Once again, Dig !t Trail Builders Alliance made a lasting impression in more ways than one during this unforgettable week at Mont Sainte Anne. Here’s a short (long) recap of our journey at this last UCI World Cup on Québec soil  : ( 

After packing the trailer with gear late Tuesday night, like true Soldiers, we arrived at MSA Wednesday morning to build our makeshift wooden trail builder hideout. Various artifacts added character to the look of our ghetto booth V2.0: an Eastern cedar harvested in La Pocatière, larch roots found at VBN, and twisted vertically dried spruce beams cut by chainsaw from Lac-Beauport.

Despite a wind worthy of Aquilon (the Roman god of cold, violent northern winds), our hand-built booth, crafted by some resourceful Carpenters, stood strong without a scratch. Meanwhile, several demo tents were taking flight left and right. Goes to show — investing time in durable projects makes far more sense than paying for cheap junk. The same goes for hand built trails crafted by volunteer builders around the world (but that’s a whole other story for another day)…

That evening, during our inspection round (to make sure our nuclear bunker was still standing), our Troopers launched Mission Ninja Strike: sneaking through the paddocks to putt up our posters and scatter a few unreleased stickers. One of the WC teams seemed a bit startled to see the Trail Fairy slip behind the closed tarps of their HQs. Sorry about that — it was all in good spirit and gorilla marketing sometimes has to bend the rules.

On Thursday, Strikers attended the practice runs on MSA’s legendary track, handing out some rather odd flyers… The Trail Fairy was starting to get people talking — and laughing hard.

Friday brought in the crowds and a real buzz to the exhibitors village. The Mississippi table entertained plenty of Groms, and we took the opportunity to talk trails, motivate young builders, and hand out tools that fit their small hands — the kind of thing only true Toolmasters take care of. We even did a few sticker jobs on the bikes and helmets of those little shredders.

That evening, before celebrating under the big tent, a second secret mission had us papering a few walls with our unique posters. Some were even discreetly snatched by rival Undercovers. Knowing that the Trail Fairy will soon be decorating bike shops and garages makes us more than happy…

Saturday sealed the deal: the MSA track truly is one of the most brutal on the circuit. Countless flats, off track slides, and crashes challenged the riders until the very last second. The ultimate climax — Jackson delivering a slightly chaotic, yet blazing-fast run. Definitely not a Newbie descent, but a true Boost Bro ride! As for the Grand Guru Bruni, a legendary bluff had us all believing in a possible French win until the very end. Quite the twist! Shoutout to Gracey, Ronan, and Valentina, who all tasted the harsh medicine of MSA instead of sipping the champagne of victory on Québec soil.

As night fell, the party’s OGs got their money’s worth (and spent plenty of it too). Whether in the organized chaos under the big tent, all across the Expo village, in team pits, on the Jean-Larose pilgrimage, or along the river at the hidden afterhours (deep in the woods, loud as ever was heard by the neighbors of St-Ferréol until 6 a.m.). The 2025 World Cup once again hosted the biggest party of the year in the Québec region. Jimbeer, BeatBlaster, Kid Kodak, the Frenchies, countless Chatterbox, and many more persona helped make this long Saturday one for the history books.

Finally, Sunday blew by like a gust of wind. Special thanks to the Baristas at BOSK and RockShox/Misspent Summer, who helped put our eyes back in the right sockets with top-notch coffee. Between waves of heat, wild XC races, and endless trail talk, the last day wrapped up a week of pure fun spent with passionate outdoor, trail and MTB lovers.

The brotherhood that unites the global MTB community is simply incredible — thank you to all the Trail Heads and Hangarounds for contributing in your own special way. Imagine if every one of these personas joined just one trail day per year… The quality and quantity of our networks would instantly level up.

Your challenge for 2026 (if you’ve read this far, you’ve got what it takes): share your passion for trail building with a Green — someone who’s never joined a volunteer build day. If each of us takes on this simple mission over the next year, we might just see that contagious spark spread to future trail lovers…

To finish up, here’s a little food for thought: “How do you turn a setback into an opportunity?” Keep a positive mindset and push forward — just like Marie-France and Ian (the two Operators of the event) so brilliantly did. Challenges and obstacles always rise — and fall — but they make us stronger every time. Perseverance always pays off in the end. Big up to both of you — that was truly a Legend move!

Can’t wait to live the next chapter of Vélirium, a.k.a. Crankworx Festival, from September 3–7, 2026.  It’ll take place during the long Labour day weekend. With a more grassroots DNA than UCI-style events, Crankworx promises amateur competitions, a massive slopestyle course, and a one-of-a-kind festival. And the parties? They’re bound to be just as wild…

Go — time for the Call-to-Action: Doers, grab your calendars and draw a big red circle around September 3-4-5-6-7, 2026.

Until then, stay safe out there — and don’t forget to recruit a Newbie soon!