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Kamloops fast becoming mountain-bike mecca
Daily News Mon Jun 27 2005
It's been a long ride, but the Kamloops Bike Ranch is ready to challenge bikers from around the world.
Jeff Putnam, business and client services manager for the City of Kamloops, said Phase 1 of the park opens at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday with a ceremony at the top of Highland Road in Valleyview.
Mayor Mel Rothenburger and representatives from city council and staff join members of the mountain bike community for the event, he said.
"We're encouraging anyone in the community who is interested to come and see what it is all about," he said. "This has been in the works for a long time, about one-and-a-half years. We're very excited."
More phases are planned. The park will be 26-hectares when completed, making it one of the biggest municipal-run parks in Canada, he said.
Downhill trails start at the top of Highland, snake their way down the mountain and end beside the Valleyview Arena. Given the steepness of the decline, Putnam said the ride is designed for more advanced riders.
"It's quite a good vertical drop," he said.
Riders from around the world have been coming to Kamloops to tackle the region's mountain bike and cross-coun- try trails. Putnam believes the park gives them the chance to ride a safe and well-maintained course, and is a good complement to trails at Sun Peaks Resort.
"This will bring things to the next level. When you see this, it will amaze you. It's truly spectacular," he said.
Rothenburger hopes the park will put an end to damage caused on privately owned trails.
"I see this as a way of turning a negative into a positive," he said. "There has been a tremendous amount of irresponsibility on the part of some bike riders, and I think the park is the answer."
The park takes advantage of Kamloops' reputation as a mountain-bike destination, and is a welcome addition to the city's tournament-capital venues, he said.
"I think it will be to everyone's liking," Rothenburger said.
The $50,000 project is a joint venture between the city and the Kamloops Bike Riders Association.
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Kamloops This Week Sun Jun 26 2005
Michelle Richard will have to brush up on her Newfoundland slang and knowledge of all things East Coast.
The recent Valleyview graduate has been selected to attend the Shad Valley Education Program, a month-long event at Memorial University in St. John's, Nfld.
Richard said she applied for the program on the advice of one of her guidance counsellors.
I figured it would be a good program and something that could benefit me," she said.
I am so excited to be going. I never really thought I'd be one of the few selected to participate."
Richard is going to be one of just 500 students from across Canada attending the camp.
The Shad Valley program brings together young people with some of the top minds from the top universities across Canada.
Students can also forge future relations and network with some of the employers in Canada.
While the program is a positive for Richard, it certainly isn't cheap.
I'd have to be giving a month of work for the summer to attend," she said.
It's going to cost me about $4,000 to go the Newfoundland and for all costs."
Enter the Valleyview Overlander Lions, who leapt to Richard's financial rescue.
They're paying for my airfare," Richard said of the philanthropic civic organization. That just blew me away."
The camp will begin on Canada Day, July 1, and Richard is still doing some last-minute fundraising, which is being done through Valleyview secondary school.
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