Quesnel, BC - XC riding

Source: Brett Hornfelt

Home Sweet Home - Part 1 of 2

It's always funny, how no matter where a person goes in their travels or where a person ends up living, nothing is quite like home. No matter where a person is able to ride. No matter how much fun is had, nothing is the same as riding at home. It's weird how a person can be riding some of the best trails in the world whether it is in Golden, Invermere, Whistler, the North Shore, Kamloops, Rossland, Bromont, Mont St. Anne the list can keep going, but nothing gives a person the same satisfaction as riding the trails you grew up on, and learned how to ride on. There is just something about home town trails that can't be taken away and will always be part you. That is what my local trails are like to me and this is what I am writing about, a couple local trails that get me stoked just to ride my bikes.
Here in Quesnel BC, where I have spent most of my life and where I learned to ride bikes, the trail network is amazing. As a DH racer it is a great place to train for the upcoming season. There are many awesome XC rides, and some of the best road riding around for sure. The DH courses, even though there is only a few as of yet, take a while for the snow to melt but once they are clear they are awesome. With some really tight and tech riding, some high speed flowy stuff and then some super rough knock you around sections, then some trails that make you nervous every time you ride them. There really is some amazing stuff around here, and there is more on the way. We have some keen trail builders that are making some amazing stuff. We just rode a new DH trail last week that is truly exciting to ride. The top part might be my new favorite trail section. But more on that trail in part 2. Right now there are a couple epic XC rides right close to town that really need to have a mention.

The first trail is definitely one of my top 3 XC rides. Depending on how you're feeling, you can start right from town, and give yourself a good stretch of climbs to get to the trail head. Or drive to the trail head and ride in from there. From town you start off on the west side of the Fraser River right in town, heading up Hog's Back, which has a good consistent grade with a couple short little killer climbs, not too tech just really steep and challenging. This is a super fun flowy trail no matter which way you ride it up or down. Lot's of times I will bring my big bike up to get some fast pinner runs in early season because this trail loses the snow really early and it is so easy to get to. This trail is about 25-30 minute climb at a good pace from town. Once you exit this trail a person does need to climb the road for a couple km to get to the trail head of Pinnacles trail or Pins as we call it.


Now this trail is awesome with some amazing views of the Baker creek valley and of the pinnacles that formed along the way. The start of the trail is in a park area so it's a well used walking path with a couple short little singletrack sections off to the sides. But once you get in to the thick of it, it gets really fun. Some good fast sections, with some good climbs and some fun not too technical descents, this trail has all you want in a good XC ride. You ride along the edge of the large creek valley for most of the trail so the views are really good the whole time. This trail originally was a ride in, ride out on the same trail, but someone had the good idea of dropping down, cross the creek and ride out the other side. At the original finish point of the trail there is a lookout, looking over the creek and the hills here in BC's Caribou area.


Here is where the DHer comes out in me because in order to drop down and cross the creek you have to ride a steep downhill section that is super fun with a couple tech spots. But it is really amazing when you ride down, pick up your bike splash your way across the creek and start riding up the double track climb on the other side. It makes you feel like you're in an adventure race, and you're out in the middle of nowhere. It really is an awesome ride.

Once you're across the creek you ride the double track for a few km to the top of the valley on the other side. Then you ride a road for a few more km until you get to the final part. Where it is a well used double track trail that has a few really fun descents and spits you out only a few blocks away from where you started. Overall if you ride the whole loop from town, across the creek and back to town, at a good pace, it's a three to three and half hour loop. If you ride out to the lookout and back into town on the same trail it would be about two and half to three hour ride. Both ways are awesome and well worth the ride.

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The next trail that should get a mention isn't really just a trail, but rather a whole network of trails within themselves, this trail system is the Weldwood Ridge area. Depending upon how much work you feel like doing on a given day, you can find it all in here as there are a number trails through this area, they all are super fun with different features, depending on what you feel like riding that day. There are some awesome steeper sections with some fun flowy single track, some grueling climbs that make you wish you went the easy way. And there are some awesome scenic spots along the way. You can side hill the Fraser River for a bit with some beautiful shots looking down the valley or going the other way with some nice shots of the big town itself. The best part of this area is you are within ten minutes of down town to the trail head. You can ride for as long as you want or as short as you want, and have fun no matter which trail you ride.


The way that I normally ride these trails is to start at the West Fraser Timber Park. Ride up a trail called Joe's, which is a good climb with a steady pitch and a great start to a ride. Getting your heart rate up and the blood flowing for sure. This is actually one of my Downhill courses as well, so it's a good climb for sure. Once you're at the top you ride the road for a ways and enter the trail on some well used double track. Then drop in to some really fun single track along the whole ridge. There are a few different shelves on this ridge to ride so it makes it good for all the different trails in this area. There are some fun super steep sections for climbing and going down, everything in this trail area is in short spurts, the climbs are quick and short but usually pretty steep, the same with the downhills - short and steep. It seems that no matter how many times I ride this area I always take a different loop or trail section that I haven't ridden before, it keeps this area fresh and fun.


Then I normally finish off with the side hill above the river on the way back in to town. Once the side hill is done you can either ride down the hill straight into town or the way I like to finish off, is to ride back up the road to the top of Joe's and finish off with a fun fast two and half to three minute downhill. Nothing more rewarding than a good downhill. To me that is why I ride up, to ride down.


The trail network here is awesome and really fun to ride and there are group rides every Monday and Friday evening. The best thing about these group rides is that they are run by a die hard group of riders, they have been doing this ride two times a week for over twenty years now. I think the main man behind these rides Bruce, should get some props for keeping it going for so long, he really is a great influence to mountain biking in this town.

If you would like some more info or directions of how exactly to get to these trails or maybe to come out and ride with the group. Stop in or call the local shops, Mick at Keens Sports or John at Cycle Logic. They will be more than willing to help you out. Stay tuned for part 2, the downhill trails here are worth a look too, and I think everyone would be stoked to ride them.

Now I would just like to say thanks to everyone that made my season, and the team's season of racing and riding possible. As part of the Bryson Racing Clan we had some amazing companies backing us for this season and more seasons to come, Hayes Bicycle Group, Specialized Bikes, Chromag, Kali Protectives and Gamut USA. It has been one of the most fun seasons ever. I would just like to say thanks to my good friend Dean at blackfootdirect.com and Fox Canada for helping us with our race kits.

-Brett

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