iRide Summer @ Hope

Last week iRide launched its first summer camp of 2015 in Hope, BC, in partnership with the Fraser Valley Regional District and Hope`s local community center.  In an attempt to beat the heat, iRide Head Coach Nigel Thompson pulled out all the stops with portions of the day including games inside the vacant local hockey rink, trips to the tree-shaded BMX pump track and ice cream pit stops!  A small but enthusiastic group of cyclists participated in the camp and the local community center is now taking reservations for a second camp planned in the first week of September.

Nigel reports:

My crew of riders were aged 8-13 and every one was very polite and eager to ride their bikes with more confidence.  When we ventured out to the brand new BMX bike park on the second day, each rider had a few fears about conquering the whoops and berms.  Warming up with iRide games at the adjacent skate board park proved helpful and once we rolled onto the dirt, the improvements were fast and steady.

Due the unexpected heat wave, the students were pretty cooked after the first day (pun intended). Mandy Arbuckle, the recreation director, allowed us to use the ice-free skating rink for the morning session on the following days. This allowed the students to play games of Joust, biking ballet competitions and fine tune their road riding skills in the relaxing and comfortable environment. On our final `graduation’ day, I took the students on a safari around Hope and up to a lake called Kawak. We enjoyed a nice lunch and a cool down near the lake before one last stop at the local ice-cream shop to wrap up four fun days of riding.