Nanaimo man turns home into mountain biking paradise
To appreciate how Reece Wallace ended up riding his bike off the roof of his three-storey house — and what happened after — we need to go back to when he was a boy.
“I was a cautious daredevil,” Reece smiles, recalling how he regularly cycled around the neighbourhood, riding down long flights of stairs and jumping over high curbs. “I was pushing myself, but then trying not to kill myself.”
While the boy wanted to be either a biker or a pilot when he grew up, he definitely dreamed of having an expansive playground in his backyard.
“My mom always said, ‘If you want something bad enough, you’ll make it happen,’” Reece says.
So Reece started working a series of jobs at fast-food restaurants to save money to achieve his goals.
Over the next decade, he earned his pilot's licence and became a professional free-ride mountain biker. Then Reece focused on finding thing perfect property.
“I was like this soil feels awesome,” Reece recalls picking up a handful of dirt on a rural lot with a steep slope surrounded by forest. “I can make some good jumps out of this.”
Reece spent his life savings, followed by more than six months of clearing the land of dozens of dilapidated buildings filled with garbage.
“I wouldn’t do it again,” Reece laughs. “It’s a nightmare renovating.”
A nightmare followed by Reece doodling designs to realize his dream home.
“I’d draw things just as I would as a little kid,” Reece says, sketching images of ramps protruding from the house and jumps surrounding it.
Then Reece carved up his backyard with heavy equipment and constructed gigantic wooden ramps, turning his paper plans into five acres of limitless possibilities.
Now he’s planning to invite his fellow professionals and cycling enthusiasts to try out his tracks this summer at the Reece Wallace Invitational.
“I see my house as a blank canvas,” Reece says, before showing video of the feats he’s accomplished on his property. “I really can create or do whatever I like."
So if Reece imagines racing through his living room and dropping off his back deck, he goes for it.
“Why not do something different?” Reece says. “Have fun with it and be creative.”
Why not focus all your innate talent and years of training on riding off your roof?
“I was shaking in my boots up there,” Reece says before showing video of him riding off his three-storey home and landing safely. “Every part of your body is just focused on doing it and doing it correct.”
And then — when Reece wondered, ‘What’s next?’ — he noticed the tree beside his house was dying. He decided to lop off the top, use the wood to build a bridge from his roof to the tall stump, and jump off that.
“There‘s an adrenaline rush,” Reece says of landing the jump perfectly. “But there’s also a big sense of relief — oh I didn’t die!"
Which is followed by countless moments of gratitude every day, Reece says, for the advice his mom gave to her bike-riding boy about realizing his dreams.
“That’s sustained me with all the decisions I’ve made in my life,” Reece says. “Follow what you love, work hard at it, and everything will fall into place.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Air Canada walks back new seat selection policy change after backlash
Air Canada has paused a new seat selection fee for travellers booked on the lowest fares just days after implementing it.
Province boots mayor and council in small northern Ont. town out of office
An ongoing municipal strike, court battles and revolt by half of council has prompted the province to oust the mayor and council in Black River-Matheson.
3 law officers serving warrant are killed, 5 wounded in shootout at North Carolina home, police say
Three officers on a U.S. Marshals Task Force serving a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm were killed and five other officers were wounded in a shootout Monday at a North Carolina home, police said.
'Shocked and concerned': Calgary principal charged with possession of child pornography
A Calgary elementary school principal has been charged with possession of child pornography, authorities announced Monday.
Health authority confirms cockroaches at B.C. hospital, insists they 'do not bite'
The Vancouver Island Health Authority is downplaying what staff describe as a cockroach infestation in a medical unit of Saanich Peninsula Hospital.
Toronto police arrest 12 people, lay 102 charges in major credit card fraud scheme
Toronto police say 12 people are facing a combined 102 charges in connection with an investigation into a major credit fraud scheme.
Winner of US$1.3 billion Powerball jackpot is an immigrant from Laos who has cancer
One of the winners of a historic US$1.3 billion Powerball jackpot last month is an immigrant from Laos who has had cancer for eight years and had his latest chemotherapy treatment last week.
Britney and Jamie Spears settlement avoids long, potentially ugly and revealing trial
Britney Spears and her father Jamie Spears will avoid what could have been a long, ugly and revealing trial with a settlement of the lingering issues in the court conservatorship that controlled her life and financial decisions for nearly 14 years.
WATCH 'Double whammy': What happens if you don't file your taxes by the deadline
The clock is ticking ahead of the deadline to file a 2023 income tax return. A personal finance expert explains why you should get them done -- even if you owe more than you can pay.