The Ottawa region is home to nearly one million residents and boasts one of the most active and vibrant communities in Canada. Currently it is home to 3 major facilities for BMX riding but we would like to see that number increase dramatically over the next few years. Our goal is to come in line with other large Canadian cities which are leading the charge to provide world class facilities for cycling enthusiasts.
Besides pushing to develop new facilities, we also want to build the scene up with events, contests and jams for Ottawa riders.
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By bringing Ottawa's BMX community together we hope to attract the interest of the city and potential private investors to begin developping plans for new riding facilities.
Capital BMX Contest Series
The 2011 season will be a banner year for events in Ottawa. Plans are underway to make sure that several events take place over the course of the year. This will include contests and jams at area parks as well as video premieres and fund raisers. Check back often for more details.
If you're a person or organization who wishes to partner with us here at Capital Riders to help make new facilities possible, please contact us.
Ottawa is a great place to live and work.
There's nothing stopping it from being a great place to ride BMX as well. The city has fallen behind forward thinking centers like Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal where skatepark development is concerned. We are confident that with our added support and initiative Ottawa can not only catch up to, but surpass many major cities in this regard.
Currently Ottawa has 3 major skateparks; Legacy, Orleans and Kanata. Each of these facilities lies far from the city's centre and makes commuting to them (for some) a day long commitment.
We would like to see more parks built throughout the community, perhaps even within the city's core. Although it is unrealistic to hope for a world class facility within every borough of the city, we believe that Ottawa having only 3 for a city of its size is unacceptable.
We want to actively engage this problem. Instead of sitting around complaining about the issue we are out there creating awareness, dispelling myths and raising money.
Capital Riders has been involved in the planning and construction phases of several area skateparks and modular skate playgrounds. The most recent of which includes the expansion of the Orleans Skateboard Park.
The Orleans Skatepark Expansion
This project was completed in September of 2010 but had its humble beginnings in the spring of 2008. Capital Riders had inquired as to the possibility of donating a ramp structure to the Orleans Skateboard Park only to be informed that all ramps used in a modular skatepark within the Ottawa limits must be built and designed by an accredited professional.
Undaunted by this news, we set to raise enough money to have a 'Box Jump' built as an addition to the already formidable BMX area of the Orleans park.
Working closely with Orleans area City Councillor Bob Monette, we managed to raise several thousand dollars for the cause. We held jams, contests and events which brought the entire community together to achieve this goal.
The city matched our contribution and then some. In September 2010 the expansion was completed and a contest was held to celebrate.
Aylmer Trails
These have been around for the better part of a decade, but over the past couple of years they've had a revival of sorts. The trails are on the Aylmer side of the bridge, so they are not technically IN Ottawa but they remain one of the best places in the region to build and ride dirt jumps. Emile Otis has been trail bossin' back there for the past year or so and has some big plans to develop them in 2011.
Orleans Expansion
Now that we've been successful in expanding the initial design of the Orleans Skatepark we have our foot in the door for further developments. As the park is built on a fairly sparse pad of asphalt there is still a great deal of room left to expand. Plans are in place to see that the Orleans park continues to grow in the coming years.
Capital BMX Contest Series.
In order to bring the Ottawa scene of BMX enthusiasts together, Capital Riders will be organizing a contest series for the 2011 season in association with longtime supporters Ten Pack Distribution and Joe Mamma's Cycles.
Not only will this series raise awareness in the region as to just how many riders there are (and our need for facilities) but it will also give riders an opportunity to meet each other and push the limits of their riding.
Plans right now are in the development stages, but our hopes are to have contests at each of the 3 large area skateparks (Legacy, Kanata, Orleans) as well as a potential trails jam. More info will be made available in the next few months.
The Big One.
It has been over half a decade since Legacy (Ottawa's premiere skatepark) was built. Since then the city has been stagnant in the realm of skateboard park development. Modular skate playgrounds have popped up all over the city but Legacy remains one of the most consistently busy skateparks in Canada.
The city's focus on modular skateparks is a double edged sword. While they do make riding/skating accessible to more people throughout the city, they are not large or complex enough for most advanced riders. This creates an excessive load of traffic for Legacy to carry as most advanced and expert riders make an effort to ride there instead.
The greater part of our efforts is aimed at finding partners and funding to begin planning a world class skateboard park somewhere in the National Capital Region. This will not be an easy road, nor will it happen quickly, but if we don't get the ball rolling now we could be waiting another decade before anything is built.
Legacy Skatepark (Centerpoint)
Built around 2004, this park is a staple in Ottawa's BMX and Skateboard communities. Easily the largest and most challenging park in the region, it is home to a 7 foot tall deep bowl with a spine transfer into a 5 foot bowl as well as an expansive street section which
was well designed for speed and flow. Ledges, rails, hips and pyramids are all present in this concrete goliath.
Legacy is often crowded to the point of danger. Because of its size it attracts a diverse crowd, young kids riding a skatepark for the first time as well as seasoned pro riders who are ripping around as fast as they can go.
This park's consistent patronage and constant flow of users is testament to Ottawa's need for more similar facilities.
Legacy is located behind Ben Franklin Place in Nepean.
Orleans Skatepark.
Built in 2006, this high end modular skatepark has been an important training ground for Ottawa's east end riders since day 1.
The reason we've categorized this park in a different league from other modular parks in the area is because of its size and complexity. The Orleans park has a fairly linear setup but also allows for a variety of transfers and lines.
The park is broken down into two sides. On the left is the skateboard section, which has a pyramid, flat ledges with coping and grindable benches as well as an assortment of small to medium sized quarterpipes and banks. On the right side is the BMX section which has two 5 foot quarterpipes with a right facing hip on one of them as well as a spine and a Box Jump*.
The future of Ottawa's skatepark development could potentially follow in the example of the Orleans park. Developers are engineering affordable alternatives to concrete which straddle the line between modular and permanent, often offering users the same experience as a high priced concrete park.
The Orleans Park is found just off the 417 highway at the Jean D'arc exit.
Kanata Skatepark.
Many people who see the Kanata park assume it was built in the 80s due to it's weathered construction and odd angles. It was actually built in the early 2000s. Poor design and construction resulted in one of the most fun little skateparks around.
Small quarterpipes, rounded bowls and roller bump hips make up this concrete monstrosity. There is a tiny pyramid right in the middle of the park which gets in the way of everything and a 5 foot tall quarterpipe that has one of the wackiest transitions ever.
Kanata is the only park in the region which offers lights, they generally stay on until 11pm during the summer and it makes a great place to relax and ride on a hot summer evening.
The park is located off of Terry Fox Drive in Kanata.
Crazy Steve boosting the Orleans Hip
We are always looking for peope interested in helping us reach our goal. Whether you're a bicycle enthusiast interested in what we are doing or a community partner looking to get involved with something great (or both!) Please feel free to get in touch with us.
If you want to contact us here at Capital Riders Organization please fill out the form below and we will try to respond as quickly as possible.
