NITRO: North Island Trail Riders Organization

Trail Day!

October 17, 2004 was a real bang up day. Nitro members kicked ass on some Weyerhauser forest. Day 1 of the Beach Camp Trail construction saw 9 rednecks lay down some shit along what little of Vancouver Islands waterfront that is not developed or destroyed or polluted or controlled by aliens.

Members in attendance

Jeremy Hachey, Derek Koel, Blair Koel, Brandon Abel, Colin Wilson, Josh Koel, Wes from Sointula, SuperSawStyle Dave, Brad Sedola, Thomas Porsborg.

Dogs in attendance

Jackson, Winnie, Chu, and Dave's Dog.

submitted by Blair Koel.

Well its been a while since the site has been updated. The excuses range from computer issues to frequent road trips to Whistler and Mt.Washington for some killer bike park sessions.

But just because the site was not updated doesnt mean things have come to a standstill here on the North Island.

The Drop In crew came by for a couple days of riding and filming. Look for the episode to run in early 2005. Also check out the photos from the North Island here. There are some very impressive shots from Wes' Trail near Sointula. Looks like Wes has raised the bar for North Island trail builders.

New trails are starting to take shape in the woods around Port Alice. Look for the short shore-like trail, 'Burnt Hoe' to be finished within the next month. As well the upper extension to the Rumblefest DH is starting to look like a rideable trail. Look for the new extension to be part of the DH race next spring. This section is significantly steeper than the existing dh, so expect some technical riding in the race.

If anyone is interested in coming out for one of the group rides in Port Alice, Port Hardy, or McNeill just email us here at info@nitri-riders.com

Rumblefest returns with a vengeance

The weather gods definately had a hand in making this years rumblefest another success. Instead of the muddy trails of last years rumblefest, this year the trails remained relatively dry in spite of the periodic showers. This allowed riders to use their energy for hammering instead of just simply remaining upright, and the fast finish times indicate there was some serious hammering going on.

Click here to see the Rumblefest 2004 results.

Its incredible to see that on Saturday Jeremy Grasby of Cumberland had the fastest time of the day for riding 7 laps, on a singlespeed. All I can say is "wow..."

For the Downhill on Sunday the riders went off. Everyone that raced was giving it 100%, and even the little groms on hardtails were hucking the drops on the course.

With 67 riders in the Cross Country and 63 in the Downhill, Rumblefest is sure to be back for 2005.

Spring is here. Come out for some fun group rides, all abilities welcome:

Tuesday nites @ 7 in Port Hardy, meet at the high school.

Thursday nites @ 7 in Port Alice, meet behind the legion.

Sunday April 18th saw another successful trailwork party on the Port Alice DH in preparation of the upcoming Rumblefest. Many muck holes were filled with rock and gravel and a couple of the corners were tuned up for smoother turns. Should make this fast trail even faster.

Another Trailwork party is scheduled for Sunday April 25th. Just meet us behind the legion at 10 am. Email traildays@nitro-riders.com for more information.

Looks like Port McNeill may be getting a mountain bike park, thanks to the efforts of Nitro's very own Derek Koel. A grant from the BC government to build the trail network has been secured. More details on the park to follow shortly.

There will be a trailwork party on the race course on Saturday April the 4th. If you are interested in coming out and doing a bit of raking or shoveling to help improve the trail please meet at the hydro station at 10 am. Email traildays@nitro-riders.com for more information.

The plans for the 11th annual Port Alice Rumble Mountain cross country and downhill race fest are starting to come together. A trail work day is planned for the end of march, although the course is in great shape this year. Changes to the weekend include camping under the trees of Legion Park and a mass start to the cross country race from the Port Alice Marina. If you are interested in helping out with the trail work just contact us @ nitro_riders@hotmail.com.

If you are interested in racing this year you can check out the 2003 Rumble Rage course map.

Spring is in the air and new trails are beginning to be established in all 3 north island communities. Port Hardy, Port McNeill and Port Alice riders are seeking to make the local trails 'official' and discussions are ongoing with the local communities and the Ministry of Forests.

• The Rumble Rage downhill race course situated above the village of Port Alice will test your nerves as well as your brakes.
• Marble River Provincial Park offers cycling along its 2.5 km of rooted twisty singletrack that winds along the banks of the Marble river. This is old school mountain biking at its finest.
• The trails of Port Hardy offer everything from cedar boardwalks to stunts to classic single track.