The B-Team

Feb 24, 2011 at 15:53

Lurking on a trail near you is the B-Team, taking dirtbag to another level. Creators and lovers of good times be it on 2 wheels or not. The bike world needs more of this.

Groups of riders that help the scene and each other out. Putting the team concept into an individual sport. Allow them to introduce themselves...We don’t care what people say. Jean vests are awesome.

If you take away the criminal element, outlaw bike clubs or 1%ers as they are known have always been onto something in our eyes. These 1%ers have it right, always ready to support a friend, be it a “no questions asked” part to keep you rolling in hard times or even just someone to share the hard work of a particularly vicious ride. It boils down to a passion for 2 wheels, a posse of homies that are always down for a ride and a spread out network of like minded miscreants.


We have applied these concepts to pedal and gravity fueled means of two wheeled propulsion. All the patches and pins that have accumulated in our shoe boxes over the years have found a home on our tattered and smelly vests. We have taken the network idea and applied it to riding hotspots. We have riders of both genders, all skill levels and walks of life. All under the canopy of one common love. Bikes.

We are The B-Team.

Why “B”? Well, bikes, beer and bacon to start, you fill the rest in as you see fit.

The team was conceptualized by five riders in the hotbed of talent known as the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia. Five riders that enjoyed the camaraderie of stomping hills and building trail together. I would make regular visits from Vancouver to join them in blowing up the famous loam on that side of the channel. Before long I was invited to join their their ranks as a foreign correspondent. During another one of these visits, in a haze of Krylon fumes from converting hockey jersey’s to “race kit”, we decided that official expansion was in order.


Having a solid contact base of riders, this caught on… in a hurry. Soon our painted hockey jersey race kit was traded in for the ever fashionable jean vests. Before we knew it we had “chapters” on the Sunshine Coast, North Vancouver and out in Maple Ridge. All sporting vests with the B-Team patch and chapter designation.


A season later, through great friends and others that felt the love, we expanded again. This time Northeast into the Selkirks with a chapter in Revelstoke. Closely followed by chapters in East Vancouver and the lower mainland Tri-Cities. Where are we headed next? Watch for us to show up in other British Columbia rider destinations like Kamloops and Squamish. Hell, we even have “honorary” chapters in Switzerland and New Zealand through riding amigo’s.


As the club grew, we picked up a “friend with benefits”. This great friend of ours is Pilsner. Picking up primary sponsorship from them has helped the club tremendously as you can imagine. They have helped us look semi legit with jerseys, kept our masses happy with Pilly swag and of course the obvious benefits of staying hydrated!


What do we do you ask?

Members of ours build and maintain trails. We organize races from the grassroot level to the cup level in British Columbia. We are members of, and sit on boards of assorted mountainbike advocacy associations. We volunteer at races, be it driving shuttles, marshalling or stabilizing and dragging your broken ass off the hill when the plan doesn’t come together. As a club last year, we even drummed up $1400 for cancer research. When not working on or helping out the scene, we reap the benefits of our own and others trail labors, invade bike parks and terrorize the streets. Not to mention legendary club events like “The Triple Nipple” or “The Super B”.


I write this all not only as an introduction, but possibly an inspiration. While we are always open to new members, providing they meet certain simple criteria, maybe you want to start your own riding network. The world is shrinking and becoming more accessible by the hour. Being able to travel to riding hot spots and have local clubmates to show you around and even put you up, saves valuable time and always precious funds. On top of it all, for an individual sport, stoke levels are amply enhanced by sharing the experience with partners in “crime”.


As we head into our sixth season, like Ebola, we are spreading, unchecked and there is no cure. Don’t fight, succumb to the disease. The jean vests and our B-Team/Pilsner riding jersey’s are hard to miss. You will find us on trails either riding, building or maintaining. Stop and say hi. We don’t bite. Hard anyway... Or you can check us out on our new interwebz home at www.bteamlovesyou.com.

It’s true,

B-Team loves you.

Watermarked photo's courtesy of Nicholas Teichrob. Check him out at www.nicolasteichrob.com