By: Ryan Picton
FVMBA Director, Mission

2020 was an interesting year for obvious reasons, but for Mission, mountain bikers, and bike riders in general it was actually a very positive year filled with even more time spent outdoors riding bikes. Our local trails saw increased usage and more families spending quality time on our amazing local mountains. The pandemic saw local bike shops selling out of bikes and people searching for more outdoor adventures. We are blessed here in Mission to have so many locations to ride our bikes and this year saw plans put in place for even more.

I was lucky enough to get involved in a long-running project to construct a pump track and skills park here in Mission. This is a project that is close to my heart and honestly the main reason that I joined the FVMBA board. This project had been in the works for over 5 years, spearheaded by Rocky Blondin the previous FVMBA President. Rocky brought me up to speed and with his help, we were given the opportunity to present to council and staff here in Mission. With support from council, staff, and the parks and rec department, the project became a reality with council approving a budget of $300,000 for an asphalt pump track and skills park. The project is still in the planning stages right now but we hope to see shovels in the ground this year. This is going to be huge for the community and will serve riders of all ages for years to come!!! A separate very exciting project is in the works at Heritage Park, with plans to upgrade and update the mountain bike trails there, more updates to come but this project will also be an exciting one for our amazing town.

I do want to take a moment to thank all of the local builders, community members, and everyone who helps keep the trails running. With increased numbers of people using the local trails, this year maintenance has been more crucial than ever. I have no idea how these people do it but I want to say a heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you. We were also very lucky to have had the FVMBA trail crew out on our trails here in Mission on multiple occasions slinging dirt, fixing drainage, and making the trails run smooth.

2021 will be another interesting year for sure, but for biking in general; especially in Mission, it’s going to be a pretty amazing one, and I can’t wait to see the projects mentioned above become a reality. So get out on your bikes, have adventures and make memories.