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GORD'S MTB CLUB
We asked a few regulars to describe the club, here's what they had to say:

"We ride together, support each other, we enjoy the experience together and appreciate each other's company. That's what we're about. A big family of 2 wheel aficionados who rely on each other for support, motivation, challenge and friendship. No racing, no elitism, just regular folks with bikes they love... Wanting to ride. You too can join in on the fun! You'll quickly find that we're a very much inclusive bunch. Just sign up for Gord's MTB Club, agree to ride by a few simple rules and voila! You're IN. The next step is to partake in our little two-wheeled festivities and adventures."

"The one thing that unites us all is probably the love of the ride. Although we're probably mostly fair-weather riders, we try to get out as much as we can. The club usually holds 3 to 4 rides weekly including weekend day-trips we also do a few yearly trips to places with , uh, Mountains. (like Panorama, Lutsen or Nevada)... Gord's MTB Club is open to all who want to ride who are ok playing by the rules of engagement. Our patented Wednesday Night Rides, Our Sunday Epic Rides, Our Thursday Road rides, our Tuesday Urban Nights (new) and our Rides in the Dark. Pick one, join us, have a blast. Simple. Fun."

"If you're looking for a laid-back way to do what you love and learn along the way... perhaps even challenge yourself while discovering new places to ride and getting to know new people, You should consider joining our merry group of friends and riders... We get together regularly and ride the stink out of our bikes, we hang out and we even go on bike trips together. Who knows, if you have a sense of humor, you tried the racing scene, were less than impressed and you're looking for something more laid back and rewarding, maybe this is for you."

"Who's in the club? All types of fine folks, from all walks of life... all sharing a love for being outside on wheels, a common desire unites us: To hang out with fellow enthusiasts but with a more social skew, more fun, less competition. (we don't do the racing scene much, too serious) We hang with people who share our love of the sport. Not gonzo riders looking for a race at every turn... That's what Gord's Mountain Bike Club is all about! We hang together, ride together, share bike stories and try to out-do one another in a friendly way. We're in it for the fun, for the experience, and we like to help each-other out. Oh, and we take pictures, lots of pictures!"

"I'm sure we'd all describe ourselves as nice, friendly people, looking to have a great time. Some of us are trying to lose weight, some of us are trying to justify why we spent all this money on this sexy new bike, some of us are out to meet like-minded folks, some of us are looking to get the hell out of the house and some of us are looking to challenge ourselves and get better... From mature 14 year-olds to less mature 50-somethings, we have folks of all shapes and sizes. Some are in it for the fitness, some are in it for the socializing, the challenge, the fun, the laughs, the new trails, the sense of community... The RIDE!"

For more testimonials, check out our new apply-named testimonial page here.

FEE
The membership fee for 2007 is $49 for a non-racing member, $20 if you are a Kid's of Mud kid... and it comes with a healthy list of perks and shwag... Not the least is a free massage from our good friends at Symmetry Massage Therapy www.symmetrymassage.com.

RULES
Rides are organized by volunteers and all are governed by our Rules of engagement and our Ride Etiquette.

WHEN DO WE RIDE
We currently hold rides on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays but more might be added as demand dictates. (For example: We're planning an early Saturday Road Ride for spring of 2007) Click on the day to see what's offered ride-wise.

HOW LONG DO WE RIDE
Great question. Depends on the ride... But we rarely ride for less that 2 hours... and then again, it depends on what ride we're on... Some rides are punctuated with many breaks, some, like the road rides, just go. We're very rider-driven so it depends on who's along. Remember, we happily ride for the slowest rider.

SKILL REQUIRED
Depends on the ride. Our recommendation, if you're not sure, is to start off with our tame Tuesday Night Relaxed Rides... Then work up to our Wednesday Night Rides and then just follow your nose. The biggest mistake potential riders make is the perennial "I'll get started on my own and join in when I've done a few rides by myself" it unfortunately doesn't work too well that way. The 'herd' starts off at the start of the season at a very slow pace and then as the season get's rolling it naturally inches its way to a faster pace... So if you want to hop on the train, get on when we're all rusty... the last thing you want to do is hop on a Wednesday Night Ride in October... the train, while still no bullet train, is nonetheless moving along at quicker pace at that point.

PICTURES
On certain rides we take pictures. Many pictures. It provides people with memories (with your membership you have access to our entire library of pics... from 2002 until now), ride pictures provides us a tool to promote riding and a healthy lifestyle... And it keeps those rides from becoming races. We've been doing it since day one and we're not intending on changing that just yet... so deal with it and for Pete's sake, SMILE!

REQUIRED HEAD GEAR
All rides are helmet, patience and sense-of-humor mandatory. If you are a die hard curmudgeon hammerhead who dislikes the company of others and derives satisfaction from incessant complaining and/or the practice of cutting other riders off and showing no respect for your fellow ride participant... If that's you, may we humbly suggest another club's ride instead? For while we profess that "everyone's welcome" we do unfortunately have a distaste for crotchety or impatient folk that make rides unpleasant. We're all in it for the fun of it. No one is forcing those people to ride with us. Come in with the right frame of mind and everyone has a blast. Simple.

GEAR
Right after the helmet, you'll need the following: [1] a bike that is trail-worthy (if it says "Supercycle" or "CCM" or "Infinity" or "Jeep" or "Sears" on the side of it, that's not a good sign). Your bike must have functioning brakes, tires and gears and it must pass a summary inspection showing it's in good working order. [2] you'll next need some sort of hydration (most of us use Camelbacks) and some type of food (our rides last a few hours so food and water is recommended). [3] we suggest (these are not mandatory) Bike shorts and gloves (for comfort's sake).

Should you have any questions, please contact JF@Gords.com for more information on the club and its unique culture.

Turning the corner at Whittier Park		A WNR on the Provencher Bridge
The deal is this: as long as you can live by our few rules of engagement, you're welcome to join the club. We used to do the on-line registration but since there are some legal documents to sign we simply ask that you drop by the store and fill in the form in person (plus, it'll give us a chance to get to meet you). It's a mere $49.00 (plus taxes) and you get a nice little perk package including a Gord's water bottle, your very own membership in the IMBA PLUS a cool pair of IMBA socks! Nope, not bad at all.		Like all of our rides, anyone can come along! We have people of all types, shapes, talent levels and genders. All are welcome to come along... Provided you: [1] Are a paid member of the MTB Club [2] Have a properly fitting helmet. [3] Have a well-tuned bike. [4] Are in half-decent physical condition. [5] Are of intermediate ability [6] Have a good working sense of humor. [7] Bring water and food. [8] Respect ride leader and other riders. [9] Ride within your ability. We ride for the slowest rider. Number one thing: Keep smiling. We try hard to make these ride stress free, intimidation free and race free. Well, $40 and then it's free.
JF leading Marco at Garbage Hill		What a bunch of crazy people
We run a few different rides: The Grand daddy of them all being our Patented Wednesday Night Rides: Back for it's 87th year (or so it seems): Gord's much storied Wednesday Night Rides are here! Right after work (6:00pm) we meet up at Gord's, don our bike jerseys (or old ratty t-shirts), hop on our trusty bikes and tear about Winnipeg's most excellent bike trails. We ride for 2-3 hours, get dirty, laugh at each other and most always end up at The Keg for excellent post ride stories, drinks and food. Then there's our Thursday Night Rides at Bird's Hill: Catch a ride or meet us there, some road-ride, some MTB... always the wicked ride! Then there's our favorite, our Epic Rides. By invite only, unfortunately these advanced rides are not for everyone. We ride for 3 to 5 hours in the best MTB'ing around: Ingolf, Sandilands, Falcon, Brandon Hills... Serious riding with seriously good times.		Come on, take a step into the unknown, you might just like it. For us, last summer, it was Sandilands Provincial Forest, where Gavin, Carmen, Scotty and JF stepped out of their comfort zone and tried a new trail for the first time. We'd heard lots of negative stuff about Sandilands... but decided to make up our minds for ourselves. Happily it was quite a positive experience. For you it may very well be something entirely different... Like riding to work, trying a new climb or perhaps joining Gord's MTB Club, trying a new bike shop (Gord's Ski and Bike for example) or maybe even something more substantial like a camelback, a fancy new full suspension bike or BIKE SHORTS for heaven's sake! whatever it may be, do it sooner rather than later... For summer doesn't last forever around here... And like that guy Warren Miller used to say: "if you don't do it now, you'll be one year older when you do".