CANMORE – Canmore is Jericho.
Legendary pro wrestler Chris Jericho went full blown baby-face and dropped the largest donation at this year’s Pedal For Pints fundraiser, a Canmore and Area Mountain Bike Association (CAMBA) initiative that puts money into maintaining and building local trails.
“I am so excited to announce that my segment 'Chris Jericho’s Painmaker' is gonna go live at the start of Montane on CAMBA’s Pedal for Pints loop,” said the multiple time world champion in a video message on Sept. 21.
“Now listen, this [trail] is going to be steep, this is going to be an incline, [and] it’s going to kick your ass (…).”
Jericho, 51, is considered one of the best wrestlers ever (ever), while also being the frontman of gold record award winning band Fozzy, a best-selling author and host of a popular podcast.
Currently, the Winnipeg native is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), holds the Ring of Honor world championship, and is one of the most magnetic draws in the business.
So how does a high-flying rocker and Canmore bike association team up? The answer is family.
CAMBA's Pedal For Pints loop starts and ends at Sheepdog Brewing, and stretches to the western edge of Harvie Heights. The cross-country trail is 26 kilometres through the Canadian Rockies and has 665 metres of incline and 622m of descent.
After donating to Pedal For Pints, Jericho had the right to name a segment of the trail of his choosing. He decided on a particularity tough portion – a calf-burner from stony Cougar Creek to the flats of Montane – to be Chris Jericho's Painmaker – a fitting nod to one of his personas.
“People always curse it when they ride it,” said Chad Holowatuk, CAMBA’s vice president. “And [Jericho] said, ‘perfect – do it. That’s the one.’”
Holowatuk, also known as “Wise Cousin Chad”, is Jericho's cousin. He's been involved with CAMBA for six years and said during a recent phone call between the two, Jericho inquired about the advocacy group and asked what he could do to help with what is a passion project for many.
Founded in 2016, CAMBA builds, maintains and advocates sustainable mountain trails for riders, runners and all users. The group relies heavily on fundraising, grants, and lots of volunteer hours to operate.
When the opportunity came up to team, CAMBA got the hot tag from Y2J and received a $2,500 donation and a personalized video message that raises awareness about the mountain biking association.
“I thought it was pretty amazing,” said Holowatuk.
“He’s come out here for vacation and him and his family have been on the trail, so he knows; he knows how awesome Canmore is and how beautiful the community is and he said ‘what you’re doing there is really just enriching the lives of people living there and the people who come visit.’”
To close out the video message, Jericho advocated purchasing CAMBA memberships, which come with benefits, and its funds go to trail maintenance and championing.
“If you ride the trails, you gotta buy a [CAMBA] membership and you gotta donate to CAMBA because they take care of the trails and make sure they have a really cool place to ride your bike,” Jericho said.
If not, non-members run the risk of making the List of Jericho – and you don't want to be on that list.
For more information on CAMBA and its projects, visit: www.camba.ca.
