IMBA CANADA Blog

With a new year come new challenges and changes.  IMBA Canada is certainly no different and the following post outlines some of the things can have occurred as of late as well as highlighting a few upcoming projects.

Changing of the Guard
Mark Schmidt has left his post as executive director of IMBA Canada as of January 1st and begun a new career with Parks Canada. With Schmidt’s departure IMBA Canada Lora Woolner, who together with Schmidt started the IMBA Canada office in 2004, has taken the reigns as executive director.  Woolner and Schmidt have been involved with IMBA since 2002, when they were hired on to a three year stint with IMBA’s Trail Care Crew program in the US.

Continued work with National Parks
2009 saw IMBA Canada run workshops for the staff of three National Parks across the country, as well as two separate trail assessments.  2010 is shaping up to provide an equally prominent presence in its role of promoting sustainable trail construction within our nation’s protected wilderness.  Stay tuned for more information!

New Web Content
A lot of things are in transition with IMBA’s current web format and expect to see some big changes across the board in the next month or so.  In addition to these format changes, IMBA Canada is looking to expand its national blog with not only updates that summarize our projects and events but also cover current issues.  It is our hope that these articles will help to trigger positive, constructive dialog that transcends provincial boundaries thereby furthering our understanding of membership concerns while exposing the membership to subjects we feel are relevant to improving the sport of mountain biking here in Canada.

Lance Armstrong and Other Top Cyclists Race onto Cineplex Entertainment Screens in a Grueling Quest to Reach the Finish Line with Inspirational Race Across the Sky – Leadville Trail 100

Canada – January 5, 2010 – Cineplex Entertainment and Citizen Pictures take movie audiences on a ride only the most intense cyclists have experienced – including seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong – as they compete in one of the world’s most grueling mountain bike races in Race Across the Sky – Leadville Trail 100.  Shown exclusively in select Cineplex Entertainment theatres on Wednesday, January 27th and Sunday, February 7th, 2010, these special events will feature the debut of the documentary, “Race Across the Sky.”

“The Leadville Trail 100 is one of those events…Like the New York City Marathon or the Ironman, where people say, one day I want to do that,” said Armstrong. “It’s the purest level of passion that you can get.”

“Cineplex Entertainment is pleased to partner with Citizen Pictures to invite cyclists and mountain bike racing fans to the Canadian premiere of Race Across the Sky – Leadville Trail 100,” said Pat Marshall, Vice President, Communications and Investor Relations, Cineplex Entertainment.  “Watching the competitors race on difficult terrain with picturesque Colorado as the back drop on our big screens is sure to impress.”

Citizen Pictures filmed against the misty backdrop of a former mining town in Colorado that sits at 10,200 feet to capture the drama of the 2009 LT100 mountain bike race. The LT100 began as a running race 27 years ago to draw tourism to Leadville, Colorado.  The mountain bike race was added in 1994 and has become a competition with more than 1,000 entries and a lottery determining who will compete. The course includes 14,000 vertical feet of climbing and often severe weather changes.  Competitors race on dirt trails, mining roads and Forest Service roads, hoping to cross the finish line in 12 hours or less.

Cameras followed the cyclists from the start through to the finish line and all 100 miles in between as they competed in the August 2009 competition – one of the most intense endurance races of all time. Witness breathtaking aerial views as the camera crew follows the competitors as they cycle over 100 miles of dangerous mountain terrain through extreme climate changes ranging from heat to hail and from rain to snow.

“If you’re lucky enough to get into this race, it will be the hardest day on the bike you’ll ever experience.  100 miles, off-road, all above 10,000 ft,” said Frank Matson, CEO of Citizen Pictures. “The summit is a relentless climb to the top of Columbine Mine at 12,570 ft.  The only thing you can count on is that anything can happen.  And if at the end of the day you’ve crossed the finish line, you’ve won.”

Advance tickets are now available online at www.cineplex.com/events as well as at participating theatre box offices. Admission for children ages 3 – 13 is $8.00, seniors is $10.50 and general admission is $12.50.  A special group rate is also available for groups of 20 or more.  For more information on group rates, call 1-800-313-4461 or email corporatesales@cineplex.com.

Cineplex Entertainment will present Race Across the Sky – Leadville Trail 100 at the following select theatres across the country on Wednesday, January 27th at 7 pm and Sunday, February 7th at 1 pm (local time):

BRITISH COLUMBIA
Coquitlam
- SilverCity Coquitlam Cinemas, 170 Schoolhouse Street
Kamloops
- Cineplex Odeon Aberdeen Mall Cinemas, 700-1320 Trans Canada Highway
Kelowna
- Famous Players Orchard Plaza 5 Cinemas, 160-1876 Cooper Road
Langley
- Colossus Langley Cinemas, 20090 91A Avenue
Mission
- SilverCity Mission Cinemas, 32555 London Avenue
Nanaimo
- Galaxy Cinemas Nanaimo, 213-4750 Rutherford Road
Pitt Meadows
- Cineplex Odeon Meadowtown Cinemas, 19800 Lougheed Highway
Prince George
- Famous Players 6 Cinemas, 172-1600 Fifth Avenue
Richmond
- SilverCity Riverport Cinemas, 14211 Entertainment Way
Surrey
- Cineplex Odeon Strawberry Hill Cinemas, 12161 72nd Avenue
Vancouver
- Cineplex Odeon Park & Tilford Cinemas, 200-333 Brooksbank Avenue
- Scotiabank Theatre Vancouver, 900 Burrard Street
Vernon
- Galaxy Cinemas Vernon, 2306 Highway 6
Victoria
- SilverCity Victoria Cinemas, 3130 Tillicum Road

ALBERTA
Calgary
- Cineplex Odeon Crowfoot Crossing Cinemas, 91 Crowfoot Terrace NW
- Cineplex Odeon Westhills Cinemas, 165 Stewart Green SW
Scotiabank Theatre Chinook, 6455 Macleod Trail SW
Edmonton
- Cineplex Odeon North Edmonton Cinemas, 14231 137th Avenue NW
- Cineplex Odeon South Edmonton Cinemas, 1525-99th Street NW
Lethbridge
- Galaxy Cinemas Lethbridge, 501-1st Avenue SW
Red Deer
- Galaxy Cinemas Red Deer, 357-37400 Highway #2
Sherwood Park
- Galaxy Cinemas Sherwood Park, 2020 Sherwood Drive

MANITOBA
Winnipeg
- SilverCity Polo Park Cinemas, 817 St. James Street
- SilverCity St. Vital Cinemas, 160-1255 St. Mary’s Road

SASKATCHEWAN
Prince Albert
- Galaxy Cinemas Prince Albert, 2995 2nd Avenue
Regina
- Galaxy Cinemas Regina, 420 McCarthy Boulevard N
Saskatoon
- Galaxy Cinemas Saskatoon, 347 2nd Avenue

ONTARIO
Ajax
- Cineplex Odeon Ajax Cinemas, 248 Kingston Road
Ancaster
- SilverCity Ancaster Cinemas, 771 Golf Links Road
Barrie
- Galaxy Cinemas Barrie, 72 Commerce Park Drive
Belleville
- Galaxy Cinemas Belleville, 160 Bell Boulevard
Brampton
- SilverCity Brampton Cinemas, 50 Great Lakes Drive
Brantford
- Galaxy Cinemas Brantford, 300 King George Road
Burlington
- SilverCity Burlington Cinemas, 1250 Brant Street
Collingwood
- Galaxy Cinemas Collingwood, 6 Mountain Road
Etobicoke
- Cineplex Odeon Queensway Cinemas, 1025 The Queensway
Gloucester
- SilverCity Gloucester Cinemas, 2385 City Park Drive
Guelph
- Galaxy Cinemas Guelph, 485 Woodlawn Road W
Hamilton
- SilverCity Hamilton Mountain Cinemas, 795 Paramount Drive
Kingston
- Cineplex Odeon Gardiners Road Cinemas, 626 Gardiners Road
London
- Cineplex Odeon Westmount & VIP Cinemas, 755 Wonderland Road S
- SilverCity London Cinemas, 1680 Richmond Street
Markham
- Cineplex Odeon First Markham Place Cinemas, 3275 Highway 7
Mississauga
- SilverCity Mississauga Cinemas, 3055 Vega Boulevard
Newmarket
- SilverCity Newmarket Cinemas, 18151 Yonge Street
Niagara Falls
- Cineplex Odeon Niagara Square Cinemas, 7555 Montrose Road
Oakville
SilverCity Oakville Cinemas, 3531 Wyecroft Road
Orillia
- Galaxy Cinemas Orillia, 865 West Ridge Boulevard
Oshawa
- Cineplex Odeon Oshawa Cinemas, 1351 Grandview Street N
Ottawa
- Cineplex Odeon South Keys Cinemas, 2214 Bank Street
Owen Sound
- Galaxy Cinemas Owen Sound, 1020 10th Street
Peterborough
- Galaxy Cinemas Peterborough, 320 Water Street
Richmond Hill
- SilverCity Richmond Hill Cinemas, 8725 Yonge Street
Sault Ste. Marie
- Galaxy Cinemas Sault Ste. Marie, 293 Bay Street
Scarborough
- Cineplex Odeon Eglinton Town Centre Cinemas, 22 Lebovic Avenue
Sudbury
- SilverCity Sudbury Cinemas, 355 Barrydowne Road
Thunder Bay
- SilverCity Thunder Bay Cinemas, 850 North May Street
Toronto
- Cineplex Odeon Sheppard Cinemas, 4861 Yonge Street
- Cineplex Odeon Varsity Cinemas, 55 Bloor Street W
Waterloo
- Galaxy Cinemas Waterloo, 550 King Street N
Windsor
- Cineplex Odeon Devonshire Mall Cinemas, 3100 Howard Avenue

QUEBEC
Brossard
- Cineplex Odeon Brossard Cinemas, 9350 boul. Leduc
Kirkland
- Coliseum Kirkland Cinemas, 3200 rue Jean Yves
Laval
- Colossus Laval Cinemas, 2800 rue Cosmodôme
Montreal
- Scotiabank Theatre Montreal, 977 rue Ste-Catherine O
- Starcité Montreal Cinemas, 4825 ave. Pierre de Coubertin
Rock Forest
- Galaxy Cinemas Sherbrooke, 4204 rue Bertrand
Ste. Foy
- Cineplex Odeon Ste. Foy Cinemas, 1200 boul. Duplessis

About Cineplex Entertainment
As the largest motion picture exhibitor in Canada, Cineplex Entertainment LP owns, leases or has a joint-venture interest in 129 theatres with 1,329 screens serving approximately 70 million guests annually. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Cineplex Entertainment operates theatres from British Columbia to Quebec and is the largest exhibitor of digital, 3D and IMAX projection technologies in the country. Proudly Canadian and with a workforce of approximately 10,000 employees, the company operates the following top tier brands: Cineplex Odeon, Galaxy, Famous Players, Colossus, Coliseum, SilverCity, Cinema City and Scotiabank Theatres. The units of Cineplex Galaxy Income Fund, which owns approximately 99.6% of Cineplex Entertainment LP, are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (symbol CGX.UN).

About Citizen Pictures
Denver based, Citizen Pictures has been an internationally recognized broadcast and commercial production company for more than 25 years. Citizen Pictures offers writing, producing, directing, live-action shooting, motion graphics and 3-D animation to networks, corporations and agencies. For more information visit www.citizenpictures.com or www.raceacrossthesky.com.

# # #

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Chrissy Matson
Marketing Manager
Citizen Pictures
(303) 455-5200
chrissy@citizenpictures.com

Georgia Sourtzis
Manager, Communications
Cineplex Entertainment
(416) 323-6728
georgia.sourtzis@cineplex.com

Pat Marshall
Vice-President, Communications and Investor Relations
Cineplex Entertainment
(416) 323-6648
pat.marshall@cineplex.com

The rolling hills of Gatineau Park, located in the province of Quebec, have long been a destination for mountain bikers in Southern Quebec and Eastern Ontario. That’s why the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) Canada is excited to announce a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Capital Commission (NCC), who manages the park lands.

Signed in October, the MOU will enable further collaboration between IMBA Canada and the NCC to improve sustainable, multi-use trail planning, trail rehabilitation and management, and encourage responsible use of trails in Gatineau Park.

The MOU also ensures both organizations will meet annually, and complete an annual work plan that identifies and prioritizes potential projects, programs, and other collaborative opportunities.

“I think this is a major step forward in gaining more access to the kind of trails that mountain bikers want on lands managed by the NCC,” says IMBA Canada Director Mark Schmidt. “Now we have a signed agreement that ensures mountain bikers have a place at the table in discussions concerning mountain biking and trails in Gatineau Park”.

“We share the enthusiasm of the IMBA about this MOU because since the 1990’s, the NCC has offered 90 kilometres of shared trails in Gatineau Park,” says Marie Boulet, Director of Gatineau Park and the Greenbelt at the NCC. “We look forward to working with IMBA to continue to offer high quality recreational experiences to mountain bikers, while preserving the natural and cultural heritage of Gatineau Park.”

Full press release.