Port Coquitlam - Sunday September 27th 2009

This ride event is now over. However, you can still bike the route anytime!

Download a PDF version of the route booklet.

Port Coquitlam is home to one of the easiest and best off-road, flat bike loops in Metro Vancouver – the PoCo Trail. This part gravel, part paved and part boardwalk trail circles Port Coquitlam in a 24-kilometre circle following the dikes along the Fraser and Pitt Rivers and the banks of the Coquitlam River. The trail passes through wild areas close to the heart of this vibrant community.

The name Port Coquitlam comes from Kwikwetlem - the name of the First Nations people who have lived here for centuries. The name means salmon, the symbol of the Kwikwetlem, and this year the salmon have returned to the Coquitlam River. Once you have ridden the PoCo Trail, you will want to return too.

The Kwikwetlem First Nation runs Colony Farms Tours, a bicycle tour company specializing in riding the PoCo Trail. The Kwikwetlem First Nation has partnered with MEC Great Rides to make this route and event a great experience. From guides along the route, to canoe-carving demonstrations at their bike rental location, and from a shuttle service for those not wanting to ride the entire route to a great deal on rental bikes, the Kwitwetlem First Nation and their business Colony Farms Bike Tours and Rentals are making this a truly Great Ride!

Port Coquitlam’s history has been shaped by rivers and trails – from the salmon of the Coquitlam River for the Kwikwetlem People to the CP Railroad which established huge freight yards here and by doing so built the town of Port Coquitlam. Trails of water and trails of steel, and now a perfect bike trail.

The 2009 PoCo Trail MEC Great Ride Event is on September 27th. Combined with the Rivers and Trails Festival, music at Peace Park along the river and a perfect fall day's ride around Port Coquitlam, this will be a wonderful day out.

Activities & entertainment include:

• Maritime Museum boat-building workshop
• Fabulous Fable and Masked Mayhem -- the Troll sons return with their interactive Storytelling Performance of “The One Eyed Troll”
• Two lively perfomances by Copper Sky playing Maritime and Celtic music

Click on map for PDF version of route map.

Route details

Starting at the Norco head office (1465 Kebet Way), across the road from the Rivers and Trails Festival at Peace Park alongside the Pitt River, this loop will take you to the Kwikwetlem First Nation, where you can see a war canoe being carved and stop for refreshments. From there you will bike along a gravel bike path through Colony Farms and past a beaver pond to the start of a long paved section of the trail. This wide paved route will take you to the next refreshment stop at Lions Park, where a bike mechanic will be ready to adjust your bike. For those not wanting to ride the entire route, an hourly shuttle will take you back to the start point.

The next section of the route runs through forest and then across the top of Port Coquitlam to link up with the Pitt River Dyke. This Dyke is the home stretch, running along the river to the detour around the construction of the new Pitt River Bridge (be careful and use the crosswalk lights – this is a very busy road). From the end of the detour, it is a very short ride back to the finish point and the festival at Peace Park.

Route Length: 24 km.

For those with small children and those not wanting to ride the entire loop, a shuttle bus will run from Lions Park 12 km into the route, bringing riders and their bikes back to the start point at Peace Park and Norco.

Great Ride Features

Refreshment Stations

Celebration Stations along the route will provide food, drink and encouragement to keep you going. To make the event as worry-free as possible for riders, we'll be providing bike mechanic support at the start/finish point and halfway around the route at Lions Park, plus mobile mechanical support should you have difficulties en route (or need a ride back to the start for whatever reason).

The Details

Cost
Register online for $15 per adult (those 16 years of age and under ride free). Online registration closes Saturday, Sept. 26 at 12 noon. You can also register on the day for $20 per ride. Registration and check-in on the day opens at 10am and closes at 12:30pm.

All proceeds from the ride go towards improving conditions for cycling in the Greater Vancouver area.

For your registration you will receive:

• a goody bag with equipment from MEC and other cool swag
• a route booklet
• free refreshments and information along the route
• free bike checks from bike mechanics
• mobile bike mechanic support
• bike valet parking
• ... plus a whole day of fun and exploration!

Start point
The start point for this ride is at the Norco parking lot - 1465 Kebet Way, Port Coquitlam, BC V3C 6L3 Map

Registration times

Registration will open at 10:00am and close at 12:30pm. Return to your registration point to pick up your bag of swag (see above) and to get your map booklet stamped to show you have completed the ride. End-of-ride stamp stations and swag bag give-outs will close at 4pm.

Getting there

By SkyTrain & shuttle: You and your bike can get a ride from Lougheed Town Centre Skytrain Station at 9:45am, 10:45am, and 11:45am. Shuttles return to Lougheed Station at 1:45pm, 2:45pm, and 3:45pm.

By public transit: Check the TransLink website for schedules. Buses are bike-rack-equipped (2 bikes per bus).

By carpool: Need a ride? Can you provide a ride? Log on to the Jack Bell Ride-Share website for carpooling options. Or post a callout on our facebook page.

Parking
Parking is available at Norco and along the street near the Norco building.

Bike Rentals
Bike rentals are available from Colony Farms Bike tours.

Register online for a chance to win these Axiom Typhoon Panniers complete with rack, or a gift basket from Capers Whole Foods!

Only those who pre-register are eligible to win. 

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