A day of chores
Saturday morning, 8:30. The sun is already beating down on Mont Avalanche. The passionate volunteers start to arrive, take their tools out of their trunks and douse themselves in bug spray. There's chatter, laughter. Everyone is ready for a good day of outdoor work. The goal? Work, as a team, on the existing trails to make them safe, accessible and ready to ride, and to continue the development of the new trail, the SAHMBA.
Founded by Jamie Marois in 2020, when the pandemic was hitting hard, SAHMBA’s mission is to develop and maintain the mountain biking trail network of Mont Avanlanche in St-Adolphe-d’Howard. The association’s greatest wish is to build a community around the sport so mountain bike enthusiasts can gather and forge links. For the founder, mountain biking is not just a sport, it’s a way of life, a culture.
It’s the passion for mountain biking that motivated Jamie to surround himself with the right people to create an association that would help develop a little-known jewel of the Laurentians. Because St-Adolphe is full of possibilities!
Photo credits Mathieu Grandmaître
A sense of community
SAHMBA’s motivation and desire to bring together mountain bike enthusiasts prompted us to get involved. The goal was for Team Oberson, most of which are avid mountain bikers, to experience trail building. Mission accomplished!
When we’re rolling on a trail, it’s hard to imagine all the work that went into building it if we haven’t participated in the process. A well-made berm, a super flowy section without any roots or rocks. A nice climb or a new trail. Nothing beats the moment when a volunteer rides a section that they worked on during the day. It's so rewarding.
The day is spent under the May sun, digging, raking, shoveling, cutting. Yes, it's demanding at times. But the background noise heard most frequently is laughter, discussions to find solutions, plans to improve a section or a jump. It's positive and it's nice to experience first hand.
The atmosphere, on this spring Saturday, is so much more than we expected. The lunch provided by the association was nothing short of amazing and what can we say about the after-ride beer! With the current context, it’s so nice to get out, spend a day outdoors and give our time to a budding organization. All of a sudden, on a background of Woohoos! some volunteers hop on their bikes and hit the trails, the chores come to an end. This is a day that will become a tradition.
A big thanks to SAHMBA for its involvement in the mountain bike community. A big thanks to our team and to all the volunteers who participated in the early season chores. Have fun mountain biking this season!
Photo credits Mathieu Grandmaître
