Photo by : Jonathan B. Roy
Around a beer, at the end of a Dig Event in 2022, one of the LB-Cycle Strikers came up with a completely crazy idea: to organize a trail building event at night. This idea slowly germinated over the next two years, and in 2024 led to the very first Dig_24, a groundbreaking trail-building event that would leave its mark year after year.
In 2025, Dig !t Trail Builders took up the torch with two objectives in mind:
Contaminate other trail-loving communities to grow and spread the Dig_24 concept.
To continue the Dig !t Heritage tradition, leaving a physical trace of the 24’ers, also known as Trail Heads or Soldiers, at each edition…
This first nocturnal marathon took the form of six consecutive four-hour Digs, starting at noon on Saturday and finishing at noon on Sunday. During this inaugural edition, the LB-Cycle crew in Lac-Beauport accumulated 275 volunteer hours in just 24 hours, thanks to the involvement of 29 different volunteers. Six Finishers completed the entire challenge, and in total, the Teammates worked on eight different trails.
The highlight of the event? The 24’ers (Dig_24 participants) raised a ski chair to the top of the legendary Wolverine trail viewpoint at Les Sentiers du Moulin. This unusual installation became the symbol of the legacy that each Dig!t chapter will leave behind in future editions of the Dig_24: the Dig!t Legacy.
Crédit photo : LB-Cycle
In 2025, this call was quickly answered by the Laurentian Trail Builders gang, who joined forces with Plein air Sainte-Adèle and Sentiers des Pays-d’en-Haut, reviving the old Montreal Canadiens-Québec Nordiques hockey team rivalry. From day one, the Laurentians were clearly intent on dethroning the Lac-Beauport team…
On the Sentiers du Moulin side, the LB-Cycle/Dig SDM team (the Nordiques) took part in their second Dig_24. The result: a resounding success, zero injuries and work completed on a dozen trails. Despite a little drizzle from noon to midnight, the Teammates achieved their goal of beating the previous edition’s record for volunteer hours.
Over 400 volunteer hours were accumulated in 24 hours, thanks to the involvement of over 40 different team members (the 24’ers), including 10 Finishers who completed the challenge from start to finish. Hats off to them!
The Dig !t Heritage of this edition took the form of a lookout, right in the heart of the mythical Sentiers du Moulin’s Saga Trail. This perched vantage point offers breathtaking views of the Canadian Shield, the mountains of the Montmorency River valley and the Terres du Séminaire to the north of the Quebec City region.
True to the Dig !t spirit, a cast of colorful personas came to lend a hand to the weary troops: Beat Blaster, El Breton, KidKodak, Subzero, Pitmaster, Greenman and Barista all gave their time and energy to support the team members.
Despite Quebec City’s best efforts, what was going on in the forests north of Montreal was about to steal the show…
Crédit photo : Yanouk Paquette Labonté
For their very first Dig_24, Laurentian Trail Builders, Plein Air Sainte-Adèle and Sentiers des Pays d’en Haut (the Montreal Canadiens) set the bar high, very high. To ensure that their own Dig !t Legacy would go down in history, the project leaders dedicated their edition to the memory of Mel and Franck, a couple, serious mountain bike enthusiasts, who passed away too soon, but never forgotten. Months of preparation were required to bring this memorable project to fruition.
The concept: to create a tribute trail for Mel and for Franck. In the end, it was not one, but 2 trails side by side, each with its own style, character and soul, sharing the same start and finish and interlacing a few times. Without the involvement of over 110 hard-working volunteers, these two new gems signed by Sentiers des Pays-d’en-Haut and Laurentian Trail Builders would never have seen the light of day so quickly.
Reflecting Mélanie Guérin’s fluid, playful style, the 1,1 km-long Mel trail is an intermediate flow-type track, where a series of turns and berms pay tribute to her passion for this type of riding.
The team also built La Franck, a 350-metre-long expert-rated trail, packed with slabs, rocky notches and technical challenges. The trail is a tribute to François Allaire and his love of committed, precise mountain bike riding.
Nestled in the middle of the Mont Loup-Garou park, with glowsticks on trees to mark the way at night, the volunteers set up a veritable base camp worthy of the great expeditions. It was here that the stories, jokes and memories flowed, in tribute to Mel and Franck.
For 24 hours, non-stop, the volunteers took turns and accumulated over 700 hours of work to complete the two trails. More than 100 volunteers showed up to lend a hand, leaving their mark and paying tribute to these two OGs of the Quebec MTB community.
For those nostalgic for the Québec-Montreal rivalry, there’s no denying it: Montréal crushed Québec City on the scoreboard this time around.
Crédit photo : LB-Cycle
For the true enthusiasts of trails and community, no one lost, no one won. The whole MTB community was the big winner of this adventure. Over 1100 volunteer hours in 24 hours… a stunt that once again leaves its mark on the collective imagination.
With the project’s authentic, community-based aura, the Mel and Franck trails on Mont Loup-Garou are likely to be lovingly groomed and maintained for decades to come.
So get your ideas ready, mobilize your Partners, motivate your Teammates, and spread the word in your community. Dig !t promises that the 2026 edition of the Dig_24 will also be a moment to remember for all the communities that embark on the adventure…
Crédit photo : LB-Cycle
