Félix Burke is a top athlete in mountain biking with many medals to his credit both nationally and internationally. He now lives in the Canadian West where he enjoys the mountains and continues his studies in economics at the University of Victoria in BC.

He maintains strong ties, however, with the region where he spent his childhood until the age of 13. In summertime, he comes back to his roots to visit its trails and participate in cross-country competitions.

Every summer since 2014, Félix has organized three-day camps (Trail Trybe) for young people aged seven to 15 who are just starting, or for advanced riders: “Our goal is to provide an exciting, memorable experience so that participants acquire a passion for sport, for discovery and for mountain biking,” Félix states. Because he has ridden on numerous trails around the world, we asked him how he sees the state of the discipline in the area where he was born.

“It’s obvious that centres like those in Vermont, Colorado and the West have many more kilometres of trails than we do, but our tracks are varied and accessible for all levels. The trails are high quality and the City of Mont-Tremblant and those who partner with them have clearly done excellent work.”

He also applauds the creation of new blue and black trails in the Deer Mountain sector, which should please advanced riders. Guillaume Gissinger, the city’s trail coordinator, confirms that these trails will open towards the end of summer: “There’ll be a new climb and two descents. One of them, the Presto trail, an enduro type, should become a ‘signature trail’ with a line of jumps and progressive modules.”

The president of Mont-Tremblant’s cycling club, Katherine Verburg, adds that: “Advanced cyclists will also be happy on the Mont Tremblant trails, which are in addition to the municipal network.”

For beginners, Félix recommends the wave track close to the aquatic complex, a good place to get used to gear changes, braking and your positioning on the bike. Starting from the Grand Lodge, the trails called Pins Est and the Lynx are also good choices for beginners.

Of course, to ride on the trails you need a bike adapted to the terrain, a helmet, gloves and appropriate clothing. Local stores such as Cybercycle or Expérience SK rent out all the equipment needed and provide valuable advice.

Félix also shares some of his experience for riding safely: “Unless signage indicates the contrary, the trails are two-way and the rider going up has priority, so you control your speed on the descent. On the climb, you listen and as you come out of a turn, you look far ahead rather than at the ground to anticipate meeting someone.

Don’t worry too much about cycling slowly; it’s up to the faster cyclist to start the passing manoeuvre before nicely announcing his or her presence,” Félix concludes.

More from this author by clicking on his photo below.