Windsor Essex Bike Community
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Mission Statement
Windsor Essex Bike Community (WEBC) is a registered nonprofit organization that is committed towards using cycling and the power of community to create meaningful & positive impacts for residents all over Windsor Essex! WEBC strives to promote all types of cycling in Essex County, while providing a platform to pursue mutually beneficial partnerships between the riding community and local government.
About This Cause
Windsor Essex Bike Community (WEBC), established in the fall of 2022, is a registered nonprofit biking organization committed to cycling and creating positive impacts for residents of Windsor-Essex County through the power of community. Beginning with small-scale events organized by the original founders, WEBC rapidly grew to be a widespread movement throughout the community, gaining the interest of hundreds of local riders in only a matter of months! As WEBC grew, so did our organization's dreams of what we could potentially accomplish with our rapidly expanding community. WEBC is an organization made up of an exceptional group of people aligned in our passion for mountain biking and community service. We had a dream to bring mountain biking to Windsor & Essex County and through collaborative hard work of generous and dedicated volunteers, this dream has become a reality. By the early winter of 2023, our board of directors came up with the “crazy” idea to build a 10 km mountain bike trail on the rolling hills behind the Libro Recreation Centre in Amherstburg, Ontario. What started as a pipe dream quickly materialized into the reality of a comprehensive strategic plan outlining Phase 1 of what would eventually become a 10 km, 3 phase project. The proposal of Phase 1 was unanimously, and enthusiastically approved by the Amherstburg Town Council in February 2023 (and again for Phase 2 of the project in February 2024). With the promise that the trails would be entirely funded by WEBC, a small team of volunteers spent hundreds of hours working tirelessly to meet with dozens of local business owners, committees and foundations as well as spearheaded multiple community fundraising events to create awareness about the project. Our efforts paid off, raising more than $100,000 in project donations and gaining the overwhelming support of the community in only 18 months. Once WEBC had raised the necessary funds for the construction of the Libro Centre Trails, we were then eligible to enter into a land stewardship agreement with the Town of Amherstburg. Signed in April 2023, WEBC became the official land stewards of the Libro Trails which legally allowed our volunteer trail crew to build on town land. In return, the Town of Amherstburg would be acquiring a first-class recreation venue and trail network entirely funded by WEBC and at no cost to local taxpayers. This land stewardship agreement between WEBC and the Town of Amherstburg was the first of its kind in Windsor Essex history! With the approval and land stewardship agreement in place, it was time to get to work. Building a trail may be perceived as simple as clearing a path but in actual fact, WEBC volunteers have logged over 4000 physically grueling hours (in only 18 months) to clear thick brush, move hundreds of yards of dirt, position thousands of pounds of rock, sculpt and build trail features, and a multitude of other tasks to design and build the first 2 phases of the project! With Phase 1 & 2 of the Libro Centre Trails completed, WEBC volunteers continue to donate dozens of hours a month with ongoing maintenance of the trails to ensure safety and optimal rideability all while promoting, organizing, and executing community riding events. The impact of these trails has been remarkable. To fully appreciate the community impact of WEBC and the team of volunteers, it is important to understand some local context. Before WEBC was founded and the Libro Centre trails were built, there was nothing in the way of a local riding club or sanctioned trail network in the region. There were no organized mountain bike group rides, no youth cycling programs, and nothing in the way of a biking club offered by the schools. In addition, Windsor Essex County is very flat in terrain and the last place people would associate with mountain biking. These were major challenges WEBC faced when starting out in the fall of 2022. Despite the odds, and in less than 2 years, armed with an unwavering belief in the “power of community", WEBC volunteers and supporters have truly transformed our community. Our new multi-phased trail network has been founded on the tireless volunteer fundraising efforts, endless sweat equity, and relentless determination of volunteers that has helped develop the Libro Trails into a premiere recreation venue valued at close to $1 million dollars! Upon completion of the first two phases of the trail project, our priority was to get kids out on bikes to reap the profound benefits mountain biking can have on mental and physical health. Our goal was to spark passion for mountain biking so kids could experience the joy of riding a bike. This led to the launch of WEBC Youth in July 2024; a free inclusive volunteer led mountain bike club open to all youth throughout Windsor-Essex County. It has proved to be an overwhelming success, offering instruction and encouragement to promote biking skills and safety, develop fitness, friendships, confidence, while building self-esteem and connections with nature. Dozens of kids and parents from all over Windsor-Essex consistently showed up every session to enthusiastically participate. The hugely positive impact of the program and transformation of many of these young riders was remarkable and would not have been possible without our volunteer instructors! When not spending endless volunteer hours at the Libro Centre Trails, WEBC enjoys hosting riding events. WEBC also developed a partnership with Amherstburg’s North Star High School to create the first ever mountain bike club in the history of Essex-County. To support this initiative, WEBC donated $4000 in new bikes to make riding accessible to kids without a bike and made helmets available to reinforce the importance of safety. WEBC volunteers also offer a weekly group ride, open to all: parents and kids, teens, newcomers, novice riders, seniors, with as many as 70 people attending each ride. Our WEBC volunteers lead the group ride to promote safety, provide support and make sure no rider is left behind. To further promote community building, WEBC has also used social media platforms to create “WEBC Ride Share” as a way for riders to connect with other people to get out and ride together on days other than the organized group rides. WEBC and the Libro Trails have also created widespread positive social and economic impacts for so many in Windsor-Essex. The Libro Centre Trails project has created an outstanding trail network (with nothing else of its kind in Essex County) making it possible for WEBC to host races, events, and recreational programs bringing people to the area and injecting money into the economy. WEBC was also the catalyst for the first and only bike shop/café in Amherstburg, providing the community with a source of quality bikes and riding gear and a gathering place for social events. All of these incredible social and economic impacts have allowed WEBC to develop a very strong relationship with the Amherstburg Town Council and Recreation Department. With Town Council members and staff being witness to the direct impact of the work of WEBC volunteers, they are already preparing for Phase 3 of the Libro Centre Trails project, which is planned for the spring of 2025. Only two, short years ago, no one would have ever imagined that the Windsor Essex Bike Community, an unknown, grassroots organization, could rally thousands of people to share a vision, unite like-minded volunteers and harness “the power of community” to execute a project so exceptional as the Libro Trails. The magnitude of the impact WEBC has created through our unwavering commitment to volunteerism and devotion to creating positive change in the community is simply outstanding. Done with a pure intention, without agenda or need for recognition, to under-promise and over-deliver, we volunteer thousands of hours to change lives. We volunteer to introduce someone struggling with mental health the opportunity to find relief or healing through one of WEBC group rides or programs. We volunteer to help young people get outside and explore. We volunteer to create a connected and inclusive community. We volunteer because we truly believe what we are doing is making a difference. This is what WEBC is all about, and this is only the beginning!