We love bikes, and we’re throwing a party in their honour. Come join the fun and connect with your local cycling community. You can try out gear, test ride a new bike, browse exhibitors’ booths, score deals at the MEC Bikeswap, or learn skills at a bike clinic. There’ll also be performers, entertainment, food vendors, and kids’ activities.
Bring your bike, your family, and your riding buddies, and embrace the awesomeness of wheels.

Location

MEC Bikefest Ottawa is located at LeBreton Flats Park off of Sir John A Macdonald Parkway in front of the Canadian War Museum.

We’ll have a secure bike valet on site. If you take transit, the site is a short walk north of the intersection of Booth St. and the Transitway. If you’re driving, street parking is available near the event however west bound Sir John A MacDonald will be closed west of Booth St. for Bikedays.”

Quoted from the MEC Bikefest website

View map and directions

There will be Bike Clinics, Workshops, Groups rides a Bike Swap and more!

See the MEC Bikefest website for more details

See the OMBA Calendar and the mtbchicksottawa.ca website for any updates to specific rides.

Scheduled Rides

Sunday June 2nd 10 am: South March Highlands (Kanata Lakes)

This will be our most technical ride of the season. Two ladies have already volunteered to lead/sweep a group and I could lead another group for beginner riders. The routes will be chosen based on length and skill level. We might do another ride here later in the season too!

Saturday June 15 9:30 am: Gatineau Park Ride

This ride will be cardio intensive, but not technical. We will take frequent breaks to make sure we all stay together, and we can always split into 2 groups if needed. There is a volunteer ride leader for this one too!

Saturday June 22 – Sunday June 23: Summer Solstice 24 hour race at Albion Hills

5 women are going to the race in Toronto for some biking, fun and plenty of laughs. The event is not sold out yet, so feel free to organize another team. I can help you contact more women that may be interested. (chicoracing.com)

Sunday July 21 11 am : Vals-des-Monts Ride at LaRocca XC Mountain Bike School

This ride will happen on private land so a $20 fee is charged. There are also bikes available to rent and this ride is open to beginner, intermediate and advanced riders. Feel free to bring a friend!

Date TBD (potentially August): Mont Ste. Marie

The trails are hilly and contain technical sections. We will go out for some food/munchies/lunch after the ride.

Date TBD: Greenbelt Ride

This will be our least technical ride of the season. The group could be split into two speed levels depending on numbers. The routes will weave in and out of single track in the West end greenbelt in Bell’s Corners. If you want to volunteer to lead/sweep one of the groups, let me know!

Date TBD: Camp Fortune Ride

This will also be a more technical ride and includes hill climbing. Once again we will break the group into skill levels, so don’t be shy about riding here even if it is your first time!

Date TBD: Gatineau Park Ride

This will be a ride to hopefully enjoy some of the fall leaves. We will start at P11 and ride trails 36 and 50 out to Lac Philippe and back. It will be a 2.5 to 3 hour return ride at a steady pace. This ride will start at 1 pm, since it is getting too chilly in the mornings

 Past Rides This Season

Sunday May 5th at 10 am : Limerick Forest (40 mins from Ottawa)

These trails dry out first in the Ottawa area, so it is always worth the drive early in the season to bike on the single track.  Carpooling will be arranged via email and Facebook.

At the moment the following bike shops will be there:

Bushtukah
Dinardo’s Skis & Wheels
Fresh Air Experience
Phatmoose Cycles
Velozophia

Possibly more to be added, see our Community Forums for updates

Come out and test ride some new bikes, have a burger or hot dog at the BBQ and have a great ride in SMH. Weather conditions for the weekend are looking great!

Group rides led by OMBA members will be leaving from the Demo area located at the K2 Entrance.  Duration of the group rides will be fairly short (30-40 minutes) depending on the group size and rider fitness. Rides will be aimed at D and C level riders as per the OMBA group ride descriptions. Rides will leave on the hour, with the first ride leaving at 11 AM.

For any one interested in trying Mont Ste Marie on the long weekend we are having our annual long weekend events. Come for the day as we could really use some help and join the ride after or stay for the weekend. Our trails are soon to be world class trails that are fun and flowy, designed for all skill levels with gentle climbs and plenty of hills for an excellent training workout along with all the breathtaking scenic views and outdoor experience, these trails will have you coming back for more.

We now have 25km of trail and our master plan is for 75+km (with-in the private lands and way more once we have approval to go on crown lands) of the best quality trails ever. See link below for pictures. Also see our web site at VeloMsM.com or like us on Facebook at VeloMsM. Also feel free to contact myself for any question at peterv@live.ca

See our photo gallery to see what you can expect to find on the trails

An excellent time to join in on a group ride would be the May long weekend when we will be hosting our second annual May long weekend rides and volunteer trail work day. Help with trail building or simply come for the rides, either way we would love to show you these trails.

Saturday May 18th and 19th
Starts off with a Sat at 10am trail day until 2pm, then a BBQ and prizes followed by a group ride and guided tour of our trails. Stay the weekend as we will be having a party on Saturday evening and another group ride Sunday morning at 10am. All activities start in front of the main ski lodge at the VeloMsM trail head Gazebo and there is no charge for the trail day or rides.
Please contact me if your interested for ideas on accommodation’s or for camping ideas. (Forest Fire risk is currently high, please use caution with camping fires)
Shovels, Pulaski’s and Matlock’s are handy tools for the trail day if you have, or we have plenty of tools too.

Our newest trail project is our most exciting to date, a trail that brings us up the mountain. A 3.6km climb with a total average grades of 6%, destined to be a legendary trail. Taylor’s Tower of Power (TToP), plus TToP will be a hoot going down and come help us build it. Click here to pictures of TToP in the making.

We the VeloMsM committee are always very busy trying very hard for every way to find funds to continue building trails for you. If you can please help us at our donation box that is in the VeloMsM trail head Gazebo in front of the main Mont Ste Marie ski lodge. Or our Pay-Pal acc on VeloMsM.com.

We are pleased to announce that we have just won a $15,000.00 MEC grant to put toward the trails, Thank You Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC). Every bit helps and your contributions go directly to more trails as we have a lot of trails to build for you.

Hope to see you on the long weekend. It’s all about see you again, the rides and the outdoor experience.

In the event that OMBA Weekly Rides are canceled (most often due to weather/or excessively wet trails), it shall be posted here no later than 5:30 pm. A cancellation announcement will be made in the Community Forums post for specific  weekly ride. Go to our Event Calendar and click the link to the specific Thursday  ride to check for cancellation and any other details.

PLEASE NOTE

• Rides start promptly at 7:00, so if you need to figure out what group to ride in or sign a waiver, please show up at least 10 minutes early.
• OMBA members are required to sign a Waiver Form only once for the 2013 season.
• Non-OMBA members are required to sign a Waiver Form for EACH TIME they  join an OMBA Ride (2 x maximum. After that please join).

Click here to download the waiver

Riders are divided up into of one four groups:

Group A – Expert –> K2 @ 7:00pm (on your bike)
Duration: ~120 minutes
Trails: Ridgetop, Outback, Annex, Everything…
Breaks, we don’t need breaks!! Lights Recommended!

Group B – Advanced –> K2 @ 7:00pm (on your bike)
Duration: ~100 minutes
Trails: Pwt, BailOut, Rockhopper,DogSled Loop, M-Line, Outback
Breaks as needed

Group C – Intermediate –> K2 @ 7:00pm (on your Bike)
Duration: ~90 minutes
Trails: Pwt, BailOut, Rockhopper,DogSled Loop, M-Line
Breaks as needed

Group D – Beginner –> K2 @ 7:00pm (on your Bike)
Duration: ~ 80 minutes
Trails: BearTree,Rockhopper, Fast out, Dog Sled Loop, Klondike and M-Line
Sessioning of any technical sections as requested by the group
Breaks as needed

Mandatory items

•  safety helmet
•  close-toe footwear
• 1L of water
• spare tube and pump
• signed OMBA Waiver Form (see note above)

Strongly recommended items

• eye protection
• mosquito repellent
• more than 1L of water
• snack bar/power drink
• chain oil
• repair kit (chain break, Allen keys, etc…)

Directions to K2 (South March Highlands)
Take 417 west bound
Take Eagleson / March Road EXIT
Take March Road North
Travel on March Road for approximately 5.5km
Turn left on to Klondike Road (Shoppers Drugmart will be on your left.)
Travel all the way up Klondike Road until 2nd line Extension.  This is K2.
Extra parking is available at the parking lot on the corner of Halton Terrace and Klondike Road.

Here is a link to the trail map

The plan: Meet Sunday May 5th at 9:15 am at the MacEWEN gas station at the corner of Fallowfield and Moodie (30 seconds West of the 416). From there we can carpool and convoy to the trailhead since it is about 35 minutes and a bit confusing if you haven’t been there before.

We will ride for about 1.5 to 2 hours, and then head back to Ottawa. We should be back in Ottawa around 1 pm.

Bring plenty of water, and a snack since the trailhead, aka “The Pit” is on a gravel road and nothing is close by. It does have an outhouse No bugs were out today, but it isn’t a bad idea to bring bug spray just in case they all suddenly hatch.

It will take a significant amount of rain to postpone this ride – the trails are very dry!

See the OMBA Calendar for any updates about this ride.

If you want the details about the meeting time and route, send me an email to mtbchickottawa@gmail.com

You can also check out the mtbchicksottawa.ca website for details on future rides

 Who: All Ages, Everyone!

What: OMBA’s annual Spring Movie Night

When: Monday, May 13th, 2013 – doors open 7pm (8pm is APPROXIMATE movie start time)

Where:  Yuk Yuks Comedy Club
292 Elgin Street
Ottawa, ON K2P 1M3
Click Here for Map

How Much: Free Admission (suggested purchase of Raffle Tickets). Capacity is limited to 150 people – first come first serve

Alchemy brings back the basics of solid adrenaline pumping bike videos: “classic rider-segment structure, awesome music, with no lengthy story to take away from the shred”.

Featuring: Kurt Sorge, Micayla Gatto, Geoff Gulevich, Thomas Vanderham, Rayn Berrecloth, Anthoney Messere and more BC talent.

 Over $1,200 in prizes from Phatmoose Cycles, Raceface, TLD, Fox, Chromag, Leatt and Gform

Raffle Ticket Pricing:

1 ticket for $2

2 ticket for $5

1 ‘Arm Length’ of tickets for $20 (‘Arm Lengths’ may vary depending on the vendor’s size so pick you vendor wisely).

3 Free raffle tickets for OMBA members (including new sign-ups).

Discounted OMBA memberships available on site for one night only.

All proceeds from the raffle go towards the Ottawa Mountain Bike Association for trail development and maintenance.

Event info also available on OMBA’s website forums or Facebook group.

Look forward to seeing you there!…The OMBA Team

OMBA is happy to report that the South March Highlands trails have progressed through the spring thaw and can support rider traffic.

Please be mindful however that even on predominately dry trails, some vulnerable sections may require your attention. Please DO NOT go around muddy or wet sections, as this widens the trails and/or leads to the creation of unsustainable side trails. Instead, ride/walk straight through at low speed. Additionally, be vigilant for winter dead-fall & debris as you ride through the trails at this time of year.

Be mindful of potentially rapid changing weather conditions this time of year – significant rainfall (or snow) could quickly deteriorate trail conditions.

Enjoy this riding season and hope to see you on the trails…The OMBA Team

This is OMBA’s 8th annual contribution in support of the City of Ottawa’s Capital Clean-up initiative.

Meet at the SMH Klondike trail head (corner Klondike & 2nd Line) – we’ll walk the section from the trailhead, along 2nd Line towards Brady. Here’s our chance to give the area a much-needed post winter clearing of debris & trash.

As usual, good footwear & work gloves recommended (we’ll have a small supply of extra work gloves on site) – trash bags will be provided. Refreshments & snacks provided.

Looking forward to your support!

PS – High school students – a great opportunity for student volunteer hours – just bring your tracking sheets for sign-off.

Location:
Kichesippi Beer Company
866 Campbell Avenue Ottawa

The good people at Kichesippi Beer Company are providing the venue and have offered TFKO $1.00 of every beer purchased.

Date and Time:
24^th February 2013
15:00 – 19:00

Participants

A mechanic from each of these stores will race to see who can build a bike the fastest.

Raffle Prizes

Silent auction items to bid on and Raffle prizes

4 one day passes to Joy Ride 150

2 entry fees to Mud Hero coming to Ottawa June 1st

1/2 Mountain Bike lessons for a group of 4 with Rated M mountain Biking.

Ticket Information

There are only 100 tickets available for sale.

Tickets cost $20 per person and all money goes directly to Trips For Kids Ottawa.

Tickets can be purchased at:

Phat Moose
Full Cycle
Dinardo’s
Tall Tree Cycles
Bushtukah (Richmond Rd)
Joe Mamma
The Cyclery
Euro-sports
Cycle power (Carling)