The City of Langford has announced that it has broken ground on the next phase of the Jordie Lunn Bike Park, which will be the construction of the Clubhouse building.
The Jordie Lunn Bike Park — which officially opened in May 2021 — will be adding a Clubhouse, slated to be the focal point of the project. The Clubhouse will be a community hub for park guests, intended to connect cycling enthusiasts of all ages.
The facility will feature an outdoor patio, cantina, bike repair and rental shop, office space for Cycling Canada and Cycling BC and community meeting space.
“We’ve also hear from Langford youth that there’s not a lot of community space,” Yari Nielsen, manager of parks and recreation with the City of Langford, said. “We’re hoping we can have something there that they can meet at and just get the youth out on the bikes.”
The City says that construction will begin in the coming weeks, with the plan on having the Clubhouse open to the public by 2023.
In memory of their son Jordie Lunn, the Lunn Family has donated $150,000 from the proceeds of the Road2Recovery campaign to help fund the project.
According to the City of Langford, the Clubhouse addition to the bike park aims at building upon the strong growth and demand for sport and recreation in the area. There is hope that the building will drive programming and services for the community.
“Cycling BC is thrilled to be partnered with the City of Langford and looks forward to operating from the Jordie Lunn Clubhouse to build capacity in cycling sport development,” said Erin Waugh, CEO of Cycling BC, who intends to utilize space within the Clubhouse for the organization’s satellite office.
Matt Jeffries, Executive Director of Cycling Canada adds, “It will further solidify a strong partnership between Cycling Canada and the City of Langford by bringing exciting programming and event hosting opportunities to the region.”
In addition to breaking ground on the Clubhouse project at the Jordie Lunn Bike Park, the City of Langford has also announced that a new network of nature trails is now open to the public, designed for biking and hiking.
The Langford Gravity Zone and Nature Trails is an extensive system that makes up over 130-acres of land and currently includes nine trails, with a total of 12 opening by the end of 2022.
“The 130-acres of forestland that makes up the Langford Gravity Zone and Nature Trails will provide Langford residents with more green space for outdoor exploration. Whether residents want to hike, bike or just get outside and connect with nature in their own backyard, these trails will provide that opportunity. This park is a one-of-a-kind park on Vancouver Island, and will attract visitors from around the world, supporting our local small businesses and tourism economy,” said Langford Mayor Stew Young.
The Gravity Zone features a variety of trails with ranges of difficulties that offers both cyclists and hikers viewpoint lookouts and winding trails situated under massive tree canopies. The City of Langford adds that each trail was named by the trail-building team who have worked over the last few months to “create something special and unique” for the residents of Langford.
A Province of BC grant (Community Economic Recovery Infrastructure Program) was awarded to the Vancouver Island Nature Trails Society to complete work on the City of Langford land and has contributed $336,113 towards the capital cost of the project which funded the Ridgeline and Viewtop hiking trails and contributed to various other trails.
An additional $150,000 grant was provided by 4VI (formally Tourism Vancouver Island) through the Targeted Regional Tourism Initiative.
“Enhancing the trail network in Langford will benefit the thousands of residents and visitors who use the area for hiking, mountain biking and sightseeing,” said Nathan Cullen, Minister of Municipal Affairs. “This $336,000 investment in infrastructure is an investment in people. Our government is proud to partner with the Southern Vancouver Island Nature Trails Society and Langford to give British Columbians a park to be proud of.”
Waugh said these are great partnerships and investments into mountain biking, adding she is grateful for the attention for the sport.
“We think our sport is growing still in Canada. Lots of people participate, but not very many people necessarily recognize it as a sport they can compete in,” Waugh said. “This is a massive opportunity.”
The tracks are attracting mountain bike competitions. The qualifying tournament for the international Red Bull Pump Track World Championships and Island Cup Enduro Series are scheduled there this summer.
Mayor Young said this is a great economic opportunity and hopes the tracks bring more sports tourism to the area.
“People will come out and stay in Langford for three or four days,” He said. “Sports tourism usually lasts longer than one night stays. It’s usually three or four nights.”
A video of the new Gravity Zone trail network can be found online here.
Graham Cox
