Pumped to Ride Again

This is the year I got back on my bike and I can say that it was entirely due to the new pump track being built at Gage Park. I’ll admit that I was never a serious cyclist. I rode constantly as a kid, then spent a couple years working as a bicycle courier in Calgary, but I didn’t really take full advantage of the incredible cycling opportunities I had in my regional backyard. I always told myself I should. I was a bit of a misfit and I didn’t like team sports. The punk rock chip I carried on my shoulder as a youth felt a little more comfortable doing solo sports like skateboarding, snowboarding, or BMX. Some of that stayed with me as an adult and I still appreciate those activities – where it’s just me, working at my own pace, and challenging myself in the ways that I want to. So, the idea of a bicycle pump track checked a bunch of boxes for me. I had no idea how to ride a pump track when I first wheeled up the starting mound at Gage Park. A bunch of kids were sitting on their bikes, waiting to take their turn. I was the oldest person there by probably 30 years. I asked the crowd of kids to give me some tips on riding the track. A pump track is a small circuitous bike course lined with obstacles – mounds of packed dirt and banked corners – which are specifically designed to allow riders to gain speed by shifting body weight and applying force as they go over and around them, rather than by pedaling. I’m going to say this right now: if you’re pedaling on a pump track, you’re missing the point. The advice the kids provided ranged from “don’t ask me, man” to “just shift your body weight.” So I rode a lap. Carefully. Then I rode about 30 more, until all my old man parts started to hurt. But by the time I was done, I was doing pretty fast laps. The amount of speed you can build up without pedaling is truly surprising. I went back every few days and each time I got more confident, built my skills, shed some fear, and finally really started to enjoy myself. The pump track is very busy. At peak hours there are riders packed up top of the starting berm clamoring for their lap. Maybe it’s the novelty of it. I chatted with a dad and his kid who came in from the West Mountain one morning. He thought the track was a great idea and both of them seemed to be having a fun time together. I also spoke with a teenager who’d ridden his BMX bike in from Stoney Creek. He was asking me to time his laps and to note what he was doing wrong on his jumps. So I’m learning the lingo too. The kid from Stoney Creek was trying to ‘gap the rollers.’ Or he’d ‘sketch his line and end up casing the tabletop.’ Gapping is good, casing is bad. I think. Another reason why the pump track is so busy could be latent demand. There are lots of people who want to ride, but there was nowhere to do it in Hamilton until now. In fact, that’s why the track exists in the first place. Some local kids set out to build something they could ride, but they couldn’t find a suitable and safe place that wasn’t going to get torn down if City workers found it. They asked their dad, Jeff Neven, if he could help them find a place. The kids did the heavy lifting and Jeff provided support. They worked with the community first to get neighbours to understand the benefits of having this kind of facility. Then, with the community behind them, they approached the City, and after 18 months of effort, got approval for the pilot project. Jeff and his kids are stoked, with good reason. They’ve helped create something quite special. At the grand opening ceremony Jeff talked about building a positive culture at the track. In one sense, that means a creating place that’s open and accessible for everyone. It means fostering the idea that everyone is welcome and respected. Which is a wonderful thought given the changes our neighbourhoods are going through. Jeff thinks a bike park has the potential to blur lines between some of the socio-economic barriers that often disconnect people. To him, the idea of coming together around a shared interest in cycling ‘gaps the rollers’ between incomes, age, and education. If you have a bike, you can participate, learn, build skills, gain confidence, and have a fun shared experience with others who enjoy this activity. Obviously, the price of entry is that you need a bike. Jeff points to amazing organizations like New Hope Community Bikes and Bike for Mike, which help make cycling more accessible through their work. Building a positive culture at the track seems to be working. Perhaps it’s because I’m an adult, but when I’m there, everyone seems to be pretty respectful. Kids talk to each other, and there seems to be an understanding that everyone should get a turn, no matter how young, or slow, or, uh, old. I’m hopeful that if negative things like bullying, selfishness, or exclusion start to rear their ugly heads, people are going to stand up and lead by example and help to turn that energy into something positive. Jeff suggests that everyone who uses the space has a role to play in that. Parents of young riders need to stand up on the starting berm and get to know the other riders a bit. “There are so many spinoffs when we create intergenerational spaces,” he says. “Rather than just sitting back and monitoring from the benches, it’s important to be a part of what is going on in order to create that positive influence.” Negative things are bound to happen, but if enough people (riders, parents, other park users) share an understanding about the positive culture in that space, then it will overcome those negative moments. The pump track is a fun place to be. I love going there. It’s fantastic exercise. I chat with new people all the time – kids, parents, spectators, whoever – and I see a sense of community growing. It’s yet another reason among many to spend time in beautiful Gage Park. We have so little green space, so few parks, and few accessible and inclusive recreational opportunities in the lower city, that having a facility like this is truly another gem in the jeweled crown that is Gage Park. I also see that the pump track is already overused. Given the tiny amount of real estate it takes up and the relatively minimal expense to create, the City should definitely invest in more tracks like this throughout the city. Hopefully the results of this pilot project can lead the way for other communities. Laurence Smink is a middle-aged guy who still rides skateboards and thinks BMX bikes are cool. He also thinks city parks should include spaces for everyone – including kids, teens, bikes, skateboards, and dogs.

#NovDec2015