Via Saltwire- It’s 5pm on a cold rainy spring evening, and while commuters are still grumbling their way through traffic with heaters and wipers on, local mountain biker Joey Lawrence is all grins as he skids to a stop after two laps of his new favourite trail, Rollback. Unlike other outdoor bikers at this time of year, the trail he’s riding on is free of mud, well lit, and most importantly - warm and dry. “I’m actually a bit sweaty!” He laughs.
Overhead speakers play Indie Rock Music over the din of hammering and power tools as the 26 year old Lawrence and a dozen or so other employees are putting on the finishing touches and test riding the trails and ramps at the soon to be opened B’ville Indoor Bike and Skate Park in Dartmouth Crossing. “We call them trails but they’re actually a series of interconnected loops made of wood. Most of them are friendly for all levels, however on some of the loops we’ve interspersed ramps, drops and even rocks to keep the experts interested.” In addition to these trails are more traditional skateboard and BMX style ramps and even a jump pit filled with foam for daredevils to practice flips. “Yes our Waiver forms have to be quite comprehensive” laughs Manager Gia Fu, who is casually dressed in a flannel shirt and flat brimmed baseball hat, both emblazoned with the B’ville Logo. “You have to wear a helmet and use one of our rental bikes, however if you really want to bring your own bike, for a small fee our on-site mechanic will make sure it’s safe to ride.”
Perhaps most interesting of all is the location- directly behind the Walmart in the Dartmouth Crossing Retail Shopping District. That’s because the B’ville Bike Park is in fact owned by Walmart, the retail giant better known for it’s friendly prices. “You actually get to the park by entering through the Walmart store front” Says the Walmart Canada Eastern Division Vice-President Phil McCracken. “That way the B’ville Indoor Bike and Skate Park users will be better positioned to take advantage of convenient access to shopping a wide variety of products at incredible prices. Likewise, our Walmart shoppers can be introduced to these increasingly popular indoor youth active pursuits. We feel that both demographics can benefit from being in close proximity to each other.” Fu puts it a slightly different way “We expect to see parents dropping their kids off at the park for a couple of hours while they get some shopping done”. She also notes that there will be lessons available from certified mountain bike coaches. Both Fu and McCracken note that Indoor Bike parks are gaining popularity, Such as Ray’s in Cleveland and North Shore bike park in Vancouver
The B’ville bike park gets its name from Bentonville, Arkansas - home to Walmart Headquarters. In recent years, Bentonville has re-branded itself as the ‘Mountain Bike Capitol of the World” thanks to the effort two Walmart heirs, both avid bikers. “Tom and Steuart Walton have been instrumental in introducing mountain biking to Bentonville and to the Walmart family. In turn, we want to bring some of the Bentonville mountain bike experience to Walmarts across North America. The Dartmouth crossing Walmart location is proud to be the pilot site for this venture” Reports McCracken. When asked why Dartmouth Crossing of all places was chosen from amongst all of the North American Walmart Locations? “Nova Scotia has been on the radar of some of Walmart North America’s more progressive Board members since the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election” Alluding to the popular Cape Breton if Trump Wins viral online campaign. “With the upcoming election-we’re predicting another surge of interest in the province. From that point it was just some simple calculations with respect to population density of HRM and available land to expand the building behind current Walmarts.” The fact that part of an easily accessible Park, Frenchman Lake- which could be used for outdoor singletrack riding, was instead bulldozed to build an indoor bike space is an irony not lost on local dirtbag Kyle Ferrentino. “At least they let me park my Sprinter Van in the parking lot over night, and the breakfast burritos in the grocery store section are really cheap.” Sighs Ferrentino….April Fools!
5 Likes