March 2010 #108 Files/ST201003 108.pdf · By Thom Parson 15 11 7. 4 | March 2010 Ride the Trails...

March 2010 #108www.nemba.org

March 2010 #108www.nemba.org

New England Mountain Bike Association

Ride the Trails

Save the Trails SingleTrackS No. 108 | 3

SingleTrackSNEMBA, the New England Mountain BikeAssociation, is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organi-zation dedicated to promoting trail access,maintaining trails open for mountain bicyclists,and educating mountain bicyclists to use thesetrails sensitively and responsibly.

SingleTracks is published six times a year by theNew England Mountain Bike Association forthe trail community.

©SingleTracks Editor & Publisher: Philip Keyes

Contributing Writers: Bill Boles, Jeff CutlerCopy Editor: Nanyee Keyes

Executive Director: Philip [email protected]

NEMBAPO Box 2221

Acton MA 01720

Voice 800.57.NEMBAFax: 717-326-8243

[email protected]

Board of DirectorsHarold Green, President

Peter DeSantis, Vice-PresidentAnne Shepard, TreasurerTom Grimble, Secretary

Rob Adair, White Mountains NEMBABrian Alexander, CeMeNEMBAJohn Anders, Midcoast Maine NEMBABrian Beneski, CeMeNEMBANorman Blanchette, MV NEMBAMatt Bowser, Central NH NEMBAMatt Caron, Southern NH NEMBASteve Cobble, SE MA NEMBAJon Conti, White Mountains NEMBAEammon Carleton, BV NEMBALeo Corrigan, RI NEMBAKevin Davis, Midcoast Maine NEMBAPeter DeSantis, Southern NH NEMBABob Giunta, MV NEMBABrad Herder, Berkshire NEMBARich Higgins, SE MA NEMBASteve LaFlame, Central NH NEMBAFrank Lane, NS NEMBACasey Leonard, Midcoast Maine NEMBAEric Mayhew, CT NEMBALiam O’Brien, PV NEMBATim Post, GB NEMBAMatt Schulde, RI NEMBATren Spence, CT NEMBADan Streeter, North Shore NEMBAMike Tabaczynski, Greater Boston NEMBAJohn Vosburg, Blackstone Valley NEMBAMitch Wacksman, Greater Portland NEMBA

W W W . N E M B A . O R G

SingleTrackSMarch 2010, Number 108

Paper TrailTreadlines — 4SideTracks — 16Basic Biking — 18SideTracks — 19Chapter News —25NEMBA Rides —37Support our Sponsors —34

SingleTracks Hey, get creative! We wel-come submissions, photos and artwork. This isyour forum and your magazine. Be nice, andshare!

On the Cover: PK riding his local trails inActon.

Have a pic that would make a good cover shot?Email it to [email protected]

Want to Underwrite in ST?SingleTracks offers inexpensive and targetedunderwriting which helps us defray the cost ofproducing this cool ‘zine. Call 800-57-NEMBAor email [email protected] for our media kit.

Moving?Don’t miss an issue! Change your address onlineat nemba.org or mail it into SingleTracks, PO Box2221, Acton MA 01720

Mianus River ParkGreat Riding in southern Connecticut, By Ryan Tucker

Trail PartnershipsThrive in the Blue Hills

by Joe Sloane

Stepping it up for2010Get your training groove back and still have plenty offun. By Thom Parson

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The first Saturday of October is National Take a Kid Mountain BikingDay and NEMBA had many events planned across New England.Sadly it rained buckets and all the events were cancelled and/or post-poned. Even postponed, some had to be cancelled because it rainedyet again! Luckily, at least Greater Boston NEMBA was able to squeakin a event — and a great event it was!

Approximately 50 participants turned out for some great riding, skill-building, fun activities and food. Guided rides were coordinated byTim Post and the GBNEMBA Ride Guides with safety services provid-ed by the NEMBA Patrollers. The young riders practiced core moun-tain biking skills such as wheel lifts, log hops, riding skinnies, brakingand body positioning.

Children also had opportunities to make biking-themed art: custom t-shirts made with bike-parts and spray paint, bike license plates andbike decorations.

After the morning rides, everyone was treated to some great grilledfood courtesy of Cycle Loft. We had a raffle for children's bike donat-ed by GT with assembly donated by JRA Cycles. And then a last rideafter lunch wrapped everything up.

A big thanks to everyone who helped pull this off: Tom Walsh,Conrad Crawford and Joe Rotondo of The Department ofConservation and Recreation, Howie Granat for great pictures, all thededicated NEMBA volunteers, the NEMBA Patrol, Anthony Laskaris ofCycle Loft, Brian McInnis of JRA Cycles and all the families and kidswho came out.

The event went so well that GB NEMBA also held a Toys for Totsevents to gather holiday toys for needy children at the Fells. Onceagain the weather was questionable, but it was satisfying to knowthat some kids who would otherwise get nothing for the holidayswould get some great toys.

—Adam Glick

T R E A D L I N E S

Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day

Now entering its 9th season, we're pleased to announce that theKona Bicycles-Fox Shox MTB Adventure series is more than doublingthe number of events we'll hold in 2010. The charity rides series,which raises money for local parks and trails, has been one ofNEMBA's signature events. It has allowed riders to explore some ofthe very best trails in New England along marked loops.

This year the series will have eleven events across the region, provid-ing plenty of opportunities for NEMBA chapters to showcase some ofthe very best trails in their area. Mark your calendars now for a sum-mer of fun mountain biking adventures, and since most venues havecamping on site or near by, you'll be able to make the most out ofyour mountain bike weekends.

Here's the schedule:

June 6 Pittsfield State Forest, Pittsfield MAJune 27 Huntington State Park, Redding CTJuly 11 Wendell State Forest, Wendell MAJuly 25 Bradbury Mountain, Pownal MEAug 8 Cockaponset State Forest, Haddam CTSept 19 Foxboro State Forest, Foxboro MASept. 26 Great Brook Farm State Park, Carlisle MAAug 29 Lynn Woods Reservation, Lynn MAOct. 9-10 NEMBAfest @ Bear Brook SP, Allenstown NHOct. 31 Wicked Ride of the East, N. Andover MA

Kona Bicycles - Fox Shox Mountain Bike Adventures Series Expandsfor the 2010 Season

Photo by Howie Granat


White Mountains NEMBA Worksto Add Bicycling to Statute

Last year White Mountains NEMBA requested that “bicycling” beadded to the recreational uses listed in RSA 212:34 so that landown-ers are not required to perform any special duties of care when allow-ing public access to their properties. In January of last year, WhiteMountains NEMBA president, Rob Adair, testified in support of thebill HB191, arguing that including bicycling to list (that alreadyincluded hunting, fishing, trapping, camping, horseback riding, watersports, winter sports, snowmobiling, and hiking) would strengthenthe liability protections offered to landowners who allow riding ontheir properties.

HB191 recently passed in the House of Representatives and nowmoves on to the Senate.

Moots CyclesSponsors NEMBA Rides

NEMBA has been leading rides for our members by our members foryears. Now there yet another great reason to join in the fun andexplore new places to ride - you might win a Moots Cycles titaniumbike frame!

Every member whocomes to a ride and signsin will be entered to wina Moots Moto X 29erframe! Additionally rideleaders will be enteredinto a special raffle for aMoots component pack-age, including a Ti stem,handlebar and seatpost!We'll do the drawing atthe end of the season.

You can find a NEMBA ride near you by looking in the back ofSingleTracks or by subscribing to NEMBA's weekly events email onour website, www.nemba.org. Make sure you sign in at your nextride to be entered. Oh, and make sure you're membership is currenttoo!

Big River: A Big Step Forward butStill Work to be Done

A victory for Rhode Island mountain bikers was secured when the RIHouse of Representatives voted unanimously, and the State Senatevoted nearly unanimously, to override Governor Carcieri's veto ofH6304. This will make H6304 law, giving mountain bikers legal accessto the trail network in Big River. RI NEMBA has been working for yearsto open up access to this area beyond the fire roads where mountainbiking was previously limited to. Over that time many NEMBA mem-bers have put in a lot of time and effort to establish positive ties withthe governing bodies and pursue the expansion of legalized riding. Thechapter was able to work with State Representative Ray Sullivan tocontact and update area mountain bikers on the status and to exertpressure on their elected officials to help guide passage of this bill. Avery big thank you to all who wrote and called your legislators to makethis happen!

While this is a milestone achievement, much is still left to be done.The next step is to develop new use guidelines for Big River, and RINEMBA has offered to help the Water Resources Board collect infor-mation and references from other New England water managementareas that share their watersheds with riders. Stay tuned!

T R E A D L I N E S

Maxxis Donates High End Tires toNEMBA Members

Beginning in February, Maxxis Tires is donating a pair of their high-end, Ardent mountain bike tires to members who donate $250 ormore to the Association, about a $90 value.

The kevlar beaded Ardents could be a good choice for New Englandriding because, according to the company, they have large block-styleside knobs offer numerous edges for high-speed corners. Centertread, while designed for braking and accelerating traction, also fea-tures ramped knobs to minimize rolling resistance.

We/re pleased to be able to thank our above-and-beyond donorswith a set of tires from Maxxis, and we thank the company for theirdonation.


Join CT NEMBA’s Trail Ambassador Program and Ride!

Over the last few seasons CT NEMBA hastrained more than 40 additional TrailAmbassadors who have spent their timeon the trails not only doing what they loveby riding their mountain bikes, but provid-ing a valuable service to other mountainbikers and the areas they ride, and foster-ing wonderful relationships with local landmanagers. Trail Ambassadors are the eyesand ears for land managers and land own-ers on the trails we ride, as well as helpfulfolks who are always willing to lend you atool when you've got a mechanical, ormoving deadfall off the trails.

As we are all waiting for the winter tobreak and the trails to dry so we can getback out riding I hope you will seriouslyconsider joining us! It doesn't matterwhether you ride every day or once aweek, or whether you ride up and overskinnies or around them. It's all abouthaving fun. The CT NEMBA TA program isnot a "patrol" but everyday riders likeyourself who ride their normal rides whilebeing aware of their surroundings andhappy to help any trails or trail users whoneed it! In the short training session(about 2 hours) you will learn a little bitmore about CT NEMBA, typical trailencounters and how to handle them, basictrail maintenance techniques, and whatyour responsibilities will be as a TrailAmbassador.

If you want to be a CT NEMBA TA and givethe incredible gift of TIME to NEMBA bydoing something incredibly simple (ridingyour mountain bike!) then you shouldconsider joining our ranks for 2010…

Becoming a TA is an easy 3-step process!If you are already a NEMBA member,you're done with step 1... Step 2: Simplysend me an email [email protected] and let me knowthat you would like to participate. AndStep 3…Go ride your bike!

As in years past we are looking into twodates for TA training and firming up a loca-tion, but a late-March and mid-April datewould seem likely. (Weather permittingwe will have a short ride after the ses-sion…) Please keep your eyes peeled onour blog at www.ctnemba.net for confir-mation of dates and times, as well as somegreat stories and pictures from last year.

Back: Keith Coughlin, Aaron Meberg, Ed Perten, Ryan Tucker, Rich Coffey & John Front: Dave Francefort, Melissa Dewey, official CT NEMBA hound Roxie, and Eric Mayhew

Trail Ambassadors Art Roti and Glenn Vernes make an all important phone call while patrolling the trailsat Wadsworth State Park, ordering the pizza for the Chapter Meeting following the ride

T R E A D L I N E S


A D V O C A C Y

When Maggi Brown,Supervisory Ranger for theDCR's South Region started

work at the Blue Hills Reservation in1992, one of her first assignments wasto manage the formation of a volunteergroup of mountain bike riders who hadsaid that they wanted to be helpful inthe Blue Hills. Their peer education con-cept was the brainchild of a few NEMBAmembers who suggested that they hada creative way to communicate thestate's new mountain bike policy direct-ly to riders on the trails.

A seasoned park ranger whose experience had included a stintat Denali National Park in Alaska, Maggi knew that park volun-teers can be a valuable asset. She also knew that she was arriv-ing on the heels of many months of contentious discussionsabout mountain bike use in state parks and that her role in bal-ancing the interests of different user groups might be tricky. "Iknew that the really tough work had already been done and thatI had to help put the words into action," says Maggi.

Trail Partnerships Thrive in the Blue Hillsby Joe Sloane


A D V O C A C Y

Over the years, Maggi has expanded her volunteer group's originalfocus to include all Blue Hills trail users. Through her persistence anda constant urging that volunteers balance the park's interests withtheir own, the TrailWatch program has fifty dedicated members andhas become a model for volunteer programs in other parks.

For decades, participation in trail work in the Blue Hills has been animportant activity of various volunteer groups. In the 1970s and1980s, Robert Romeri and others coordinated trail work projects forthe Friends of the Blue Hills. In addition to wearing their TrailWatchhats, many SEMASS NEMBA members have also helped to plan andimplement trail work projects, including bringing the IMBA's TrailCare crews' instruction and insights to the Blue Hills. The Boy Scoutsof America organization has assisted with many Eagle Scout trail proj-ects, demonstrating to young people the need for planning, coordi-nation and follow-through. The DCR staff also gets valuable trail workassistance from their strong relationships with local corporationsincluding REI and non-profit organizations such as Boston Cares whoseek to involve groups of enthusiastic volunteers in local projects.

The DCR also relies on grants and state funding to contract with trailcrews from the Appalachian Mountain Club and the StudentConservation Agency who have brought their specific skills andequipment to projects such as granite step reconstruction along theSkyline Trail.

Regardless of who has organized any particular trail work project inthe Blue Hills, the assembled group of volunteers on any given worksite typically includes people from many different user groups and

organizations. From Maggi Brown's perspective, it is the sharedrespect for the Blue Hills that brings these diverse park enthusiaststogether and it is on the trails where their motivations interconnect."This melding of interest and energy brings a wealth of talents, expe-riences and perspectives that is especially valuable to us as park man-agers," says Maggi.

As Forestry Assistant/Natural Resources Specialist for the DCR'sSouth Region, Alexandra Echandi must balance trail maintenance andimprovement projects with wildlife and plant inventories, invasivespecies removal, and endangered and rare species protection. "I knowthat completing these tasks in over 8,000 acres and over 150 miles oftrails is impossible for one person, so I must rely on partners and vol-unteers for support in these efforts", says Ale.

In the Blue Hills, Ale has been instrumental in bolstering the Friendsof the Blue Hills' tireless trail crew and their Adopt-a-Trail program.Early in 2008, the Friends hired Steve Cobble, NEMBA's SEMASSPresident to help with a grant-funded project to plot GPS coordinatesof all Blue Hills trails and make detailed notes on trail conditions.With the additional input of hikers and mountain bikers, Friendsmember Dexter Robinson processed the raw data and created animpressive online database highlighting the Reservation's trails andtheir conditions. Trail crews now have the ability to file updates onthe condition of each trail via online work reports. This database isused by both the Friends and DCR to track trail maintenance progressand additional trail needs.

Since its inception in 2006, over thirty individuals have enrolled in

The Friends of the Blue Hills crew working on a typical Blue Hills culvertreplacement project along Border Path. Photo by Dexter Robinson


the Adopt-a-Trail program, taking personal responsibility for manymiles of trails. In addition to encouraging and supporting trailadopters, the Friends' trail crew sponsors many volunteer trail main-tenance events to brush back trails, replace damaged culverts andrestructure existing water bars, ditches and rolling grade dips. In justa few short years, this Blue Hill's trail crew has made a huge contri-bution to the trail network.

One of Ale Echandi's toughest responsibilities is implementingaspects of the state's Natural Heritage and Endangered SpeciesProgram that directly relate to the Blue Hills. This means balancingtrail maintenance goals with state and local rules regarding speciesand habitat protection. Negotiating the challenging maze of permitsthat are typically required before a trail maintenance project can pro-ceed is a strong skill that Echandi has brought to the DCR's SouthRegion.

Challenges must also be expected when volunteers with wide rangingexperiences converge at a trail work site, as expectations and techni-cal approaches can vary considerably. Trail repairs and improvementsthat seem to make sense in the summer could be challenging orunsafe to winter skiers. Water bars that are well-suited for hikingtrails high in the White Mountains may not be appropriate for trailsthat serve beginner-level bike riders in a suburban park.

Understanding these challenges, Friends of the Blue Hills membersBob Flagg and Dexter Robinson attended NEMBA workshops and trailwork sessions and carefully studied AMC and IMBA trail work publi-

cations as well as those published by state and federal agencies whileplanning their Adopt-A-Trail program. Based on an AppalachianMountain Club model, the Friends have written an Adopt-a-TrailHandbook for the Blue Hills program. Technical instruction at trailwork events consistently emphasizes the fact that a wide spectrumof trail users can always be found along the hundreds of miles of trailsin the Blue Hills.

Communication and cooperation among the many various usergroups and stakeholders in the Blue Hills Reservation is more impor-tant now than ever as the DCR is in the process of assembling a long-awaited Resource Management Plan for the Blue Hills. The DCR andthe Friends have held public information sessions to gather publiccomment from park users on the draft RMP which is due out by theend of January. John Sheehan, NEMBA member and Chairman of theFriends of the Blue Hills Advocacy Committee has pointed out thatongoing trail usage and maintenance issues relative to all of the reser-vation's visitors will be addressed in this plan. Once the draft RMP isavailable, the Advocacy Committee will be meeting with various usergroups to be sure that their interests are fully represented as the RMPproceeds from draft to final form.

Just as the TrailWatch program has become a model for a broad basedvolunteer program focusing on park user's interactions, the currenttrail work program implemented by the Friends of the Blue Hills is agold standard for any effective trail maintenance program that findsits strength in partnerships.

In an effort to expand the Adopt-a-Trail program and overall trail workefforts, the DCR and the Friends of the Blue Hills have invited NEMBAto enhance its role as a trail maintenance and improvement partner inthe Blue Hills. "With NEMBA's assistance, we look forward to work-ing and sharing ideas, skills and knowledge on how to improve allusers' trail experiences in the Blue Hills while protecting reservationresources", says Ale Echandi.

Having seen firsthand the results of many NEMBA trail work projectsacross Massachusetts and the role that NEMBA has played in edu-cating DCR staff on sustainable trail maintenance practices, the BlueHills staff is eager to bolster NEMBA's trail work presence on thetrails.

According to Maggi Brown, "We all know that sharing the trails is thekey to a safe and enjoyable park experience. Synthesizing the opin-ions of a variety of park users and then galvanizing those ideas witha mix of hard work, dirt and sweat is the ultimate expression of ashared commitment. Through hands-on trail improvements and com-mitment to shared goals, these cooperative organizations have joinedforces to create a lasting contribution to the park and the environ-ment."

For many years, NEMBA members have participated in many trailmaintenance projects in the Blue Hills. SEMASS NEMBA leadershipbelieves that this new invitation is a great opportunity to strengthenour working relationships with the DCR, the Friends of the Blue Hillsand all of the many partners that contribute to an impressive trailwork program in the Blue Hills.

For more information on trail work efforts in the Blue Hills, visitwww.friendsofthebluehills.org

A D V O C A C Y

Most Blue Hills trail projects involve moving around lots of rocks. This loadwas headed for a project along Base Path. Photo by Joe Sloane


So I hear you want to step things up and maybe race your bikemore seriously in the spring? If you're planning on racing in April,now is the perfect time to start getting your act together so youdon't suffer a maximum at those early season events.

Stepping it up for 2010How to get More Faster without

Making Things Less Funnerby Thom Parson

Photos by Roger Stermann, Spectrum Imaging - www.specimage.com

R I D I N G


And there is a way to do this without making you hate your moun-tain bike and want to take up Synchronized Razor-Scootering. We'renot really going to talk about down to the minute training plans andpower-based workouts or anything high-tech like that (because Iknow about as much about that stuff as I do about Chinese CricketFighting).What we're going to talk about is getting faster without tak-

ing the fun out of cycling; just thebasics, a simplified (dumbed down)version of a plan to take things up anotch going into the 2010 season.

About 8 years ago, I was working at ashop with an ex-semi-pro racer dude(who also happened to hold a degreein kinesiology. He would go on tobecome a big shot coach). I expressedmy interest in "upping my game" tohim - I wanted to move up the Expertranks from mid-to-back-of-the -packup into the top ten. It was mid-March."So tell me what you've been doing" hesaid. "Well, I've been watching TheSopranos, trying to learn how to playelectric guitar, eating a lot of reallyinteresting cheeses, and …" "No, Imean on the bike! What kind ofWORKOUTS have you been doing?""Workouts? It's March; no one ridestheir bike in March. I'll probably startriding sometime in April. Once it's

shorts weather…" "Oh my god Parsons (slaps forehead) you are com-pletely hopeless!" I didn't realize that in order to race effectively inApril, you had to actually ride your bike during the winter. This I havefound to be absolutely true, but this doesn't mean you need to be outthere like some masochistic nut in January, logging hours and hoursof frozen, thankless base miles or churning away on the indoor train-


er watching every episode of the Simpsons ever made. If you are onyour bike in some capacity by February you'll be alright. And there'sno need for a rigid schedule, something that might make you feel obli-gated to go out an ride for four hours when it's 38 Degrees andsnraining (snowing and raining simultaneously) or when it's sub 10degrees and there are wind gusts up to 40 MPH. I have been to thatplace and done that thing. Winter base miles are all about catch ascatch can. If the weather is total crap: don't ride. Go skiing, go hik-ing, go sledding; do anything but ride your bike. If it's a freakish 40 +degree day in January: go out and ride until your legs fall off! Theimportant thing is that you have some miles in your legs before youstart going out and riding hard.

When it comes to base miles, I'm a big proponent of LSD. Not thekind of LSD that Cary Grant was really, really into, but "long steadydistance." Some people think that LSD stands for "long slow distance."You know what long slow distance is good for? — Training yourself toride slow over long distances. If you are planning on doing raceswhere the goal is to take as longs as possible to cover the length ofthe course, then this is the training for you. Long STEADY distance ismuch more fun and effective. You start out riding at a moderate pacefor as long as you can. Not too fast, not too slow. Build up the dura-tion as the weeks go by, until you are riding at least the duration ofthe events you are planning on competing in (generally 2 to 2.5 hoursif you're a Cat 1/Expert racer (for endurance events it's a different bagentirely). About 4 weeks of LSD and you'll be all set.

Now I'm writing this assuming that you don't have a road bike andthat you probably have a strong aversion to riding on the road alto-gether. I'm basically writing this for the 2002 version of me. Hold ona second. "Hey 2002 Thom, it's me, 2010 Thom… Future Thom! Hey

2002 Thom, get all your stock out of Enron NOW!" That's ridiculous.2002 Thom didn't own stock in Enron. He worked in a bike shop. Theonly stock bike shop employees know anything about is the packet ofchicken stock that comes in their packet of Ramen noodles. Peoplewill tell you "Dude, if you're going to get fast, you need to get a roadbike!" This isn't really true. What, I might ask, is the differencebetween making an effort on a road bike and making it on a mountainbike? Hey, 2009 24 Hour National champ Josh Tostado doesn't ride hisroad bike after June (according to an interview on Bikerumor.com).The most time you're going to spend on the road is going to be lay-ing down those mad, mad base miles in the winter. In New Englandthis means riding on snow and ice and sand on frost heave ravagedroads that weren't that smooth to begin with. (They say the roads inBoston were made by cows. And cows are not very good civil engi-neers.) You'll make the same effort on your mountain bike while going


slower (which means staying warmer),being more stable, and benefiting fromsuperior traction when compared to askinny-tired bike. Altogether safer andmore comfortable. So load up the ipodwith some wicked upbeat music, putsome hot tea in a thermos bottle, andride out as far as you can from home,preferably into a headwind (it'll be a tail-wind on the way back). When you getcold and tired, turn around and ridehome. And don't hesitate to stop for acocoa at Dunkin's along the way kid. Ohya, don't forget to eat. Bonking on a rideis NEVER a good thing. Chocolate cov-ered, peanut butter-filled pretzels areoptimum winter riding fuel. In fact, theymight be the only reason to ride in thewinter, period.

After about four weeks of riding aroundaimlessly, freezing your nu…ears off, lis-tening to the entire Zeppelin box set(twice), and enjoying the scenery youwill be ready to start doing stuff on thebike that sort of resembles bike racing orfun. Back up, let's talk about rest for asecond, 2002 Thom didn't know aboutrest. He would drive himself into theground every chance he got. Hammerrides were the order of the day…and thenext day…and the day after that. Hewould often end up a shattered mess onthe floor. Take your rest; you will neverget stronger otherwise. Mondays andFridays are good rest days. One day total-ly off the bike is key, the other day canjust be short and easy. Monday is a goodday to rest away the weekend rides andget you ready for a week of going longerand harder. Friday is a good day to chillout and loosen up for those weekendrides (and later in the season — races).Make sense? And be sure to take it easyfor a week about every three weeks or so.Ride your bike but don't kill it OK.

By March you want to be riding at least 8or ten hours a week minimum. The thingto do as the racing season approaches isto start adding rides (we won't call themworkouts) to the mix that mimic racing.The same guy who told you about "need-ing" a road bike is also going to tell youthat you "need" to do intervals. What are intervals? Put quite simply,intervals = riding fast for a certain amount of time then riding slow-ly for a certain amount of time to recover (usually for the same dura-tion as the interval). This replicates racing. You know what else repli-cates racing? - Going for a ride that feels like a race. "What? That can'tbe training, it sounds too much like fun," you say. Bollocks! (I can saythat, I'm part Scottish). And I will now digress into a discussion ofFartlek.

Fartlek (pronounced "Fort -Lake" with some very Scandinavian rollingof the R. You got that Mr. Wise guy in the back of the class there?) isa Swedish word meaning "speed play." In Fartlek the intensity or speed

of the exercise varies, much like a mountain bike race. The beauty ofFartlek is that, when applied to mountain biking, it basically means"going out and riding hard on varying terrain." Traditional intervals arevery rigid: five minutes on, five minutes off. I can't recall ever being ina mountain bike race and having the guy in front of me turn aroundand say "alright boys, we're gonna go REAL HARD for exactly fiveminutes!" That never happens. Efforts during a race are inexact andunpredictable, there's no reason why your training ride shouldn't beevery bit as haphazard and fluid. This is the type of ride that youshould start doing going into March, maybe a couple times a week.This works with a group or by yourself. A good way to get a Fartlek


type ride in is to set up an off-road time trial course for yourself.Clock yourself once a week on the course, don't kill yourself but gopretty damn hard. It's a great way to push it (going fast is always fun)and it allows you to chart your progress. Later it will become a greatway to test out tires and other race equipment.

Fartlek (I just like saying it…Fartlek, Fartlek, Fartlek) alone will nottransform you from pack fodder into a rolling act of god. You have togo out and straight up hurt on the bike sometimes. I'm assumingsince you want to race your bike that this constitutes part of the funfor you. Bike racing is equal parts fun and suffering, this ratio appliesto training as well. WTB Pro Mark Weir has the right idea: "I reallydon't have a clue what I'm doing. So when in doubt, I go climbing."Between your rest days and your Fartlek-ing (shut up spellcheck, it'sa word) you want to throw in a couple days of hills. You ready to haveyour mind blown? Riding up a hill and then coasting down is an inter-val. Whoa dude. A wise man by the name of John Allis once said:"Riding a bike in New England, you're always doing intervals. The ter-rain is so undulating. The only people who need to do intervals arepeople who live in places like Nebraska." As March progresses, addmore hills to your rides. Sure you can do repeats of the same hill overand over and over again. You can also wear the same underwear everyday for a month. There is no law against those things. Does that meanthey're a good idea? I don't really think so, unless your goal is to goinsane and smell vaguely of poop. A hill loop is a better option. Justkeep extending the hill loop and adding climbs to it each weekthroughout the month.

Here's what all this would look like if it were chopped down into aconcise bullet-point list without all the inane yammering:

• January - Sit on your couch eating Doritos, drinking beer, andwatching "Jersey Shore."

• February - Try to get off the couch and onto your bike. Rideit a little bit more each week.

• March - Ride your bike even more. Do some hills and someFartlek-ing.

• April - Race your bike. If you're racing your bike consistent-ly you won't have to worry too much about your traininganymore.

It's only February. It's still not too late to get off the couch, get outthere on your bike, and lay down the foundation for a killer season.And hey, you know what? If you don't get on your bike until April,that's fine! Just treat any races you do in the early season as trainingand relax. You'll be flying in July and August when everybody else isalready burnt out.

Good night and good legs.

Thom Parsons is a Pro rider for Gary Fisher 29erCrew/SRAM/International Bicycle Centers riding out of Somerville,MA. More "invaluable advice" can be found on his blog: http://wellon-abigbikeya.blogspot.com/ or just google "Big Bikes."


Stop and ask someone from Fairfield County, CT where they do most of their weekday ridingand they will probably mention Mianus River Park. For its small size, roughly 400 acres, andconvenient location between the Merritt Parkway (CT-15) and I-95 it provides an excellentweekly riding outlet. It's because of its convenience, variety of smooth flowy trail and chal-lenging technical lines that it's not uncommon to find riders from as far as New York City andNew Haven, CT getting their RAW (Ride After Work) fix before heading home. The park sup-plies an easy escape to nature for those grinding away in nearby cities.

Mianus River ParkWords and Photos by Ryan Tucker

P L A C E S T O R I D E


The park's location and the namesake, theMianus River, make for a textbook example ofshared-use trails. Near the front the park

there is a healthy mix of traffic in the form ofHikers, Dog Walkers, Mountain Bikers, Fishermen,and Trail Runners. Considering downtownGreenwich and Stamford are less than 5-10 min-utes away, this mix is not surprising. What issurprising though, is that once you're off of thefireroads leading away from either Greenwich'sCognewaugh Road parking lot, or Stamford'sMarriebrook Lane parking area, you really don'trun into that many folks. For many visitors, theattraction of visiting the park is the river, andmost pedestrians tend to stay near the water.

The park is diligently maintained by the localFriends of Mianus River Park, several CT NEMBATrail Ambassadors, and your humble author/CTNEMBA Trails Representative. Four of the teammembers have attended NEMBA's Trail BuildingSchool and we've put the know-how to good usecreating more sustainable, fun, flowy shared-usetrails. In fact, we've been able to help the Friendsof Mianus River Park coordinate and execute proj-ects with the City of Stamford. Over the past yearthe Friends/NEMBA group has logged over 400volunteer hours, not to mention the untold sacri-fices volunteers made in blood, sweat, and (rid-ing) time.

While we've made headway in fighting erosionand mud, the park isn't yet sustainable in allweather conditions. It does take a couple dryweeks in the spring before it's rideable, and in thesummer trails are typically fine 24 hours after arain. We're always open for volunteers and wetdays make the best volunteer days.

I'm frequently asked about the best loop, or howto not get lost. As a warning, Mianus can seemmaze-like given the sheer number of trails, someshort, some long, in such a small park. My GEN-ERAL rule for not getting lost (besides bringing amap): From the Stamford/Marriebrook Lane Gate, keep the river on your

right going in, and on your left coming out... this rule of thumbshould work as 80% of the trails are North of the Stamford Gate.

Now the best loop, in my humble opinion, is one that minimizesoverlapping trails yet gets most of the variety of the park into a sin-gle loop—probably the formula for a good ride at any riding spot. Itsnot a beginner's loop but by no means is it an advanced loop(although there are a couple trails/features that can be easily inte-grated to beef up the challenge). I'd suggest grabbing a map from theFriends of Mianus River Park's website, the map can be found here:https://sites.google.com/site/mianusriverpark/

Starting from the Marriebrook Lane Main Gate you essentially stick tothe outer most perimeter trails, first on the fireroad following theriver on your right, then make your way into the single track fun. Ifyou travel counter-clockwise and make sure you hit Fisherman's Loopand Poplar Trail — you'll be warmed up and ready to decide whetheryou want to take the challenge that is Treehouse Trail or continuealong Deer Trail to the Oak Trail.

If you keep your eye out you'll see a couple log rides and rollers alongthe way, especially coming down from Deer Trail to Oak Trail. We


actually have some video on the CT NEMBA site of the Turkey Burnerride stopping for a little play time (not always best to have rubber onrocks when wet!). It's a nice fireroad zip from Oak Trail to the MainRoad which will, continuing counter-clockwise, bring you to Cave

Trail. Cave Trail features a challenging climb tosome technical single track, as well as a smallCave that sits near the base of one of the park'spopular rock rollers.

Once off Cave Trail you'll be flying down a rockyold fireroad toward the Inner Rd, near the inter-section of the two keep an eye out for someroots and rocks that have made one or two rid-ers pay for cheating the line. I'm not typicallyone for fireroad riding but there are a couplebeautiful rock formations along the way toCorner Trail. After braving the roots of CornerTrail pick up Swamp Trail and bear right for acouple miles along Laurel and Indian Rock. You'llbe confronted with a couple rooty, rocky techni-cal sections, a rock used by Native Americans asa water basin, and some FUN flowy downhillthat will bring you back to the Marriebrook LaneBridge.

Its not the world's longest loop, and it can bemade longer or more challenging, but it'll giveyou a good hour - hour and a half ride and intro-duce you to what the park is to those who treas-

ure its convenience and call it their "local." Keep an eye out as wemay be running some RAW rides during the 2010 summer season aswell as a June 5th National Trails Day event that will include TrailMaintenance, Riding, and food!


Some of us become couch potatoes in the winter. Manymore of us ski, snowshoe or hit the gym in the winter.Some of us will bundle up, ignore the cold temperatures

and ride. But all of us do a lot less riding in cold weather thanwe do in the more clement seasons.

There is nothing that you can do to prepare yourself for rid-ing that works as well as riding your bike. But, when betterweather and firm dry trails finally return you can be a lotcloser to being ride ready than you would be if you did littleor nothing to keep in shape.

The following suggestions will give you a leg up on gettingback to riding shape when you're finally able to ride your bikeas much as you'd like to.

The first thing that you loose when cold weather forces youto truncate your riding is aerobic fitness. Fortunately yourheart and lungs can't tell the difference between riding a bikeand doing something else. So any sustained exercise thatgets you breathing hard, and keeps you there for a while willmake your return to intensive biking a lot easier. Running, x-country skiing, dance classes, spinning or even just riding astationary bike in front of your TV set will all help you main-tain your aerobic fitness. A caution though, especially whentraining on a station bike, a stair stepper, a spin bike an ellip-tical trainer or some other "fixed" exercise device. It's veryeasy to kick the resistance up too high when you're exercis-ing in a "fixed" environment. As a result, efforts aimed atmaximizing your aerobic workout can make it easy to over-strain yourself. This doesn't happen when you're trail bicy-cling because on a bike you're always standing, sitting, mov-ing around on the bike and reacting to the demands of theterrain, rather than to the beatings of your heart.

Don't be too concerned about your aerobic fitness, do some-thing, but don't try to return to a new season of riding in asgood or better shape than you were at the end of the lastseason. The level of aerobic fitness that you had in prioryears will quickly come back to you when you get back to riding reg-ularly. And, if you've done at least a little base work, you can expectto be fitter by the middle of next season than you were last year.

Most riders will benefit from hitting the gym in the winter. Even peo-ple who hit the weights all year long probably do less of it during theriding season. And some don't lift weights at all. The winter is a greattime to do some strength training, the average man can expect toincrease their strength about 1% every time that they train, womencan achieve about half that. And this strength training will reallyenhance your ability to ride when you're back on your bike. A priorfitness article went into this in great depth, and I don't want to berepetitious. Refer to your March 2006 SingleTracks, pages 24 - 25,available online at: www.nemba.org/digitalnemba/documents/ST20060384.pdf.

We've all heard that the average American gains 7 pounds in the win-ter. Unfortunately that's true. Part of the reason is genetic. Our bod-ies are programmed to bulk up when the temperature drops. This isintended to provide us with fuel should there be a famine. But, most-ly we gain weight because we tend to eat the same in the winter,when we're less active, than we do when we're out on our bikes. Theholiday eating season, which runs from Thanksgiving to New Year'sdoesn't help much either.

The solution unfortunately is simple - cut down on the number ofcalories that you consumer, and make better food choices. Of coursewe've all been hearing that for years. But how many of us actually lis-ten?

I've always found that the winter is the best time of the year to readnutrition or diet books. For me, this year it's been re-reading,"SuperFoods - Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life" by Dr.Steven G. Pratt. Somehow reading about good eating practices alwaysseems to make me more conscious of what I'm eating, and how much.This usually works to keep the winter's pounds away.

Be careful that you don't overtrain. There's an old biking aphorism, "Ifyou're flying in March you'll be dead by May." And it's true. Peoplewho somehow manage to start the riding season in as good or bettershape than they were in the fall usually burn out before the summer.Your body needs a break from riding, as does your "soul". So don't beobsessive about riding in the winter. Winter is the season to dosomething different, to cross train, or to just take a break from riding.Do something aerobic, lift weights, watch the calories and by thetime the summer rolls around you'll be out on the trails, fitter, fasterand enjoying them even more than you did last year.

Getting Fit for the New Yearby Bill Boles

B A S I C B I K I N G


Last winter, my husband Scott, nine year old son Chase and I lived onthe island of Roatan, Honduras. It is a beautiful Caribbean islandwith all the goodies that the Caribbean has to offer… sunshine, trop-ical fish, local recklessness, languages, tortillas, and endless snorkel-ing and scuba. Though after a few weeks, the one thing missing forme was a bike.

Chase and I got lucky the morning we had planned to buy 'thebikes'…Our new friend Sunny (who has a pickup), was going toCoxen Hole and happily agreed to take us on our bike shopping

adventure. A blessing, as getting the bikes home in a taxi or a crowd-ed passenger van would prove to be challenging if not impossible.

We walked into the furniture store, which I called King Chicken asthere were a million 'Pollo Rey' signs everywhere, and if someoneasked me where I bought 'the bikes' I would tell them King Chickenbecause I thought the name of the furniture store was just that.

There were four bikes in King Chicken, two which were too small…so we bought the other two, one smaller and the other bigger. Bothmade in China- Bacini- Populars. We loaded them into the pickup and

My Bike(s) in HondurasBy Jean Huemmler

S I D E T R A C K S


then went to the 'tire store' to get the tires filled. In Honduras thestems are a crazy cross between Presta and Schrader valves, and vir-tually impossible to get air into via a hand pump. The 'mechanic' blewout the sidewall seven times before it held, as I stood there thinkingthat I just bought two $80 headaches.

Popular, made in China for Central America, the absolute very bottomof the mountain bike totem pole. Scott replaced four missing bolts inthe crank, my water bottle cage broke off, an island kid stripped all ofthe screws (a long story), my chain rubbed, and my peddle slanted…all this before my first ride. Our daily maintenance consisted of onehuge bottle of WD40 and spraying the heck out of everything beforetake off.

Chase bought (in Spanish) a number 13 wrench at the hardware storeafter school. 'Number Thirteen' was kept in an old flipper in thebodega where we stored the bikes. She got a lot of use as when'Chase's' bike seat was down it was 'his' bike… and when it was up itwas 'my' bike. When 'Scott's' bike seat was up it was 'his' bike andwhen it was down it was 'my' bike. Ironically, I (the instigator of thisordeal) didn't get my 'own' bike.

My first big outing on Chase's bike (which fit me better than Scott'sbike) was up and down a set of incredibly steep hills towards theother side of the island. Half way through some tough climbs and allout down hills, I realized that I didn't have my $10 cell phone, notone limpera (5 cents), no patch kit, no water, no helmet (what's a hel-met?), and nobody knew where I was. When I was twenty thatwould be my definition of bliss, but I'm older now, so I turned aroundand peddled home.

Riding the Popular was a bit different than my bike here. I didn't wantto break the derailleur because one, I needed to get home and two,Scott had snorkeling to do instead of fixing bikes. So I would keep thebike in one gear, climb a hill and not peddle until way up the seconduphill… like riding a single speed, which I got proficient at. When Idid get the nerve to shift, it was as gentle as shifting an old pickuptruck. My Chacos made great riding shoes as vibram soles are stiffand give a good solid push on the peddles… plus the breeze feelsgood going through the toes… ahh the island life.

We bought fruits and veggies out of the back of pickup trucks andthen had to get home by riding a bumpy dirt road. I got good at deter-mining tensile strength of plastic bag handles and equally distribut-

ing one watermelon on one bar end and mangos, avocados, bananas,and onions in the other. The Popular had those wonderful bar ends(one of them squished and the plastic pieces popped out which madethem more like daggers) which where perfect holders for groceries.

Men, boys, two men, two boys, any combination of machismo ontwo wheels did not like getting passed by me on a bike… ever. WhenI would fly by them they would peddle like mad to catch me….always, sometimes passing but most of the time giving up, but notuntil a tremendous amount of energy was exerted…. I had fun withthis.

One day I went to visit my friend Sharkie. He was having a fence builtin front of his house. I asked the workers if I could leave my bikethere.. 'no problem'. A bit later I returned and my bike was gone. Thelaborers laughing pointed to their buddy coming up the hill on mybike with (of course) a liter of Coca Cola on the handle bars. Theythought that was the funniest thing on the planet, and every daythereafter when I would ride by we laughed and connected.

Sunday, my excuse for a nice long bike ride was to go to church- alongwith a great Spanish lesson and fun hippie kids signing songs withbare feet. One day when I was riding 'Scott's' bike home my back tireseized up and at first I though someone came out of the woods andgrabbed my wheel. I checked the brakes, the chain and the alignment,but the back wheel would NOT budge. I hitch hiked for one hour tono avail and ended up calling Sunny.

I amazingly found ball bearings at the local 'bike store' and Scottrepacked the whole wheel, twice. Every downhill that I bombeddown after that, in the middle of my bliss Scott would remind me ofmy 'seizing moment' on a flat road. As I usually road 'Chase's' bikeand that happened on 'Scott's' bike, I felt safe. And seeing that I wasgoing to church I figured I had good round ball bearing karma on myside.

I rode that Popular to the dentist (not recommended… a CentralAmerican dentist that is), I rode hills, I rode to the little crazy townof Coxen Hole to go to the bank, I rode to the beach, to yoga, I rodejust to ride…and when I see a picture of my $80 Made in Chinabike…. I smile.

NEMBA Gear @ www.nemba.org

Socks Trail Jersey JerseyBallcaps


The old saw in writing is to revert to a list if you get writer's block.Nothing spurs the imagination or the fingers like trying to think up42 ways to use eggs, or 11 best remedies for whooping cough.

Conversely, there are few ways better than a list to write yourself intoa corner and sound stale. So today's column isn't about writing, it'snot about lists, it's about life. Life in the cold. Life in the wet. Life inthe dank and dark and miserable winter.

Were I so inclined, I'd hop on the bike to get rid of this blurry, annoy-ing attitude. A few minutes of hacking, frost-filled lungs wouldremind me that I'm alive and get me a blissful two hours of warmwheel spinning. But it's just crappy out.

You might be reading this while perched on the toilet at work -because even work seems longer in the winter and taking a magazineor smartphone into the can is a sure way to get your legs to fall asleepand whittle away the hours.

Or you might be surrounded by overbundled people on the train.Puffy arms and hard briefcases bashing your body to and fro while thetrain driver does her best to text and drive, or at least set a newrecord for longest pauses before closing the doors.

I'm not as bitter as the cold, but it's darn close. The cats won't go out-side, no laundry is getting done because the washer and dryer are inthe basement and the only entrance requires trekking through thefrozen yard. And I'm having trouble getting to the mailbox because Itook the racks off the car to get better winter gas mileage and nowthe metal monstrosity is like an Amazing Race obstacle for everyonein the house and for the US Postal Service.

Could I complain more? Do you want me to talk about fingers socracked and dry they're bleeding on my keyboard as I type this? Whatabout the end of my nose being so ouchie that even Puffs won'tsoothe the sniffles? Let's not even start about the cold floors in themorning, the remote car starter acting so fickle that I have to be closeenough to touch the car before it works, or the teasing I'm getting -not on purpose - from a good friend who has forsaken the UnitedStates for Southern Spain until the blades of grass here are longenough to support ticks, deer, dew and mashing from knobby tires.

Winter has a way of bringing out some glass-is-completely-empty-and-lying-in-broken-shards-on-the-kitchen-floor type thinking.Luckily that's not me. I'm chipper and thrilled. I'm excited to pump upthe tires with my bleeding hands. I'm ready to put the snowboundrack back on the car. And I'm excited to go for a ride.

Seriously.

Let me see if I can't cobble together a list of the seven wonderful waysriding in the winter is fabulous.

Hey! Are you still reading? That was an angry, tie-the-column-togeth-er device to hammer this article shut. If your brain didn't see the con-nection to the first paragraph, you're in the same frozen boat.

Put on some tea. Break out some old issues of Bicycling. Pull on yourLance Armstrong, Discovery Channel footed pajamas. Then stare outthe window at your empty birdfeeder and salt-crusted world. Winterwill be over soon and we can start living again.

Enjoy the ride!

###

So much of this column was true that Jeff is embarrassed. You can seethe Yakima rack on his porch, the starving cats in the windows and

the pile of laundry blocking many windows. Luckily, you can reachhim in myriad ways this season. Go to www.JeffCutler.com to findout how.

Winter Lifeby Jeff Cutler

S I D E T R A C K S

For Those Truly Bored withWinter There is Always Time to

Work on Your TriviaThe first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TVwas Fred and Wilma Flintstone.——————————It is impossible to lick your elbow.——————————The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $6,400——————————Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the USTreasury.——————————Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear bet-ter.——————————“NEMBA Crude” is a type of oil produced in Angola.——————————Q. What occurs more often in December than any other month?A. Conception.——————————In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames byropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, mak-ing the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase "goodnight, sleeptight."——————————The highest point in Connecticut is not the summit of a mountain.What is it? Answer: The highest point in Connecticut is found onthe flanks of Mount Frisell, whose 2453' summit is inMassachusetts, in the town of Washington. Incidentally, the high-est summit in CT is Bear Mountain, at 2316'. ——————————Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to gountil you would find the letter "A"?A. One thousand——————————Q. There are more collect calls on this day than any other day ofthe year?A. Father's Day——————————In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So in oldEngland, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell atthem mind their own pints and quarts and settle down. It's wherewe get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's"——————————At sunrise, the first rays of sunlight in the United States can beseen first on the summit of Cadillac Mountain in Maine.——————————The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.——————————Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king fromhistory: Spades - King David, Hearts - Charlemagne, Clubs-Alexander, the Great Diamonds - Julius Caesar


Grasping the limb of a pine tree, I lifted a mud-splattered cleat and pushed it into the pedal.An echoing click emanated from the metal. I

looked up at the towering hill before me, imaginingmy tires squeezing perfectly between each rock androot. And then, before I could think of failure, Ireleased my hold on the tree and pushed hard on thepedals.

I was in Dogtown, at the bottom of Hamburger Hill.A year ago, I would have never imagined myself ona bike here. Mountain biking was always my dad'ssport. I had grown up in awe of my dad. He was theadventurer; he would take the scariest risks and con-quer them, and to me, a young girl, he was uncon-querable. I had watched him light campfires in thepouring rain, paddle a canoe safely through rapids,dive into the ocean on February afternoons, andgracefully maneuver a mountain bike between treesand streams. I had listened to him in disbelief whenhe would come home on dark nights from thewoods, dried blood on his knees, pine needles stick-ing out from his helmet, telling how "That Fall" hadhappened. I had heard about the times the mountainhad won against him and his bike, but I could nevercompletely believe it. To me, my dad could do any-thing.

Last summer, when I was fifteen, I began to bike. I'mnot exactly sure why I started. Perhaps it wasbecause I was a teenager, and I was beginning todoubt my father's perfection. My year on the bikebegan with hot, July days. I stumbled over thesmallest obstacles and found myself constantlygrabbing at my water bottle. After forty-five minutesin the woods I'd feel suffocated by the heavy, humidair and the buzzing of mosquitoes. When schoolstarted, however, I wrote my name on the MountainBiking Elective sign-up sheet.

The following Monday, I found myself pulling myhardtail off of our car's bike rack and joining my firstgroup ride, led by Gloucester mountain biking legend Charlie Crowley.On that first day I was the only girl in our group. I watched in fear asKimmy-who had just competed in a 24-hour race only a monthbefore-Charlie, and others rode up and over massive boulders withease. They showed not the slightest fear at the top of steep descents.I spent most of that ride avoiding anything steep and just watchingfrom the shadows of tree limbs.

As the leaves began to turn, I learned how to let go of the brakes. Ona crisp night before Thanksgiving, I ventured into the woods. Thechilly air was so liberating, I didn't return to the parking lot until pastdark. In January, after school let out, I pulled three layers of wool overmy legs and squirmed into four shirts. My classmates eyed us skepti-cally as Charlie, Kimmy, and I skidded across the snow just momentsafter we clipped-in. In May, I tried my first ride with downhill bikers,over a trail called Juicebox. It's not as smooth as it sounds. I watchedin alarm as they howled like coyotes, zipping down boulders thatseemed twenty-feet high.

Then came early June. It had almost been a year since I first picked upa bike, but I hadn't spent much of it riding with my dad. While I was

on the trails, he had been working overtime in his office. He wasn'tcoming home with stories of conquering the trails anymore. I remem-bered how when I was younger, he would ride into the driveway withdirt smeared across his brow, throwing his hands up in the air overfrustration of failing to make it up Hamburger Hill without touchingdown. "I just can't beat it," he'd tell me.

It used to scare me, when I'd hear that my father had failed. But nowI wondered if maybe I could conquer its rocks and roots. I dragged mybike out of the shed. I rode slowly through Dogtown, swung behindWhale's Jaw, and dropped down to a stream. I was at the bottom ofHamburger Hill. I began to push. Hamburger Hill went by me in a blur.I remember bending my elbows, pressing my body forward, lifting myfront wheel around the jutting rocks, and telling myself to keep ped-aling. My back tire rolled over the final twisting root. I had conqueredthe Hill. I sat on my saddle, hearing only my heavy breathing. Then Ilooked at the trail below me. "Dad's never done this," I thought. I hadspent my childhood in awe of my father, believing that he could over-come any obstacle. But now, where he had stumbled, I had made it.

Over the Hillby Lean Breen

S I D E T R A C K S


Mountain Bike Racing — A Family Affairby Joe Yahna

"Come on Mom" calls Mitchell. Ardis jumps into our minivan thatoverflows with helmets, water bottles, tools, shoes, and clothingsharing a common theme; mountain biking. Hanging off the back ofthe van is a kaleidoscope view. Silver, orange, yellow, white, black,and blue pieces tangle in a bright knot of metal and rubber. In real-ity this knot is an amazing puzzle. Upon arriving at our destinationa bike trailer and four mountain bikes that make up the puzzle willbe revealed as they come off the rack. It is Tuesday, my favorite dayof the week during the two-month mountain bike race series inwhich our family participates. Every week it is different, but it usu-ally goes something like this.

After work the car is loaded with help from Mitchell and Gavin, ourteenage sons. I strap our daughter Caroline into the car seat withher doll "Jacob" and we drive up the Mount Washington Valley inNew Hampshire to Great Glen Trails. The beautiful natural scenerypassing outside our vehicle is quite a contrast to the scene inside.Music is blasting a bit too loud, getting us pumped for riding. As theroad climbs in elevation our excitement rises too. We talk, sing, actgoofy, and laugh with each other. As we round the final corner andsee cyclists and sections of singletrack, there's a slight adrenalinerush through my veins. By the time we are unloading in the parkinglot, I can't wipe the smile off my face. It is race day!

We greet other cyclists, friends with whom we have shared this spe-cial something for the last four years. We chat about last week'smud, this week's heat, our kids, our bikes, the black flies, and mostimportantly, how we expect to do today. Inside I always wonder; cantoday be my new personal record? My boys head off to ride with

friends. My wife and I watchCaroline as she explores and vis-its. We hang out and soak in theevent. To the west, thePresidential Range looms large inthe afternoon light. Being outhere, one can't help but feel morealive and more connected toeverything in the universe. Theboys roll to the start tent. Thereis joking with the starter andthen, with a burst, they arepumping through the slalom sec-tion. Cheers of "Go Gavin" or"Yeah Mitchell" come from otherracers until they pedal out ofsight. I love to see them doingthis. Ardis no longer rides asGavin's shadow, the way she didduring his first season. Insteadshe rides out to watch the boysracing while I hang withCaroline. Then we tag up so Ican ride while she cruises aroundwith Caroline. It is my turn toleave the start tent. The startercalls "three, two, one, GO"…andI do.

After crossing the finish line, wecheck in. Sometimes we get highfives, sometimes we need hugs.We tell our stories of almost

crashes or actual crashes, the mud depth on Whiplash, and whetherthe big rock was rideable. We share the ups, downs, risks, rewards,and giddy fun of the race experience. Even though we ride individ-ual races there is a shared common experience. Through this shar-ing, mountain biking becomes a part of our family story. The raceseries is a concentrated version of what mountain biking means toour family. Going riding together is our chance to stop all of theother things we do and spend time as a family, doing something thatwe love. Going riding together exposes many life lessons that wewant for our children; challenge yourself, care for others, set goalsand work to achieve them, be a good sport, live healthy, work hardbut play harder, appreciate nature, never ever give up, and make sureyou're having fun!

Seventeen years ago, mountain biking began our family's story whenArdis and I went riding for our second "date". Later on, bikingbecame family playtime with our toddlers in bike seats. Thingsquickly progressed through the training wheels stage to the daywhen the boys were jumping BMX rigs. In recent years each of theboys saved money to buy their own mountain bikes. We look for-ward to the ongoing evolution of this story as Caroline is just start-ing on the biking journey. Someday, as a grandma and grandpa, wewill continue this family bonding with the next generation of ourfamily. We are fortunate to spend time together in this way, sharingoutdoors experiences that will always connect us as a family. Simplyput, the adventures and fun of mountain biking is one of the waysthat we can say "I love you".


The Brattleboro/Keene chapter has completed itsfirst calendar year. We're excited about the venturewe've started, the work accomplished, and the newyear ahead. We closed out 2009 by building abridge for the trail network on town property inBrattleboro and meeting with representatives fromthe Society for the Protection of New HampshireForests. We are considering collaboration withSPNHF to build and maintain trails on land thatthey own and manage. Our hopes for this collabo-ration are high. A follow up meeting is scheduledto explore potential property for this effort oncethe snow melts.

Our membership is growing steadily. We're up to36 members now. With almost a year behind us,we're beginning to explore ways to build our chap-ter infrastructure. A set of guiding principles isbeing developed, along with increased web pres-ence. Our schedule of weekly rides is being revised,with accommodations being considered for levelsof riders. A monthly trail maintenance day will bescheduled as well. As many of the existing andoft-ridden trails on both sides of the ConnecticutRiver have been built on private as well as public

land, we're trying to build relationships with thedifferent landowners in order to secure the avail-ability of these trails for the future. In addition, wehope to become recognized as one of the primarystewards of these different trails. We've identifiedsections of our favorite trails that need mainte-nance and will be approaching the landownerswith offers of assistance on these sections of trails.

We continue to wait for word from the state ofNew Hampshire regarding our efforts to designatesome of the trails in Pisgah State Park as open tomountain bikes.

And if some of our members have their way, oneride we'll be offering this winter will be on an icetrack. Stay tuned! — Paul Rodrigue

Brattleboro-KeeneNEMBAPresident: Paul Rodrigue,

[email protected]: Peter PoanessaSecretary: Lauren LaunenTreasurer: Tim TrotterEmail List:[email protected]

Heyyou in back!Renew yourmembership

online!

www.nemba.org


Happy 2010 from the Blackstone Valley NEMBAchapter! 2010 looks to be a busy and productiveyear for riding and trail building.

Starting off the year will be a dual-purpose eventon January 23rd at Tennessee's BBQ in Milford,MA. We will have the 2010 chapter kick-off meet-ing and the 2009 BV-NEMBA volunteer apprecia-tion event for all of the people who generouslydonated their time during the course of the year atan official chapter trail maintenance to help makeour trails better. Everyone is welcome to join us forthe chapter meeting. If you would also like to joinus for the catered meal that Tennessee's will putout for us, we need an RSVP by 1/15 to properlyplan for the event. It's only $10 and well worth it.The Vietnam Land Management committee has

most of our monthly meetings there. It gives us anexcuse to have a Tennessee's pulled-pork sandwichand a cold IPA once a month, not that any of usneed an excuse for either.

Additional details about the event can be found onthe NEMBA forum, under the "NEMBA Events" sec-tion for those interested in attending.

We strongly encourage everyone who is interestedin becoming involved with the chapter to come outfor the kick-off meeting. There will be chapter elec-tions that will include the VPs of the multiple stateforests in the Blackstone Valley. The VPs workdirectly with land managers and have the opportu-nity to make a difference at your local riding area.You can come out just for the chapter meeting, just

the food and drinks, or both!

For those of you who never put your bikes away forthe winter, we have a core group of riders who hitthe trails year-round. Generally this time of theyear riding involves a day trip on the weekend toOtis on the Cape, but we also ride closer to homeif the conditions permit. Look for posts about ourrides in the "Massachusetts" section of the NEMBAforum on Thursday or Friday prior to the weekend.Everyone is welcome, and no riders will getdropped or left behind.

Here's to a great 2010, with lots of riding and pro-ductive trail maintenance events.

—Steve Barnes

BlackstoneValleyPresident: Eammon Carleton,

[email protected], 508-987-7655Vice President: John GoellerTreasurer: Rich KordellSecretary: Anne ShepardRide Coordinator: Jeff GalloCallahan SF: Anne ShepardDouglas SF: VacantHale Reservation: Jack MaxwellHodges Village Dam: Eammon Carleton Vietnam: John GoellerWestboro/Hopkinton: VacantEmail List: [email protected]: www.bvnemba.org.Webmaster: Mitchell Steinberg

Jen Secor (and her dog) riding Vietnam


The year end 2009 business meeting was held onDecember 2.

Election of officers for 2010 resulted in a couplechanges. Our new Chapter Secretary will be JesseMcGowan, replacing two years of service byRhonda Blackey. Thanks Rhonda! A vacant positionfor V.P. of Trails in Laconia / Gilford Area (includingAhern S.P.) was filled by Mark Horvath of Gilford.All other positions will continue to be handled by

the incumbent officers.

Five Chapter Jamis Bicycles-NEMBA Trail Care Dayswere proposed for the 2010 season at the meeting:

Franklin Falls Dam: May 2nd, August T.B.D.,and October T.B.D

Hopkinton-Everett Dam, (Elm Brook): June20th

Ahern State Park, Laconia: October 24th

2010 Three CNHNEMBA Business MeetingDates will be: April 21st, July 14th, andDec.1st; Locations TBD

A Chapter party was proposed for next year. Wefelt it was time for a social gathering of the grow-ing clan. Mike Geldermann and Scott Pelletier vol-unteered to start planning our bash. I am sure theywould appreciate some help.

Grant has proposed a personal resolution toincrease CNHNEMBA membership to 75 by theend of 2010. Our number is currently at approxi-mately 45. I'm sure that we all have friends we ridewith that have yet to take the membership plunge.If we can all sign up just one new member thisyear, we will easily beat the goal. We are hopefulto add some more bike shop members as well.Chainline Cycles in Laconia is our only currentsupporting shop member; we really appreciate thesupport, Thanks Eric.

Mike has new trail project planned for Franklin Fallsfor next season. No less than eight work areas havealready been identified. What a slave driver! Ourpremier riding spot is about to get better! TheArmy Corps has expanded parking at the dam dueto increased use of the facility. Finally some of thatfederal stimulus money put to good use!

Our last trail care day for 2009 was at Ahern StatePark in Laconia in mid-November. We had an ade-quate turnout considering the late time of the sea-son and pouring rain the previous night. All of theexisting singletrack trails were cleared of leavesand debris. Several minor drainage issues were alsodealt with. We discovered that rakes are going theway of the dodo. Three leaf blowers can probablyout perform a dozen rakers. We'll try to get a mapposted at the web site for folks to download.Ahern is small, but the trails range from beginnerto somewhat technical. Plus you can take a swimafter your ride. Ahern Park has the largest accessi-ble undeveloped shoreline on Winnisquam Lake.

Thank you, volunteers, for a very prosperous 2009.Looking forward to a great new year. Time to getthe bike serviced for April, while riding your beat-er on the snowmobile trails.

— Grant Drew

Central NHPresident: Grant Drew,

[email protected] VP: Matt BowserVP Franklin Falls: Mike GeldermannVP Elm Brook: Sharon Nall

Secretary: Rhonda BlackeyTreasurer: Barry GreenhalghPR Manager: Jesse McGowan

BOD Reps: Steve LaFlame, Matt Bowser

Ride the Trails ~ Save the TrailsJoin NEMBA to Support Mountain Biking inNew England !

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2010 is the year of the Trail! CT NEMBA is makinga big push this year to the lay the foundation toensure our trails are sustainable for many moreyears to come. More and more riding areas arebeing commoditized by the simple fact that theyare located in densely populated areas that are get-ting more use but little care. To stem the tide ofover use we are starting a new program called CTNEMBA Regional Trails Representatives, wheremembers will take charge of a riding location andbuild a coalition of trail users with the intent tocoordinate Trail Maintenance Days on a regularbasis. In those areas where this an organizationalready in place we want our Regional Trails Repsto be active in the organization and serve as theMountain Biking liaison. We have had tremendoussuccess with this model already at Mianus RiverPark and in Wilton and are expanding it toTrumbull, Shelton, and Troutbrook Valley in thecoming months.

We are planning on two Trail Ambassador Trainingsessions this spring, which is required for allRegional Trails Rep program. But understandingthat not everyone is going to be able to attendthose two sessions the Regional Trails Reps willalso serve as mentors for future trail ambassadors.Additionally, we will be putting on another TrailBuilding School, too.

We like to have fun, too, and to that end expect tosee more led rides this year. We are adding anoth-er Mountain Bike Adventure Series ride atCockaponset, in addition to the Happening atHuntington. The annual Fall Fiesta will be held inSeptember again and in October we will holdanother Cyclocross Race. We are also planning oncontinuing our Big Ride Series, weekly rides at var-ious locations around the state, and don't forgetthe annual Turkey Burner ride.

Finally, CT NEMBA will be launching the CTSingletrack Guide, which will be an interactive trailguide to the best riding places that CT has to offer.It will be a clearing house of information with linksto other websites where you will find moredetailed maps and additional information. Checkthe site often for updates.

I am looking forward to a great year and I hope tosee you on the trail!

—Mark Lurie

Trail Ambassadors Rich Stichcomb on patrol at Trumbell

CT NEMBA’s last ride of the decade: Heather, Brendan, Glenn Vernes and Mark Lurie

ConnecticutPresident: Mark Lurie,

[email protected], 203-364-9912

VP: Tren SpenceSecretary: Glenn VernesTreasurer: Al Tinti Trails Advocacy: Paula BurtonBOD Reps: Mark LurieAt Large: Eric Mayhew & Art RotiEmail List: [email protected] Web: www.ctnemba.net


GBNEMBA Activities: November 2010

After exceeding its plans for 2009, GBNEMBA israising the bar again for 2010! Looking back,there's a lot to be said about GBNEMBA's manyaccomplishments. The major highlight was theinroads and news we made regarding the TrailAdvocacy effort at the Middlesex Fells. With theriding scene, we had a very successful WeeklyRides Series at the Fells with increased numberscoming out each week to join in with theWednesday Practice Your Technique Ride or theThursday Social ride. And we made a lot of kidshappy with the Kid's Explorer Ride Series wheregroups of enthusiastic kids came out once a monthto enjoy a mountain bike to develop their skillswhile gliding down the many trails. Enough cannotbe said about the impact we made with these kids.Cindy Hickey did a great job holding a beginnerskills course at Great Brook in May and June with anumber of new riders working to hone their ridingskills.

When the season opened in April, GBNEMBA incooperation with the Department of Conservationand Recreations ran a great Middlesex FellsOpening Day Celebration with hundreds of riderscoming out on a beautiful day. To enhance theexperience, numerous venders' set-up displaybooths and Cycle Loft went as far as to cook upsome great burgers, sausage and dogs. Wewrapped the season up with another fabulous Takea Kid Mountain Bike Day in early October and withanother DCR joint effort by holding Toys for Totsday in December at the DCR's Botume House.

Expanded Leadership for 2010:

GBNEMBA elected a new slate of chapter officersto plan and execute activities in 2010. Adam Glickwas elected to guide GBNEMBA as President. Wehave high expectations for Adam; he's an avidmountain biker and his organizational skills andtrail knowledge are superb. Tom Grimble did anextremely good job leading the chapter last yearand his leadership will be missed. However, Tomwill remain on the board and will continue to pro-vide his valuable assistance on many of next year'sprojects. Terry Kennedy will continue as ChapterSecretary for the fourth year and Claire Grimblewill continue as the Chapter Treasurer. I don'tremember how long Claire has kept the chapter'sfinances straight, but it has to be at least sevenyears now! Thanks for staying on Claire! In addi-tion to his chapter secretarial responsibilities, TerryKennedy will continue for a third year as Director

of the NEMBA Mountain Bike Patrol.Congratulations to all!

Middlesex Fells Trail Advocacy:

GBNEMBA is continuing to be direct and very vis-ible regarding trail advocacy aimed at improvingmountain bike opportunities at the MiddlesexFells. Over the years, NEMBA has contributed a lotof time, effort and monetary support to the Fellsand has continually put its best foot forward advo-cating for sustainable and respectful biking in thepark. As demonstrated by DCR sanctioning and/orco-hosting numerous biking events, it's very clearthe DCR enthusiastically supports our efforts andthat GBNEMBA's trail maintenance program deliv-ers quality results. However, the ultimate goal ofour advocacy is more equitable access to trails inthe Fells consistent with other DCR parks. Weneed to keep the momentum going and to capital-ize on our success.

One of the fruits of our recent efforts is that inJanuary, DCR plans to conduct a workshop open toall Fells user groups to detail and discuss their var-ious ideas for the Fells. Using this input, the DCRwill develop and release a preliminary RMP for thepark. It is expected the DCR will invite commentsand then follow with a final RMP being releasedsometime in the spring timeframe.

If you're interested in voicing your support formountain biking at the Fells and have a few min-utes to spare, the workshop should be on yourschedule. Keep in mind, the local mountain bikecommunity must be involved to gain a louder voicewithin the DCR as well as with the communitiesadjoining the Fells. Make sure to check theGBNEMBA website where you'll find guidance onbecoming involved and how to express your sup-port to the DCR and local state and municipal offi-cials.

Trail Maintenance:

Next year's planning has already begun. Thoughthe plans are not in cement as we say, keep an eyeon the GBNEMBA website for details. As always,we need all the help we can get! We're talkingabout a Saturday morning here or a Sunday morn-ing there. If you can squeeze in a little time to help,we will definitely appreciate it.

2010 Chapter Ride Plan:

Next year's ride series will be familiar, but expand-ed. We're planning to continue the Weekly RideSeries with Wednesday and Thursday night rides atthe Fells, and we expect to do the monthlyExplorers Kid's Ride Series too. In addition, we'replanning to run a regionally-focused Skills Seriesand NEMBA has approved that a new MountainBike Adventure Series event be added to theGBNEMBA calendar for August 29th at LynnWoods. It's been a few years since GBNEMBAsponsored an MBAS and we're really excited a datewas allocated.

Mountain Bike Patrol (Sponsored by GT Bicycles):

With 2010 on to of us, the New England MountainBike Patrol remains busy patrolling area parks andsupporting local mountain bike events. You mayhave seen the Patrol providing First Aid support atthe many NEMBA events or maybe you saw aPatroller riding a trail. In 2009, the Patrol sup-ported nine major mountain bike events andlogged more than 1200 individual hours. In 2010with the expanded Mountain Bike AdventureSeries, we're looking at supporting up to 15 majorevents. It will be e busy time, but it will be a lotof fun and we're looking forward to it

Continuing to grow, the Patrol is increasing its vis-ibility and providing expanded services to NEMBA.Working towards a more regional look, the Patrolcontinues to look for new volunteers. The Patrolhas its sights on expanding further into SEMass aswell as into the Wachusett, WesternMassachusetts, and Merrimack Valley areas.

If you're interested in the Patrol, let us know. Tobecome a Patroller, you will need to attend theannual Patrol Clinic where each Patroller is certifiedin First Aid and CPR and receives training onPatrolling skills, basic bike maintenance, conflictmanagement, and park rules and regulations. Noexperience is necessary and the veterans will getyou certified in First Aid and basic bike repair skills.

By Terry Kennedy

Greater BostonPresident: Adam Glick,


VP: Tim Post, [email protected], 617-515-4812

VP: Mike TabaczynskiVP: Greg KochSecretary: Terry KennedyTreasurer: Claire GrimblePatrol Director: Terry KennedyWebsite: www.gbnemba.org


Winter here in Mid Coast Maine is in full force, butthat never stops the bicycling. Whether you're suf-fering from boredom on the trainer, reaping thebenefits from winter commuting, or enjoying somestress relief on a cruise down a hard packed snow-mobile trail with your buddies, winter in Maine isalways a blast.

McNEMBA stayed active with rides right upthrough November. We hosted a Turkey Burnerride and a hardy group of us suffered through 5towns, and 45 miles of Maine terrain.Temperatures that day never hit above freezing,and we still managed to hit all the "sweet spots":Camden Snow Bowl, Mt. Pleasant and "The Bog". Itwas an Epic day for sure. McNEMBA plans to offermore Epic rides in 2010 that will cater to differentexperience levels. It seems that as long distanceMountain Bike racing gains popularity, so does theinterest in more long distance group rides. Whatcould be more fun than going on a free guided Epicall day ride with all your buddies? It doesn't get anybetter than that. We usually stop for General Storelunch and see who can eat the biggest "WhoopiePie". It's a Maine thing.

Many years ago here at the Camden Hills State

Park, a group of mountain bikers built a great trailcalled the Summer Bypass Trail. It has not receivedmuch maintenance over the years and could use acouple of small boardwalks and re-routes.

We have obtained permission from the land-man-ager to start giving the trail some attention nextspring. We also are looking forward to workingwith The Camden Snow Bowl and Morton Trails ona proposed Multi-use trail on Ragged Mountain inCamden. The proposed multi-use trail is part ofthe Ragged Mountain Redevelopment Plan. A planthat will upgrade the services and equipment atthe Camden Snow Bowl facility, from new chair-lifts, to new trails, and a new lodge with a bikewash station. To learn more about the RaggedMountain Redevelopment Plan, go to www.cam-

densnowbowl.com/rede-velopment It is excitingto get to work with thesetwo organizations tohelp create a sustainabletrail system that will beenjoyed for many genera-tions to follow.McNEMBA also plans tocontinue working on theCamden Snow Bowltrails and the abuttingtrails within the "RaggedMountain Preserve". Thework includes mainte-nance, signage, and asalways, identifying prob-lematic areas and figuringout ways to fix them.

We also will be workingwith Central MaineNEMBA and GreaterPortland NEMBA on theBradbury Mtn.Adventure Series nextsummer. This should bereally exciting.

If you are planning aMaine vacation next

summer, bring your bike. From Bradbury Mountain,to new trails in Augusta and Camden, Maine hassome pretty amazing places to ride. Where elsecan you go sailing on a Schooner in the morning,have lunch, spend the rest of the day riding someamazing trails, and then out to an amazing dinner.Contact the local NEMBA Chapters for rides andschedules and don't be afraid to call or stop buythe local bike shops.

See you on the trails and best for 2010. —CaseyLeonard

Mid CoastMainePresident: John Anders, 207-542-0080,

[email protected] Committee:

Kevin Davis, Mike Hartley, SteveKoskinen, Mike White

Treasurer/Secretary: Casey Leonard

Jason Buck riding up the Camden Snow Bowl.Photo by PKTrail Sign at the Camden Snow Bowl. Photo by PK


Greetings from Merrimack Valley. We are over theHolidays and hope all is well with everyone. Not alot happening at this time of year with work ontrails but we are planning for the season to come.Getting out as much as possible on the bikes andactually hoping for a bit more snow to accommo-date snowshoeing/XC activity is what is on ourminds. That, and amassing new bike parts andpieces for repair and upgrade (anyone else besidesme spending an enormous amount of time workingon home projects which "didn't get done over thesummer as promised" ?????? .

We will be returning to our local haunts this springwith both tools in hand and bikes underfoot, wellunder something. There awaits work to be done atseveral locations and we are still hoping for addi-tional new trail in the area. The Pump Track andtechnical features at Russell Mill will be high onthe list as well as a host of projects awaitingapproval for Great Brook Farm. We still have newtrail potential in Dunstable, Ma and are looking atother areas nearby to extend our riding experience.Chelmsford Open Space would like us to help outon a few smaller projects in town to help with con-nectivity for local riding and they're big supportersof NEMBA.

Hoping to have more specific plans and schedulessoon, we'll keep you all updated as to what's hap-pening where and when. In the meantime try to

enjoy the rest of the winter months and stay inshape for what looks like another great season ofmountain biking. —Bob G

MerrimackValleyPresident: Bob Giunta, facdesign@com-

cast.net VP Groton Town Fst VP: Mike AndersenLowell-Dracut SF VP: Bob GiuntaTreasurer: Hugh Folsom, (978) 244-0633Email List: mtb-

[email protected]: www.mv-nemba.org

Jim Powers, packing the trials, getting a good workout! Photo by Bob Giunta

Merrimack Valley riders / trail builders. Photos by PK


You'd think that all was quiet on the trail mainte-nance front as we shovel out from the latest snow-storm. This is the time of year though when all theplanning takes place that results in interesting andproductive trail work projects for the coming sea-son.

Next spring a new trail will be added in HaroldParker SF, north of the Andover Sportsman's Club.It will use a section of old woods road, improvedby 3 bog bridges, and 2300' of new sidehill single-track. This will be challenging to build and shouldbe another fine piece of HP technical XC trail, rem-iniscent of the nearby Ledges Trail. We will cer-tainly have some other maintenance work to bedone on an additional workday.

NSNEMBA followed the process under the newDCR Trail Proposal Approval Form and also was theapplicant for an RDA application with the NorthAndover Con Comm. It took awhile, but with allapprovals now in place we can look forward to areally significant addition to the trail system and aproject that should be interesting and fun to do.Special thanks go to HP Supervisor Steve David andDistrict Manager Ray Faucher for their involvementand support in jumping through all the necessaryhoops.

We hope to return to return to TompsonMountain, aka Bruce and Tom's, and discussion isunderway with Essex County GreenbeltAssociation, Dieselbikes, and Sinister Bikes aboutwhere our next effort might be there. Anotherreturn appearance at Charles Ward Reservation inAndover/North Andover is likely - we always havea good project on this Trustees of Reservationsproperty thanks to the property manager Adam.Beverly Commons (Greenwood) was a worthwhilestop last year. We fixed a number of problem areasand had a great time working with the North Shorecrew and Western Cycles. Look for another day atBeverly.

Will we have a workday at Willowdale? We have aproject plan submitted that has languished forwhatever reason for 2 years. There is some hopethat this may come through or we will do somebasic trail maintenance in this popular ride loca-tion. Rumor has it that a supporting shop RiversideCycles may have an event here in 2010 - we will belooking to support the event. Essex County TrailAssociation is engaged in planning and completingtrail and woods road repairs in Willowdale and weare in contact with them about what we considerpriority locations.

If that's not enough, NSNEMBA President Frank

Lane has been attending meetings of a new Friendsof Harold Parker State Forest group. While the mis-sion is still being defined, the group should offer agood forum for all users and supporters of HPSF,including groups we have worked with in the past,the Andover Trails Committee and Friends of NorthAndover Trails.

So what's the common theme here - partnerships.We have a lot of great ones, but this time of year

is when we strengthen relationships with existingpartners and seek out new affiliations with landmanagers and trail user groups.

Thanks to all who supported our trail projects lastyear. Here's hoping you will join us again and thatwe meet some new folks at the work days as well.

Oh - rest assured there will be a lot of rides thiscoming season too - look for details in the nextSingletracks. — Dan Streeter

North ShorePresident: Frank Lane

[email protected],978-465-2295 Vice-President: Fred White Treasurer: Kirk GoldsworthySecretary: Henry KellsBOD Reps: Dan Streeter & Frank LaneWicked Ride Chair: Steve CharretteEmail List: mtb-

[email protected]: www.nsnemba.org

Albert Lew and his daughter Emelia last April. Most photogenic NSNEMBA trailworkers of 2009. Photo by Dan Streeter

NS NEMBA has a loyal crew of trail builders, some of the regulars even coming in from other chapters.Photo by Dan Streeter


Normally the winter months are a bit slow on thebiking front. This is especially true when wereceive snowfall in the amounts that we haveseen so far this season. Instead there is a lot tocatch up on and report for the RI chapter.Gatherings, rides and legislation are keeping ushumming and the momentum going…

The December meeting/holiday dinner was a suc-cess, with Bart Angelo winning the Stout 29'erthat was donated at cost by NBX bikes. BethCabral and Alan Winsor picked up awards fortheir riding skills that night also. From theturnout and the post dinner response, it seemslike the organizers did a wonderful job!

December also brought the Winter Warmer funride in Lincoln Woods. This ride has turned into

a nannual

event to collect canned goods and money for theRI Food Bank and it keeps getting better and bet-ter. Even though it was very cold that morning,80 people turned out for the ride and over 500 lbsof food was donated and delivered to the needy.Shaun Mottram printed and sold clothing on loca-tion, raising another $350 for the Food Bank. AGPS track of the ride designed by Brendan andMike can be seen at RINEMBA.org. Thanks toeveryone for coming out to ride, volunteer andadd to the fun of this event.

Big River and specifically H6304, legislation legal-izing mountain bike riding in Big River, continuedto be the biggest item on the action agenda. Wefound out late that H6304 was put on the agen-da for a veto override, but we were not left with

It's been tough to fit skiing in, around such a greatwinter for riding. When the ball dropped in TimesSquare, the 2010 riding season got under way inthe Valley. Most winters we get derailed fromstorm to storm, but not this year. The riding hasbeen almost continuously winter-great!

For 2010 we have a calendar packed full of funactivities. Look for: winter Saturday rides, a trimthe tree hike (for the animals), weekly and month-ly rides, approximately ten trail care days, fourchapter meetings with rides, some social "off thebike" events, The Fall Chili ride, skillz clinics, andthe ever popular epic rides and kid rides. Throughthese events, and the overall good nature of thePV-NEMBA leadership, we are hoping to get every-one together and involved, and give the chapter amore club type feel.

There are possible big happenings on the free-ridefront in the Westfield area. We are currently intalks with an organization that wants our help inbuilding trails on a private parcel they own. All thedetails have not been worked out yet, but it surelooks favorable at this point. There are evenrumors of a local construction company interested

in donating man-hours, equipment, and materials!Keep your bike crossed up and stay tuned.

The Winter Hike and Trim the Tree event hopefullycame-off already (by the time you are reading this).The Winter Spiketacular is scheduled for February27th (but check the NEMBA forum since thismight change), on beautiful Lake Congamond, inSouthwick, Mass. Details can be found in the Massforum. Winter riding on Saturdays continues(check the Mass forums for locations and condi-tions).

The next chapter meeting/ride will be March 28that 1:00, in Agawam. Details will be posted in"NEMBA Events" on the forums.

PV-NEMBA has much to offer for the 2010 season.We sincerely hope you will come out and join usat many of our events.

Please feel free to contact me anytime.

Vive le NEMBA! — Steve Rossi

Beth, Alan and Bart showcase their winnings from the holiday party. Photo by Peter Gengler

PioneerValleyPresident: Steven Rossi,


VP Hamden County: Kris Wyman, ChrisGrello

VP Hampshire County: Megan Bilodeau,Chaz Nielson

VP Franklin County: Steffi Krug

Secretary: Juliana RossiTreasurer: Trevor Emond BOD Reps: Harold Green, Steven RossiEmail List:[email protected]

Rhode IslandPresident: Peter Gengler,


VP Arcadia: Jim Grimley

VP Big River: Peter Gengler

VP Burlingame: Lennon Schroeder

VP Lincoln Woods: Leo Corrigan

Treasurer: Sara Grimley

Secretary: Bart Angelo

NEMBA BOD Rep: Matt Schulde

NEMBA BOD Rep: Bart Angelo

Email List: [email protected]

Web: RINEMBA.org


So far the winter has been just plain cold. Since wehave not had a ton of snow, some of our trails arepacked enough to ride if you are willing to bravethe elements. Some of my favorite rides have beensnow rides, because you get a totally different viewof things when you ride on the snow. No matter ifyou snow bike, snow shoe, XC ski, downhill ski, orget on the trainer in the basement you are mostlikely just waiting for that first rubber to dirt con-tact of 2010.

As the new chapter president, I am very lucky tofollow Peter because he has formed great relation-ships with the state and local trails officials. I real-ize that I have some big shoes (Crocs) to fill! Wehave some exciting projects planned for the spring.We have the go ahead for three or four NEW trailsin Southern NH but just as important is the main-tenance of our existing trail networks. If you arelike me, you enjoy working on the trails almost asmuch as riding on them. If you have never done atrail day, I would like to personally invite you to

join us this year. It soundslike work but I assure youthat it is fun and rewarding.Nothing beats ripping down astretch of single track YOUhelped put in.

A very important part of ourchapter is our local trailambassadors. They are anintegral part because they dothe little things that reallymake a difference on each andevery ride. If you have everbeen out on a ride and seesomeone walking the trailwith some hand trimmerscutting those "face slappers"you most likely just passed atrail ambassador. I am verythankful for all the work thatthey do. When you passthem in the trails next yearmake sure you say 'thanks' asyou roll by. We are looking tofind new people who areinterested in helping out as alocal trail ambassador or join-ing a crew in one of the largerparks. Please email me if youare interested.

There is so much to look for-ward to in 2010. We are host-ing NEMBAFEST again, group rides, NEW beginnergroup rides, new members, and a new website. Imust also thank Greg for rebuilding the chapter'swebsite for us! It has been a long time coming andwe still have a little work to do on the events andpicture pages. If you have some great shots oflocal trails please email them to me and your pic-

tures will become part of our website!

Look for info on the website for an early springmeeting and please attend with your ideas to makeSouthern NH a better place to mountain bike. —-Matt Caron

much time to get people together to have thempressure their government officials to vote in favorof the legislation. Through the efforts of manyindividuals and a push organized by AnthonyMastrostefano to have people call their electedrepresentatives and pressure them to side withmountain bikers, Governor Carcieri's veto wasoverridden. This means the next time you ride inBig River you will be doing so LEGALLY! This is ahuge step and our thanks go out to everyone who

called, wrote, emailed or otherwise pitched in.While this is a time to pause and celebrate- thisdoes not, however, mean that this issue is over andnothing additional will need to be done. Rulesgoverning our use of the area still need to be writ-ten and we need to continue to be vigilant and apart of that process to ensure that the rules are fairand equitable. We will continue to rely on themountain bike community's support throughoutthe process so stay tuned and be ready to pitch in!

The end result- another legal place for us to ride-should be well worth the effort.

In the meantime, the snow will be gone before toolong so enjoy the frozen ground while you can asmud season will be here before you know it. Takecare and best wishes for a wonderful 2010.

Keep the rubber side down,

—Matt Schulde

Brendan Dee and James Hoard get a little Grinch Time at the WinterWarmer Fun Ride. Photo by Peter Gengler

Registration and shirt making at the Winter Warmer Fun Ride. Photo byPeter Gengler

SNH NEMBA’s new president, Matt Caron, riding Bear Brook SP. Photo by PK

SouthernNew HampshirePresident: Matt Caron,

[email protected], 603-321-8736VP: Dan Sloan & Jean RubinSecretary: Laurie HarriganTreasurer: Eleanor KnottTrail Advisor: Peter DeSantisWebsite: www.snemba.orgEmail list: [email protected]


With winter in full grip, planning for 2010 projectsis underway.

We have begun planning for the 10th annualWhite Mountains MTB weekend, scheduled forJuly 31st & August 1st. This year's event will beheld in conjunction with a Kona Bicycles-Fox ShoxMountain Bike Adventure Series ride on 8/1/10.The usual trailwork-group rides-barbeque onSaturday will be followed by the signed/self-guidedadventure ride on Sunday.

We are continuing to work closely with the U.S.Forest Service on the Moat Mountain trail systemproject. This project addresses 12 miles of single-track trails that are not currently White MountainNational Forest system trails. The Forest Service iscurrently compiling a list of alternatives and will

present their recommended option for public com-ment this spring. It is imperative that mountainbikers provide input on this.

Expand the pump track? Just one of our potentialprojects for 2010 may be to expand our instantlypopular pump track, built in the town of Conway'sPudding Pond conservation area. Trail maintenancedates set so far are as follows (fall dates to beannounced later):

• Saturday May 15th• Sunday June 6th• Saturday July 31st

—Rob Adair

Things slowing down now that it's officially winter,but a few things to report.

SE MA NEMBA has been talking with Friends ofBlue Hills in an effort to combine some resourceson trail work days, as well as to help influencesome of the DCR's decisions regarding the BlueHills Resource Management Plan. The BH RMP isstill in the draft phase, and it's time that some ofthe policies were geared towards MTB use and notagainst. YOU can make change. The draft should beup on the DCR website sometime soon("early2010"). Send comments to:[email protected] Policy changes inour riding areas can and will influence futurechanges at all parks everywhere!

Here in Southeast Mass, there has been a healthycontingent of regular snow-riders, as well as agrowing segment of XC-ski and snowshoe con-verts. Both activities nicely compliment our cyclinglifestyles for those of us who would rather not takethe risks of snow-riding(or just need a change ofpace...) Facebook and our email lists make it veryeasy to connect and plan group ss hikes/skis as theweather dictates...The trails don't go away in win-ter and neither should we!

—Steve Cobble

SE MassPresident: Steve Cobble,

[email protected], 781-254-8796Treasurer: Bill Boles VPs:Ames Nowell: Malcolm Neilson,Blue Hills: Joe SloaneBorderland: Christopher PatrickCarolina Hills: Jack StorerCutler Park: Bob Khedarian Duxbury: Dave WaleckaFoxboro/Wrentham: Kevin DelaneyFranklin: Jan Hubbell

Massasoit: John BaileyMyles Standish: Tim SholzWompatuck: Tyler EusdenSecretary: Rich HigginsEmail List: [email protected]

WhiteMountainsPresident: Rob Adair,


VPs: John Barley, Mark Jenks, Tony TulipTreasurer: Phil Ostroski Secretary: Jean Lee


Mike & Jen AgostiDavid & Jean PierreJohn AndersJoshua AngristSusan & Alexis ArapoffArcadian Shop LaneJohn Greco & PamArsenaultTom & Shirlie BaconRichard BanksThomas BeardAdam BeckloffBob BedardRon BeliveauYoul BellilWard BennettEric BensonElse BettencourtMark BialasFrancis BlessoKimberly BogushBill BolesStig & Claudia BolgenVictoria BolotinaEric BoudreauJeremy BourgeoisPatricia BouvierBill BrineRichard BruceJason BuckPaula BurtonTimothy CantwellStephen CarneyHolly CarsonValerie CarterRick ChaceGeoffrey ChisholmEd ClausenBill CohnSandy ColeTom ColleyGlen CooneyCathy CorningTim CosgraveGreg CoteIain CrerarJohn Cummings

Stuart CummingsWayne & JeanCunninghamDudley DailyHeather DavisMarc DeBellAl DeludeRyan DeRocheJames DeschaineBud & Lori MontuoriDeshlerJim DianaMichael DillonSteve DiPietroTim DoddMark DonovanLisa DorrGrant DrewNeale EcksteinDavid EikenberryCleary ElevatorDan EshetJim EstesG. Dallas FaganMatt FargoWillie FeuerBill FixsenRobert & Judy FooteBob FortierEric FurfineStephanie GagneA. J. & ElizabethGemperlineMichael GeorgeJohn GildayJ.J. GilmartinMichael GnazzoKirk GoldsworthyJohn GoodrowConce GoodwinWalter GrabowskiMatthew & Harold GreenDouglas GreenTom & Claire GrimbleAvram HainsAmy Waterman &Jonathan Hall

Henry HallinanKarl HannerEmily HarrisonBarry HarsipDiane Meuser & TomHawkinsDon HecklerJim HillGarry HinkleyJohn HoffmanMark HoulePeter HutchinsonDonna Jensen & JeffreyHylandDan & Jacqi IbbitsonTed JablonskiColin JohannenRay JohnsonJerry JoyalSam & Henry JulierSteve KahlerAdrian Berridge & MJKeelerBob KellyPat KellyMike O'Brien & LeahKendallPhilip & Nanyee KeyesDavid KirschnerAlexa Pinard & ScottKirschnerKerry KisloskiKevin KlineJon KranesDave KristanKen KruttCraig KupinskyJoyce Lockert & SharonLambMike LariviereTony & Margie LeeMike LefevreCarrie LemieuxJohn LevyScott LewisScott & DeborahLivingston

John LlodraJoshua & Alan LuckeTim MackeyChristoph Geisen &Britta MaedgeLisa MaloneyDakota MartinJoe & Barbara MartinsEric MastromarchiGerard McQuaidJohn McSpaddenRichard MehlhornSteve & Kathy MillerPaul MillsClaude MorneaultBrian MulfordGary MuntzDan MurphyDavid MyerAnn NataliziaMark NewtonRobert NineDan NivenKevin O'DonnellSteve O'NeilScott OrlowskiPatrick OsborneJoe PadudaArt & Lori ParadicePedal Power (CT)Patrick PedontiJohn PetersDarlene PhillipsDerek & Kelly PierceChris PontesGiles RaeGlenn & Colleen RaichePeter & Aimee ReissVincentzio RomanFrank RossiSteve RovinAndrew Ryan-SmithKent SchenkelCarl ScholzMatt SchuldeDavid SchwartzLaura Scirocco

Mark & Erin SferrazzaGary ShapiroAnne ShepardSteven & Julie ShopeJohn SidloRick SmithGuy SomersKenneth SpargoMary Beard & Jim StegallTimothy StilesMatthew StollerJack StorerEric StraussDan StreeterIan SwopeSusan SzablakRick, Eric & Ryan TavernaKevin TevesMark ThayerJohn & Laurie ThompsonRichard Tower JrSteven TregayMike TrykowskiNicholas Pavey & KarinTurerScott TurnerDoug & Linda UsherHenry VaughamMichael WalshKate WaltonErik WeisenburgerNathaniel WilliamsAlan WinsorJim WinstonMarianne WojcickiFrank WojtasTim WolfeCraig WoodardBernhardt WrublePaul YaworskyAndrew YipWilliam Zekas

A Big Thank You to all the Donors to our Annual Fund

We appreciate the passion and dedication of all our membersand volunteers that help to make NEMBA such a top-notchorganization worthy of financial support. Every donation andevery dollar is appreciated. We thank everyone who donated toour Annual Fund, and we hope to make the 2010 season ourbest ever.


NEMBA RidesSponsored by Moots Cycles

We're pleased to announcethat Moots Cycles (famousfor their handcrafted tita-nium bicycle frames) willbe sponsoring NEMBArides! Every member whocomes to a ride and signsin will be entered to win aMoots Moto X 29er frame!Additionally ride leaderswill be entered into a spe-cial raffle for a Moots component package, including a Ti stem, han-dlebar and seatpost!

NEMBA rides are led by individual NEMBA members for other mem-bers and prospective members. So if you haven't yet joined NEMBA,please do. Rides are usually for small numbers of people and vary withthe location and the personal style of the host. Rides have beenknown to change location or time at the last moment. So be sure tocall the ride's leader, both to sign up, and to find out more about theride. **Be sure to contact the ride leader a couple of days before theride takes place. That way you will be sure that the ride is on.

If you commit to a ride, go, since space is limited. That way the rideswill stay manageable and will be enjoyable for everyone. Helmets arerequired on all NEMBA rides. Contact your ride's leader if the weath-er looks questionable.

HEY! - Why not lead a NEMBA ride yourself? Contact Bill Boles at508-583-0067 or [email protected] for more information.

(T/FR) Indicates a technical or freeride(MBA) Indicates a NEMBA Mountain Bike Adventure Series Ride(EN) Indicates an EFTA/NEMBA Fun Ride.(AM) Indicates a weekday daytime morning ride.(DB) Indicates a daybreak or early morning ride.(BHTW) Indicates a Blue Hills Trail Watch ride.(Dog) Indicates you can bring your dog.(W) Indicates a Women's ride.(CALL) Indicates contact the leader to see if the ride is on.(TBA) Indicates location to be determined.(U) Indicates an urban ride.(GAR) Gravity Assisted Ride(SS) Indicates Single Speed bicycles are OK.(SKI) Indicates a 'ride' that may change to skis(SShoe) Indicates Snowshoeing

(SKILLS) Indicates a skills training session(KIDS) A ride for Kids, parents are often welcome too.(SS) Indicates a Singlespeed Bike ride

The following ride categories are only general guidelines. You shouldask the ride's leader exactly what type of ride he or she is planning interms of distance, pace and technicality. Also, be realistic about yourlevel of riding skills and don't join a ride that is beyond your presentability or fitness level.

MBA Kona Bicycles-Fox Shox MTB Adventure Seriesride. 10-20 miles. A ride on a marked course for allability levels. Normally includes short and longloops. Call for more information.

EFTA/NEMBA 10-25 miles. Marked loops for all ability levels.Normally includes multiple loops. Call for moreinformation.

Kids/Family 2-10 miles, usually easy pace & terrain. Theserides are aimed at parents with young children.

Beginner 2-7 miles, easy terrain, easy pace. These rides areaimed at riders with little or no riding experience.

Novice 4-9 miles, mellow pace, easy terrain, frequentstops.

Advanced Novice6-10 miles, mellow pace, either mostly easy ter-rain, or could be technical terrain done slowly, fre-quent stops.

Intermediate 10-20 miles, moderately technical, somewhatfaster pace, occasional stops and bail out points.Intermediate rides are designed for people whoride frequently, and have some skills, but whoprobably don't enter races.

Advanced Intermediate The same as intermediate, except fasterand harder terrain.

Advanced 20-30 miles, high technical difficulty, fast pace,few stops or chances to bail out. These rides areintended for advanced riders or, racers who wouldlike to go for a challenging ride at less than all outrace pace.

Women's Ride Can be any level of difficulty. Call for more infor-mation.

ConnecticutSundays W. Hartford Res. Intermediate-Adv Charlie Beristain [email protected] 860-521-7188

Southeastern Mass, Blackstone Valley & Rhode IslandTuesdays TBD, RI Advanced Jim Grimley [email protected] 401-732-6390Wednesdays Burlingame RI Adv Beg - Intermediate Lennon Schroeder [email protected] 401-212-6694Wednesdays TBD Adv-Beg-Intermediate Bill Boles [email protected] 508-583-0067(AM)Ist Thursdays TBD Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-0665Other Thursdays Foxboro SF Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-0665


S.O.S.: Support Our Sponsors!$1000+Ace Wheelworks, Somerville MABelmont Wheel Works, Belmont MABikebarn, Whitman MACannondale, Bethel CTFox Racing Shox, Watsonville CAIndependent Fabrication, SomervilleInternational Bicycle Center, NewtonLandry’s Bicycles, Natick MARedbones BBQ, Somerville MASeven Cycles, Watertown MATed Wojcik Bicycles, Hampstead NHThe Bikeway Source, Bedford MA

$200+Bicycles Unlimited, Greenfield MABreakstone, White-Lief & Gluck, PCCompetitive Edge, Northampton MAEast Providence Bicycles, E. Prov. RIMilford Bicycles, Milford MANortheast Bicycle Club, BurlingtonThe Bike Shop, Manchester CTWashington Square Tavern

$100All Things 2 Wheels, Conway NHAnderson Bicycle, Quincy MAArcadian Shop, Lenox MABenidorm Bikes & Snowboards,

Canton CT

Berger’s Bike Shop, York MEBest Western Inn, Rutland VTBicycle World, Greenfield MABoutique Bikes, Withrop MECentral Wheel, Farmington CTChainline Cycles, Laconia NHCronin Active Sports, Laconia NHCycle Lodge, Pembroke MAExeter Cycles, Exeter NHFireball heat Treating Co., AttleboroFrank's Spoke 'N Wheel, Sudbury MAGoodale’s Bike Shop, Concord NHGoodale’s Bike Shop, Hooksett NHGoodale’s Bike Shop, Nashua NHGranby Bicycle, Granby CTHighland Hardware & Bike, Holyoke

MAIbex Sports, Portsmouth NHMoots Cycles, Steamboat Spr. CONaults Cyclery, Manchester NHNew England Bicycle, Southwick MANorth Haven Bicycle, North Haven

CTNorthampton Bicycles, NorthamptonPedal Power, Middleton CTRiverside Cycles, Newburyport MATrailside Bicycles, Hadley MAWheel Power, Exeter NH

$75Minuteman Road Club, Ivoryton CT

NEMBA’s JerseyON SALE!

$55

Imagine vivid blues, luscious greens and bril-liant oranges and red — this is classic New

England. Ride with Pride, Ride Hard!

Available Online @ www.NEMBA.org

Non-Profit OrganizationU.S. Postage

PaidPermit #148

Plattsburgh, NY

New England Mountain Bike AssociationPO Box 2221Acton MA 01720

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~Please Donate Generously to NEMBA’s Annual Fund~We Rely on Riders Like You!

March 2010 #108 Files/ST201003 108.pdf · By Thom Parson 15 11 7. 4 | March 2010 Ride the Trails...

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Transcript of March 2010 #108 Files/ST201003 108.pdf · By Thom Parson 15 11 7. 4 | March 2010 Ride the Trails...