Coast Gravity Park, located about 10km from Sechelt on the gorgeous Sunshine Coast, is everything we imagined it would be. With trails that are set in the magnificent coastal forest overlooking the waters of Sechelt Inlet, the park is designed by legendary mountain bike freeriders who belong to The Coastal Crew. Coast Gravity Park was built in 2014 for riders by riders. The trails are designed and groomed to perfection, providing an opportunity for big hits and unmatched flow. The location also offers a touch of mountain bike history with the remains of features recognizable from classic mountain bike edits and movies like Brandon Semenuk’s Rad Company.
We met up with FX’s friends and teammates from France; Fabien, Francois, Valentin, Yohan, and Vincent (a road biker, Francois’ brother, and a guy who makes the best mustard-glazed chicken cooked over an open fire). The guys were visiting BC on their 2019 Pony Tour – in French the term “pony” means to case a jump which results in the rider coming up short and not making it to the landing, uncomfortable at best and sometimes resulting in a crash or a broken bike part. Known as Team Education Minimum, these guys are a bunch of friends who ride downhill and take their name from a scene in the movie Dikkenek. They are looking for fun and competition, spending a few weeks to take a trip to shred trails, smash wheels, and try to whip while taking photos and creating videos. True to proclamation, the team did end up breaking wheels… multiple wheels… multiple times.
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| Waiting for the shuttle with Fabien |
Coast Gravity has trails for all levels and if you are an expert level rider don’t let the easier rated trail signs deter you. While we often hit the most difficult lines, the trail building at Coast Gravity is so pristine that all of the trails were incredibly fun to ride. FX rode lap after lap of Coastal Cruise and named Red Dragon among one of his favourites. After a few days of shuttling to hit all the trails we were ready to move on and explore new adventures on Vancouver Island. Tanya was also looking forward to picking up some new pedals from Comox Bike Company after having destroyed hers at Coast Gravity Park. Thanks again!
The drive to island was breathtaking. Along the scenic route we took a ferry to cross at Earls Cove and then another ferry from Powel River to Comox. The smaller vessel at Earls Cove paired with the cool fresh breeze that rushed along the Georgia Straight made the journey seem a little wilder and invigorated our drive for adventure.
We arrived in Comox hungry but excited to meet Tanya’s friend Jen for a ride in Cumberland Forest. Inspired by the smell of the Pacific and the sounds of the seagulls searching for bits of scraps we sought out the most famous fish and chips on the Island, and settled in for a delicious plate at Jo Klassen’s Restaurant. We met Jen at the Cumberland Forest trailhead and climbed the long fire road and single track to get to the top. We then followed her through some of her favourites. Trails like Blockhead and Roughneck, enduro style trails with a little bit of everything that leave the rider satisfied but still wanting more. We planned to hit Cumberland Forest for more fun the following day but it rained so took a break, did some yoga, did some laundry, and hiked up to visit Nymph Falls while our salmon dinner was marinating. Excited to ride Forbidden Plateau and even more excited that Jon, Jen’s finance, offered to shuttle us, we loaded up our bikes in Jon’s truck the next morning for some wonderfully creative line choices on Slither and Monkey Revenge. Exhausted from riding and crashing (Tanya this time) we swam in Comox lake and relaxed in our hammocks before hitting a few laps at Cumberland’s dirt jump park.
On route to the mainland we paused along the shore to dip our toes in the Pacific and discovered the tiny hermit crabs that scuttle amongst the rocks seeking a dark hideout. We stopped to check out the Stevie Smith Bike Park, a park built to honor the legacy of the Canadian mountain bike legend and Nanaimo local Steve Smith. We raced around the Velosolutions pump track and FX attempted a few lines on the dirt jumps before we packed up and headed to the ferry. We had made plans to reunite with Team Education Minimum, joining the guys for some epic Whistler Bike Park laps… but that a story for another day.
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