Blog
Wrapping up the 2023 NSORRA Season
If ever there’s been a Jumanji year, it was this one! Drought, fires, floods, hurricanes – we had it all!
A good start
We had a good start to the 2023 riding season. The sun dried out the trails early and by late April through mid-May, we were able to complete work and rides at all of our ride parks with the help of great volunteers from our NSORRA family.
We scheduled four hare scrambles dates – naming three: South Alton, Hiltz Road, and Craigmore, with a fourth location to be announced.
Then…Jumanji
The dry weather that we were excited about in April and May became…too dry. The drought meant we had to be careful in the woods. Then it happened…forest fires!
All across the province trails were closed as everyone focused on assisting in any way they could as out-of-control fires ravaged huge sections of the province.
When the rain finally arrived, we all breathed a sigh of relief. Until the rain didn’t stop, and we had to deal with another weather crisis…floods.
We ended up having the wettest summer on record with over 800 millimetres recorded in Halifax and on the South Shore and over 600 millimetres in the Valley.
Scheduled events?
We managed to sneak in a rec ride in Debert in mid-June then a women’s rec ride in the Annapolis Valley on Canada Day weekend, but could we get a hare scramble in?
Our first hare scramble, scheduled for mid-July at South Alton was postponed and rescheduled for two weeks later because of rain. As the new date approached, the Parkinsons evaluated their property and realized it wasn’t race-able because of the rain so volunteers jumped on board to prepare Hiltz Road for a scramble.
Finally – on the last weekend of July – we were able to hold our first hare scramble of the season at Hiltz Road followed by the Drive to Ride at Mill Hill – One Down.
We rescheduled the South Alton scramble for two weeks later. It was a VERY close GO – NO GO with the decision to GO made at 12:15 pm on Friday. The late decision meant our participation numbers were down and we had to shorten the afternoon races because of the wet conditions, but we were happy to close off on another scramble – Two Down.
Announcing our last scramble location
Halfway through the season – and almost at the end of summer – we realized that we needed to announce the location of the final scramble of the season.
The race committee discussed their options. One ride area rose to the top. Race Director, David Tobin, along with Nigel Brooks and Mike Ritter, had been working with David Beaver on his Economy Ride Park since late spring and they all decided it was time. The announcement was made that the final hare scramble of the season would be held at Beaver Ride Park in Economy!
Where are the trails?
The last weekend of August we headed to Craigmore Creek, Cape Breton. This ended up being the only scramble of the season that wasn’t cancelled but that doesn’t mean there weren’t any challenges.
When NSORRA President Josh Kelly checked out the park two weeks before the scramble, he discovered it was completely overgrown. Because of all the rain, riders hadn’t been using the park and the trails were almost non-existent. A call went out and volunteers stepped forward! They recovered the park over four long days of trail clearing…and Scramble 3 was a GO!
The forecasted rain held off until the afternoon before it started coming down in buckets, but volunteers and racers went for it and finished the day. Three Down.
More weather on the way
As we entered September, the rain continued off and on which raised the question – Will the Economy race go ahead as scheduled?
NOPE! Hurricane Lee made landfall on September 16 as a post-tropical cyclone about 135 miles west of Halifax. The storm affected a large portion of Atlantic Canada, with damaging winds and heavy rains that knocked down trees, flooded roadways and cut power to tens of thousands.
Another postponement meant 3 of the 4 scrambles this season were rescheduled because of weather. Our rain date was set for the October long weekend, and we held our collective breath. With warnings of another storm on the way, we decided to go for it.
Beaver Ride Park was amazing with both MX and enduro features built into the course. Not everyone finished, with bikes overheating and an unfortunate tumble leading to a hospital trip, but we did it – Four Scrambles Down!
Women In Moto
With rain predicted, we decided to bite the bullet and go ahead with our scheduled Women In Moto event on October 14 at Callus Raceway. We offered Intro to Dirt Biking sessions with coaches Josh Kelly and Mike Ritter, Intro and Intermediate Single-Track Riding with Kathleen Tobin and Intro and Intermediate Motocross with Brooke Johnson. By the end of the day, we had 20+ exhausted yet smiling women wearing specially designed t-shirts and looking forward to next riding season.
Hard Enduro Ride at Folly Lake
The last official ride of the season was also postponed by a couple of weeks by rain, but organizers Neil Jennings and David Tobin planned a challenging enduro event that was appreciated by advanced riders. Luckily, the beautiful fall scenery provided some comfort for riders challenging themselves on very difficult terrain. A great event to close the NSORRA ride season.
Thank you to our Volunteers!
We couldn’t have done it without the many volunteers who stepped forward to plan the events, prepare the trails, string the tape, jump in for timing and scoring, sweeping and the many other tasks needed to run a successful race series. Thank you all for giving back to the sport you love.
WE APPRECIATE YOU!
