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
'Oh my God, you're my brother': Man in his 70s discovers 6 unknown siblings
After receiving a DNA kit one Christmas from his son-in-law, Hugh McCormick soon discovered that he had six unknown siblings, with whom he shared the same birth parents.
No refund for travellers who cancelled flight already scrapped by airline: regulator
Four years on, the controversy over whether airlines owed refunds to passengers after cancelling hundreds of thousands of flights during the pandemic continues to simmer, aggravated by a sluggish, opaque complaints process.
Just how bad are ultraprocessed foods? Here are 5 things to know
Many foods fall under the category of ultraprocessed foods, depending on their exact ingredients. This type of food has been studied a lot lately, and the results aren’t great.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Rates of cancer declining in Canada, but more work needed to save lives: projections
A new study projecting declining rates of cancer cases and deaths in Canada demonstrates the success of prevention and early detection programs, but also highlights areas where more work is needed to save and prolong lives, researchers say.
DEVELOPING Trump trial arrives at a pivotal moment: Star witness Michael Cohen is poised to take the stand
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial is set to take the stand Monday with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president.
India's mammoth election is more than halfway done as millions begin voting in fourth round
Millions of Indians across 96 constituencies began casting their ballots on Monday as the country's gigantic, six-week-long election edges past its halfway mark. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third straight term with an eye on winning a supermajority in Parliament.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.