Those who mountain bike know that sometimes getting to the start point is troublesome. For instance if you and your buddy are heading to the Seven Summits, you’ll have to figure out what to do with your vehicle; find another friend to drive you back or do a bike loop.
Andy Sweet aims to change all that with his Sweetfield Shuttle service.
The service will cater to any biker heading out and needing a ride to the regions trail network start points.
Sweet took over Adrenaline Adventures, not only changing the name, but adding a seven day a week service schedule.
Sweet explains that each day will hold a different destination.
Monday will be double Dewdney trail, Tuesday is mixed intermediates, Wednesday is Ladies’ night. Thursday is Men’s night. On Fridays the shuttle will ferry people to trails around Castlegar.
Sweet said that Saturday will vary.
“What I’m looking for is basically feedback,” he said, on where people would like to go, suggesting it could be Silverstar in Nelson.
He would like to offer family days to places like Christina Lake.
Sunday is mixed intermediates as well.
On top of that, from Monday to Friday Sweet will be doing a Warfield pick-up around 4 - 4:15 p.m., to bring people back up to Rossland from Warfield for $10.
Punchpass holders can bring a child free.
After each evening ride, on all but the out of town nights, riders get a 50 per cent discount on food at the Flying Steamshovel.
Sweet is introducing a punch pass this year. It costs $200, but you get $230 dollars worth of riding. Each of the rides has a different price, because the shuttle heads to different places, Sweet explained.
Sweet moved to Rossland with his wife and child. He was in the British Army and was posted to Canada in 1998.
“That’s when my first love of Canada started,” he said. “I’ve been going back and forth since. This is paradise, it’s where I want to be.”
Sweet said the name comes from his time in the military as well, and his friend who may invest in the future: Michael Field.
“We had a bad day in Bosnia,” he said. “Basically at the end of the day, we said, once we get back to England we’re going to sign-off and start our own company and call it Sweetfield.”
Sweetfield Shuttle will be doing free rides up to Rossland from the bike swap this Saturday at Gericks in Trail.
For info on passes and schedules, visit www.sweetfieldshuttle.com.