The Contagious Mountain Biking Club is preparing for its first event of the season on Saturday, with a poker ride set to start at 4:30 p.m. at Schwatka Lake.

The race will be for club members only, but sign-up will be held ahead of the start for those interested. The cost to join is $40, which includes insurance for the year.

Registration for the ride will begin at 4 p.m. at the Schwatka Lake boat launch with the ride to follow at 4:30 p.m.

Club president Devon McDiarmid said participants are urged to come earlier to help streamline registration.

"That's why we're asking people to show up a little earlier,” he said.

The cost to participate in the poker ride is $10, with half going to the pot and the other half paying for a barbecue following the finish of the event.

McDiarmid said the final prize tally will be unknown until race day, but will increase with attendance.

"The more the merrier,” he said.

Holding a poker run for the first event on the club's calendar is to encourage people to come out to ride without feeling pressure to race.

"It's just to encourage people to come out,” McDiarmid said. "It's not competitive, it's just for fun.”

Another factor is that some of the trails are not yet ready for a race-style event.

"Sometimes the trails are kind of snowy or muddy or whatever,” McDiarmid said.

He expects the ride will take about 45 minutes, and possibly longer for slower riders, but no matter where the racers finish they have a chance to win prizes based on their poker hands.

The poker ride isn't the only exciting event the Contagious Mountain Bike Club has coming up.

On Friday the club is debuting the movie "Follow Me” at the Beringia Centre. Showtimes are 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.

McDiarmid said the Yukon will be one of the first venues in Canada to debut the movie. Proceeds from the event will go directly to the mountain biking park.

The cost will be $15 per person at the door, and McDiarmid said it's a family-friendly movie.

"It's a friendly movie, it's not like you have to worry about your kids or anything,” he said.

Construction on the second phase of the park will begin May 26, when park designer Jay Hootes will be back in the Yukon.

"We'll be looking for volunteers,” McDiarmid said. "(The) best thing people can do to help is to just go to the site.”

Phase 1, which opened late last summer, is already in use for this season, McDiarmid said.

"People have been riding on it already,” he said.

But even though it's being used, McDiarmid cautions those riders to only use it when the dirt jumps are dry.

"It just destroys the jumps,” he said.

He also asks that only cyclists use the park, as motorized vehicles will also damage the jumps.

The club hopes to hold a grand opening for both phases once the second one is complete. A soft opening for Phase 1 was held last fall.

McDiarmid said the park fared well over its first winter, and has emerged from the snow ready to ride.

The club is beginning its "Name the Park” contest, with entries being taken starting Friday at the movie premiere.

So far the top prize will be a dirt jump bike, and more are in the works, said McDiarmid.

"There could be more.”

The club is also looking forward to the 24 Hours of Light Mountain Bike Festival on June 26-27.

McDiarmid said the club's website, which can be found at www.cmbcyukon.ca, is being updated to keep club members more informed.

"We're really working on our website and trying to pass information to people through (it),” he said.

Another change for the website is the integration of the Dirt Girls Mountain Biking Club.

While the girls will remain separate, McDiarmid said they will now be more closely tied with the Contagious Mountain Biking Club.

"They have a stronger affiliation now,” McDiarmid said. "They're just sort of restructuring.”