Image Credit: Stoke the Season

By Dylana Kneeshaw

STOKE THE SEASON

Inaugural ‘Stoke the Season’ event set to celebrate Kamloops biking scene on Saturday

Apr 26, 2024 | 7:00 PM

KAMLOOPS — Kamloops has become known as a mountain biking mecca in recent years. To celebrate the start of the spring season, the local mountain biking and cycling community will be hosting a kick-off event this weekend.

Stoke the Season is a new, one-day festival for bikers to share their passion for the sport and for people who may be new to the activity and want to learn more about it.

“We are going to be starting at Dufferin Skills Park with the (Kamloops Bike Riders Association) for a ‘Dig Day,'” explains Stacey Gagnon, one of the organizers behind Stoke the Season. “For anyone who doesn’t know what that is, it’s basically to show people and get people involved in the trail maintenance of the systems that we have in town. And Dufferin Skills Park is a super favourite one of mine because it’s where kids learn to ride mountain bikes.”

The second part of the event includes a vendor showcase by the Clocktower at Thompson Rivers University. There will also be bike lessons, a movie screening and a barbecue.

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Stoke the Season is meant to be a friendly entry point for newcomers and a celebration of recent growth of biking in Kamloops. Gagnon says the activity has really seen a boost in popularity in the past several years.

“You know, COVID really bumped that up, and I think just being involved in other facets of the cycling community in Kamloops, you see the commuting and the demand for infrastructure that’s happening, and things are actually moving with that, which is nice to see. And just the trails and the people who are all participating and you have really strong growth in the community, but what I’ve really seen is (an increase in) women.”

Entry for Saturday’s event is by-donation, and for more details, go to StoketheSeason.com.