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Breaking ground for BMX

 

Course built for a sport on the rise -- and cyclists of all spokes

SUZANNE MA

When Wayne Felder and John Kenthol found out a new BMX bicycle park was being built in Toronto, they jumped into a car and drove half an hour from their homes in Pickering just to help.

In their trunk, they packed two shovels, two rakes, a large canteen of ice water, snacks and, of course, their bikes to test the new course.

The pair were on hand yesterday as ground was broken on Toronto's newest BMX course -- tucked in a park behind Wallace Emerson Community Centre, near Dufferin and Dupont Streets, and described by designer and enthusiast Michael Heaton as a "roller-coaster ride on your bike."

"This a great idea," Mr. Felder, a 22-year-old university student, said of the 900-square-metre course, which could open as soon as Saturday. "There aren't any spots in Pickering that are sanctioned by the city."

He and Mr. Kenthol, 21, said they have often had to secretly create hills in abandoned fields and forests to practise their tricks.

"It's a good thing that this is publicly funded so that people don't have to hide any more," he said.

Mr. Heaton, a retired outdoor-education teacher, said he designed the park to appeal to both beginner and advanced cyclists.

The park consists of 10 small jumps: hills made of dry clay. There is also a track that winds around them, called a pump course, for cyclists who want to stay closer to the ground.

"I think we have a design here that will be attractive to almost everyone who rides a bike," Mr. Heaton said. "It's possible to ride the course without having to jump, but there are also small jumps, and if you want to really push yourself, there are bigger jumps."

BMX cycling involves bikes with smaller wheels and lighter frames than mountain bikes, making them easier to manipulate.

With the sport set to make its debut at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, bicycle motocross is on the rise, but city cyclists have long been pressing for public BMX parks. It took Mr. Heaton and Al Crawford, who works for the city's parks and recreation department, just three weeks to make the park a reality.

This is a surprise to many frustrated enthusiasts, who have watched plans for an outdoor BMX track at Marilyn Bell Park on the waterfront delayed repeatedly. That park was supposed to open in June, but construction has yet to begin. Another track, in North York near Bayview and Finch Avenues, is unpopular with cyclists, who say it is not maintained properly.

"Ultimately, we went ahead and did it because the kids need it," Mr. Crawford said. "It's about getting young people out of sitting around in the mall and coming out to enjoy the outdoors."

The cost of building the park will be limited to the salaries of a handful of City of Toronto workers. The clay was donated and most of the work is being done by volunteers.

At night, the parking lot next to Wallace Emerson Park is a secluded place where trouble often brews.

"There was a shooting over there, and a stabbing over here," Mr. Crawford said.

It is hoped that building the BMX track at the back corner of the park will turn the area around.

"Is a bike track going to solve all those problems? No. But it's going to be an alternative that means one or two kids will go in a different direction," Mr. Heaton said.

Dave Starmer, who competed for Canada at the 2001 World BMX Championships, said the city needs to reach out to the hundreds of BMX enthusiasts here.

"There are young people who are willing to spend the time to work and take care of the parks," said Mr. Starmer, 25, who has retired from professional BMX cycling and is studying to be a chiropractor. "They would bring shovels and their bikes and just spend the day digging and riding."
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