Meet Rachid one of our Board of Directors.
My name is Rachid and I just turned 42. I moved to Canada from Lebanon with my family when I was 4. I am trilingual, my mother tongue is the Lebanese dialect of Arabic, then French (I am the product of Ontario’s French public school system) and finally, English. I attended the University of Ottawa where I studied Management with a specialization in Accounting and upon graduation achieved my CA designation and then a CIA and CFP accreditations.
I moved to North Vancouver in 2007 to date my now wife – we were married in 2009 and have three boys aged 9, 7 and 6. I have been riding the North Shore since arriving in 2007, my first ride started at Cove Bike Shop, up Mountain Highway to 7th secret and down Ladies Only. It was painfully amazing and I’ve been hooked ever since.
I am an accountant and work at a finance firm that specializes in mutual fund management.
I have been involved since November 2009 when I first joined the board. That tenure ended in 2017 when I took a step back to focus on my young children. I rejoined the board in 2023.
At first it was to answer a call made by Matthew Bond, the then president of the organization, to build a trail focused association that reflected our beliefs and values. That original tenure lasted until 2017. I returned to the board in 2023 with a strong desire to continue shaping the NSMBA into the premiere trail organization that it has always been.
Since 2002, XC mountain biking in Ontario. Bought my first freeride bike in 2006, an IronHorse 7point3, which I rode at Camp Fortune in Quebec, and then on Fromme, Seymour, Cypress, Whistler, Squamish…until it died of linkage ovalization and stress fractures in 2011.
It has been great, the camaraderie and the joy of advocating for a sport that I am passionate about has been very fulfilling.
Organizing and helping to organize the Bike Swap (RIP), working on the original iteration of our casual race series the Toonies with Ilana Wapniarski and Andrew Hewitson, and then the Fivers with Brian Earle, contributing to the advocacy efforts on Cypress and Seymour all stand out as highlights for me.
Pile of Rocks to Oil Can has been a favourite loop lately, as has been the reimagined Cambodia.
My children are in the Scouts program for which I am a leader – it’s been a wild ride teaching them how to camp, hike, boulder, build a fire and just have a great time outdoors. I enjoy spending time with my family, so we go for family bike rides, we go camping, we take road trips and bigger more complicated trips. I don’t want to miss out on each child’s development so I try to be as present as possible.
Quick-fire
Fun! With an increasing amount of variety, due to the continued efforts of the NSMBA. The variety allows for options, and it keeps the riding fresh within the same trail network.
Autumn, when my children return to school, I seem to be able to find more time to ride. WIth the cooler days, the riding is more pleasant and September/October are still fairly dry.
Sunrise, I’m a cobweb sweeping, dawn patrol kind of guy.
Summertime (after a hot ride): Iced americano.
Other times (after a cool or wet ride): Espresso
Currently; Pack a Lunch by Professor. This changes regularly though.
