Discussion: Albion vs Mansfield?

Hey! Great to see you at Storm AR this weekend! How do those Mansfield trails compare to Albion? I quite enjoy the fast and flowy Albion trails, and Palgrave seemed pretty similar…

Great to see you two as well!
Yeah, the Mansfield fast and flowy was similar, there were some steep ups and down in the SW corner of the Mansfield trails. There are some long slogs though too on sandy trails which were pretty brutal.
I think Albion is more technical as well, although neither places are that tough.
Pretty much anyone else will have a better sense!

The Albion Hills single track was developed by Chico Racing, the company that has held the 24 Hours of Summer Solstice race there for more than 20 years. On that weekend, rain or shine, more than 2,000 bikers of different abilities ride the trails for multiple laps. That's hard on the trails and exposes lots of roots. There's been some great maintenance and repair in the last few years but it can get bumpy in places.

The Palgrave single track was built by volunteers and is felt by some to be a little more interesting and technical but still flowy. The trail builders weren't constrained by the need to accommodate a 24-hr race, nor do I think they take IMBA standards super seriously. Until the pandemic, only a small number of people rode in Palgrave but it's a lot busier now.

The Mansfield and Dufferin Forest single track trails were built by the same group of volunteers but they aren't allowed to build new trails in Dufferin Forest anymore so they mostly focus on Mansfield now. There are a few sandy areas that can ride better after a rain. Other than that, the riding feels fairly similar to Albion or Palgrave. As Nev says, there are a few big hills.

All three places are very different from - and for me, more fun than - the rocky riding near Collingwood, e.g. 3 Stage and Kolapore.

Another place with nice, flowy trails is Hardwood Hills.

P.S. Nev, your club owns the O map. You don't need your phone. ;)

boom roasted.

I have a fun Nevin orienteering at Mansfield story but maybe i’ll
let him tell it.

Ah true Bash, but that would also require me to sort out the weekend beforehand to have maps printed!

Hammer: if it's the relay, at least we ended up on the podium!

It takes a week to print something? I thought Toronto had everything

Yes the relay … and we were on the top of podium.

I was not expecting to get called out for lack of advanced planning by Anvil.

To be fair, the map needs some new trails added.

Also crazy to think back to the big Ski-O that Hammer and I put on in the early 90s. Part of a NA Series that featured Americans and Euros. Really wish that Ottawa had supported it more back in the day, much less COF.