Laurentian 8 mountain bike relay coming to North Bay

The Laurentian 8 is set to test mountain bike riders young and old, and of all skill levels.

Laurentian Ski Hill and Pro Sports Management have teamed up to bring the first eight-hour mountain bike relay to Northern Ontario on October 5, set in the North Bay Nordic Ski Club trails.

The funds raised from the event will go to the ski hill. Co-convenor of the event Tim Simpson says all ski hills have to be four-seasons nowadays to be viable financially.

“Laurentian has traditionally been a one-season resort so this is all part of turning it around. This is going to be the first of more than just one event,” he said.

“This will help what we hope to eventually expand maybe into the BMX, into the road race, into the trick biking and that’s where it really comes from, the idea of it. The mountain bike because of our beautiful trails, the fall colours, it just seems like a natural fit for our area.”

Simpson says eight-hour relays are pretty big in the mountain bike world and while another mountain bike race (Lost in the Woods) does take place in this area, the Laurentian 8 is geared toward the general public.

The course is eight-kilometres long and the goal of the race is to complete as many laps as you can in eight hours.

“There’s a kids division for kids under 12, they have their own trail,” Simpson said, “There’s a team division (where riders take turns on the course) and a four-hour race for (teens and recreational riders) as well and so it’s really just designed for all levels of riders from beginner right to the expert rider.”

The race will also feature live entertainment setup, vendors, food, and a licensed beer tent.

General Manager of the ski hill Trish Pecore says mountain biking was an option brought to them and overall, was an idea to go forward with.

“We’ve got lots of trails here, which is actually what started us thinking about it,” she said, “It’s not going to be run here this year but we see the mountain bikers go by every day and there’s a lot of our customers that I think are also mountain bikers so it’s a good tie in that way.”

She says ski hill expenses go up just like everybody else, and they have some big expenses including their chair lift.

“We have a huge asset in that chair lift that needs constant repair and upgrade,” she said, “There’s regulatory work that needs to be done on it like this year, because it’s 15-years old and we have to almost take it apart and prove that it’s safe, which is important for our customers too and for myself, because I wouldn’t be comfortable otherwise, but those are big expenses and if we could find a way to use the chair lift in the summer time, without costing us too much money of course, then that would just spread the work on the asset over more people and more revenue.”

Simpson says the goal is to get 250 riders this year.

“We’re really marketing it hard to try and bring in those riders and what you have to do first is have a first class event and then next year, the move will start and we go after Southern Ontario riders as well. This year may be a bit of a challenge to bring those (riders) up here.”

He also said sports tourism is one of the largest industries in North Bay and that this event will add to the landscape.

One he hopes he can add a lot more to in the future.


Event Information

Riders can register in-person at Just Sports on Main Street or by going to www.pro-sports-management.com

You can also call Simpson at 705-499-1515.

Prices
-$65.00 for 19 and over
-$50.00 for ages 13-18
-$25.00 for kids 12 and under

Riders are urged to register early, as prices increase by $10 on September 17. The first 100 to register will also receive a souvenir race t-shirt.

They are also looking for vendors and businesses. You can get a sponsorship or vendor package for the race by sending an email to [email protected] or calling Simpson.