July update: peak fun!
- Shore Sirens
- Jul 31
- 4 min read
It feels like it's not quite time yet, but we're closing in on the last half of summer and our events calendar is winding down a bit, with (back by popular demand!) group rides are starting again in September.
Read on to see what we've been up to and to learn more about some upcoming August events.
Workshops š£ļø
On July 10th, we held our 4th workshop of the year on tubeless setups! Led by the always incredible Bridget, we not only learned how to set up tubeless tires but also how to maintain them to avoid pinches, pokes and small tire slashes.
The next workshop of our summer mechanics series is next Thursday August 7th, and will focus on drivetrain maintenance.
Our next Queer & Allies ride is this Saturday, August 2nd! š³ļøāš
We're celebrating Vancouver's Pride weekend with another Queer & Allies ride: Seymour edition! Meet us at Parkgate Park for some meet and greets before heading up to Seymour for a social lap of Empress Bypass before splitting up into groups for . Join us afterwards in Parkgate Park for a bbq and some raffle prizes from Adidas/5.10!
Special Events šŖ
There are still a few spots available for our upcoming Cypress Shred & Pizza Shed social on Cypress. This will be a shuttle ride (optional) on Cypress followed by a delicious pizza aprĆØs provided by the Shed Coffee & Bar! Come ride and hang with us.
Trail Days āļø
While we're still sorting out some of the finer details for our fall TAP-sponsor dig days, make space on your calendar for September 27th and November 1st. We'll be putting some love back onto everyone's favourite classic North Shore Trail, 7th Secret! More details and event info to be posted soon in the Discord event space and here on the website.
Trail maintenance usually takes place over the wet months for a few reasons. Water management is so crucial when it comes to building sustainable trails. When we dig in the rain, we are able to identify "problem areas" that need more attention. This includes clearing existing drains, putting in new drains, adding grade reversals, and other techniques. Laying down that top layer of that light brown "gold" mineral-rich soil is so crucial to providing grip for our knobby tires while shedding water from our luscious rainforest trails. Who doesn't love riding on hero dirt?!
Here's an overly complicated and nerdy graphic detailing soil composition:
Race Team šµāāļø
After a break in the schedule through June, the the Shore Sirens race team has had a busy July! Our sweet new jerseys, designed by the one and only Cathleen Whitty, were unveiled with a celebration the Adidas Brand Center on July 9th.
Some of the team took part in the Bombshell Enduro up at Silverstar's Bike Park on July 12th. This enduro race is always a favourite as it includes not one, but TWO lifts for stage climbs! What a blast!
The team then worked on cornering and brake control with Jaime Hill of Hilltop MTB in Squamish on July 27th. These skills will be put to the test in our upcoming races, including the Bosch eMTB Challenge at Crankworx on August 15 and the Witsend Enduro on August 23 also in Whistler. Wish us luck!
Group Rides š“āāļøš“š½āāļøš“š¼š“š»āāļø
We've excited to share that we'll be offering group rides again this fall for riders of all levels. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks - both here on the website and on our Discord server!
Financial Update
We have had a few questions recently about where your membership funds go, and though this was described in detail at our AGM in January, we are happy to outline for you here where the money from your annual fees go. And to clarify for all, everyone on the Board is an unpaid volunteer, and no, our Race Team does not receive a penny from our bank account - we wish!
Our Costs:
Insurance - approx. $4000/year
Taxes - because we are a not-for-profit, we file annual taxes - approx. $1000/year
Photography - We pay Meg and Steve of Tandem Photography $200/event
Misc. event purchases - food for Mentorship socials, Coastal Collective snacks, pizza ingredients, coffee, Queer and Allies pride flags, wristbands, sparkles! As well, we have 5 first aid kits for group rides.
If you have any questions or thoughts about our costs, or your membership fees. please reach out to Jessie at anytime, and she would be happy to go into greater detail with you: jessie@shoresirens.com
Board Member Updates
Cathleen Whitty has stepped away from the board and her role as VP/Marketing and we thank her for all the work she's done for the Sirens. We have two new members stepping in - Hanna Girndt, who will be taking over social media and marketing work (& expert pizza making!); and Linnaea Kershaw, who is helping out with communications, web updates, and longer-term strategy work.
We're still looking for a Director of Fundraising & Treasurer. If you're stoked on numbers and funds and want to help us out, please email us at info@shoresirens.com.
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