For the past two years, I've been hosting an inclusive, party-pace, no-drop bike ride to try and get like-minded folks together for a good time.

September 21, 2024 will mark the third annual Dirtbag Cycles Rambler, and this year we will be trying to raise money to save the Puntledge Forest.

About 10 years ago or so, I started my bike-related side project . While it has mainly been a blog, I've recently started doing a few more real-world things to help make cycling a bit more accessible to the community. One of which I've mentioned before, my free bike repairs service, and the other is the Dirtbag Cycles Rambler.

Vancouver Island, and the Comox Valley, are both home to vibrant cycling communities. However, there is a bit of a gap in events for people who don't want to race, or get decked out in lycra to raise money for a charity. I have absolutely nothing against those kinds of events, they're great parts of a wider cycling community. However, there's not really anything for the casual, slow or more lifestyle-oriented kind of cyclist. That's what I set out to remedy back in 2022, after seeing similar events become wildly popular in other parts of the world.

So far it has seemed to work, with about 20 people or so showing up to both the 2022 and 2023 editions of the event. With the next one fast approaching, I thought it could be fun to do a bit of shameless self-promotion here and get a few more people out to this year's ride.

So, about the ride. We are going to set off just after 10 a.m. from the Cumberland Recreation Centre parking lot. The ride will follow a 72.3 km through the Puntledge Forest, down Forbidden Plateau Road, out into Merville and back up to the Plateau before ending back where it all started in Cumberland. Over the course of the route, which should take anywhere from six to eight hours for us to complete, depending on how often we stop to snack on blackberries, there will be about 490 metres of elevation gain, and we'll be on anything from gravel roads to trails to pavement. The plan is to stop at a local eatery for some take out at the end to regain some of our lost carbs.

And we aren't doing this just for the fun of it. For those interested, there will be the chance to take part in a poker rally, with three prizes up for grabs. For a suggested donation of $5 per hand, people will get the chance to play for some cool prizes. Along the route, there will be five stops. At each stop, players come over to me and pick a card from a deck I'll be carrying. At the end of the ride, whoever has the best hand, the second best hand, the best women's hand, and the worst hand will win a prize. There will also be a prize for whoever has the worst luck on the ride, so if you're prone to getting flat tires you might be in luck.

All of the money raised will be going to the Comox Valley Land Trust's Land Securement Fund. They are trying to raise money to help purchase the trees in the Puntledge Forest, with the goal of protecting them in perpetuity. As a good chunk of the ride will take place in the Puntledge area, I'm hoping people will see the beauty of the area and want to protect it.

Prizes have been donated by , and .

Anyway, I'm hoping it'll be a good time. Ask anyone who came on the last couple and they'll say they had some fun. Don't worry if you can't make it, you can still donate to the fund online, and there will definitely be a Rambler next year!