MTBCO

We have some massive news dropping out of Knox Mountain this week! The brand-new blue Balsam Flow trail is officially open, and sections of Balsam Rocks have been beautifully reworked.

This amazing project—along with all the previous incredible trail work that has completely transformed Knox Mountain over the years—was fully coordinated and funded by the City of Kelowna. We want to say a massive thank you to the City for continuously investing heavily in our local networks! 👏❤️

We also want to give a massive shout-out to Cody and the crew at Cabin Operations for their incredible, City-funded work on the tools to bring this vision to life!

⚠️ Rider Note: The old blue Balsam trail is now permanently decommissioned. The new trails are open, but please use caution as the fresh dirt is still settling and a bit dry/loose in sections. (The accompanying hiking trail will be finished next week!).

🤝 The Give & Take of Trail Collaboration
This incredible new blue trail is a prime example of teamwork in action. The new trail alignment was actively scouted and determined by MTBCO and Cabin Operations, and was fully supported and coordinated by the City of Kelowna. Cody and our team scoped this reroute a while back to replace the old, beaten-down descent, create a better two-way option, and keep lower-level riders safely off the black lines.

As part of this ongoing, give-and-take relationship, the City is actively working to manage sanctioned trails and decommission unsanctioned areas. You might notice some unapproved features being closed down (like the stunt ripping directly onto the road). While those hits are fun, keeping our trails safe, sanctioned, and respected ensures we keep getting permission and funding for massive collaborative builds like Balsam Flow.

Go give those new Balsam turns a spin, and let us know what you think! 🏆🍂

We’re grateful to the youth volunteers and Cabin who recently dedicated their time to helping improve the Gillard trail network.

Working alongside MTBCO on a reroute of the Saint Ripper exit onto the Gillard FSR, the group contributed to creating a safer, slower merge for riders, while gaining hands-on experience in trail stewardship and sustainable trail building.

Projects like this help ensure our trails continue to evolve and improve for the entire riding community. Thank you to the volunteers who took the time to learn, contribute, and give back to the trails we all enjoy.

From your classic local shop socials to the return of a Friday favorite up the mountain, here is your schedule:

Weekly Shop Social Laps:
Support the incredible local shops that keep our community connected! All your favorite weekly shop group rides are running as usual. Make sure to check each shop’s individual website and social media pages for exact rollout times and location confirmations:

Monday: Smith Creek Cycle Group Ride (Smith Creek) 🏔️

Tuesday: Cyclepath Group Ride (Crawford) & Sovereign Group Ride (West Kelowna) 🚲

Wednesday: Lake Country Cycle Group Ride (Lake Country) 🌲

Friday AM: ChainLine Cycle Group Ride (Crawford) ☕💨

The Big Friday Alpine Feature:

Friday, July 10 | Fiv’r Fridays @ Big White: Alpine racing is officially back! Head up the mountain this Friday for casual, high-energy race laps, good times, and unbeatable community vibes. Don't miss out on kicking off the weekend the right way! 🏁🏔️

👉 Head to mtbco.ca/events to keep an eye on our full summer schedule, and hit up our local shop friends' pages for their specific ride updates!

Laps on Knox, free pizza, and your weekly shop schedule is locked in! 🗓️🍕?

We have an absolute banger of a week lined up for the Central Okanagan riding community! We are kicking things off tonight with our own community social ride, followed by your favorite local shop laps later in the week.

​⚠️ Please Note: There is NO Smith Creek Cycle group ride tonight (Monday), so come join the big crew over at Knox instead!

​Your Weekly Hit List:

​Monday (Tonight!) | MTBCO Social Ride @ Knox: Come smash some classic Knox laps with the crew! Afterward, we are heading straight over to Red Bird Brewing where the post-ride pizza is completely on us! 🍻🍕

​Tuesday | Shop Socials: Take your pick! Hit Crawford with the Cyclepath Kelowna crew, or head over to the Westside for the Sovereign group ride. 🚲

​Wednesday | North End Social: Keep the momentum rolling with the Lake Country Cycle team for their weekly community lap. 🌲✨

​Friday | Morning Fuel: Wrap up the work week with the ChainLine Cycle crew in Crawford. Rollout is bright and early at 6:30 AM! ☕💨

​🔗 Head to the link in our bio for exact meeting locations and rollout times at mtbco.ca/events!

Laps on Knox, free pizza on us. Monday is looking up. 🍕🚲🔥

We’ve got your Monday night completely dialed. We are hitting Knox Mountain for our monthly community group ride, and we’re wrapping it up with the ultimate after-party.

Meet the crew, smash some classic Knox laps, and then head straight over to Red Bird Brewing where the post-ride pizza is entirely on us! 🍻🍕

Huge shout-out to the incredible crew of 15 volunteers who showed up and threw down for the Gillard Trail Day! We got a massive amount of work done under the sun, capped off with a classic post-dig BBQ celebration.

Here is your official trail equity update:

Boss Hogg & Slab: The crews put in some heavy dirt work on the Boss Hogg drop and the Slab bottoms, shaping and packing the catch berms to make them bigger, smoother, and way more supportive.

Moose Knuckle: We literally mowed the lawn! The side hits are looking so pristine they look like a golf putting green right now. The trail crew's official note: "Everyone’s got to ride it more to keep it dirt!" 🏌️‍♂️🌲

The Parking Lot Win:
Special shout-out to the riders who were just gearing up to go for a lap and ended up locking in their official MTBCO memberships right there in the new staging area. Welcome to the club! 🏷️🙌

Massive thanks to Zach, Aimee and keegan for capturing the day (and capturing the post-dig burger vibes while our trail bosses were busy manning the grill).

Take a look at this week's lineup, Okanagan riders! We have no official MTBCO community events or trail days scheduled for the weekend, giving our volunteer crew a much-needed breather—but the mid-week is still fully loaded with your favorite local shop rides:

🚲 Your Weekly Shop Laps:

Monday: Smith Creek Cycle Group Ride (Smith Creek)

Tuesday: Cyclepath Group Ride (Crawford) & Sovereign Group Ride (West Kelowna)

Wednesday: Lake Country Cycle Group Ride (Lake Country)

Friday: ChainLine Cycle Group Ride (Crawford) – Early bird 6:30 AM rollout!

The Big Sunday Showcase:

Sunday, June 28 | The Okanagan Graveller: While our mountain bike trails get a rest, the gravel community is taking over Lake Country! The legendary Okanagan Graveller is officially back in Oyama. Whether you're tackling the 60km Stone, the 90km Rock, or the brutal 120km Boulder mountain epic, we want to wish a massive good luck to everyone lining up at the start gate! 🪨🌎
Find a Race

👉 Check our shop partners' pages for exact rollout times, and head to mtbco.ca/events to keep an eye on the rest of our summer schedule!

Every rider. Every budget. Every trail. 🚲✨

We want to make supporting our trail network as easy as clicking into your pedals. That is why we offer flexible options designed to fit every budget and crew across the Okanagan:

👥 Choose Your Tier: Single, Couples, Family, or Student & Youth!

What do you get when you join the crew?
1️⃣ Access to over 500km of perfectly maintained, world-class singletrack.
2️⃣ Automatic entry to amazing community events like our weekly group rides, the Sunset Series, and Cranksgiving.
3️⃣ Massive perks and savings at 15+ local bike shops, cafes, and breweries.

It is affordable, it is simple, and it keeps our backyard thriving. Grab your handlebar strap in less than 2 minutes at mtbco.ca/membership!