Bike Culture Golden BC

26/06/2022

Episode 12 of Bike Culture has just gone live on Apple, Spotify and Google.

Audrey Duval: Shred Sisters, populating the trails with confident women.

Audrey is a 4’11” woman that came out west to learn English. Well that was a success. Her entrepreneurial spirit got her moving in a couple of directions before she settled on Mountain Bike instruction by qualified and passionate women specifically for women.

Following a couple of Bike/yoga retreats, Shred Sisters was launched and since then hundreds of women have learned the skills needed, in a safe environment, to progress and develop their confidence on the trails. What is striking with Audrey, beyond her wonderful nature and honest laugh, is her passion for teaching, her deep understanding of her market, and her ability to meet the needs.  Give a listen and learn more about the woman behind Shred Sisters. We had a great time with the interview and you will too.

As a bonus, I took 5 minute at the Golden 24 to interview two of Golden's female riders: and her daughter . I have included this short interview in the middle of the Podcast. What a great event the Golden 24 was!!

If you want to know more about or register for a course then follow this link: https://shredsisters.ca/

Want to know more about the Golden 24 then go here: https://www.transrockies.com/golden-

12/06/2022

200 k later the socks got dirty!!

Met some great people! And I had fans. It’s so good to hear people encourage you along the way. Thank you .putnam, Freya, Sara , Sam, Aine and Ullr. You all gave me a boost of energy for the last bit of the last climb of the day.

Jason , who finished the 100 k, waited for my arrival, that’s a classy move, thanks! got me my first beer, that was so appreciated and did not last long.

Despite the 60-80% chance of rain prediction from various weather sites, the weather turned out great. Drizzle to start, 20 minutes of real rain, then great weather that just got better and better. The slicks worked out, just one minor slip.

It was a GREAT ride, and tough. Met some awesome people. Adrian, you put on a GREAT event!

What did it take:
7 bottles of water, two nun tablets
2 Coca Colas
5 dates
4 strips of dried mango
Sandwiches: 1 PBJ, 1 hummus Tzatziki and one ham and cheese
A few chips
A bunch of jujubes
Two gels
One Werthers

10/06/2022

The 200k is happening tomorrow and I am ready…. Mostly.

Tomorrow we’re riding in memory of Danya Leemhuis, his family and his community. Peace… I admire what you are doing with the event

Thank you to for the ongoing support and especially for the snazzy new socks! Cheers

Thank you David Gagnon for the coaching over the winter and event prep. I am stronger this year because of it and ready for 200 k.

My ride

Bike: Salsa Vaya, steel, heavy
Drivetrain: dead, some bad luck at a bad time but it was frankenfixed thanks to , new drive train on the way thanks to Kyle.
Tires: I chose to stick with my Marathon Supremes, slick, 40 PSI. We’ll see how that goes if it rains.
Bar bag, thanks to Dick Bag: Tools, pump, rain coat, extra l**e, bear spray, In Reach and too much food (I hope).
Two water bottles.

Let’s get it on…

15/05/2022

In the Bike Culture Podcast about the MTB Pojek, Joel Falardeau said that he wanted to rip down the Mighty Quinn with me when it was done. Well, today was the day. The bike is being called "the battleship" for now with 170/160 suspension, but thanks to a 77% seat tube angle he was able to make his way up CBT efficiently.
Quinn is a favorite of his to ride but it is also the go to when either the rider or the bike needs tuning. This trail was named after my son, Quinn, who was born still. As a new father himself, this all takes on special significance.
After that we hit a second lap, this time up Twisted Sister and down French Connection, the trail builder Pierre Lambert was with us, and then to some unknown super funky feature rich trail.
It looks to me like his bike, made of hand built "as local as possible" parts, was completely at home on our trails. Thanks for a GREAT ride.
Back at his place, while his son was stealing the show, he pulled a fabulous Phil and Sebatian's Ethiopian espresso. Stay tuned for the café that he and Daphné will be opening, it's going to be incredible.
I have some thanks to dole out: Joel for the ride. The for deciding to name that trail the Mighty Quinn. I don't have the full story but I believe that Rick Seaward, Brady Star and Katie King may have been behind this initiative. Acknowledging stillbirth and pregnancy loss is a big deal. Ryan Harvey and the trail crew for prepping the trails this spring and of course, neighborhood small grants for making the podcast possible.

09/04/2022

Épisode 11, Pierre-Alexandre Couture: Bikepacking free across the americas is now live on Apple, Spotify and Google.
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“Ride your bicycle, allow yourself to get lost
Beautiful Pierre, you are the boss
You got to learn to get happy along the way”

The music throughout this episode is courtesy Tom Jarman . Appropriately, the words above are to be found in the outro music. He modified the lyrics in his arrangement of Diamonds and Gold by Langhorne Slim which you will hear throughout the episode. Tom is a bike packer that P.A. met on the road, he has 50 000 kms under his belt, and you’ll hear about him in the episode.
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Did P.A. ride for a cause?? It’s a typical question that he gets but that was not his intention, this trip was for him. However, guided by the adventure smurph mounted on the front of his bike, his spirit rode for su***de awareness. Peace to Marie-Christine and to Jeremy.
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This photo is of P.A., Martin Lafontaine and a Colombian woman they met and rode with. Old and new friends combined.
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Looking for more info on bikepacking and route planning. This is the place to go, P.A. used it throughout his trip: https://bikepacking.com/
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What’s P.A. up to off the bike? He’s running his own company building house foundations with ICF. The company is called Bang Bang Contracting. You won’t find it on social media so go find him. You can find information about the ICF product he is using here: https://www.nudura.com/
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https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/bike-culture/id1572944992?i=1000556810798

06/04/2022

Episode 11 will go live this weekend. My guest is P.A. Couture on the topic of biking free across the Americas. 26 000 kilometers from Punta Arenas Chili to Santa Cruz California. No, I didn't just post a gratuitous naked photo of PA just to boost ratings... really, this is part of the bike packing experience. You're not alone out there and a culture has developed. For some it is a rite of passage to take a picture naked when biking the Uyuni Salt Flats in Bolivia. Thank you, P.A., for keeping it classy. Tune in to this podcast and you will hear about the culture, the people he met, the travel stories that happened, and what it is like to travel free, with no set plan and not knowing where you will sleep the next night.


The music in this episode is courtesy Tom Jarman . Tom is a bike packer that P.A. met on the road, he has 50 000 kms under his belt, and you’ll hear about him in the episode. PA recorded him and now we get to sample a part of his trip.


Just so that you are aware ahead of time, su***de will be mentioned a couple of times in this episode. It’s not my story to tell, but if you listen right to the end of the episode you will hear P.A.’s story. Thank you for sharing P.A.. One way or another, most of us, or all of us, are affected by su***de. I encourage us all to find the courage to talk about it. If you would like to learn more then I encourage you to participate in one of the trainings offered through Livingworks. It's worth it: https://www.livingworks.net/purchase


A colleague of mine, Sean Larson, recently said: “the best cure we have (for su***de), appears to be connection”. Let’s keep connecting and checking in with one another. If you are having your own thoughts of su***de, then please talk to a friend, a loved one or someone you trust. Failing that call 911 or su***de hotline: 1-800-784-2433


Peace

14/02/2022

Meet Casey Vanderhart, this picture is him working on the plate that goes behind the Snowdog to groom the fat bike trails in Golden. The first part of this podcast is recoded live on my phone while snowshoe packing Schacher with Casey. Sound quality is a bit sketchy at times, I’ll learn how to record outside in motion, but the conversation while packing trail is great you will get to learn the ins and outs of trail prep and grooming. It takes dedication and knowledge gained through experience and is a passion in and of itself.
In the second part we have a conversation in his garage at home surrounded by moto trophies, a unicycle and the Snowdog for grooming the trails. Casey has clearly discovered the freedom of cycling and you will learn about his beginnings in motocross and then his development through literally ALL the different kinds of in biking in Manitoba.
Good family decisions brought him to Golden and he was most definitely ready for mountain biking in BC. Along the way he has also discovered the beauty of simply being outside packing the trail whether it’s peaceful time on his own or a fun outing with his family. Enjoy!
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/bike-culture/id1572944992?i=1000550997958

Golden Cycling Club

14/01/2022

Épisode 9 of Bike Culture is now available on Apple, Spotify and Google. Let me know if you need a direct link instead.

Carl Labonville and Bike Mechanics, the Passion to Keep People Rolling. As he says, life is better on a bike, and he can tell you many reasons why. Enjoy!

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/bike-culture/id1572944992

12/01/2022

Épisode 9 of The Bike Culture Podcast, a chat with Carl Labonville, will be available this weekend.

If ever you have had the chance to chat with Carl Then you know that you are going to hear an awesome voice from a passionate human who is going to take the time to talk with you about one of his favorite topics, bikes. His knowledge goes deep, very deep, and what he doesn’t know he will seek and discover. In this Episode we will be discussing the mechanics of bikes.

First of all you will hear about the place biking in Carl’s life, did you know that he has trials skills?

Then you will hear about what goes in to making a bike, how the industry works, simple ways to care for them with some sidebar discussion into the geopolitics of price, working conditions and quality.

Carl grew up in a time of biking when the gear wasn’t ready for what people wanted to do so there were a lot of repairs along the way. From this grew his passion for finding ways to keep people rolling. Why? Because life is just better on a bike

12/12/2021

Episode 8 is now available on Apple, Spotify and Google. Nate Briggs: Bred for Psychosis. In this episode you will hear a story of the development of MTB in Golden through Nate’s experience who grew up through it all. You’ll also hear about the evolution of tech, he even met Paul Brodie while buying one of his bikes in Golden, and the development of racing in BC. From wheelies in the front yard to psychosis, we cover a lot of ground and along the way you will even get a couple of tips about taking care of yourself through gravity riding. His personal focus is now on riding for fun and fitness, and the highlight is being a father of two riding with his son.

Early on he discovered the sense of freedom that you get from biking and he has pursued and shared that ever since.

.bicycle.emporium

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/bike-culture/id1572944992?i=1000544687254

06/12/2021

Episode 8 will be available this coming weekend. This episode Features Nate Briggs who grew up while Mountain Biking was developing all around him in Golden. The interview follows his development as a rider and as a result we get a history lesson about MTB in Golden. Hear about the trails, the visions, the riders, the races, Psychosis and his family.

Here’s one story that came out after the interview:

One year on Nate’s Psychosis run, his derailleur broke and his rear wheel got jammed. It took 10 minutes to find someone with a tool so that he could take the rats nest out of his drive train. His run was a throwaway. With nothing on the line, he decided to spice things up: He took his cloths off and coaster biked the rest of the race course from RTC. The picture attached is Nate on the road gap wearing nothing but his underwear. Here’s the best part, he finishes his run and after all the cheering… he realizes that he now has to hang out with everyone in his underwear because his cloths are up at RTC!!

21/11/2021

We have a specialty coffee roaster in Golden: Bradley Poole at and he has nailed the first roast that I have ordered from him. It’s a Bourbon Natural from El Salvatore. 3days post roast, 18 grams pulled in a La Spaziale Mini Vivaldi, 30 second pour at 94 degrees. The result is a damn good shot of espresso.
The result is a lively coffee with some well balanced fruity flavours that I will put on the plum and cherry spectrum. Looking forward to how this coffee matures over the next few days. The flavours poke through milk extremely well as well so it’s an excellent cappuccino roast.
Well done Brad, thanks for the great coffee…

12/11/2021

Bike Culture Episode 7 is now available on Apple, Spotify and Google. Give a listen to learn about DH racing with Golden’s young guns: Finnegan Craig and Cody Wharton. As a bonus, you get to hear the music of Cadence Schmidt. The youth at Golden Secondary School are doing some amazing things, pay attention!

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/bike-culture/id1572944992?i=1000541574042
 

11/11/2021

In Episode 7, Friends, Bikes and Comps with Finn and Cody, you will be hearing about the Dunbar Summer Series and the BC Cup at Coast Gravity. To wet your apatite as I prep the episode, here are a couple of videos about those events:

Here’s the Dunbar Summer Series and DH nationals at our very own Kicking Horse Mountain Resort: https://youtu.be/IMGbaRfOP4w

Here’s the BC Cup at Coast Gravity as viewed through the eyes of an 11yr old participant. Pretty cool! https://youtu.be/ecp8WNKHGKE

09/11/2021

Episode no.7: Friends, bikes and comps, will be available this weekend.

Downhill mountain biking and competition is alive and well in Golden. In Episode no.7 I have the pleasure of having a conversation with Finnegan Craig, Cody Wharton, , two of our top young riders. In this episode you will hear about how these riders want to ride bikes, have fun with their friends and push each other to ride stronger and more efficiently in competitions. They would love to get to the world cup level and they are having a damn good time on their way there racing in the Dunbar Summer Series and the BC Cup. You will hear stories of great friendship, fantastic trips, great family time, great support from Selkirk Bike and Ski, , and their ability to encourage one another one another to both raise their level of riding and their level of character. These guys are awesome and I was truly impressed with what they had to say. Enjoy getting to know them.

I also brought back the music of for this one to make it a fully Golden Secondary School Episode. The youth of today are doing amazing things, pay attention...

25/10/2021

19/10/2021

Episode 6 with David Gagnon: The Joy of Teaching, Coaching and Training, is now live on Apple, Spotify and Google. Enjoy!

If you would like to get more information about David’s indoor training program, you can contact him at: [email protected]

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/bike-culture/id1572944992?i=1000539010489

17/10/2021

Episode 6 will be available this Tuesday and will feature Golden’s very own David Gagnon. David is a father of 4 kids, he is the co-owner of Higher Ground Sports with his wife Lolli Gagnon (the boss), and he is the Executive Director of the Professional Mountain Bike Instructor Association - PMBIA. In this episode he shares his passion for instruction and coaching. There is no doubt that he loves riding, but anyone that has taken a course with him will tell you that he loves teaching just as much. After completing a degree in Physical Education from the University of Sherbrook and achieving his level 4 with the Canadian Association of Snowboard Instructors (CASI), he became a level 3 instructor with the PMBIA. He was his own first student, applying everything he learned to his own riding, then started teaching others, and ultimately teaching instructors. You will hear incredible personal stories of his journey with biking, racing, burning out from biking, and his journey back to his passion and becoming a leader in mountain bike instruction worldwide as executive director of the PMBIA. You may even pick up a tip or two!

01/10/2021

I ❤️ Poker Rides!

30/09/2021

Épisode no. 5, an interview with Joel Falardeau about his Bike Project is now live on Apple, Spotify and Google. Woohoo! Settle in and enjoy the interview: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/bike-culture/id1572944992?i=1000537057525

As a treat, here’s a shot of Joel and his wife Daphné. Who can tell me where this shot was taken?

Seriously, what a wonderful couple, thank you for a great interview evening.

There are many links in the show notes. To follow his project you can check him out on Instagram: https://instagram.com/mtbikeprojek?utm_medium=copy_link

28/09/2021

Downhill Biking (DH), is strong in Golden and Psychosis is deep in the local history. Have a look at the course as Andy Bostock takes you through it.

At some point I will do a podcast dedicated to psychosis. For now I will bet that Joel Falardeau will be riding this once his bike is ready.

Crankworks has completed Psychosis and today you can catch the live stream as they race at Kicking Horse:

https://youtu.be/OHcgnth0k40

Steep chutes, massive drops, road gaps, and...uphill climbs?! Psychosis is a brutal track that tests the limits of the strongest riders. Trev Burke and And...

28/09/2021

Episode #5 will go live this week and features an interview with Joel Falardeau. Joel was getting bored between snowboard seasons when he finally discovered mountain biking. He has delved deep into it over the last 6 years putting in thousands of kilometers. The aspect we focus on in this interview is the bike itself and it’s individual parts. Joel has embarked on a project to build a mountain bike choosing parts from smaller manufacturers, that build locally (build and sell where they live), and that are both durable and serviceable. Give a listen to his philosophy and passion for this project, and learn about a number of different manufacturers that you usually don’t get to hear about. Geeky and fun, we even make time to talk about parenting as soon enough he’s going to be a dad.

18/09/2021

Rockabout, i don’t usually stop because I’m either on the climbing mission or the Downhill burn. However, someone built a fantastic rock bench at a phenomenal view point and it is well worth the stop and contemplate.

10/09/2021

Episode no. 4 of Bike Culture is now live and features an interview Vera Dorward. Here’s a picture of her heading out for a night on the town on her three wheeler wearing her matching red heals and red handbag.
Sitting on Vera's back deck in Golden with her dog Peppy, we have a conversation about bikes and life. Vera started biking  from when she was 5 years old in Holland and when she came to Canada via Montreal and then Vancouver in 1967 (the year of my birth), she surprised the locals by biking back and forth to work every day. That's hard to imagine when you look at Vancouver now. Later we talk about her transition to riding on three wheels in Golden and her influence on others to ride one themselves.
Vera really enjoys biking for the pleasure of riding, the day-to-day practicality and the low carbon footprint. Heck, we even talk about home cooking!
In this interview you will be inspired by Vera’s love for life and the three-wheeler within it.
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/bike-culture/id1572944992?i=1000534875383

05/09/2021

Épisode no. 4 of Bike Culture will become available this week and will feature an interview Vera Dorward, who at 81 years of age can be seen frequently riding her E-tricycle around town. Born and raised in Holland, bikes have been always been a part of her life. Give a listen and hear about her evolution and her pioneering of biking in Canada. This has led her to be an inspiration locally for E-Tricycling. What a pleasure to sit on her balcony and have a conversation with her!!

05/08/2021

Episode #3 is NOW LIVE on Apple podcasts and Spotify. Interview with Sabrina Curtis and featuring Cadence Schmidt’s arrangement of Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here.

Here’s a post interview picture of Sabrina getting chauffeured back to the campsite by Cadence. Load it up and get inspired!

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/bike-culture/id1572944992?i=1000531085417

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1gW5jGijNoTPQF5Lxv0nc1?si=nbSbonQ5S6Kvj565PkIi4A&dl_branch=1

04/08/2021

Episode #3 of Bike Culture will go live on Thursday August 5th. For this episode I have the privilege of sitting on the shore of Slocan Lake, opposite New Denver, to interview Sabrina Curtis.

We talk about Sabrina's journey through bikes from Saskatchewan to BC and abroad. Sabrina's journey has included downhill biking, adventure biking, cross country biking, 24 hour races, gravel biking and bike packing. We talk about her accidents that have led to head injury and the transformation in her biking goals. As Sabrina has said, bikes have been a part of her injury, but they are also part of her healing.

Sabrina welcomes anyone who has experienced brain injury to get in touch with her. She is willing to listen and support others. At the same time, she would also like to hear people’s thoughts for ways to improve the support systems available to those living with brain injury (such concussions and head injuries).

As a bonus, the music this week was provided by Cadence Schmidt, Sabrina's daughter.

Load it up on Thursday and enjoy!!

04/08/2021

Episode #3 of Bike Culture will go live on Thursday August 5th. For this episode I have the privilege of sitting on the shore of Slocan Lake, opposite New Denver, to interview Sabrina Curtis

We talk about Sabrina's journey through bikes from Saskatchewan to BC. Sabrina's journey has included downhill biking, adventure biking, cross country biking, 24 hour races, gravel biking and bike packing. We talk about her accidents that have led to head injury and the transformation in her biking goals. As Sabrina has said, bikes have been a part of her injury, but they are also part of her healing.

Sabrina welcomes anyone who has experienced brain injury to get in touch with her. She is willing to listen and support others. At the same time, she would also like to hear about what people need from our medical system to heal well.

As a bonus, the music this week was provided by Cadence Schmidt, Sabrina's daughter.

Load it up on Thursday and enjoy!!

23/07/2021

The simplicity of bike culture. You go ride your local trails and one day this is what you see. Thank you to whoever created this!

15/07/2021

Épisode 2 of Bike Culture is now live featuring Adrian Leemhuis and the Blumoose Gravel Race in Golden BC. We talk about the race, what gravel riding is all about and share family stories. Load and enjoy, please provide me with comments!

This photo was taken During the Blumoose at the Parson rest stop courtesy of Adrian Leemhuis.

Thé podcast is available on Apple, Spotify and Google: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/bike-culture/id1572944992?i=1000528975377

Thank you for your support.