Yukon Gold, Canada's Secret Bike Trails

Hey guys, I fount this amazing article on "Mountain Bike" about Photographer Dan Barham who travels to the remote Canada and discovers a mother lode of hidden trails. The photos are amazing,

"It wasn't until two years ago that I ever considered going to the northerly Canadian province of Yukon to ride bikes—after all, I live in Vancouver and just getting to the territory requires flying over a good deal of great trails in British Columbia..."

Read more at Mountain Bike

Hold On

CTS Bike Club group ride, June 21st 2011. On the longest day of the year. Over an hour of cross country mountain biking, condensed into five minutes.

Music: RUSKO - Hold On

MTB Survival Emergency Kit

Even though we are called Cancel That $#!%, we don't want to cancel a ride because one rider cuts their elbow. Or because they get diarrhea, or a headache. So we should store some basics with us on every ride. A MTB first aid/Survival kit that goes out with us should be light and compact. So it should cover only the basics, stuff to get you back to the car without bleeding all over the place. Below is a list of some of the items that First For Safety recommends we take on our rides.

• Antiseptic cleansing tissues
• Assorted bandages
• Aspirin
• Light Sticks
• Whistle
• Paramedic shears & safety pins
• Latex gloves
• Micropore tape
• Thermal Blanket

CTS Mini-Doc

A mini-doc about CTS Bike Club in Midland. Special thanks to all the riders who came out for the shoot.
For more information about CTS visit: http://ctsbikeclub.com

Also visit:

http://kunuhd.com for more about Kunu
http://marlongibbons.com for more about Marlon Gibbons & his music

http://thekunuexperience.com for more awesome vids.

Caterpillar Relish

The CTS bike club out for our Tuesday night ride while it rained down caterpillars on us.

Heat Exhaustion Prevention and Treatment

Since last night's ride in Crownland Forest was exceptionally hot and humid I figured I should post something that deals with heat exhaustion and guidelines to prevent it from occuring and, if you experience some symptoms, how to treat it.

*NOTE* I would suggest not eating catepillars, I don't believe they have the rehydrating properties that a powerade would contain (sorry Greg).

When exercising in hot and humid environments our bodies obviously sweat, and in the sweat we release a bunch of our electrolytes that are critical for our performance, health and hydration. When we sweat perfusely and do not replace these electrolytes we begin to suffer from heat exhaustion and dehydration. Some symptoms we may experience are:

-heavy sweating
-paleness
-fatigue and tiredness
-weakness
-muscle cramps
-dizziness and headaches
-nausea, vomiting and potentially fainting
-skin may be cool to the touch
-heart rate increases but is faint/weak

**if these symptoms arise and you do not treat them you risk suffering from heat stroke, which is a medical emergency**

Now that I scared you, here are some recommendations to follow, first, to prevent heat stroke from occuring and secondly, how to treat the condition so that it doesn't escalate to a harmful situation on your body.

First, and most importantly, to decrease the chance of heat exhaustion you should keep in mind and follow these guidelines:

*STAY HYDRATED
(we always underestimate how much water we need. I'd suggest reviewing my post on water intake to see what you need. Based on 150lbs male, intake (without exercise) should be around 2.5-3L per day. I would add an additional 1L per 30lbs over 150lbs and another 1L for every hour of exercise). Starting your water intake in the morning and continually throughout the day is the best approach.

*Eat a nutrient rich snack before your ride. Something that contains approximately 30/30/30 carb%/protein%/fat% content AND, have with you a powerade/gatorade drink to replace your electrolytes for the ride.

*Wear clothing that lets your body breath. IE. wicking properties like you find in climacool and under armour help with getting the sweat from your skin, out through the material and off the body will help with keeping your body cool during your workouts/rides. Stay away from cotton, it doesn't allow your body to breath and will hold moisture in which is uncomfortable.

If you feel the symptoms of heat exhaustion, as soon as possible:

*get into a cool environment
*light clothing
*refrain from alcoholic beverages (I know, I know....)
*rest

See you on the trails!
J

How We Roll

Rollin around with CTS Bike club, Somewhere in Ontario?

Ontario Trailblazing Festival 2011

The Trailblazing Festival is Saturday July 16th at Kelso Conservation Area. They have moved some key events over the course of the weekend to ensure all can participate in the fun.



Friday July 15th - IMBA Trail Care Crew - Trail Building Seminars

Saturday July 16th - Trailblazing Festival

Sunday July 17th - IMBA Epic Ride (details coming soon)

Mountain Bike Ontario's Trailblazing Festival is designed to appeal to all mountain biking disciplines and riders from beginners to advanced. They will be running the Kelso chairlifts and will have the Downhill/Freeriders in attendance to hit the O Cup DH course, the Silent Norco Down Hill Team are offering DH skills clinics. The X-Country riders can join the IMBA Epic Ride planned , Sacred Rides Skills sessions by pro instructors for beginner to advanced riders, and Joyride 150 Skillz Park. The DJ crowd there to hit the pump track and jump air bag.
They will also will be hosting the IMBA Regional Leadership Advisory Council meeting and the IMBA Trail Care Crew will be offering trail building seminars. This could be a great opportunity to discuss the future of the trail in our area. If that not enough they will also have an MTB movie night and IMBA Epic ride the next day. I really feel we should all attend this, Kelso is an amazing place to ride.

Buy Tickets
Register for Skills Sessions
(includes admission to Kelso & Hilton Falls Parks, Parking, access to
Chair Lift, Pump Track, Guided Rides and Clinics (subject to availability):