The mountain biker who died from his injuries while on a trail in West Vancouver has been identified.
Jonathan Tobias Pilley, died May 7 from serious injuries while riding with friends on a trail known as The Coiler on Cypress Mountain.
Pilley, 43, who lived in Vancouver, was riding down the trail and suffered massive chest injuries when he lost control and hit a tree after landing a jump.
Emergency workers were quickly on the scene and Pilley was transferred to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
His family has asked all donations in his honour be sent to the North Shore Mountain Bike Association.
“We are having a difficult time,” said Pelley’s mother Judith on Sunday. “Social media has gone wild over this.”
She said her son worked hard to promote the sport of mountain biking. He was also an active skier and kayaker.
According to the West Vancouver Police Department, Pilley was with two friends on Cypress the day of the fatal crash.
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Pelley, by all accounts, was a very experienced mountain biker and familiar with the Cypress Mountain trails.
At the time of the accident he was wearing a full-faced helmet, goggles, body armour, and gloves.
The bike had front and rear suspension and there appears to have been no mechanical problems.
Pelley was attempting a jump, in steep terrain when the accident happened.
The jump is a wooden ladder bridge that sends the rider over a log with the landing approximately 1.8 metres down and 3 metres away from the takeoff point.
Upon landing, Pelley was thrown over the handle bars of the bike and then collided with a tree, resulting in blunt-force trauma.
First aid was administered immediately by the victim’s friends.
North Shore Mountain Bike Association (NSMBA) program director Mark Wood said they believe this is the first death ever from a mountain bike injury on the North Shore. “Everybody is looking at this as a real freak incident,” he said.
And he said trail maintenance programs the association has been promoting are making the sport safer and more accessible to a variety of rider levels.
“We are trying to remove unnecessary risk but still maintain the inherent risk in the sport,” he said. “It’s a rough and tumble sport and that’s what we like,” he added.
A top priority of The NSMBA Wood said is a trail adoption program that continues from last year in which businesses or people sponsor and work on a bike trail to keep it in good shape.
This year they have 22 trails that are being cared for under the initiative.
“Any old structures that are rickety or unsafe we remove or replace,” he said. Signs at the start of the trails on Mount Fromme and Seymour also indicate the level of ability on the trail.
“We have a maintenance plan and are very engaged with land managers,” added Wood.
Despite the ongoing work on the trails, there are some serious mountain bike accidents, points out Lions Gate Hospital emergency room physician Dr. Sam Gutman.
“I don’t think we have seen any reduction in the frequency or a reduction in the severity of the accidents, ” he said. “If anything it has increased.”
He has one bit of advice for people heading out on their mountain bikes into difficult terrain. “No matter how good the equipment or protection, use good judgment – there is a risk.”
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