Stouffville BMX helps kids of all ages to get rad

Helping kids of all ages to get rad

Spring marks the start of another cycling season, with the return of weather and conditions more agreeable to roadies, trail enthusiasts and, of course, bmx’s 20-inchwheel gang.

Northeast of Toronto, j ust north of Markham i n Whitchurch-stouffville is Stouffville bmx at Bruce’s Mill Conservation Area. Built in the park in 2015, the track and its facilities are going into their fourth full season. The fellow who runs it, Brendan Arnold, is also a Nextgen bmx coach for Cycling Canada. One of his goals is to get people to come out and give bmx a try.

“It’s such an easy-entry sport,” Arnold says. “First time is always free and we supply a bike, a helmet and postride freezie. bmx is the gateway to all cycling and everyone should experience it for themselves.” Stouffville bmx, often shortened to sbmx, has a fleet of 28 bikes on hand, along with a concession trailer and an outdoor skills zone.

The course itself is as engaging as its pastoral backdrop. It includes an Olympic-style gate, paved turns and an allweather surface made from crushed limestone/clay and glue, so that rain can’t spoil the fun unless it’s torrential. The track is ideal for riders to work on their skills, gate starts and tactics.

The Stouffville track is an impressive addition to the bmx facilities of the Greater Toronto Area, with the national team training at the Pan Am course and its Olympic starting gate in nearby Etobicoke. There’s also Markham’s Joyride 150 Indoor Bike Park. “My friend Mark Summers owns Joyride Indoor Park,” Arnold says. “I run my winter training in the park and many riders use the park daily in the winter and spring.” Monday nights at Joyride 150 are dedicated to gate starts and pump-track timing.

Key to sbmx’s mission is rider development. “We have weekly learn-to-race and learn-toride clinics,” Arnold explains. “We also have summer camps with the ymca and partner with an organization called Tiny Seedlings that helps get young children outside and exercising once a month from May to September.” Brendan and a young rider appear in a helpful video on Youtube called, “How to ride the bmx track at Bruce’s Mill Conservation Area” that explains some of the basics of racing.

Stouffville bmx holds weekly races that regularly draw about 51 riders of all ages and abilities. Leaderboards are posted on the track’s website. Recently, 2018’s highestpoint winners for boys and girls, 17-year-old Colson Bates and 16-year-old Emma Robbescheuten, were selected for Cycling Canada’s 2019 Nextgen program.

Stouffville bmx’s Facebook page is very active, with race information, rigs for sale and the promotion of Joyride 150 events.

Arnold encourages curious two-wheel fans to take the plunge at Stouffville or their local track: “The bmx community is a special group. It’s always nice to be involved in an individual sport but also have the support of a group from a club.”

“BMX is the gateway to all cycling and everyone should experience it for themselves.”