2004 Faced with closures of favourite riding areas such as Greenwood, Dagmar and Fred’s Farm some local Durham riders felt there was a need for a mountain bike club focused on advocacy and trail access. A search was held to find what clubs existed in the area and what advocacy, and trail work they were doing. The search did find some current and defunct clubs in the area, but none included much advocacy and trail access work.

Fall 2005 What was to become the DMBA held its first meeting at the Pickering Recreation Complex on October 15th. The meeting was led by founder Jason Murray and was reasonably attended. All in attendance felt that “something had to be done” or we would eventually lose even more riding options in Durham Region. Eager to give back to our beloved riding areas, members of the fledgling DMBA attended an IMBA led trail build in the Don Valley.

Spring 2006 The DMBA starts to publicize itself and members started to join. Members of the club joined the stewardship committee for Glen Major/Walkers Woods, a popular riding area South of Uxbridge. While waiting for trail work opportunities to materialize in Durham Region a number of DMBA members became IMBA Trail Crew leaders at a trail build in the Don Valley.

Summer 2006 The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) and a number of other partners built 1km of sustainable trails on the Glen Major property rather than simply closing them to the riding public. Members of the DMBA played a major role in organizing and constructing this trail.

Fall 2006 Pleased with the work earlier in the summer the TRCA decides to build 500 more meters of sustainable trail. Members of the DMBA were again instrumental in organizing and constructing this trail. DMBA members led another trail build in the Don Valley. The Toronto Off Road Bicycling Association eventually emerged from these efforts and took the leadership on trail builds in the Don Valley.

Spring 2007 The DMBA held its first pancake breakfast, doubling our membership, and getting our name more recognized.

Summer 2007 The DMBA assisted with another trail build on the Glen Major property. The event is judged a success yet again by all involved.

Fall 2007 The DMBA held Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day at Durham Forest. 80 kids got a chance to do some mountain biking. The DMBA also held another trail build in Glen Major, this time an exclusively hand built affair. The TRCA and the Glen Major stewards were impressed with the quality of work and the hard work of the DMBA volunteers.

Winter 2008 The DMBA had its first meeting with the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA) to discuss the possibility of doing trail work and regular maintenance on the single track in Durham Forest.