We submitted the following nomination for the KAZLAW MNT BIKING COMMUNITY AWARD.
Voting opens on February 20, please cast your vote in recognition of Mark’s volunteer efforts.
VOTING NOW OPEN
Mark “Shreddie” Savard,
is a mountain bike legend and advocate who has been developing the bike scene in BC’s Interior for a long time; arguably for 26 years since Mark started Red Shreds Bike & Board Shop. Shreddie as he’s often called is too modest to admit it but he showed that its possible for a bike, snowboard and windsurf bum to dream of opening an outdoor recreational shop in a resource community. It’s also possible for that “bum” to become a successful businessman and a pillar of the community.
Even a decade ago Williams Lake was one of the rare Interior communities with workable bike maps and locals were known to be pioneers in exploring the Chilcotins via bike. Since then a strong mountain bike community has coalesced around a shared passion for riding and perhaps more importantly, for building to create and maintain a diverse network of trails in Williams Lake as well as other areas of the Cariboo including – Quesnel, 100 Mile House and Wells. More recently the creation of the Cariboo Mountain Bike Consortium, a network of professionals dedicated to supporting mountain biking tourism in the region, is driving the initiative to make this area a Mountain Bike Destination. They do this by supporting new trails, creating maps and signage and holding events. All these facilitate riding in this area and making your experience as full as possible.
Mark’s passion goes beyond biking, he is an avalanche expert, trail-builder, mountaineer and back-country skier, avid paddler, windsurfer and ice-climber. He organized too many events to list, the “Likely, BC, Paddlefest is only one of them.
Without doubt, BC’s mountain bike community would not be what it is today without Shreddie.
Quotes:
James Doerfling: A big thanks is in order to Mark Savard at Red Shred’s Bike and Board Shed and to the Cariboo Mountain Bike Consortium for supporting me over the years. I started out in elementary school as kind of one of those little punks that hung around Red Shred’s” . Then Shreddie gave me a job down there. I just grew up around there sweeping floors and then eventually wrenching on bikes. I kind of made my way into the industry through the shop. Mark was a big help and gave me a lot of good advice.
Volunteer Positions (Past & Present):
• Cariboo Chilcotin Tourism Association
• Williams Lake Cycling Club
• Cariboo Mountain Bike Consortium
• Mountain Bike Tourism Association of BC
• Chamber of Commerce
• Chimney/Felker Lake Landowners Association
• Business Improvement Association
• Sprockids/Boys & Girls Club
• Williams Lake XC Ski Club
• Mount Timothy Ski Club
• Mayor of Shredville
Volunteer Hours:
Mark Savard has accumulated a minimum of 14,000 volunteer hours over the past 25 years.
