Bike riders galore at ‘Shifting Gears

Thrill seeking boys and girls were chomping at the bit Sunday morning to ride one of Williams Lake’s premier mountain biking trails, Snakes ‘n Ladders, for the 1st annual Shifting Gears fundraising event.

The event was organized by Red Shred’s Bike and Board Shed and the Boys and Girls Club of Williams Lake and District as an alternative to the club usual golf fundraiser.

The day started at 9:30 a.m. Sunday morning at the clubhouse with shuttle rides out to the popular trail up near Esler where registration was taking place. The ride started just after 10 a.m. for all the anxious riders who couldn’t wait to get on the trails.

Despite the cool morning weather, there were bikers galore and 75 riders took part in the event.

All the riders were broken into classes, and started on the trail individually, with the ending point being the river valley parking lot across from the graveyard, a good 20-30 minute ride, or bike park at Boitanio Park.

Monica Johnston from Boys and Girls Club said the day was huge success and that raised more than $7,000 was raised for the club.

“Some riders came from outside the community and had never ridden the amazing trails of Williams Lake and were very impressed,” said Johnson. “Our Club wishes to appreciate the fantastic group of volunteers that made the event successful.”

The ride was followed by a BBQ in Boitanio Park at the bike park, and Johnston said the whole day certainly met their goal of providing a fun, community event.

This summer City Council reached a Community Partnership Agreement with the Williams Lake Cycling Club to work together to sustain vibrant, progressive, and economic beneficial cycling initiatives.

Since then, signage at trail heads has greatly improved on area mountain biking trails, making Williams Lake an even more popular area for mountain biking as seen last Sunday for the Shifting Gears fundraiser.

Shifting Gears offers mountain biking event for families

Courtney Taylor

Cariboo Advisor

The Boys and Girls Club’s next fundraiser is aptly named “Shifting Gears,” since it is the result of a refocusing of their fundraising methods, and a change from their usual golf tournament.


“This year we looked at all the aspects of our organization, and refocused our fundraising effort to better reflect our core programs,” said Monica Johnson, Executive Director for the Williams Lake Boys and Girls Club.


This year instead of a golf tournament, the club is organizing a family friendly mountain bike event.


Shifting Gears is planned for October 2nd with a start time of 10 a.m. and registration forms can be picked up at Red Shred’s and the Boys and Girls Club.


The event is open to all skill levels, as long as they are comfortable on trails. The route will take riders on Snakes and Ladders, and Spokey Hallow trails, with a shuttle offered from there to Botanio Park to finish up with a barbeque.


“It’s a nice little celebration of mountain biking,” said Johnson. “And a nice way to end our season.’


The Boys and Girls club has a mountain bike group for kids called ‘Sprokids’ for several years, and it is very popular.
The cost for registration is $10 per rider, and $25 for a family.


“There will also be events set up in the bike park for those under six or so,” said Johnson. “This event is specifically for families to ride together.”


The Boys and Girls Club is adamant on providing the community with fun activities the entire family can participate in, said Johnson.


“It’s what we’re all about, and we want to highlight the bike park which is an excellent resource for kids, and their families,” said Johnson.


For kids who want to take part in the event, and need a ride, Johnson said there will be a shuttle that will leave the Boys and Girls Club at 9:30 a.m. on the day of the event. The Boys and Girls Club is also looking for volunteers for the day.


“We are specifically looking for individuals who have First-Aid in case anyone needs some attention, and we would need them for about four hours on October 2,” said Johnson. If anyone is interested, contact Lenora Savard at Red Shreds at 250-398-7873.