Why the name?
The name actually has a funny story. One of the first trails I rode in the Don Valley was Beaver Flats (or Oob) and it was waaay above my skill level at the time. I was still getting used to the green trails and I decided to try a blue trail and thought Beaver Flats would be a good one to try. As I rode the trail, I started to come across obstacles beyond what my confidence could handle. Eventually, I encountered a series of wooden bridges and features that just felt outrageous for a blue trail (I had no idea what the Don had in store for me), so I let out a loud ‘what the hell?!’.
The Don Valley was the first trail system I rode when I first moved to Canada in 2020. As a relatively new MTB rider, experiencing an entirely new setting felt overwhelming. I leaned on YouTube videos and pictures on Trailforks to find good trails to ride based on my skill and confidence level. I quickly noticed that most of the trails did not have videos available or any information at all. That is when I decided to start recording my rides and created a YouTube channel to help others view the trails before attempting to ride them, and to share any small tips I learned as I navigated the area. When looking for a name for the channel, I thought of that day when I first started to get a taste of the Don’s challenging terrain, and just adapted it to What The Trail.
About me
Hi! I’m Maria. I have been mountain biking since the summer of 2019 and I first moved to Toronto in early 2020. Most of my experience has been riding the Don Valley trails in Toronto but I have now started exploring other trails in Ontario. I have a full time job outside of WTT so I mostly ride early in the morning or in the evenings.
I mostly ride XC and I consider myself an intermediate rider. I can ride some technical trails but I still have a lot to learn. One of the main skills I want to build up is jumping, but nothing too crazy :). I also want to learn to ride drops. I have mostly kept myself out of my YouTube videos to maintain some privacy online, maybe eventually I will share a little more about myself. However, I do like meeting people on the trails, so if you see me out there, say hi! I’m happy to chat.
WTT Purpose
My goal is very simple:
- Provide mountain bikers and roadies with videos on popular and not-so-popular trails to plan ahead of their rides.
- Share MTB or Cycling related information that can help you become a more confident rider.
Keep in mind: Currently, most of the content is MTB focused, even though I ride a lot of Road as well. I still need to figure out what value I can add in that space, as there is already a ton of information online. Thanks for reading this far and I hope this site is valuable to you. I’m happy to hear your feedback, email me at [email protected].