COCHRANE—Bike Cochrane is hosting Laura Mislan and Jeff Woodgate from Alberta 66 MTB, a mountain biking instruction and guiding service, as the latest guests in its virtual speaker series on Thursday (April 15) at 7 p.m.
The pair will be discussing why coaching is important and how it can help you achieve maximum fun on your bike, trail safety, riding preparation and how to support your trails, said Shanna Cremers, board member with the Bike Cochrane Society.
Membership has grown from roughly 180 members and is now sitting at 260 members, Cremers said, and the society is trying to find creative ways to bring those members together.
“We wanted a way to engage our members,” she said. “One of our mandates is a community connected through cycling, so we just thought it was important to get some more connection in there.”
She noted an added benefit of fostering a connected community is creating a larger voice in Cochrane that can unite to pull together various projects the society is pursuing.
The speaker series has previously hosted Big Hill Cycle’s Tim Lomeda and Shane Campbell where they spoke about spring bike prep and cycling in winter, respectively, and there are plans to host another speaker near the end of April about gravel riding.
Bike Cochrane is a non-profit society that is largely funded by its membership, and is always looking for key volunteers to help with the projects it is working on, like downtown’s LaunchPad flow park.
Cremers said she has gained a tremendous sense of satisfaction from being a volunteer with the society.
“I love knowing that I’m helping shape our community into a more cycling-friendly community. I love that I’m making something that my kids can be proud of. I love that I’m making something my kids will be proud of,” she said. “If we get more mountain bike trails, and we get more biking infrastructure— I am excited that kids in the future can explore on those, and learn on those, and it will be safer for them to get to school and they’ll have trails outside their back door. So, the value, I think, is just knowing that you’re helping your community in something that you’re passionate about.”
If you want to learn more about the speaker series, or the Bike Cochrane Society, visit their social media channels, or online at bikecochane.com/.
