The City of Langford celebrated the opening of the Jordie Lunn Bike Park Clubhouse, and a new mountain biking trail called Out of Hand at the Langford Gravity Zone and Nature Trails Park.
On Wednesday, June 12, the City of Langford, Cycling B.C. and Cycling Canada representatives, and the Lunn family gathered at the park for the grand opening of the new clubhouse, named after the late Vancouver Island-raised professional mountain biker who died in 2019 after suffering a fatal head injury.
"I just wish that we could do this right across the country," said Lunn-family representative Mark Hahto. "This is a world class facility. The competitions that are available here, the community, the dreams that are built for young kids. It's utterly amazing."
The top floor of the clubhouse features offices for Cycling B.C., Cycling Canada, and Nolan Riding, which provides camps and guiding for mountain biking around the island.
The bottom level feature commercial space, which is currently taken by a coffee shop and a bike shop that offers rentals, sales and repairs.
The bike park facilities are free for all to use with trails and features for all ages and skill levels. Along with public-use, SD62 will use the clubhouse space to hold classroom sessions for the new mountain biking programs, which are offered to students from Belmont and Royal Bay Secondary Schools.
"[Lunn's] passion for the sport has inspired and continues to inspire many riders worldwide to push their limits, fearlessly embrace new challenges, and raise the bar in mountain biking," said Langford mayor Scott Goodmanson. "We are so incredibly honoured to create such a special place to honour and celebrate Jordie's legacy and be a place for reflection and inspiration for many years to come."
At the opening event, the city also introduced Out of Hand, the 13th biking trail within Nature Trails Park. The 462-metre trail was built with the help of 100 volunteers, and it has a black diamond downhill rating, which is a trail for experienced riders.
On July 14, the third stop of the Island Cup Enduro competition will be held at the park with riders of all ages racing for the top spot.
