Words by Devin Fawkes, Photos by Tanner Pare
For Devin Fawkes, dig days are more than just trail work—they’re about building community and giving back to the people who keep the mountain bike scene alive. Devin’s been organizing “dig to ride” events alongside local trail organizations to recognize the builders who often go unnoticed. These events follow a simple, fun format: dig from 9 to 1, enjoy a community lunch provided by Forbidden Bikes, and then head out for a group ride. It’s a way to bring riders together, celebrate the spirit of trail building, and showcase the passion that drives the scene. Devin’s even been filming each dig day to capture the good vibes and create a series of fun, community-focused edits.
Tell us about your community dig days.
My dig days are meant to help bring communities together and also give recognition to the people who deserve it. A lot of builders do what they want to because they love it, but I think they deserve more praise than they get. What I have been doing is helping host dig days with local trail organizations where we build from 9-1, break for lunch, which has been generously supplied by Forbidden Bikes, and then we go for a group ride, hence the “dig to ride”. We have also been filming all the events just for a fun ad!
What inspires you to host these dig day events?
This winter, I got shoulder surgery, which left me with a 4-month recovery and bored, and I wanted to come up with a way to stay involved with the mountain bike community while I was still recovering. One thing that I never make enough time for is building, so hosting a couple of dig days around the local community seemed like it could be a lot of fun!
In terms of your dig day events, what's in store for the rest of the year?
For the rest of the year, we are planning to stay on the island. We will be doing one with UROC at the end of September, one with Cowichan Trails at Mt. Provost, and hopefully one more, which is still in the planning phase.
Tell us about your coaching with the Summer Gravity camp.
I am writing this from a Lift coffee table before coaching! I have been coaching Summer Gravity Camps for the past 4 years, and it’s some of the most fun ever! I was a camper for a couple of years, and to go full circle is pretty cool!
Are there any other awesome things you’re working on?
At the moment, I’ve just been enjoying being able to ride my bike and have fun with my friends before I have to go back to full-time school, but I have a couple more cool things coming soon!
