By: Dave Pinton
FVMBA Director of Communications

Can anything be more real than ripping down a thin strand of your favourite singletrack?

Tires grip, bike leans, wind rushes. Trees flicker by as you hit that section where you know every root, berm, and rut, picking up speed and blurring your vision as you push for more. This. Is. Life. This is real.

Facebook?

Twitter?

Insta?

Not real, right?

Yep. Poor substitutes in comparison to shredding your favourite trail, that’s for sure. And thank God the trails haven’t closed during this pandemic. I don’t know about you, but now more than ever riding my bike keeps me sane.

But we can’t really hang out, can we? COVID restrictions mean we can ride, but we have to avoid getting together in groups. No races, no beer gardens after. No officially sanctioned social rides, or post-ride beverage. No big face-to-face-fun. And I get it. Respect to Dr. Bonnie H. Hopefully we get back to normal sooner if we play by the rules.

But forced distance in this hellacious year means people are trying to connect in different ways. And a lot of the time its digital. Like it or not.

And it’s not awesome. Right? Two words. Zoom birthday.

There. See my point?

But here at the FVMBA, one way we’re trying to live up to our mission of building trails and building community is by leveling up our social game. Building some of that community online. Through virtual challenges last summer, and by posting more so you can see what’s happening and maybe engage with each other online when you’re not on your bike. We know it’s not the same, but building the stoke and delivering information can’t hurt can it?

And it seems like you like it. Thumbs up.

You’ve mashed the like button, commented, or shared stories nearly 400,000 times on our channels over the course of this pandemic plagued year.

Look. Likes aren’t everything, we get it. Social numbers really don’t keep us up at night, but 4100 friends follow the FVMBA facebook page and about the same on Instagram. So thank you! We hope you’re getting good info out of these channels. And we love seeing your photos and hearing from you.

Also? The internet is fueled by cat videos. Our version? Trail Dog Tuesdays. Post yours.

Or why not show off where you rode in “Where did you ride” Mondays.

And who doesn’t like seeing the wood work and the trails our freaking amazing volunteer trail builders and the FVMBA trail crew are laying down for your next session.

So we get it. Scrolling is not shredding. But connecting, at least on some level, is better than nothing, and sharing information this way can be powerful. You need to know about closures, new trails, better features, and other riding essentials, right?

So get out and ride. Send us a photo, tag us, or share a post from that ride. We love seeing that stuff and so do other riders. Tell us what you’d like to see on social.

We can’t wait until we can chirp you in the parking lot, or laugh at your buddy’s big gap attempt, high five, fist bump, or buy you a beer after a race. Face to face. IRL.

Ride on.