Calgary riders rally to support B-Line indoor bike park

If you live in one of the parts of Canada that experiences winter (er… that’s all of them), indoor bike parks are a huge lifeline to get in your riding fix while the snow flies. Even mostly balmy Vancouver loves its new indoor riding facility. That could be why the Calgary cycling community is rallying so hard to help support, and maybe even save B-Line Indoor Bike Park.

B-Line recently revealed it is possibly facing the loss of the 60,000-square foot facility it has occupied in Calgary since opening over six years ago. The problems will be familiar to many. The Alberta indoor park’s owners shared that the facilities landlord is looking for a new tennant to take over the space. B-Line is also struggling with massivlely increased costs and, like many in the cycling industry, dealing with the industry’s struggles in the wake of the COVID boom (which B-Line mostly missed out on, since being an indoor facility meant it was closed or under limited opening for much of the boom period). B-Line has detailed more of the financial pressures on its website.

While operations costs have increased massively, it sounds like the cost of relocating would be even more expensive. Rent on any new facility would, in all likelyhood, be even higher. The cost of the building materials, necessary for creating a playground of wooden ramps, has lept up since the park was created in 2017.

What can riders do to help?

B-Line isn’t giving up, and neither is the Calgary riding community. The owners have shared how riders can help in a sustainable way. A group of riders also created a video sharing what B-Line means to them and trying to spread awareness of the facility and the situation it is in.

Any riders looking to support have a few options. B-Line offers memberships (pre-paid and month-to-month) that go a long way to providing the financial stability the park needs to stay open. Keeping those going in the summer months are an important way to make sure you have somewhere to return to in the winter when the trails close for the season. The park also sells merch and gift cards. Again, more details about exactly how you can best support B-Line so it can stay open through 2024 and into 2025 are on the space’s website, where you can also buy memeberships.

B-Line isn’t just ramps. Like any facility, it offers group and individual lessons, runs camps. These are, as many people in the video above detail, a great way for riders of all ages and abilities to build skill and just enjoy riding during what would otherwise be an off-season away from bikes.