SingleTrackS - New England Mountain Bike Association

July 2008, 98www.nemba.org

July 2008, 98www.nemba.org

SingleTrackSSingleTrackS

SingleTrackS No. 96 | 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 Writer: 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 NEMBABart Angelo, RI NEMBANorman Blanchette, MV NEMBAMatt Bowser, SCNH NEMBATodd Bumen, Mt. Agamenticus NEMBASteve Cobble, SE MA NEMBAJon Conti, White Mountains NEMBAEammon Carleton, BV NEMBAKevin Davis, Midcoast Maine NEMBAPeter DeSantis, Seacoast NEMBABob Giunta, Merrimack Valley NEMBARich Kordell, Blackstone Valley NEMBASteve LaFlame, Central NH NEMBAFrank Lane, NS NEMBACasey Leonard, Midcoast Maine NEMBAHeather Linscott, Berkshire NEMBAEric Mayhew, CT NEMBALiam O’Brien, PV NEMBATim Post, GB NEMBAMatt Schulde, RI NEMBATren Spence, CT NEMBADan Streeter, North Shore NEMBAMike Tabaczynski, Greater Boston NEMBAKerry Tull, Southern NH NEMBAJohn Vosburg, Blackstone Valley NEMBACalvin Weeks, Maine NEMBAJim Wrightson, Wachusett NEMBA

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

SingleTrackSJuly 2008, Number 98

Paper TrailMondo Calendar — 5Treadlines — 6Plan Your Summer — 13Places to Ride — 22Member Profile — 26Basic Biking — 28SideTracks — 24Chapter News —29NEMBA Rides —36Support our Sponsors —42

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

On the Cover: Rider crossing a NEMBA bridgeat the Middlesex Fells Opening Celebration.Photo by Howard Granat.

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

Want to Advertise?SingleTracks offers inexpensive and targetedadvertising 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

CelebratingNEMBA’s 20th in

StyleOnly fitting that we get duded up and celebrate the peo-

ple that make NEMBA great. It was a great crowd and awonderful time. By Philip Keyes

Three Great Ridesin Rhode Island

Arcadia, Lincoln Woods and Burlingame offer somewonderful singletrack for your riding pleasure. By

Brendan Dee & Matt Schulde

Coyote Hill CampUp in the mountains of Vermont, Tom Mastersonhas set up a camp for young and not-so-young to

come, explore and learn to perfect your riding skills.By Meritt Richmond & Sarah Weis

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NEMBA 2008 Events Calendar

June 15 Blue Hills MTB Day, www.semassnemba.org Aug 29 - Sept 1 Kingdom Trails Camping Weekend, [email protected]

June 8 Bear Brook Boogie, Allentown NHJune 22 Happening at Huntington SP, Redding CTAugust 10 Bradbury Mountain SP, Pownal ME

Sept. 6 NEMBAfest, Wompatuck State Park, Hingham MAOctober 26 Wicked Ride of the East, Harold Parker SF, Andover MA

Mondays: Intermediate Woman Skills, Lenox MA, 413-367-3010Mondays: Novice Skills, Bradley Palmer SP, 978-580-0236Thursdays: Fells “Practice Your Technique Ride” www.gbnemba.org

Fridays: Skills Ride, Great Brook Farm, [email protected] 28-29 NEMBA Patrol Training, [email protected]

Kona Bicycles MTB Adventures Series

Fun Stuff

Skills Training / Patrol Clinic

Berkshire NEMBAJune 21 Pittsfield SF, [email protected] Valley NEMBASept. 27 Hodges Village Dam, [email protected] NEMBAJune 19 Huntington SP, [email protected] Valley NEMBAJune 21 TBA, [email protected] 26 TBA, [email protected] 24 TBA, [email protected] 19 TBA, [email protected] Shore NEMBASept. 13 Harold Parker SF, [email protected] 19 TBA, [email protected]

Pioneer Valley NEMBAJuly 12 Granville Trails, [email protected] NEMBAJuly 20 Burlingame, [email protected] MA NEMBAAug 24 Wompatuck SP, [email protected] 12 Wompatuck SP, [email protected] NEMBASept 27 Leominster SF, [email protected] 18 Westminster, [email protected] 8 Leominster SF, [email protected]

Maine NEMBAJuly 6 Bradbury Mountain, [email protected] 3 Bradbury Mountain, [email protected] 7 Bradbury Mountain, [email protected] 5 Bradbury Mountain, [email protected] 5 Bradbury Mountain, [email protected] NH NEMBAOct 18 Bear Brook SP, [email protected] 19 Bear Brook SP, [email protected]

White Mountains NEMBAJune 22 North Conway, [email protected] 20 North Conway, [email protected] 17 North Conway, [email protected]

Every Tuesday Evening [email protected] 14

Sept 21

Trek Bicycles / NEMBA Trail Care Series (CT, MA, RI)

Jamis Bicycles / NEMBA Trail Care Series (NH & ME)

Sinister Bikes Vietnam Trail Tour

6 | March 2008

T R E A D L I N E S

Berkshire NEMBA is re-galvanizing to build new trails inPittsfield State Forest and needs the help of the larger ridingcommunity to help realize the dreams of new, legal singletrack.

After a number of meetings with the Department ofConservation & Recreation (DCR), Berkshire riders will soonhave new trail to ride in Pittsfield State Forest - but it's goingto take some serious elbow grease! The trail in question willbe a 2-plus mile re-route of the Turner Trail. Currently theTurner is a fall line scar of a trail —a trench, in fact— risingover 1000 feet to a radio tower summit near the camping areaon top of Berry Mountain. Berkshire NEMBA's goal is to createa sustainable replacement for this trail that winds and weavesup from the base of the mountain and connects to the camp-ing area. With the help of NEMBA trail designers, MikeTabaczynski and Philip Keyes, Berkshire NEMBA's new leader-ship spent a day aligning the trail with clinometers in hand tocreate a new trail that will be both sustainable and fun to ride.

The trail is currently flagged and awaiting final approval byDCR's Becky Barnes. It's hoped that construction will begin on June21st. This will be the first trail built by Berkshire mountain bikersthat utilize the standards and practices of current trail building sci-ence, and as such, many volunteers will be needed to benchcut andbuild a cutting edge singletrack.

Ten Berkshire riders attended the recent NEMBA / IMBA Trail BuildingSchool to learn the construction techniques, and the chapter is order-ing an assortment of trail building tools in preparation for the project.

Now's the time for Berkshire riders to support the chapter and getinvolved with the new relationship that's developing between the rid-ing community and the DCR. It's an exciting time for the Berkshires,and to make it a success, Berkshire NEMBA will have to prove that it'sready to meet the challenge. They're ready, willing and able, and needyour support.

Contact Berkshire NEMBA president, Brad Herder, at:[email protected]

Time for Berkshire Riders to Get their Hands Dirty

Bershire Riders at Trail Buidling School. L-R: Gary Briere (DCR), Josh Chittenden, BillMarkham, Dan Fields, Amy Fields, Jeff Kellogg, Dave Sacco, Neal Blair, Brad Herder,

Harry Meyer, and Michael Coyne


NEMBA ACCESS RAFFLE

Giant’s new Trance XO is their ulti-mate trail bike, delivering 5 inches of Maestro suspend-ed confidence to daring trail riders and tireless single-track adventurers. This bike comes with a Fox 32F120RL fork mated with a Fox Float RP23 rear shock,Shimano XT RapidFire shifters/XTR rear derailleur withRace Face Deus XC crankset and CrossMax ST wheels.This bike is designed to conquer steep climbs and tamerough descents with ease.

Your choice of any of WesternSpirits cycling vacations. What willit be? The North Rim of the GrandCanyon, Crested Butte singletrack,Fruita, Telluride to Durango? It’syour choice!

The VDO Z1 is an altimeter cycle-computer that computes every-thing under the sun: climbing anddescending totals, gradients, dis-tance climbed and much, muchmore. Retail: $169.99Your choice of any F Series or Float Front

Suspension forks. There are lots to choosefrom to match your style of riding!

A set of Exposure Lights Enduro Maxx and a handle-bar mount Joystick. A perfect combination of hightech LED lights, perfect for 24 hour racing or the epicnight ride!

Support NEMBA’s Trail Grant Program by entering to win some fantastic prized donatedby the generous manufacturers. Tickets are $10 a piece, six for $50 or fifteen for $100.

Purchase your tickets online at www.nemba.org or call 800-576-3622

8 | March 2008

T R E A D L I N E S

Forty mountain bikers from around New England —including tenriders from the Berkshires and seven from the Saratoga MountainBike Association in New York — attended our two-day training

at Wendell State Forest. The course focused on the fundamentals ofbuilding new trails and fixing bad ones, as well as how to constructsold boardwalks and use rock to armor and stabilize wet trails.

NEMBA / IMBA Trail Building School 2008


T R E A D L I N E S

The MTB weather deities were smiling,keeping us dry for a classic work hard / playhard weekend. After a Saturday morningsession of trail theory and a hearty lunchattendees spent the afternoon at hands-onclinics. Yet, in typical fashion, everyonewas eager to ride, and Wendell offers a wideassortment of wonderful singletrack to sat-isfy the heartiest of mountain bikeappetites. Speaking of appetites, the crewcertainly worked up a hunger and gorged ona nice catered meal under the moonlight.

There's nothing like the camaraderie ofmountain bikers who have spent a daytogether talking about trails, building trailsand then riding them. As ScottLinnenburger commented the followingmorning, mountain bikers are doers. Wehave a lot of energy and a huge amount ofpassion for both the sport and the land weenjoy. We're confident that this weekendinspired everyone to return to their neck ofthe dirt to do great things for the sport andour public lands.

This event was part of the MassachusettsDepartment of Conservation & Recreation's

Bill Markam, trailbuilder for the Kenda MTB Festival and Berksire NEMBA member,building a boardwalk

10 | March 2008

ParkServe, a program designed to spruce upour parks for the beginning of summer. Wethank Wendell State Park's supervisor, BryantSteward, for letting us partner with him forParkServe day at his park.

We also thank the NEMBA and IMBA trailgurus for sharing their expertise and helpingto grow our knowledge base and capacity todo more for New England trails. TomGrimble, Mike Tabaczynski, ScottLinnenburger, Bill Boles, Paula Burton, HaroldGreen and Tim Post did a great job as instruc-tors, and we thank them for their service tothe trail community.

Trail School Instructors. Tim Post, Scott Linnenburger, Paula Burton, Harold Green, Tom Grimble,Mike Tabaczynski and Bill Boles.

T R E A D L I N E S


While DieselBikes has beendoing a great job working onthe rugged technical trails, acouple of NEMBA membershave been partnering withGeneral Electric volunteers torehabilitate the Cornell Pathwhich connects the Ballfieldarea to the Ranger Station.

Cornell Path is probably themost used trail in Lynn Woods,and because of the heavy usageand steep topography, the trailhad 65 log terraces installed tohold the trail together fromerosion - not very cyclingfriendly. Back in 2003 volun-teers re-routed a trail bypass-ing some of the terraces andclosed the worst section down.The new trail has held up welland has required no mainte-nance in the last five years.

Last month Mike Salerno and Steven Fuchs got the go ahead to finishthe project, and the results are good. They closed down another sec-

tion of trail that had 30 terracesand replaced it with a 900' trailthat takes a trip through a giantboulder field, and offers a greatview of Breeds Pond that wasnot available before. This newsection along with the old sec-tion is still a very technical trailfor the advanced or intermedi-ate mountain biker. It is also apopular trail with theWednesday night trail runners.Initial feedback is the runnersare just as happy with the newbypass as we are. Because ofthe timing of the spring bikingseason, and the new growth offorest greenery, the trailbuilders moved in fast to finishthis job before biking seasonstarted.

The Lynn Ranger, Dan Small, ispleased with the state of the Western side of Lynn Woods, and ishappy with the overall state of the trails in all of Lynn Woods. —MikeSalerno

Re-Route Lynn Woods Cornell PathT R E A D L I N E S

12 | March 2008

T R E A D L I N E S

Middlesex Fells Opening Day MTBCelebration

In cooperation with theMassachusetts Departmentof Conservation andRecreation, GBNEMBA ranits second annual OpeningDay Mountain BikeCelebration at theMiddlesex Fells on April19th. It was a beautifulday with great weatherwith over 150 enthusiasticmountain bikers joining in.On hand were a number ofRide Guides to show theway and a number of spon-sors with Cycle Loft provid-ing freshly grilled burgers tothe many hungry ridersthrough the afternoon.Also showing their wareswere JRS Cycles, EMS and Ted Wojcik, and the New England MountainBike Patrol provided their normal first aid service. Thanks to Tim Postfor organizing the event and to our industry partners for showing theircontinued support. —Terry Kennedy, Photo by Howie Granat

Redbones Bike PartyTwelve years running and it keeps getting better! Music, BBQ, beer,and thousands of dollars worth of prizes are a perfect recipe to bringtogether Boston’s diverse riding community to celebrate bike weekand all things cycling.

Redbones has done much for cycling, donating thousands of dollarseach year to groups like NEMBA and MassBike. And by offeringbicycle valet park year round and delivery service on A.N.T. trans-port bikes, cyclists have found Redbones the perfect destination toget their fix of barbecue and beer.

This year, NEMBA presented their 20th anniversary Industry Awardto Redbones to recognize all that this restaurant has done forNEMBA, including its help in allowing us to purchase our property,Vietnam. Thanks, guys!

Photo by Howard Granat


E V E N T T R A I L M A P

Blue Hills Mountain Bike DayThe largest, free, one day mountain bike festival in the world will beheld in the Blue Hills Reservation in Milton MA on June 15th. Lots ofled rides, lots of kid's events, lots of skills sessions, food and there'seven a lake to swim in and cool off after your ride. Bring your wholefamily and plan to enjoy the day.

Kona Bicycles Mountain Bike Adventure SeriesFor the 8th year NEMBA will be holding Mountain Bike AdventureSeries rides at various locations around New England. This year theseries will feature some of the best riding areas in our region. There'sno better way to explore a new riding area than following a markedcourse that highlights a venue's best trails at your own pace. And allmonies collected normally fund local trail projects.

On May 25 the Series kicked off at the D.A.R. State Forest in Goshen,MA. Pioneer Valley NEMBA has been working in the forest for yearsand this event showcased some of their best trail work.

On June 22nd the series moves to Huntington State Park in ReddingCT. This is the first time that the park has hosted this series. Therewill be new trails, lost of guided rides, skills sessions and many morereasons to join CT NEMBA in Southwestern Connecticut.

On August 10th the series heads north to Pownal ME. For the secondyear the event will be held on the spectacular trails of BradburyMountain State Park. Imagine miles and miles of tight fastSingletracks. That's Bradbury Mountain.

On September 6th, the series returns to Wompatuck State Park inHingham MA. This Saturday event is held in conjunction with and onthe same course as the Landmine Classic MTB Race which will be heldthe next day. Camping for the weekend is available in the park. Therewill be live music, a GIANT Bike Expo with lots of new bikes to testride, the famous "Mountain Bike Olympics" and even a bike swap. And

this year the longest of the marked courses will be over 25 miles long.25 miles of mostly singletrack trails. Are you up for that?

On October 5th The Bear Brook Boogie at Bear Brook State Forest inAllentown NH will feature kid's rides, a 10 mile beginner/intermedi-ate loop and a 20 mile intermediate/advanced loop. Bear brook's trailsare some of the most enjoyable and at times challenging singletracksin New Hampshire. Come to this event and you'll find that out foryourself.

On October 26th the series winds up with the Wicked Ride of theEast at Harold Parker State Forest in North Andover MA. This eventwill showcase the many mountain bike trails built by North ShoreNEMBA. There will be a Women's Riding Skills Clinic, marked loopsfor all riding levels and a host of led rides. What a great way to finishoff a great season.

Kingdom Trails RetreatEver been to Kingdom Trails in northern VT? Well, the buzz is true.KT's trails have some of the best riding in New England. And on LaborDay weekend, August 29th - September 1st NEMBA will be there.We'll be taking up most of a local campground for this mostly infor-mal event which will focus on riding KT's famous trails, hanging outand having a good time.

Local Rides and Skills SessionsBut that's not all. Every week NEMBA members and shops leaddozens of follow the leader mountain bike rides. And almost everyweek different NEMBA chapters host riding skills clinics. If you're notcurrently getting invitations to these events, visit the Digital NEMBAsection of the NEMBA home page and sign up for the "NEMBA EventsList" and while you're at it sign up for the email list for your localchapter. That way you'll be sure to know when anything's happeningin your area.

Trail Care SessionsAs you may have guessed by reading everything above, NEMBA isabout riding trails. But that's not all we focus on, we also build newtrails and keep older ones in good repair. Every week from April toNovember there are TrailCare sessions all around New England. Ridingtrails is never enough; Good riders are also concerned with makingsure that their trail experiences improve over time. And the best waythat they can do that is to get out on the trails and invest a littlesweat equity into their favorite trails.

NEMBA Trail Care sessions are sponsored by major bicycle manufac-turers. They are listed in our weekly "Events List Email" and partici-pants are automatically entered into a raffle for a new bike. Trek spon-sors the TrailCare Series in Massachusetts, Connecticut and RhodeIsland. Jamis Bicycles sponsors the series in Maine and NewHampshire. And Sinister Bicycles sponsors TrailCare sessions onNEMBA's "Vietnam" property in Milford MA.

Places To RideOrganized events are always great. But most of us enjoy heading outinto places unknown and exploring. Well, NEMBA provides guides tonearly 100 of the best places to ride in New England, and more arelisted every month. Just go to the Riding Zone on our webpage andthen click on Places to Ride.

So Much to Do, Too Little Time? Don’t Miss These Events!

14 | March 2008

Wachusett NEMBA has been collaborating with the the town ofWestminster Open Space Committee (OSC) regarding the prospect ofcreating a trail network on town land. To start, we decided on a fewparcels on which to focus our efforts. One area is what locals call theold Schenck farm. The Midstate Trail runs through the fields on theproperty providing a classic New England scene and it is consideredone of the more memorable spots on the northern Midstate.

Recently, a local farmer had purchased the farm through anAgricultural Preservation Restriction (APR). An APR is a permanentdeed restriction that prohibits future development that would nega-tively impact the farm's agriculture & cultivation. Along with thisAPR purchase, a state self-help grant was awarded to the town ofWestminster that allowed the town Conservation Commission topurchase the forested part of the farm (61 acres) for public access and

recreation. North CountyLand Trust Inc. (a non-profit land conservationorganization) andWestminster OSC haveworked together to makethe farm APR and self-help grant purchasebecome reality.

This town land borderingthe newly active farm hasapproximately ½ mi ofthe Midstate Trail passingthrough and 1.5-2mi ofexisting local trails. TheOSC seemed particularlypleased with our interestto volunteer on thisproperty, since the townhad just purchased theproperty and the resi-dents/public could bene-fit from our efforts.

After a preliminary plan for the trails was discussed with the OSC, aDetermination of Applicability was submitted to the ConservationCommission. This determines if the proposed work will be approvedor if additional information through a Notice of Intent will be requiredto protect resource areas and interests of the Wetlands Act. The planconsisted of:

1. Re-establish existing local trails (doubletrack - outer easy loop)2. Adopt the old abandoned Midstate Trail (singletrack - inner

intermediate loop) 3. Re-route/close sections on existing trails4. Construct two 16' bridges over a stream5. Rock armor one section and re-route two sections of the

Midstate Trail to avoid wetlands.6. Create new singletrack off the abandoned Midstate trail and from

parking area off Howard Rd

Leading up to getting official approval, we found it very beneficial toeveryone involved to walk the property. We walked the propertymany times ourselves scouting the land, but most importantlywalked with the town's Conservation Commission Agent as well as arepresentative from the Midstate Trail committee. This helped us toshow first hand exactly what the project entailed as well as build rela-tionships with town officials and other user groups.

April 26th was the first NEMBA Wachusett Chapter TM day for thisarea. We had 15 volunteers; most were biking friends, some local,some had traveled from as far as Lowell/Dracut and New Hampshire.My 7y/o daughter even helped pre-flag the Midstate trail re-route. Theday began with Jim pulling up with his gigantic work truck to drop offtools and lumber for the bridges. Even though the trails were pre-flagged, Dennis (Slappy) had to run out ahead and flag more to keepout front of the quick progress. We accomplished a lot, so we allrewarded ourselves and went back to my house for some welldeserved pizza and beer. It was a good day. Since the 26th, we've rid-den and been tweaking the new trails, adding more to the new loop,built both proposed 16' bridges, and have been talking with somelocal Eagle Scout candidates who were hoping to help with trail workand signage for a scout project.

Similar to the last Wachusett Chapter project in Westminster it willprovide a nice additional loop for the folks who hike/ride from theVillage Inn. The area was great for a multi-use trail network with adoubletrack outer loop for users who may want an easier strollthrough the woods and a new tight singletrack for users who maywant more of a challenge. Of course if that's not enough…there'salways the 91mi historic Midstate trail that just keeps ongoing…going…and going. By the time you read this we should haveall proposed work complete, so come down and help break it in. Also,as part of the state grant, the town was required to build a parkingarea. The dirt parking area accommodates 5-6 vehicles and soon willhave a recreation sign at the entrance. It is located on Howard rd

This was a great project for many reasons and was a learning experi-ence working with the town, but what I think I'll remember most wasseeing how proud my daughter was when she walked the fresh newtrail she helped design.

Special thanks:

Slapheadmofos: For their leisurely dedication

Wachusett Brewing Company: For sponsoring our volunteer traildays.

Westminster OSC: For thinking the way they do.

NCLT: Self-explanatory

Our families: For understanding why we go "Over the river andthrough the woods" —Don Seifert (aka Stork)

N E W T R A I L S

Over the River & Through the Woods In Westminster, MA


Twenty years may not seem like much compared to the centuryold histories of some of the traditional outdoor recreationalorganizations. However in mountain bike circles 20 years is

huge, and it's remarkable how much we've grown and accomplishedin two short decades.

When we sat down to discuss how to celebrate NEMBA's 20th, itbecame immediately apparent that what makes this organization isthe people and thus we wanted to honor and thank the many folksacross our 20 years that have given of themselves to do great things

for the sport, for the trails, and for NEMBA. We've always beengrassroots in the truest sense of the word. Everything that we'veaccomplished has been a result of individual action and it's the col-lection of these actions that has made NEMBA great.

With this in mind, we decided to hold a blowout bash. And what aparty it was! The indoor garden patio of a Holiday Inn was lovely -water fountains, draping plants, gazebos and high ceilings gave aclassy almost outdoors feel to the venue. The bar was well-stockedcourtesy of Wachusett Brewery with its newest ale inspired by moun-tain biking, Ryde, and the room was also well-stocked with over 150of NEMBA honorees, members and their spouses.

In many ways the evening was a reunion of friends, some of whomhad not seen each other for years. For others, it was a chance to hearfirsthand many of the projects, histories and successes of each of ourchapters. It was the first time in our own brief history that such abroad spectrum of movers and shakers -past and present-gatheredunder one roof to share a nice meal, raise a glass together and listento our collective stories. In the background, a running slideshowflashed photos gathered over the last couple of decades. Yes, some ofus have gotten older … others better!

Personally, it was a pleasure for me to be in a room overflowing withNEMBA advocates and be able to thank them personally for allthey've done.

It's only fitting that we mention the people we honored over thecourse of the evening, and my only regrets is not being able to speakindividually to the accomplishments of each honoree.

P A R T Y

Celebrations and Honors at NEMBA’s 20th Anniversary Banquetby Philip Keyes, Photos by Lee Hollenbeck

NEMBA’s Foundress, Heidi Davis, talking about the birth of the organization

16 | March 2008

Greater Boston

Regional NEMBA's Movers and Shakers, Past & Present

North Shore & Merrimack Valley

Bill BolesStig BolgenHeidi DavisBob Hicks

Krisztina HollyPhilip Keyes

Sue Lee

John LevyBrian McKellerTom GrimbleHarold GreenAnne Shepard

Joe Sloane

Mark BialasNorman Blanchette

Sandra BrayJoe DiZazzoHunt Durey

Ron Corporon

Lee HollenbeckFrank Lane

Dan StreeterJames VoghFred White

Scott BriereRobert CrostonMichael GoodTom Greene

Claire Grimble

Tom GrimbleKen Koellner

Tim PostRick Smith


SE MA & Cape Cod

Blackstone Valley & WachusettSteve Cobble

Michael DubeCharles Genatossio

Richard HigginsJan Hubbell

Dan IbbitsonChristie Lawyer

Deb McCullochMalcolm Neilson

Chris PatrickPaul PeasleeSteve Shakin

David WhitmonCarolyn Zepf

Eammon CarletonRichie Donoghue

David FreedJeffrey Gallo

Richard Kordell

Jason PareMitch SteinbergJim WrightsonShorta Yuasa

18 | March 2008

Pioneer Valley & Berkshires

Liam O'BrienJohn Dudek

Harold GreenRich LaBombardHeather Linscott

Tom McCrummKevin Montgomery

Theo StienGeorge WillardRuth Wheeler

Connecticut & Rhode Island

Bart AngeloPaula BurtonLeo CorriganPeter Gengler

Michael GnazzoJim & Sara Grimley

Eric MayhewArt Roti

David SingletonMatt SchuldeJohn Turchi

Tina Williams

VT, Southern NH, Central NH, and White Mountains

Rob AdairHolly CarsonJack Chapman

Kevin CoxBrian CroteauPeter DeSantisLen Earnshaw

Kathy EvansPaul HaffordMark Jenks

Rob MacgregorScott Nixon

Mark OuelletteJean & Harry Rubin

Maine, Mid-Coast Maine, and Mt. Agamenticus

Todd BumenSteve ColeLisa Cote

Kevin DavisCalvin Weeks

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Trail Leadership Awards

Paula BurtonRobert Giunta

Kirk Goldsworthy

Mike TabaczynskiMark Wickersham

Patrol / Ambassador Leadership Awards

Sam DavisBrendan Dee

Terry KennedyDon Myers

Art ParadiseBill Redford

Alex SokolowDavid Watson

Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change theworld. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

~Margaret Mead

20 | March 2008

Industry Awards

Ed Barber, Giant BicyclesMatt Bracken, IF

Larry Burke, MavicElayna Caldwell, Fox Shox

Kevin Chichlowski, BikebarnMatt Francis, Jamis Bicycles

Rob Gregory, RedbonesBill Hand, Trek Bicycles

Jake Heilbron, Kona BicyclesTom Henry, Landry's Bicycles

Jack Johnson, Landry's

Ashley Korenblatt, WesternSpirit Cycling

Bruce Linehan, Sinister BikesJennifer Miller, Seven Cycles

Clint Paige, WheelworksSteve Thomas, Jamis Bicycles

Jaime Schier, HarpoonAriadne Smith, Specialized

BicyclesTed Wojcik, Ted Wojcik Bicycles

Land Management Awards

Gary Briere Raymond Faucher


Vietnam Land Aquisition & Management Awards

Steven BarnesMike DeCristofaro

Karen DrewJohn GoellerGary Graham

Krisztina HollyDonald Johnson

Jon McNeillDavid MitchellJohn Vosburg

To close out the evening, Tim Post hosted a successful auctionwith wonderful items donated by Mavic, GT, BackcountryExcursions of Maine, EPHG Photography, Nike, and even a customlowrider bike. We thank each for their donation.

It’s important to realize that while the number of honorees wehighlight here may appear numerous, they represent only a smallportion of NEMBA volunteers who have dedicated themselves toimproving mountain biking in New England. What really makesNEMBA a wonderful organization is the scope and breadth of ourvolunteers. Each year, upwards of one thousand individualsdonate their time and energy to our advocacy programs. Somework with children to get them off the couch, into the woods andonto bikes. Others get their hands dirty accross New England totake care of trails in their neck of the dirt, go to meetings to safe-guard mountain biking, lead rides for all skill levels, and promotethe sport.

We thank everyone is involved in improving our sport, we lookforward to the next 20 years and to a new wave of heroes to carrymountain biking to new levels and protect the planet in theprocess.

We tip our helmets to all those who believe that riding bikes inthe woods is an inherently good thing.

We thank everyone is involved in improving our sport, we look forward to the next 20years and to a new wave of heroes to carry mountain biking to new levels and protect

the planet in the process.

22 | March 2008

ArcadiaArcadia Management Area in RI is the State's largest park with morethan 14,000 acres of land and countless miles of singletrack toexplore. The park covers portions of the towns of Exeter, Hopkinton,Richmond and West Greenwich. The most common access point formountain bikers is in Exeter off of Rt. 165. The two most populartrailheads are located at Browning Mill Pond parking lot on ArcadiaRoad, and the Brook Trail Lot (a.k.a. The Main Lot) located off of route165 just after the white Baptist Church when traveling south onroute 165. Because route 165 bisects Arcadia from east to west, rid-ers often refer to the riding in Arcadia being on the "North Side" ofArcadia or the "South Side" of route 165. Arcadia is a mixed use parkwith hiking, horseback riding, hunting, fishing, boating and mountainbiking allowed. Mountain bikers must wear blaze orange during hunt-ing season (details are posted on the RI NEMBA chapter site: rinem-ba.org and also on the RI DEM website) and should be considerate ofall other user groups. Also important to note is that some trails aredesignated as hiking only or horseback only. Mountain bikers shouldtake care to avoid looping those trails into their ride.

Trails:

While the main trails are marked an untold number of trails are not,and due to the size of the park going off the beaten path can be adaunting yet potentially rewarding experience. If you are exploringyou should be prepared to get lost, and have a way to get yourselffound as cell phone reception is spotty at best in many areas of thepark. Taking a reliable map is a must. I recommend the Great SwampPress version available at area bike shops. The RI NEMBA chapter'swebsite also has a general map for reference with some of theunmarked trails. Finally, be sure to give yourself plenty of daylight soyou have time to make your way back out again.

The park has terrain for all skill levels, from the freeride playgroundknown as "The Ledges" to the rolling singletrack around Browning Milland Roaring Brook Ponds. Veteran riders looking for a challenge willwant to explore the aforementioned 'Ledges' about a mile North of Rt.165 off Escoheag Hill Road with it's myriad of rock features including60+ foot granite rollers. A short but sweet technical ride that is notto be missed is the section of the Mt. Tom Trail between rt. 165 andMt. Tom Rd. It is less than a mile but promises a lot of fun. This isa trail that you will want to go 'out and back' on as it is pretty muchall climbing one way and all descending the other. Both directions arechallenging and offer the same great views. Riders looking for a longsingletrack loop should visit the Breakheart Trail on the North Side, orthe Arcadia Trail and/or the "95 Trail" on the South Side. An under-appreciated trail is the Deep Pond Trail in the South East corner of thepark near the CT border. Intrepid riders can also loop trails inPatchaug State Forest in CT into their ride as there are trails that crossfrom one management area to the other.

Bike Shops: Victory Cycles: If you have any mechanical issuesor need any gear, Victory Cycles is on Black Plain Road off of Rt. 165.Victory has been very supportive of the RI NEMBA chapter, and theyoffer great service and knowledgeable staff in close proximity to thepark.

Post ride food: Nearby post ride food options are somewhatlimited but definitely available. This park is in a rural part of RI, andpassing the 'Middle of Nowhere Diner' on Rt. 3 confirms this fact.

Little Country Pizza: Located at the corner of route 3 and route 165.They have excellent subs and pizza.

South County Tavern & Grill: Located south of route 165 on route 3and is a spacious restaurant and bar.

The Middle of Nowhere Diner and the Blackwater Tavern: Located

Three Great Ridesin Rhode Islandby Brendan Dee, Matt Schulde & MattLennon

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


north of 165 on route 3. The latter is a new addition to the area. BothSouth County and Blackwater carry multiple varieties of adult bever-ages (meaning you are likely to hear something other than, 'wouldyou like a Bud or a Bud Light' or as is referred to in town, 'Diet orRegular'…) to quench the post-ride thirst.

If you are looking to make a weekend or longer trip to Arcadia, thereare many campgrounds nearby. Just be sure to call ahead to check forcampsite availability.

Burlingame State ParkBurlingame State Park is located on Prosser Trail Rd just off of USRoute 1 in Charlestown, RI. Free year round parking is easy to find,and the trails are a short ride from the Picnic Area parking lot.Additionally, the adjoining Burlingame Campground is a well knownand popular campground if you feel like staying over. The campgroundis open from April 15th until October 31st, every year.

The park offers about 17 miles of singletrack mountain bike trails,some of which include parts of the North South Trail. There is also a5 mile loop of mostly doubletrack hills directly accessible on thenorth, in the Burlingame Management Area.

The 8-mile Yellow Dot Trail/Vin Gormley Trail (also the King ofBurlingame race loop) winds around Watchaug Pond. The trail isaccessed by riding either north or west out of the parking lot forabout a mile up the road. It is the standard loop that most local rid-ers know, and it is a fast rolling loop with some short technical climbsand a few rock fields. While there are a good amount of roots show-ing, fast and smooth-rolling stretches dominate the scene. The skilllevel on the Wednesday evening ride there is advertised as "AdvancedBeginner", and that assessment is accurate, as long as you stay onthat loop. It is a fun trail to get out on and hammer away. The rockfields are a challenge for most, but it is generally a fast loop that eventhe roadies ride on those frigid winter days. I love being able to keepup with them for a change!

However, once you stray from the main, Yellow Dot loop, there are acouple of really fun intermediate and advanced trails. Starting withthe intermediate; the "Wildlife Loop" starts in the southeast corner ofthe campground (riding west out of the parking lot), and skirts thepark's southern side. It is a swoopy, twisty couple of miles with somefast, high "G" curves and a couple of short, technical climbs. This traileventually picks up the North/South Trail and heads into the YellowDot Trail. It has a few tricky left and right turns and is difficult to nav-igate without a guide for the first few rides. If the Yellow Dot loop isMickey Mouse's round face, then the Wildlife Loop is his left ear. Thatsaid, when you start from the Wildlife loop (going clockwise), youmerge with the Yellow Dot and ride across Mickey's "forehead". Youcan then opt to pick up Mickey's right ear. That is where the fun real-ly begins.

This Mickey is like the one my 2 ½ year old might draw, with a slight-ly oversized, angular right ear. The trail you now pick up is called theSammy C trail. It treads to the east on the north side of the park andjogs south near the northeast corner, finally spitting you out nearMickey's lower right cheek. It is relatively new, and only a couple ofmiles long, but offers by far the gnarliest riding in Southern RhodeIsland.

Short, rough, rocky climbs are punctuated by death-grip, bumpy,babyhead studded descents. Anaerobic fiends will cackle on this trailas they wheeze up the steep rock and tree studded climbs, throughjersey tearing twisties and down surprising, clunking drops. They'reusually left wishing they brought that second water bottle. There area few low spots that can get pretty swampy, but they only add to thevariety. This trail features climbs that you will not make the first, sec-

ond, third, or possibly even the hundredth time on this trail. Seldomdoes a two-mile section rip you like this one does. It is always a chal-lenge and it is always fun.

The Wednesday evening ride is probably the best way to get familiarwith the terrain. It is pretty easy to learn the loops by looking at themap a few times before and after a guided ride. There is a good mapavailable at the local shops, but it doesn't show the newer, gnarlier

Continued on page 24

24 | March 2008

stuff. There are GPS maps at crankfire.com and rinemba.org, as well.

After all that fun, a couple of miles up Route 1 north, on the southside of the road, are The Cove restaurant for a good burger and aSammy's. The towns of Wakefield and Westerly are located fifteenminutes up or down Route 1. They offer all the choices you wouldexpect; Asian, Italian, Inn fare, etc. Beer geeks should be sure to makea trip to the Mewes Tavern in Wakefield for your choice of 69 beerson tap. W.E. Stedman & Co., Brumble Bikes and Victory Cycles are allgreat bike shops within fifteen minutes of the park as well.

Feel free to contact Lennon at [email protected] to arrange a led ride, orcatch the Wednesday evening NEMBA ride.

Lincoln Woods State ParkLincoln Woods State Park is a 627 acre refuge located 5 miles northof Providence, RI off of route 146. This State Park closest to RI's cap-ital is a refuge for city dwelling mountain bikers, hikers, climbers, geo-cachers, equestrians, anglers and kayakers. There is a public beach onthe property, as well as ball fields, stables and 92 picnic areas avail-able by permit. The park is open all year, and is closed at sunset daily(yep, that means no night riding!). As always please use commonsense during mud season. The trails drain exceptionally well, butthere is still a small window every spring when the trails should beleft alone. If you are in doubt please ride the road, or scout it out first.

While 627 acres may not inspire visions of an "epic" ride you can restassured the terrain within the park offers challenges for all ability lev-els. The trails range from double track, fire roads and old paved roads

to technical singletrack. The common themes shared by most trails atLincoln Woods are technical descents and lung busting climbs. Theclimbs may not be long when compared to truly mountainous terrain,but what they lack in distance they make up for with technical diffi-culty and grade. The same rocky features that make the area a havenfor rock climbers also serve to make technically challenging trails formtb riding. If you enjoy rock face riding, steep rollers, natural dropsand hard climbs then Lincoln Woods should be on your list of placesto check out.

The trails at Lincoln Woods offer an awesome opportunity for ridersto hone their technical riding skills while strengthening their aerobiccapacity on the climbs. For this reason many local XC racers utilizethe park to get in shape for MTB racing while also working on theirbike handling abilities. Freeriders also enjoy the park immensely,although maybe as much for the abundant climbing opportunities.The natural rock outcroppings and slick rock trails offer outstandingopportunities for highly technical riding. Due to the mostly up/downnature of the trails there are plenty of descents loaded with naturalchallenges to keep more skilled riders happy for hours. There is flatterterrain, and some easier trails, located on the western edge of thepark. These trails run parallel to the road and eventually emerge nearthe fishing pavilion on Olney Pond.

Most of the trails at Lincoln Woods are not on a map, and the net-work of roads, ridges and hills can be confusing to a newcomer. Ingeneral the trails are ridden in a clockwise pattern from the parkinglots found near the 146 entrance. Most XC rides start fromQuinsnicket road and head east into the woods, and then up and tothe north eventually looping back toward the parking area via thetrails on Sunset Point. Due to the confusing nature of the trails I rec-ommend attending one of the Friday night rides held from mid Aprilthrough August. RI NEMBA has two ride leaders and we offer anadvanced beginner and advanced intermediate ride. Rides start at6:00 PM sharp and leave from the first big parking lot found on theleft. When entering the park head right on the Les Pawson Loopabout 100 yards and look for the lots to the left before the cemetery.

All of the riding in the north section of the park is done east ofQuinsnicket road, this is in Zone B (see link to the map below). Thisis due to DEM and State Park policy that has granted only equestrianaccess to the trails located west of the road behind the horse stables(Zone A). Please respect the signage and the policies of the park staffwhen riding in Lincoln Woods. Like any smaller park located near amajor city Lincoln Woods tends to become quite crowded on a week-end. Early morning rides are encouraged during the summer months,and weekdays are a better time to ride. There is no hunting allowedin Lincoln Woods so there is no need to wear blaze orange, unlessthat's your thing. In which case by all means feel free to rock theneon.

DEM map of Lincoln woods: This is good for roads in the park, and thegeneral lay of the land: http://www.riparks.com/pdfs/lincolnmap.pdf

Local bike shops: Providence Bicycle: 725 Branch Ave. inProvidence (closed Saturdays). 401 331 6610

The Hub: 181 Brook St. in Providence. 401 383 9934

Post ride Food in Providence: The Red Fez: Excellentfood for short money and great beer on tap. Trinity Brewhouse: Goodfood, awesome beer brewed on site. Local 121: All organic, locallygrown food and more great beers on tap.


Spring is great for many reasons.As deep bases evolve into cornsnow, and crowds thin, downhill

skiing on northern slopes offers joy toa New England athlete. But themountain biker can seek southernexposures where dormant tires canfind early traction and the promise of anew season.

Walk into the ski shop for a last skitune for the rock-hard morning snow,and there, among the old ski brochureson the ski shop (or is it bike shopnow?) counter appears a new flier with"Mt. Bike Camp" on the cover. Whatan image! Summer camp: youth, free-dom, friends, and endless benign days.Coyote Hill Mt. Bike Camp, for adults.Now that's a thought. Mountain bik-ers, adults enjoying a kids' sport, trav-eling to rural Vermont, and celebrating,as adults, within a nurturing, low key,environment. But wait, I can't do that!Tom is (well, maybe, was) a racer. I'llbe totally outclassed. Yes, there are"dudes" on downhill bikes (fun to ridewith), "girls" in their 40's (also fun to ride with), couples in their 50's(fun to be, at least at Mt Bike Camp), and riders of assorted in-between descriptions, and it all works!

Tom and Gabi, our hosts, have a funky, tired, old farm at the end of apromising Vermont dirt road. Yes, they've got terrain; endless variedsingle track, multiple class IV jeep roads, marvelous kid-built free-ridefeatures, and a pump course-what you'd expect from mountain bikecamp. Group rides vary according to campers' interests. The groupcan even split, with Tom leading one group and Gabi leading another.But here's the adult part; they've got the best attributes of a classic"Bed and Breakfast". The food Gabi prepares is special without pre-tension- warm, filling, wholesome. The accommodations are notfancy; the farm is filled with buildings whose characters demandnames; Camp David, The Crows' Nest, The Bunkhouse. Not posh, butright for Mt Bike Camp.

Tom offers whatever anyone might want from the Mt Bike end. Youcan get instruction from technique to mechanics. Or a group ridingexperience with new friends who can become your mates. There'smusic, stories, laughs, and lots of biking. The camps are flexible, withTom tailoring the terrain and instruction to accommodate campers'often divergent needs. Time on your bike, a consistently encouragingatmosphere, and timely technique suggestions (When your chainbreaks on a ride, find a good branch to use as a bike stand. Then fixthe chain.) combine with wonderful terrain to expand your MTB skillset. Riding and relaxing with new friends enable an adult to leaveworried life and return to childhood left behind just awaiting redis-covery.

Coyote Hill Mountain Bike Camp is not really at the end of a dirt road,but part way up Kidderhood Toad in West Fairlee, Vermont. In addi-tion to weekend Mountain Bike Camps for adults, they offer summercamps for teenagers; race camps, freeride camps, general mountainbike camps and even day camps for younger kids.

Coyote Hill Mountain Bike Campby Meritt Richmond & Sarah Weis

Tom Masterson, national champ and owner of Coyote Hill, with his wifeGabi

S K I L L S C A M P

26 | March 2008

From a childhood where she rode Big Wheels near her hometown ofWest Paris, ME, Kate Walton has grown into a skilled mountain bikeracer. Her prowess on the race course belies her short seven years ofexperience. And her astounding results in a variety of disciplines markher as one of the riders to watch as she climbs through the riderclasses on her way to possible professional status.

The journey began with simple rides in the woods-sometimes just adownhill plummet on Big Wheels that had been carried to the top ofa local hill.

"I remember the thrill like it was yesterday," she says. "It's a lot likethat rush feels when I'm on the trail today."

As she got older, Walton would go out riding with her brother Josh-whom she credits for introducing her to the sport. But early on, allshe wanted to do was poke around in the woods.

"He'd actually go out for a mountain bike ride, while I would go'exploring' on my bike," she says. "I didn't identify it as 'mountain bik-ing' the sport, but I grew up on a bike and I did a lot of off-road rid-ing before I even understood the concept of mountain biking. It was-n't until I was finishing up my master's that I discovered mountainbiking as I know it today."

The year was 2001 and Walton got her first 'real' mountain bike. Sheclipped into the pedals in April and by June she was racing. A littleover two months on the dirt had nurtured her love for the sport. As

with most athletes,Walton recognizedquickly that she hadan aptitude for thesport and realizedthat it was some-thing that broughther true joy.

"There was no look-ing back," saysWalton. "Not even 2months after I firstclipped in I had myfirst race. I think therediscovery of bikingwas the missing linkin my happiness. Ihave always lovedthe outdoors andhave always been anathlete. Mountainbiking is the perfectcombination of fun, outdoors and fitness. It has been my passion eversince."

Interestingly, the path hasn't been paved with trophies and prizes.And the trail hasn't been buffed singletrack. Walton has endured hershare of adversity, but it hasn't been a deterrent. In fact, it's served tostrengthen her attraction to racing.

To hear her explain the first race she entered would turn most ridersoff of racing forever. Walton entered the novice race and the muddyconditions forced her off her bike. The drivetrain and gears wouldn'tfunction in the gunk turning her bike into a sleek mud repository.

But the goal of any race is to finish and Walton took that to heart.She shouldered her bike and slogged through mud puddles that weresometimes a couple feet deep, running as best she could for theremainder of the race. With scratches and wounds covered and cakedwith mud, Walton finished the race in second place-essentially a run-ner carrying a 30lb. mud sculpture.

After her second race as a novice, she showed up too late at her thirdrace and novice registration had already closed. With the desire torace, she registered as a sport racer and finished the race in forthplace.

As any racer knows, if you move yourself up in racing class, you haveto remain at that class and are barred in most cases from droppingback down. So Walton was now a sport-class racer. The move up did-n't matter.

Over the course of the next four years, she raced the most technicalevents she could find and always finished first in her class. Then anopportunity presented itself for her to race as a sponsored downhiller.

Bear in mind, Walton had been racing only cross-country (XC) races.These might have been held on technical trails, but downhill racing isfar different from XC. But the young racer relished the challenge andsigned on with Eastern Mountain Sports to race downhill in 2005.

Walton explains that it was a difficult decision to forgo her regular XCracing to concentrate on downhill. But the disciplines are so differentthat she knew she had to specialize on only one. She chose downhill.

Kate Walton ~ A Driven Competitor On and Off the Bikeby Jeff Cutler

M E M B E R P R O F I L E


That year, she says, "I debated what my goals would be for the sum-mer. I really wanted to race, that was my first goal. But the oppor-tunity to race downhill was a gift and I was incredibly excited to tryit out. I started DH in the sport category for NORBA, and amateur atthe open races."

That first season downhilling, she won the Diablo & Plattekill seriesand placed 1st at the NORBA nationals.

The next year-2006-she raced in the NORBA series as an expert andin a field that was combined pro's and experts, Walton finished in thetop three in numerous races and finished first in the Super at MountSnow. She duplicated the feat in 2007 and her results have beennothing short of amazing her entire career.

And even with success in this field, she's branching out to see whatother challenges await. According to Walton, her 2008 goals includea cross-training regimen and a variety of new challenges.

"I have a cyclical history with racing, going from all of one sport tomore endurance/ interdisciplinary to no racing, and back full on,"says Walton. "I am planning on this year being more interdiscipli-nary/endurance focused. Right now I am training for a ½ marathonand have already completed a 10-hour adventure race (The GMARAFrigid Infliction) in March.

"I plan on doing another 10-hour adventure race, a couple DH & XCraces and a 24 hour mtb race. Plus, I hope to stay in good runningshape and do another ½ marathon in the fall, and perhaps the Reachthe Beach running relay in the fall," she says. "Beyond this year, Ianticipate that I will continue the interdisciplinary approach to rac-ing and adventure. I like to mix it up."

With an ultimate biking goal of having as much fun on the bike aspossible as often as she can, Kate Walton seems to be achieving yetanother goal.

Even professionally, she's doing what she can to ensure that we haveplaces to ride and enjoy the outdoors. While her role might be aperipheral one to land management and trail protection, Walton'sjob at Essex County Greenbelt fosters her love for the outdoors bygiving her the ability to work for a land trust protecting land for con-servation.

"Greenbelt basically works to acquire and protect land for conserva-tion, and opens that land to the public to use and enjoy," sheexplains.

In her role at ECGA, Walton does a variety of things to protect landin Essex County.

"People get really jealous when I tell them what I do exactly," shesays. "A good percentage of my time is spent in the field, walkingtrails and properties with the GPS. We protect over 12,000 acres ofland in Essex County. Over 5000 acres of that land is privately ownedbut permanently protected. That requires us to monitor those prop-erties on an annual basis.

"Part of my job is to do the monitoring for those properties. I plantrail care days with local groups like NEMBA and other similar organ-izations, I do property maintenance like burns, fence installation,trail maintenance tree work, etc.," she says. "And the rest of the timeI typically spend making maps or doing office related work & plan-ning. I spend equal time in the field as I do at my desk."

Even when she's tearing up the trails, Walton is aware of the envi-ronmental challenges that face all of us. Just being aware of the landaround us can be the first step, she explains.

"In my mind, each person can do their own part to help better theenvironment, no matter how small," says Walton. "Being conscious

of how you can make a difference in each moment is the key. I alsothink supporting organizations that are doing good work helping toprotect the environment (like Greenbelt, of course) is a way to offsetsome of your own shortcomings. That doesn't mean that you canbuy your way out of being eco-friendly, it just means that there arenumerous ways to be responsible for the state of our environment."

When pressed to address the perception that bikes can cause dam-age to land, Walton points out that planning and awareness can mit-igate most land use issues. She says that managing land for naturalresources dovetails nicely with recreation and there is no reason apiece of land can't serve both purposes with good planning.

She also points out that it's people who use the land (bikers, hikers,equestrians) who are most driven to donate time and money to pro-tect the land.

"The reason for conservation is that people appreciate the land in itsopen state for a particular reason, and a tangible outcome of conser-vation land is creating a place to recreate," she says. "So basically, Ithink that in this case you can have the cake and eat it too. You canprotect the environment and have recreation all at once on the samepiece of land with good management and responsible users."

Sometimes her role at ECGA might seem at odds with her chosenavocation as a mountain biker. But Walton attacks that challengewith the same determination as she does a rocky downhill.

"I think being a 'land manager' and a mountain biker is a real chal-lenge," she says. "It's kind of like being an insider on two ends of aspectrum. I love to bike, obviously, and like any mountain biker, wantto see trails remain open to bikes. As a mountain biker, I also wantmountain bikers in general to be good stewards of the land-like, notriding during mud season, not building rogue trails and stunts, stay-ing on the trail, being courteous to other users.

"As a land manager these issues are even more important because itbecomes my job to encourage these very behaviors," she says. "It isa real balancing act, and at times it is really difficult to balance whenI am faced with 'managing' my peers (mountain bikers) from the per-spective of a land manager."

She points out that there are some misconceptions about bothmountain biking and land stewardship, but people are learning.

"People sometimes think that land managers/stewardship is aboutrestricting use and keeping some groups 'out' of these places, butstewardship is all about balance," she says. "You have a piece of landthat has certain ecological importance and features like trails, orviewsheds, and you have user groups that want to visit and enjoythe various qualities that the land has. Part of stewardship is aboutevaluating the land in the context of the organization's mission andmanaging the land based on that assessment. I also think peoplebelieve that land stewardship means tree hugger, and tree huggerconnotes a negative 'no touch' principle.

"Land stewardship is kind of the opposite, in the sense that it ismanaging and caring for land, not just keeping people out," saysWalton. "Land benefits from stewardship. Think of a hayfield.Hayfields that are untended grow up to be scrubby brush fields veryrapidly. In order to remain an open field, they must be intensivelymanaged. Forests are similar in the sense that they need to be man-aged. Trees fall down, invasive species overtake native ones, trails getgrown in. All of this takes stewardship-caring-for the land."

For Kate Walton, it seems that the same balance that has served herso well in seven years of racing bikes is a primary force in how sheleads her life off the bike.

28 | March 2008

Have you ever noticed how good riders seem to fly up hills withoutslowing down or shifting down? Ever notice how some of them evenseem to accelerate when they're climbing hills?

Often good riders are good riders because they take advantage of lit-tle tricks that most of us have never heard of. Even though this is abasic biking article, I'd like to acquaint you all with an advanced rid-ing technique called weighting the pedals.

Most of us, when we're faced with a hill that we can't climb onmomentum alone do one of two things. We downshift into a gearthat we know will allow us to climb to the top of the hill and spin ourlegs off till we get there. This works - and it's a good technique thatgets us to the top of most non-technical hills most of the time. Ofcourse we'll be a bit out of breath when we get there, but we'll getthere.

Or we may stand up. Standing up puts a lot more force on our ped-als and it will get us to the top of many hills as long as our rear wheeldoesn't spin out. If it's a big hill though our legs will be pretty wellshot by the time we get to the top. And we will be breathing harder… much harder.

But what about those expert riders, the ones that seem to fly up hillswith no effort at all, rarely downshifting and almost never standingup. How do they do it? Well, what they do is they weight their ped-als. Instead of downshifting and spinning, or standing and grunting,they sort adopt a middle strategy. Here's how they do it.

Good riders, whenever they can, put more of their body's weight ontheir pedals when they are climbing. They try to subtract 10 to 20percent of the weight that they have planted on their saddle andinstead put it on their pedals. You don't loose contact with your sad-dle, you're still firmly contacting it, but you put a noticeable amountof your body's weight on your pedals.

Try this on pavement first. Ride up a short hill the way you normallywould. Then go back down to the bottom and concentrate on liftinga little of your body's weight off the seat and pushing it into yourpedals. If you can, take whatever weight is on your handlebars andpush that into your pedals too.

It's not that you're pushing down on your pedals with more of yourleg strength. Instead you're pushing down with more of your body'sweight. It's a subtle difference, but you should be able to feel it.

You'll notice that the hill just got much easier and that you're climb-ing it faster, maybe even shifting up into a higher gear. Of course it'sstill work but when you get to the top, you'll be a lot less windedthan you were the first time.

Practice this technique and try off loading different amounts of yourbody's weight to your pedals until you find a range that works bestfor you. But don't stand up, and if you can, accelerate as you climb.

This technique is also more efficient than standing up or spinning iswhen you're riding up mildly technical hills with roots and rocks thatyou have to get over. And it's great when you're racing and want topass someone!

You won't be able to do it all the time. But when you do, weightingyour pedals will get you there faster and easier than just pedaling. Tryit!

Don't try this technique unless your saddle height is correct. Manypeople get into the habit of riding with their seats too low, and if youtry this technique with your seat too low you may get sore knees.(See the May 2007 SingleTracks for more on this.)

If you're already weighting your pedals when you ride this idea willseem pretty simplistic. But trust me, many experienced riders havegone through their entire riding careers without learning this tech-nique.

Oh! And here's another good trick. On steep hills, where your frontwheel tends to hop off the ground as you pedal, try sliding forwardon your seat, even, if needed, to the very front of your seat.

A combination of these two techniques should get you to the top ofeven the most challenging hills. You'll be going faster when you get tothe rocks and roots, so your bike will tend to glide over them, andwith the proper weighting of your seat, even the front of your seat,you'll be at the top of most hills before you know it.

Weight Your Pedalsby Bill Boles

B A S I C B I K I N G


The mud season seems to be fairly tame this year(at least where I have ridden) other than the racein Ashford, CT that I did on May 11th. I reallygot to thinking about the combination of racing,muddy courses and trail work during the race. Iguess that was an indicator that I really wasn'tinto racing… While many people praised thecourse, I was disappointed as the promoter heldan ATV race on the same course last fall and itreally changed the trails system. I am not

opposed to ATVs, but I do believe that theyshould have their own trail system. In the caseof this race course it was muddier and wider thanit had been in the past even with several peopledoing many hours of trail work to get it to drainbefore the race. Fortunately for the racers thiscourse is on private property. I remember a raceseveral years ago in CT that was held on a rainyday and the racing destroyed the trails.Subsequently we lost the venue not only to rac-ing but also to mountain biking because no onereturned to do some trail maintenance. It is real-ly easy to show up at a race and do what youhave to do to finish as fast as possible but we allhave to remember that we are fortunate to beable to race on this course and owe it to themountain bike community to do what we can tohelp repair trails after both riding and racing.Sorry to get up on my soapbox about this but weall need to get out and help maintain the trails tokeep our access to trails.

Speaking of trail work, both Paula Burton andMark Lurie have been hard at work this with theWhere's Waldo trail and the Upper Paugussetttrail. Paula led a very enthusiastic group of tenpeople at the "Trail Building 101" at Class Cyclesin Southbury on May 1st. Then on Sunday May4, seven people came out to build the first 1/2mile of the Where's Waldo Trail. We have three

more dates planned in the spring and will con-tinue work through the summer. Mark Lurie hasbeen hard at work on his trail. Keep an eye onhis blog for the progress(http://ctmtblog.blogspot.com/). He will host aTM event on National trails day on June 7th. IfMark's TM is too far away, come out toCockaponset for a multi user TM event with hik-ers, mountain bikers, motorcycle riders, and oth-ers.

Eric Mayhew has done a great job reinvigoratingour TA program. He hosted two TA training ses-sions at Brooksvale Park in Hamden, CT. Bothwere well attended and resulted in some old TAsbeing retrained and some new TAs. We havelogged several hours already and have done someTM in western CT as a result.

Our group rides have begun with the Tuesdaynight Girlz rides in Trumbull. We had a goodstart with 6 riders on a beautiful Tuesdayevening. This will be every Tuesday so please feelfree to attend one. In addition we are hosting theThursday night RAW rides beginning 5/29. Keepan eye on the NEMBA ride e-mails for one nearyou.

If you want to host a ride or TM event pleasecontact me at [email protected]. —ArtRoti

The weather is warmer, the trees are greener andthroughout the forests of New England you canhear the sounds of bicycle gears being shifted,squealing brakes and trail building activities as ourseason gets underway. It is springtime and thatmeans time to dust off the bikes, lube the chainsand brush up on those skills we left dormantthrough the winter. This means a few inevitablespills and some frustration as we remember howthings work and of course smiles and laughter aswe reacquaint ourselves with friends we may nothave seen for a few months and share stories ofour off-season adventures. Look around you, it'shappening now, get out and become a part of it.

Blackstone Valley NEMBA is a part of this excite-ment. We're holding group rides every Wednesdaynight at locations throughout the area. We'vealready held one full day trail care event atVietnam. Our Tuesday night trail work at Vietnamhas become a popular after work stress reliever formany people. We also just held our annual

women's skills clinic and for the first time a com-panion ride for spouses and boyfriends. It's beenbusy here in the valley and it's only May!

Looking ahead into the season we're not backingoff our pace. We will continue our Wednesdayrides, weather permitting on a weekly basis, detailswill be posted on the BVNEMBA home page everyweek. On Tuesday evenings a hard working crew ofvolunteers will meet at Vietnam to work on a vari-ety of projects aimed at repairing and improvingthe trails on NEMBA's property, for more informa-tion see the posts on the NEMBA website forums.We have several more major trail events scheduledat Vietnam and at other parks through the seasonas well and you can find more information on boththe chapter and main NEMBA websites. Don't for-get that attending any of our trail care events thisyear will enter you in a raffle to win a new Trek FuelX8, Trek Top Fuel 69'er or a Sinister GRUITR frame.

So what are you waiting for? Grab your bike, ashovel, and a few friends and come join us at oneof our events. You'll have a good time, possiblylearn some new skills or techniques or help some-one else learn, make some new friends and experi-ence a part of what makes mountain biking in NewEngland an unforgettable experience. Happy trails,keep the rubber side down! —Eammon Carleton

C H A P T E R N E W S

ConnecticutPresident: Art Roti, [email protected],

860-875-0682 VP: Mark LurieSecretary: Al TintiTreasurer: Glenn VernesBOD Reps: Eric Mayhew & Tren SpenceAt Large: Paula BurtonEmail List: [email protected] Web: www.ctnemba.net

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

30 | March 2008

The 2008 season is off and running and it looks tobe another great mountain biking year! OurWeekly Ride Series have gained in popularity andTrail Maintenance activities are on schedule. GBNEMBA's detailed planning over the winter is pay-ing off very nicely with its mix of ride series, moun-tain bike skills classes and trail improvement andmaintenance programs. Keep in mind that our suc-cesses don't come about without the dedicatedhelp of our volunteers. We continually have anurgent need for more mountain bike riders to stepup to help us out.

Ride Guide ProgramUnder the guidance of Tim Post, GB NEMBA com-pleted a one-day Ride Guide Orientation Course atthe Middlesex Fells with a dozen or so riders show-ing their enthusiasm to lend a hand. Ride Guidesare a mainstay of the Weekly Ride series taking fullresponsibility to guide our riding groups on a safeand meaningful ride. If you're interested in becom-ing a Ride Guide, let Tim Post know. He hasscheduled a second Ride Guide Orientation Courselater this spring. EXTRA HELP IS NEEDED! Canyou lend a hand?

GB NEMBA Weekly Ride SeriesWhen the Fells opened on April 15th, the WeeklyRide Series took off following the same format aslast year with the Wednesday Night PYT "PracticeYour Technique" Ride and the Thursday NightSocial Ride with our trained Ride Guides showingyou the way. The PYT Ride is progressing nicelywith increased interest and with a second year ofJRA Cycles support. Many new riders are arrivingeach Wednesday to gain that experience.

The Thursday Social Ride is gaining in popularitytoo with new riders joining in each week. In fact agroup from the New England School of Art visitedour website and came out a week ago as part of theschool's effort to promote outdoor activities.Compared to last year, the participation level hasalready doubled and we appreciate the continuedsupport with another year's sponsorship fromLandry's Bicycles.

If you want to join either the Wednesday PYT Rideor the Thursday Social Ride, we meet onWednesdays and Thursdays at 6pm at the FlynnRink parking lot. On Wednesdays, look for HowieGranat and for Thursdays, Terry Kennedy will pullthings together.

GB NEMBA/DCR Cooperation

In cooperation with theM a s s a c h u s e t t sDepartment ofConservation andRecreation, GB NEMBAran its second annualOpening Day MountainBike Celebration at theMiddlesex Fells on April19th. It was a beautifulday with great weatherwith over 150 enthusi-astic mountain bikersjoining in. On handwere a number of RideGuides to show theway and a number ofsponsors with CycleLoft providing freshlygrilled burgers to themany hungry ridersthrough the afternoon.Also showing theirwares were JRS Cycles,EMS and Ted Wojcik,and the New EnglandMountain Bike Patrolprovided their normalfirst aid service. Thanks to Tim Post for organizingthe event and to our industry partners for showingtheir continued support.

The DCR / NEMBA Explorers Kid's Ride Series (for-merly known as the "No Child Left Inside Ride") atthe Fells is in the works again. Howie Granat fromGB NEMBA is organizing the ride and is looking tomake the series more successful than last year's.Expanding participation by actively coordinatingthe schedule with many of the local youth organi-zations, Howie expects record numbers. Howie iscontacting "Bikes not Bombs," the YMCA/YWCA,Boys and Girls Clubs, and any other local youthorganizations that will benefit from a few days ofMTB skills training. As with all of our events,Howie needs help and would appreciate your sup-port. The plan is for monthly rides on SaturdayJune 21st, July 12th, August 9th, and wrapping upon October 4th with the National "Take a KidMountain Biking" day.

MTB 101/102Though we didn't have Mother Nature's coopera-tion for May, we're expecting big things for theMountain Biker Skills Course (aka MTB 101/102)scheduled for alternate Saturdays through thespring and summer. Check the GB NEMBA calen-dar for dates as the clinics will be run at differentlocal parks every other Saturday. Look forCatherine Womack who put in a lot of time toorganize the event. Partnered with NEBC andother local biking clubs, the program's focus is tointroduce mountain biking to our close "roadie"cousins as well as to our own beginner mountainbikers.

Skills Clinic at Great Brook FarmState ParkThrough the end of June, Cindy Hickey organizedand will run the Friday evening skills clinic at GreatBrook. Designed for beginner riders, the clinic'semphasis will be on shifting, helmet and bike fit-ting and a range of riding skills. If you're interest-ed in picking up a few pointers, stop by theVisitor/Interpretation Center Parking Lot at GreatBrook any Friday evening at 6:00pm. Running todusk, this is an opportunity to get ready for theweekend and to meet new riding friends at the

same time.

Trek Bicycles / NEMBA Trail CareContinuing into 2008, GB NEMBA has scheduled aseries of Trail Maintenance Days for the MiddlesexFells, Great Brook Farm State Park and Lynn Woods.For the Fells, we've scheduled the first Sundaymorning of each month to spend four hours main-taining and improving the parks trails. Alreadycompleting the annual Mountain Bike Loop clean-up on April 6th and a touch-up in the Bear Hill areaon a rainy May 4th, more days are planned throughthe summer and into the fall.

As always, we need all the help we can get and ifyou're willing to lend a hand, check the NEMBACalendar. No specific skills are required, as we'llhave trained Trail Crew Leaders to guide the work.If you can squeeze in a little time to help, we willdefinitely appreciate it. Bring your gloves and abottle of water; we'll give you the tools and feedyou at noon.

Mountain Bike PatrolThe Mountain Bike Patrol is charging into 2008providing service to a number of regional NEMBAevents. Already providing support to the FellsOpening Day event, you'll see the Patrol support-ing the GB NEMBA Ride Series as well at theWendell State Forest MBAS on May 25th, the BlueHills MTB Day on June 15th, NEMBAFest onSeptember 6th and at the Wicked Ride of the EastMBAS at Harold Parker on October 26th.

Are you interested in becoming a patroller? If youenjoy mountain biking and have interest in helpingothers, contact the Patrol by [email protected]. — Terry Kennedy

Greater BostonPresident: Tim Post, [email protected],

617-515-4812VP: Mike TabaczynskiVP: Greg KochSecretary: Terry KennedyTreasurer: Claire GrimblePatrol Director: Terry KennedyEmail List: [email protected]: www.gbnemba.org

Meetings: Check website for monthlymeeting schedule 1st Monday eachmonth.

Fells Opening Day Celebration. Photo by Howie Granat


The Pump Track ProjectOne of the biggest projects McNEMBA is workingon is building a world class pump-track at theRagged Mountain Recreation Area/ Camden SnowBowl. We have received a $5,000.00 dollar grantfrom the International Mountain Bike Association(IMBA), a $500 grant from our parent organization,NEMBA, an offer for as much free dirt as we canhaul from Dragon Cement, the value of which forthis project will be about $1,600 - all in support ofthe pump track project. The $5,000 IMBA grant isearmarked for purchasing the services of a profes-sional trail building company. The total cost of thisproject is $9,130, which exceeds the amount wereceived in the grants. We need to raise an addi-tional $2,130.00 to get the project built. OnMonday, May 19th, Judd De Vall, of Alpine BikeParks, LLC, from Victoria, British Columbia, will bearriving in Camden to begin construction. Our goalis to have the Pump Track up and running by June1, 2008.

This is a really exciting opportunity for kids andadults who live in and visit this community. ThePump Track will be open to any rider and will befree of charge. Pump Tracks are growing in popular-ity, and for good reason, as they allow children andadults to gain mountain biking skills, spend timetogether, and exercise.

Please consider making a donation to help makethis project happen. We are gratefully acceptingdonations of any amount. Your name, or businessname, will be noted on the list of supporters at thefuture Snow Bowl trail information kiosk. All dona-tions should be made to: NEMBA, Mid CoastMaine Chapter and sent to Casey Leonard at theaddress listed below. NEMBA is a registered 501(c)3 organization, so all donations are tax deductible.

Casey LeonardNew England Mountain Bike Association (NEMBA)Midcoast Maine ChapterP.O. Box 127Rockport, ME 04845

Check out this YouTube of a pump track:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fofuwA2iOfE

The track in this video is in Boise, Idaho and wasbuilt by Judd DeVall, or Alpine Bike Parks, LLC. Thisis the same company that is building our track inCamden.

Coastal Mountains Land TrustWe, your trusted (I hope...) McNEMBA leadershiphave been working closely with the CoastalMountains Land Trust (CMLT) all winter long to

develop a cooperative and mutually supportiverelationship. Various members of the ClubExecutive Committee, made up of myself, CaseyLeonard, Mike Hartley, John Anders and SteveKoskinen, have met with Ian Stewart, HeatherBruce and Scott Dickerson of the CMLT severaltimes over the past few months. This relationshipis currently focused primarily on developing aCMLT-approved trail system on the land that lies tothe south of the Ragged Mountain Recreation Area(RMRA). Generally speaking, this is the land thatlies between Rollins Road and the Spring Mountainsubdivision in Rockport. This parcel of land is partof the Coastal Mountain Land Trust Ragged andBald Mountain Campaign to conserve the approxi-mately 3,500 acres of forested land that surroundsthe Camden Snow Bowl. Mountain bikers and hik-ers are already riding and hiking on this land andhave been for many years. The CMLT is interestedin working with McNEMBA to identify and mark awell developed and sustainable trail system thatwill be an integral part of the Ragged MountainRecreation Area (Snow Bowl) trail network.

The CMLT and McNEMBA are jointly developing aMemorandum of Agreement that will identify thegoals and commitments of each organization. Thisagreement will include official permission from theCMLT for mountain bikers to ride on the CMLT-owned and managed land adjacent to the RMRA.In the agreement there will also be several stipula-tions about McNEMBA assuming responsibility fortrail maintenance (which we already do...),stan-dards for trail building, and a general outline of ourmutual commitment to communicating consis-tently, frequently and in a genuine spirit of respect,friendship and cooperation. At the heart of ourwork with the CMLT there is an understanding thatproviding quality access to our outdoor resourcescan be nothing but good for everyone involved.

There are a few more steps to take before theAgreement can be made official, but we expect thisto take place very soon. A couple of projects thatare important to be aware of and that we will befocusing on immediately, are a re-routing of a por-tion of trail that currently runs through an envi-ronmentally sensitive vernal pool buffer area, andthe construction of a boardwalk over a permanent-ly wet area of the existing trail network that is amajor connector between the RMRA trails and theCMLT land.

Please understand that this agreement is the firststep towards a long relationship in which bothorganizations can accomplish their goals. TheCMLT wants to responsibly manage and protect aunique environmental resource and provide accessto this resource to the community in which theyoperate. The Mid Coast Chapter of the NewEngland Mountain Bike Association wants todevelop a sustainable trail network that can beenjoyed by all current and future mountain bikersin the area. Please be understanding that if youcome across a trail detour or two over the nextseveral months, it is because the new trail sectionwas built to meet some of these sustainability andenvironmental sensitivity issues.

New Trail Signs, Information Kiosk,etc, at the Camden Snow Bowl andAdjacent CMLT LandIn conjunction with the CMLT and the RMRA,McNEMBA is participating in the construction of anew information kiosk that will be installed nearthe gates at the Snow Bowl. On this kiosk therewill be information posted about the specific proj-ects underway throughout the Ragged MountainRecreation Area and CMLT trail system. There will

also be a map and index to the trails. The kiosk iswhere we will put a list of the donors who havecontributed to the Pump Track. There will also begeneral information about the relationshipbetween McNEMBA, the Coastal Mountains LandTrust and the Ragged Mountain Recreation Area,as well as about each organization individually.Look for the kiosk to be in place within the nextmonth or so.

Trail SignsWe are still developing the system of trail signsthat will be installed on the RMRA and CMLT trailsystem. Unfortunately, it's a little more complicat-ed than it might at first appear. We are trying tobalance out all of the requirements for clear trailnames, trail direction, trail difficulty and trail iden-tification/blazes into a system that doesn't get toocomplicated and that will allow for growth in thetrail system over time. We are close to a solution,but please bear with us for a few more weeks whilewe work out the bugs. Nonetheless, we shouldhave signs going up within the next month. Thenew kiosk will be the place where the key to thesystem will be posted so be sure to check there forimportant information about the signs. This sys-tem of blazes and signs will be consistent acrossthe trail system, using the same type of signs, withsimilar "look and feel" on both the RMRA and theCMLT trails.

Trail MapThere will be a new trail map that is developed inconjunction with the new signs. The map will havetrail names and locations indicated so that, hope-fully, it will be a little easier to navigate throughoutthe trail network. This map will be posted in thekiosk and there will probably be maps available totake at the kiosk.

Travel Section: Mountain BikingPhenom from British Columbia to VistMid Coast!Speaking of Ryan Leach - make sure to check outwww.haybikesenjava.com, that's the Bikesenjavawebsite, for more information about the Ryanleach tour. Ryan will be performing his "Trials ofLife" presentation at several area schools the weekof May 12. There will also be a public presentation,including a showing of one of Ryan's films, at theCamden Opera House on Saturday May 17. If youhad the good fortune to attend the Banff MountainFilm Festival a couple of months ago at the StromAuditorium you saw a short film of Ryan entitled"Trial and Error " and know how amazing his bikehandling skills are. Don't miss this opportunity tosee Ryan in person at the Opera House. This eventis a fundraiser for the Maine Junior Bike League.Chris Christie will be making a donation to thePump Track project at the Snow Bowl on behalf ofthe Junior Bike League from the show proceeds!Check out www.trialsoflife.com for more info onwhat Ryan will be presenting in his school visits.

Stephen Gleasner Loses His MindSomewhere between Here and There!!!You may remember that club member SteveGleasner signed up for the "Tour Divide," a 2,711mile self-supported mountain bike race that startsin Banff, Alberta, Canada and ends at the Mexicanborder in Antelope Wells, NM. Steve reported theother day that he is actually going to do it. He hashis plane ticket and passport in hand and will betraveling to Banff for the June 13 race start. Let's allwish Steve the best of luck! —Kevin Davis

Mid CoastMainePresident: Kevin Davis, 207-542-4941,

[email protected] Committee:

John Anders, Mike Hartley, SteveKoskinen,

Treasurer/Secretary: Casey Leonard

32 | March 2008

The mountain biking season is in full swing andnowhere is that more evident than here in theMerrimack Valley. We have two completed traildays under our belts and the Tuesday night ridesare rolling out like a fine tuned wheel. On any givenTuesday night it's not uncommon to have a dozenor so riders show up for our trail rides at the LowellDracut Tyngsboro state forest. It's getting to thepoint where I can't fit all the riders in the lens ofmy camera anymore. I expect to see us actuallyadd to those numbers before mid summer.

The DCR is evaluating 3 of our proposals for theDracut state forest. Some of those proposals willinvolve trail enhancements and re-routes. Thereare no current plans to add significant new single-track to the Dracut state forest but that doesn'tmean there are no new trails to conquer. We areworking with the Cons Com in Chelmsford to addapproximately 4 miles of new singletrack on localconservation land. With the existing trail systemthat's already in place, these new trails will create

another destination for local mountain bikers. Sofar this project is progressing quite nicely and Ithink the local mountain bike community is in fora pleasant surprise.

Look for our next trail day on Saturday June the21st. We will be working somewhere in the neigh-borhood enhancing the sport of mountain bikingfor all. I will continue to update our web site atwww.mv-nemba.org with late breaking news onrides and trail work location. — NormanBlanchette

April turned out to be a nice month to ride after along winter. The trails dried out quickly and thesun was out many days. The North Sore Chapterhas been rolling along with Trek Bicycle/NEMBAtrail days, group rides and chapter meetings.

Sunday April 20th kicked of the first trail day atHarold Parker SP with two new boardwalks andrebuild/ repairs to others. The trail referred to asthe camp ground trail is not used a lot by moun-tain bikers in the summer months, but come theWicked Ride this area see a lot of action as thereturn loop from the west side of the park. The trail

now has four boardwalks and a bridgeto keep people out of the mud.

The May 1st chapter meeting was heldat Riverside Cycle in Newburyport. Agroup ride took place at Willowdale SFand Bradley Palmer SP prior to themeeting. Twenty plus people took partin the tour of two parks with staff andfriends from the bike shop joiningchapter members. The meeting includ-ed a tour of the newly expanded bikeshop. A quick update on chapter busi-ness followed some pizza and a chancethe checked out all the cool merchan-dize.

For the second year in the row theNorth shore Chapter teamed up withDiesel Bikes and Sinister Bikes. Working togetheron the Essex County Greenbelt property referred toThompson Street Reservation. Last year the samegroup started a trail that runs from Rte 133 toBruce and Tom's, the trail like the group mixes Freeride with some cross-country. Completing the trailthis year on May 4th, the group battling throughheavy rains and a rocky hillside producing someinteresting lines that including some rock ledges,rolls and a nice log event.

On Monday nights the chapter has kicked of aweekly fun ride geared toward new riders andthose looking to improve their skills. Meeting at

Bradley Palmer SP each week at 6:00pm riders willexplore the trails in the area. Please check the website for more details.

Up coming events include new single track atWillowdale/ECGA on National Trail days June 7th.The Trek Bicycle Trail care series will continue againon June 16th. It is off to Harold Parker SP for thenext chapter ride/meeting on Thursday June 19th.There will be plenty of daylight for good long ridebefore the meeting so come out and join the fun.As always please check the NSNEMBA.org for althe latest details. —Frank Lane

North ShorePresident:Frank Lane, frank.lane@bostik-

findley-us.com,978-465-2295

Vice-President: Fred White Treasurer: Ron CorporonSecretary: Jim HumphreyBOD Reps: Dan Streeter & Frank LaneEmail List: [email protected]

MerrimackValleyPresident: Norman Blanchette, 978 455-

5605, [email protected] Groton Town Fst VP: Mike AndersenLowell-Dracut SF VP: Bob GiuntaTreasurer: Hugh Folsom, (978) 244-0633Email List: mtb-

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


Well, we've had both a beautiful and busy spring.

Trail work has gone well with several well-attend-ed workdays at the DAR and Wendell from lateApril through mid March. By the time this issue of

Singletracks reaches you, we'll have already hadour Adventure Series ride at the DAR (I hope itwent well!), and will be looking forward to plan-ning our Epic ride of the Deerfield and Greenfieldridges which will be June 28th.

Side note here, people ask me all the time whatkind of trail work can they do on their own. Bestadvice I can give is keep a folding saw in yourcamelback and every once in a while stop and cutback branches and bramble, or clear out new deadfall. If everyone did a few small things like that,maybe taking 10 minutes out of every other ride,the trails would always be in fantastic shape. Justsomething to think about.

And thanks, to all the folks who've come out andkick in at the trail events!

Some news and notes: Steve Rossi's Kid'sMountain Bike Rides got off to a stellar start atRobinson SF in Agawam. On May 10th, Steve had36 (!!!) participants of all ages, bike-types and skilllevels buzzing around the incredible network he'sbuilt down there. Steve has been an incredibleasset to and promoter of local mountain biking andwe're all very grateful for his indefatigable energy.Steve is also, unfortunately, a bit of a one-man

show down that way and I know he would reallyappreciate more help in maintaining the trails heso eagerly and happily shares with so many others.Be sure to contact Steve if you live or ride any-where near the southern Pioneer Valley and findout how you can lend him a hand. And, don't misshis Kid's Rides or his long epic in the Early Fall.

As part of our new Trail School Scholarship pro-gram, PV-NEMBA sent 5 attendees to the Trailschool at Wendell. They are Matt Green, YvetteSegal, Miles Ericson, Michael Zahner and SteveRossi. These participants were already active intrail building and advocacy but were eager to evenfurther improve their skills and put them into prac-tice so all of us who ride in this region can enjoyan ever-improving biking experience. I'm gratefulthat they sacrificed a weekend of their time for ourbenefit. If you think you'd like to attend next year'sschool, please let me know.

So, that's it-keep an eye on the nemba.org forumsfor info regarding the June 28th ride. And enjoythe summer! -Liam O'Brien

Thanks to everyone who helped out at the King ofBurlingame Time Trial. Jim Grimley and LennonSchroeder put on a great event raising $900 for theCycle for Life Foundation and $160 to Burlingame,which will be used to buy lunches for the AMCtrail maintenance weekend in early September.Many RI NEMBA members jumped in and helpedout at registration, as road marshals and as coursesweepers.

Our Ambassador Program has 16 qualified appli-cants who now have their jerseys, hopefully we'llbe seeing our Ambassador's at many of our eventsthis year. There are still 4 slots left so if you areinterested contact Brendan Dee.

We held our first beginner skills clinic on May 3,2008 at Big River. Despite the weather being iffywe had 5 people show up. Jim Hoard did animpressive job teaching these beginner riders basicinformation about riding in the woods.

Our April 13, 2008 trail maintenance day was can-celled, however at a later date 8 RI NEMBA mem-bers joined with hikers from AMC to complete a

project on the yellow dot trail that included a re-routed section. It was useful to touch base andwork with AMC on this project as it has been a fewyears since we have worked together in Arcadia.

On Saturday, April 19, 2008 110 people showedup as part of the Big River Clean-up. This hasbecome a very successful annual event that PeterGengler has had an integral part in planning. Onceagain mountain bikers stepped up to the plate with35 riders showing up to assist in the clean-up.Specifically, Jim Grimley, Craig Mello, and MattSchulde helped Peter by leading different workgroups in different areas. The Town of WestGreenwich was very pleased with all the work thatwas accomplished.

Remember to check out our website atwww.RINEMBA.org for information on the differ-ent summer ride series. We will continue to holdmeeting at Famous Pizza on the first Tuesday ofevery month at 7:30, new (and past) volunteersare needed and welcome. —Tina Williams

Rhode IslandPresident: Brendan Dee, mtbdee@hot-

mail.com, 401-487-5334

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

PioneerValleyPresident: Liam O’Brien,

[email protected], 413-665-9524

VP Hamden County: Steve Rossi

VP Hampshire County: Rich LaBombard,

VP Franklin County: MarkCourtemanche

Treasurer: George Willard Email List:[email protected]

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Join NEMBA to protect the trails. Join to become part of a vibrant community of riders. Join to add yourvoice to the largest regional advocacy group in the country. Join because it’s the right thing to do!

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The Trail Watch model that has been so successfulin the Blue Hills was brought to table at the lastFriends of Wompatuck meeting, and the parksupervisor there, Steve Gammon, said, " Great idea!Let's roll with it! " Trail Watch in Wompatuck willfollow the original in that it is a DCR-led volunteergroup that will be the 'eyes and ears' of the park,

and provide a secure presence of dedicated volun-teers to inform, educate and assist all park users asneeded. Trail Watch is not just a 'mountain bike'group—it is a cross-section of all users who, in thecourse of using the park via their mode of choicei.e. walk, run, xc-ski, snowmobile, rc-airplane, dogwalking, chi gong, whatever, or of course, moun-tain bike, dedicate as little or as much time as theywant to identifying themselves as a Trail Watchvolunteer, and filing a report for each such out-ing......

While we're on the subject, Friends of the BlueHills(FoBH) is another organization that has grownenormously over the past few years. They havebeen increasingly more proactive in trail careissues, most notably with their Adopt-a-Trail pro-gram. Modeled after a similar AMC program, theFoBH is looking to recruit a core of volunteers whowill each help take care of a particular trail, loop, orsection of trail. Training will be provided to thoseinterested. The initiative is underway with a hand-ful of leaders already, and a few 'section leaders',who will oversee and provide guidance to theadopters. The best thing about FoBH is that theyare really excited about having mountain bikers asmembers, as they know how much we care aboutthe trails and how much work we put into them tokeep them useable for everyone. NEMBA partneredup with FoBH on a couple of trail days this spring.

SEMass NEMBA recently held a ride/meeting in theBlue Hills. We had quite a showing, with 12 riders,

most of us still in winter mode, riding(well, somehike-a-biking, too...) almost until it was too darkto see......then we met up with a few more for agood meeting/social hour at the Hillside Pub inCanton, just outside the BH. The pub had a repu-tation as a 'biker bar' in the past, before new own-ership and major renovations. Now we're just mak-ing sure that it still is (a new kind of) 'bikerbar'.........it really is a cool little Irish pub, andworth the stop for après-ride grubs 'n suds........ Ifyou haven't seen it lately, the semassnemba.orgwebsite is looking really good, thanks to ChrisPatrick.........

Back in Wompatuck, SEMass and FoW got a lot ofwork done on two separate work days early spring,and (memba of both groups)Lars Ahlzen continuesto open up more rail beds. He's done an amazingjob of finding and mapping these abandoned beds,which are a great resource for all trail users.

If we don't 'cross paths' at Blue Hills Mountain BikeDay (on Father's Day) NEMBAFest is at Wompyagain this year, on Sept 6th, and I'll see ya then! —Steve Cobble

SE MassPresident: Steve Cobble,

[email protected], 781-254-8796Treasurer: Bill Boles, 508-583-0067Ames Nowell VP: Malcolm Neilson,

508-510-9606Blue Hills VP: Joe Sloane, 617-696-3533Borderland VP: Christopher Patrick, Franklin SF: Jan Hubbell, 508-341-5509

Massasoit SF: John BaileyWompatuck: Steve Cobble, 781-254-

8796Wrentham: Kevin Delaney, 401-722-

2426Secretary: Eero Kola, 781-356-2518Email List: [email protected]


While the biking season up north got off to a latestart due to massive snowfall, things are now infull swing. Winter has deposited considerabledebris as well as the usual blowdowns, so pleasetake a few minutes on your rides and help cleanthings up.

We are very excited to report the WhiteMountains chapter will be sporting our own tooltrailer, thanks to generous donations from NEMBA($500), the Pequawket Foundation ($1500), andour friends from the Southern NH chapter, whograciously offered to "buy out our share" of theirtrailer for $1000. Thanks to all of you!

Maine Bike Rally - The Bicycle Coalition ofMaine is holding the Maine Bike Rally in nearbyFryeburg this summer, July 11 - 13. NEMBA mem-bers are coordinating the mountain bike rides forthis event. Get the info here: http://www.bike-maine.org/mainebikerally/ .

The Red Jersey Cyclery Summer RaceSeries will again be co-sponsored by the WhiteMountain Chapter. Locations to be announced atwww.redjersey.com, the dates are:

• Thursday, June 19th

• Thursday, July 17th

• Thursday, August 21st

• Saturday, September 13th time trial finale atBear Notch Ski Touring

NEMBA Rides - our popular summer rides areback again. Refer tohttp://wmnemba.wordpress.com/ for times, datesand locations

• Ben Potter will lead a monthly MondayMellow ride leaving at 6:00 pm from variouslocations. Rides will occur the secondMonday of each month and will be appropri-ate for beginner/intermediate riders.

• Rob Adair will coordinate a monthly FatFriday ride for intermediate to advanced rid-ers.

Jamis Trail Care Series - Jamis is back tosponsor the New Hampshire Trail Care Series.These trail days involve working from 9 am tonoon, followed by an afternoon ride for those withenergy left. The dates are:

• Sunday May 18 - Red Tail Trail & SheddWoods

• Sunday June 22 - TBA

• Sunday July 20 - Moose Brook State Park,Gorham, NH

• Saturday/Sunday August 16 & 17 - MTBweekend, Echo Lake State Park

Come join us! —Rob Adair

Moose Brook State ParkThe start of the 2008 summer has found me onceagain bushwhacking around the woods of MooseBrook State Park in Gorham, NH. With the leavesstill down and the snow gone I see trail potentialin every direction and quickly remind myself thatwe are only a small faction of singletrack junkies ina world of potential. If only it were as easy asdrawing lines on a map!

Back in the early 1930's President Roosevelt creat-ed the CCC to help ease us out of the depressionand many parks like Moose Brook came into exis-tence as a result. Last summer we started "re-establishing" some of these old CCC trails for rid-

ing and have in the process created a couple loopsof singletrack that are both scenic and wicked fun.While these trails are short in mileage, they pos-sess the beauty of something fresh and the prom-ise of more to come. With over 700 acres tochoose from there's no doubt we will continue toscribe new lines in the woods. For now usGorhamites invite you all to take a break from yourusual haunts and help burn in something new.Moose Brook has great camping, swimming andpicnicking as well as a convenient proximity totown. While you're in town check out the newowners of Moriah Sports for trail info and getprimed for your ride at The White Mountain Cafe.Help support the folks who are supporting thetrails. — Cheers, Jason Hunter

WhiteMountainsPresident: Rob Adair,

[email protected], 603-356-6913

VPs: Jon Conti & Mark JenksTreasurer: Phil Ostroski Secretary: Jean LeeEmail List: mtb-

[email protected]

36 | March 2008

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

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.

MBAS Topeak-Kenda Adventure Series ride. 10-20 miles.A ride on a marked course for all ability levels.Normally includes short and long loops. Call formore 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.

NEMBA Rides

Cape Cod & Islands06/14 Hyannis/Yarmouth Intermediate EMS Hyannis [email protected] 508-362-869006/21 Hyannis/Yarmouth Intermediate EMS Hyannis [email protected] 508-362-869006/28 Hyannis/Yarmouth Intermediate EMS Hyannis [email protected] 508-362-869007/05 Hyannis/Yarmouth Intermediate EMS Hyannis [email protected] 508-362-869007/12 Hyannis/Yarmouth Intermediate EMS Hyannis [email protected] 508-362-869007/19 Hyannis/Yarmouth Intermediate EMS Hyannis [email protected] 508-362-869007/26 Hyannis/Yarmouth Intermediate EMS Hyannis [email protected] 508-362-869008/02 Hyannis/Yarmouth Intermediate EMS Hyannis [email protected] 508-362-869008/09 Hyannis/Yarmouth Intermediate EMS Hyannis [email protected] 508-362-8690

Central, Wachusett & Western Mass06/15 Leominster SF All Jim Wrightson [email protected] 978-852-480006/15 Lenox Women-Skills-Intermed. Ruth Wheeler [email protected] 413-637-3010(Skills)06/17 Greenfield area All Bob Perry [email protected] 413-772-270006/22 Leominster SF All Jim Wrightson [email protected] 978-852-480006/22 Lenox Women-Skills-Intermed. Ruth Wheeler [email protected] 413-637-3010(Skills)06/24 Greenfield area All Bob Perry [email protected] 413-772-270006/29 Leominster SF All Jim Wrightson [email protected] 978-852-4800


06/29 Lenox Women-Skills-Intermed. Ruth Wheeler [email protected] 413-637-3010(Skills)07/01 Greenfield area All Bob Perry [email protected] 413-772-270007/06 Leominster SF All Jim Wrightson [email protected] 978-852-480007/06 Lenox Women-Skills-Intermed. Ruth Wheeler [email protected] 413-637-3010(Skills)07/08 Greenfield area All Bob Perry [email protected] 413-772-270007/13 Leominster SF All Jim Wrightson [email protected] 978-852-480007/13 Lenox Women-Skills-Intermed. Ruth Wheeler [email protected] 413-637-3010(Skills)07/15 Greenfield area All Bob Perry [email protected] 413-772-270007/20 Leominster SF All Jim Wrightson [email protected] 978-852-480007/20 Lenox Women-Skills-Intermed. Ruth Wheeler [email protected] 413-637-3010(Skills)07/22 Greenfield area All Bob Perry [email protected] 413-772-270007/27 Leominster SF All Jim Wrightson [email protected] 978-852-480007/27 Lenox Women-Skills-Intermed. Ruth Wheeler [email protected] 413-637-3010(Skills)07/29 Greenfield area All Bob Perry [email protected] 413-772-270008/03 Leominster SF All Jim Wrightson [email protected] 978-852-480008/03 Lenox Women-Skills-Intermed. Ruth Wheeler [email protected] 413-637-3010(Skills)08/05 Greenfield area All Bob Perry [email protected] 413-772-270008/10 Leominster SF All Jim Wrightson [email protected] 978-852-480008/10 Lenox Women-Skills-Intermed. Ruth Wheeler [email protected] 413-637-3010(Skills)08/12 Greenfield area All Bob Perry [email protected] 413-772-2700

Connecticut06/15 TBA Advanced Vernon Cycles [email protected] 860-872-774006/15 TBA Intermediate Danielson Adv. Sports [email protected] 860-774-601006/17 Trumbull All - Women Paula Burton [email protected] 203-426-5369(W)06/17 Danielson Intermediate Danielson Adv. Sports [email protected] 860-774-601006/19 Trumbull Medium Eric Mayhew [email protected]/19 Upper Paugussett SF Medium Mark Lurie [email protected]/19 Danielson Beginner Danielson Adv. Sports [email protected] 860-774-601006/22 TBA Advanced Vernon Cycles [email protected] 860-872-774006/22 TBA Intermediate Danielson Adv. Sports [email protected] 860-774-601006/24 Trumbull All - Women Paula Burton [email protected] 203-426-5369(W)06/24 Danielson Intermediate Danielson Adv. Sports [email protected] 860-774-601006/26 Upper Paugussett SF Medium Mark Lurie [email protected]/26 Danielson Beginner Danielson Adv. Sports [email protected] 860-774-601006/29 TBA Advanced Vernon Cycles [email protected] 860-872-774006/29 TBA Intermediate Danielson Adv. Sports [email protected] 860-774-601007/01 TBA All Danielson Adv. Sports [email protected] 860-774-601007/01 Trumbull All - Women Paula Burton [email protected] 203-426-5369(W)07/03 Case Mtn Medium Art Roti [email protected]/03 Danielson Beginner Danielson Adv. Sports [email protected] 860-774-601007/06 TBA Intermediate Danielson Adv. Sports [email protected] 860-774-601007/06 TBA Advanced Vernon Cycles [email protected] 860-872-774007/08 Trumbull All - Women Paula Burton [email protected] 203-426-5369(W)07/08 Danielson Intermediate Danielson Adv. Sports [email protected] 860-774-601007/10 Danielson Beginner Danielson Adv. Sports [email protected] 860-774-601007/13 TBA Intermediate Danielson Adv. Sports [email protected] 860-774-601007/13 TBA Advanced Vernon Cycles [email protected] 860-872-774007/15 Trumbull All - Women Paula Burton [email protected] 203-426-5369(W)07/15 Danielson Intermediate Danielson Adv. Sports [email protected] 860-774-601007/17 Tyler Mill, Wallingford Medium Amanda Carroll [email protected]/17 Danielson Beginner Danielson Adv. Sports [email protected] 860-774-601007/20 TBA Intermediate Danielson Adv. Sports [email protected] 860-774-601007/20 TBA Advanced Vernon Cycles [email protected] 860-872-774007/22 Trumbull All - Women Paula Burton [email protected] 203-426-5369(W)07/22 Danielson Intermediate Danielson Adv. Sports [email protected] 860-774-601007/24 West Rock, Hamden Medium Erci Mayhew [email protected]

38 | March 2008

07/24 Danielson Beginner Danielson Adv. Sports [email protected] 860-774-601007/27 TBA Intermediate Danielson Adv. Sports [email protected] 860-774-601007/27 TBA Advanced Vernon Cycles [email protected] 860-872-774007/29 Trumbull All - Women Paula Burton [email protected] 203-426-5369(W)07/29 Danielson Intermediate Danielson Adv. Sports [email protected] 860-774-601007/31 Danielson Beginner Danielson Adv. Sports [email protected] 860-774-601008/03 TBA Intermediate Danielson Adv. Sports [email protected] 860-774-601008/03 TBA Advanced Vernon Cycles [email protected] 860-872-774008/05 Trumbull All - Women Paula Burton [email protected] 203-426-5369(W)08/05 Danielson Intermediate Danielson Adv. Sports [email protected] 860-774-601008/07 Tyler Mill, Wallingford Medium Amanda Carroll [email protected]/07 Danielson Beginner Danielson Adv. Sports [email protected] 860-774-601008/10 TBA Intermediate Danielson Adv. Sports [email protected] 860-774-601008/10 TBA Advanced Vernon Cycles [email protected] 860-872-774008/12 Trumbull All - Women Paula Burton [email protected] 203-426-5369(W)08/12 Danielson Intermediate Danielson Adv. Sports [email protected] 860-774-601008/14 Upper Paugussett SF Medium Mark Lurie [email protected]/14 Danielson Beginner Danielson Adv. Sports [email protected] 860-774-6010

Maine, New Hampshire & Vermont06/17 TBD, NH Intermediate Bob Hall [email protected] 603-673-181706/18 TBD, NH Adv. Intermediate Peter DeSantis [email protected] 603-493-477906/19 Pleasant Mountain, ME Intermediate Casey Leonard [email protected] 207-236-897606/22 TBD, NH Adv. Intermediate Peter DeSantis [email protected] 603-493-477906/24 TBD, NH Intermediate Bob Hall [email protected] 603-673-181706/25 TBD, NH Adv. Intermediate Peter DeSantis [email protected] 603-493-477906/29 TBD, NH Adv. Intermediate Peter DeSantis [email protected] 603-493-477906/29 Killimgton, NH Adv. - Intermediate Bob Hall [email protected] 603-673-1817 (GAR)07/01 Rockland Bog, ME Beginner John Anders [email protected] 207-975-541707/02 TBD, NH Adv. Intermediate Peter DeSantis [email protected] 603-493-477907/06 TBD, NH Adv. Intermediate Peter DeSantis [email protected] 603-493-477907/08 TBD, NH Intermediate Bob Hall [email protected] 603-673-181707/09 TBD, NH Adv. Intermediate Peter DeSantis [email protected] 603-493-477907/13 TBD, NH Adv. Intermediate Peter DeSantis [email protected] 603-493-477907/14 North Conway, NH Beg - Intermediate Ben Potter [email protected] 603-327-792107/15 TBD, NH Intermediate Bob Hall [email protected] 603-673-181707/16 TBD, NH Adv. Intermediate Peter DeSantis [email protected] 603-493-477907/17 Camden Snow Bowl Intermediate Casey Leonard [email protected] 207-236-897607/18 North Conway, NH Adv. Int. - Advanced Rob Adair [email protected] 603-496-585307/20 TBD, NH Adv. Intermediate Peter DeSantis [email protected] 603-493-477907/20 Killimgton, NH Adv. - Intermediate Bob Hall [email protected] 603-673-1817 (GAR)07/22 TBD, NH Intermediate Bob Hall [email protected] 603-673-181707/23 TBD, NH Adv. Intermediate Peter DeSantis [email protected] 603-493-477907/27 TBD, NH Adv. Intermediate Peter DeSantis [email protected] 603-493-477907/29 TBD, NH Intermediate Bob Hall [email protected] 603-673-181707/30 TBD, NH Adv. Intermediate Peter DeSantis [email protected] 603-493-477908/03 TBD, NH Adv. Intermediate Peter DeSantis [email protected] 603-493-477908/05 Pleasant Mountain, ME Beginner John Anders [email protected] 207-975-541708/05 TBD, NH Intermediate Bob Hall [email protected] 603-673-181708/06 TBD, NH Adv. Intermediate Peter DeSantis [email protected] 603-493-477908/10 TBD, NH Adv. Intermediate Peter DeSantis [email protected] 603-493-477908/11 North Conway, NH Beg - Intermediate Ben Potter [email protected] 603-327-792108/12 TBD, NH Intermediate Bob Hall [email protected] 603-673-181708/13 TBD, NH Adv. Intermediate Peter DeSantis [email protected] 603-493-477908/15 North Conway, NH Adv. Int. - Advanced Rob Adair [email protected] 603-496-5853


Metro Boston, Merrimack & North Shore06/16 Bradley Palmer SP Novice Skills Frank & Fred [email protected] 978-580-0236(SKILLS)06/17 Lowell, Dracut SF Intermediate Merrimack Valley NEMBA http://mv-nemba.org06/18 Middlesex Fells All - Skills http://www.gbnemba.org/about.php (Skills)06/19 Groton All Mike Andersen [email protected] 617-851-438506/19 Middlesex Fells Adv. Int - Advanced Tom Parsons [email protected] (AM)06/19 Great Brook State Park Women Natalie MacKnight [email protected] (Women)06/19 Middlesex Fells All http://www.gbnemba.org/about.php06/20 Great Brook SP Skills Adv. Beg. Cindy Hickey [email protected] (SKILLS)06/21 TBD All David Zizza [email protected] www.gratefultread.com06/21 Lynn Woods Advanced Technical Shawn Malloy [email protected] 617-201-4273(AM)06/21 Middlesex Fells Novice-Beginner Skills Tim Post [email protected] (Skills)06/21 Middlesex Fells KIDS http://www.gbnemba.org/rides.php (KIDS)06/23 Bradley Palmer SP Novice Skills Frank & Fred [email protected] 978-580-0236(SKILLS)06/24 Lowell, Dracut SF Intermediate Merrimack Valley NEMBA http://mv-nemba.org06/25 Middlesex Fells All - Skills http://www.gbnemba.org/about.php (Skills)06/26 Groton All Mike Andersen [email protected] 617-851-438506/26 Middlesex Fells Adv. Int - Advanced Tom Parsons [email protected] (AM)06/26 Great Brook State Park Women Natalie MacKnight [email protected] (Women)06/26 Middlesex Fells All http://www.gbnemba.org/about.php06/27 Great Brook SP Skills Adv. Beg. Cindy Hickey [email protected] (SKILLS)06/28 TBD All David Zizza [email protected] www.gratefultread.com06/28 Lynn Woods Advanced Technical Shawn Malloy [email protected] 617-201-4273(AM)06/28 Lynn Woods Novice-Beginner Skills Tim Post [email protected] (Skills)06/28 Lynn Woods Advanced Technical Shawn Malloy [email protected] 617-201-4273(AM)06/30 Bradley Palmer SP Novice Skills Frank & Fred [email protected] 978-580-0236(SKILLS)07/01 Lowell, Dracut SF Intermediate Merrimack Valley NEMBA http://mv-nemba.org07/03 Groton All Mike Andersen [email protected] 617-851-438507/05 Lynn Woods Advanced Technical Shawn Malloy [email protected] 617-201-4273(AM)07/05 TBD All David Zizza [email protected] www.gratefultread.com07/07 Bradley Palmer SP Novice Skills Frank & Fred [email protected] 978-580-0236(SKILLS)07/08 Lowell, Dracut SF Intermediate Merrimack Valley NEMBA http://mv-nemba.org07/10 Groton All Mike Andersen [email protected] 617-851-438507/12 Lynn Woods Advanced Technical Shawn Malloy [email protected] 617-201-4273(AM)07/12 TBD All David Zizza [email protected] www.gratefultread.com07/14 Bradley Palmer SP Novice Skills Frank & Fred [email protected] 978-580-0236(SKILLS)07/15 Lowell, Dracut SF Intermediate Merrimack Valley NEMBA http://mv-nemba.org07/17 Groton All Mike Andersen [email protected] 617-851-438507/19 Lynn Woods Advanced Technical Shawn Malloy [email protected] 617-201-4273(AM)07/19 TBD All David Zizza [email protected] www.gratefultread.com07/19 Great Brook SP Novice-Beginner Skills Tim Post [email protected] (Skills)07/21 Middlesex Fells KIDS http://www.gbnemba.org/rides.php (KIDS)07/21 Bradley Palmer SP Novice Skills Frank & Fred [email protected] 978-580-0236(SKILLS)07/22 Lowell, Dracut SF Intermediate Merrimack Valley NEMBA http://mv-nemba.org07/24 Groton All Mike Andersen [email protected] 617-851-438507/26 TBD All David Zizza [email protected] www.gratefultread.com07/26 Lynn Woods Advanced Technical Shawn Malloy [email protected] 617-201-4273(AM)07/26 Belmont Novice-Beginner Skills Tim Post [email protected] (Skills)07/28 Bradley Palmer SP Novice Skills Frank & Fred [email protected] 978-580-0236(SKILLS)07/29 Lowell, Dracut SF Intermediate Merrimack Valley NEMBA http://mv-nemba.org07/31 Groton All Mike Andersen [email protected] 617-851-438508/02 Lynn Woods Advanced Technical Shawn Malloy [email protected] 617-201-4273(AM)08/02 TBD All David Zizza [email protected] www.gratefultread.com08/04 Bradley Palmer SP Novice Skills Frank & Fred [email protected] 978-580-0236(SKILLS)08/05 Lowell, Dracut SF Intermediate Merrimack Valley NEMBA http://mv-nemba.org08/07 Groton All Mike Andersen [email protected] 617-851-4385

40 | March 2008

08/09 Middlesex Fells KIDS http://www.gbnemba.org/rides.php (KIDS)08/09 Lynn Woods Advanced Technical Shawn Malloy [email protected] 617-201-4273(AM)08/09 TBD All David Zizza [email protected] www.gratefultread.com08/11 Bradley Palmer SP Novice Skills Frank & Fred [email protected] 978-580-0236(SKILLS)08/12 Lowell, Dracut SF Intermediate Merrimack Valley NEMBA http://mv-nemba.org08/14 Groton All Mike Andersen [email protected] 617-851-4385

Southeastern Mass, Blackstone Valley & Rhode Island06/15 Ames Nowell SP, Abington Beginner- Adv. Nov. Malcolm Neilson [email protected] 617-334-123506/18 TBD All Eammon Carleton [email protected] www.bvnemba.org06/18 Burlingame RI Adv. Beginner Lennon Schroeder [email protected] 401-212-669406/19 Foxboro Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-066506/19 Wompatuck SP Intermediate Tyler Eusden [email protected] 617-974-369306/20 Duxbury All Walter Masgul [email protected] 603-512-509506/20 Lincoln Woods, RI Adv Beg & Adv Int Brendan & Leo [email protected] 401-487-533406/21 Pembroke area Kids Tim Drain [email protected] 781-826-1155(KIDS)06/22 Ames Nowell SP, Abington Beginner- Adv. Nov. Malcolm Neilson [email protected] 617-334-123506/25 TBD All Eammon Carleton [email protected] www.bvnemba.org06/25 Burlingame RI Adv. Beginner Lennon Schroeder [email protected] 401-212-669406/26 Foxboro Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-066506/26 Wompatuck SP Intermediate Tyler Eusden [email protected] 617-974-369306/27 Duxbury All Walter Masgul [email protected] 603-512-509506/27 Lincoln Woods, RI Adv Beg & Adv Int Brendan & Leo [email protected] 401-487-533406/28 Pembroke area Kids Tim Drain [email protected] 781-826-1155(KIDS)06/29 Ames Nowell SP, Abington Beginner- Adv. Nov. Malcolm Neilson [email protected] 617-334-123507/02 TBD All Eammon Carleton [email protected] www.bvnemba.org07/02 Burlingame RI Adv. Beginner Lennon Schroeder [email protected] 401-212-669407/03 TBD Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-066507/03 Wompatuck SP Intermediate Tyler Eusden [email protected] 617-974-369307/04 Duxbury All Walter Masgul [email protected] 603-512-509507/04 Lincoln Woods, RI Adv Beg & Adv Int Brendan & Leo [email protected] 401-487-533407/05 Pembroke area Kids Tim Drain [email protected] 781-826-1155(KIDS)07/06 Ames Nowell SP, Abington Beginner- Adv. Nov. Malcolm Neilson [email protected] 617-334-123507/09 TBD All Eammon Carleton [email protected] www.bvnemba.org07/09 Burlingame RI Adv. Beginner Lennon Schroeder [email protected] 401-212-669407/10 Foxboro SF, MA Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-066507/10 Wompatuck SP Intermediate Tyler Eusden [email protected] 617-974-369307/11 Duxbury All Walter Masgul [email protected] 603-512-509507/11 Lincoln Woods, RI Adv Beg & Adv Int Brendan & Leo [email protected] 401-487-533407/12 Pembroke area Kids Tim Drain [email protected] 781-826-1155(KIDS)07/13 Ames Nowell SP, Abington Beginner- Adv. Nov. Malcolm Neilson [email protected] 617-334-123507/16 TBD All Eammon Carleton [email protected] www.bvnemba.org07/16 Burlingame RI Adv. Beginner Lennon Schroeder [email protected] 401-212-669407/17 Foxboro SF, MA Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-066507/17 Wompatuck SP Intermediate Tyler Eusden [email protected] 617-974-369307/18 Duxbury All Walter Masgul [email protected] 603-512-509507/18 Lincoln Woods, RI Adv Beg & Adv Int Brendan & Leo [email protected] 401-487-533407/19 Pembroke area Kids Tim Drain [email protected] 781-826-1155(KIDS)07/20 Ames Nowell SP, Abington Beginner- Adv. Nov. Malcolm Neilson [email protected] 617-334-123507/23 TBD All Eammon Carleton [email protected] www.bvnemba.org07/23 Burlingame RI Adv. Beginner Lennon Schroeder [email protected] 401-212-669407/24 Foxboro SF, MA Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-066507/24 Wompatuck SP Intermediate Tyler Eusden [email protected] 617-974-369307/25 Duxbury All Walter Masgul [email protected] 603-512-509507/25 Lincoln Woods, RI Adv Beg & Adv Int Brendan & Leo [email protected] 401-487-533407/26 Pembroke area Kids Tim Drain [email protected] 781-826-1155(KIDS)


07/27 Ames Nowell SP, Abington Beginner- Adv. Nov. Malcolm Neilson [email protected] 617-334-123507/30 TBD All Eammon Carleton [email protected] www.bvnemba.org07/30 Burlingame RI Adv. Beginner Lennon Schroeder [email protected] 401-212-669407/31 Foxboro SF, MA Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-066507/31 Wompatuck SP Intermediate Tyler Eusden [email protected] 617-974-369308/01 Duxbury All Walter Masgul [email protected] 603-512-509508/01 Lincoln Woods, RI Adv Beg & Adv Int Brendan & Leo [email protected] 401-487-533408/02 Pembroke area Kids Tim Drain [email protected] 781-826-1155(KIDS)08/03 Ames Nowell SP, Abington Beginner- Adv. Nov. Malcolm Neilson [email protected] 617-334-123508/06 TBD All Eammon Carleton [email protected] www.bvnemba.org08/06 Burlingame RI Adv. Beginner Lennon Schroeder [email protected] 401-212-669408/07 TBD Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-066508/07 Wompatuck SP Intermediate Tyler Eusden [email protected] 617-974-369308/08 Duxbury All Walter Masgul [email protected] 603-512-509508/08 Lincoln Woods, RI Adv Beg & Adv Int Brendan & Leo [email protected] 401-487-533408/09 Pembroke area Kids Tim Drain [email protected] 781-826-1155(KIDS)08/10 Ames Nowell SP, Abington Beginner- Adv. Nov. Malcolm Neilson [email protected] 617-334-123508/13 TBD All Eammon Carleton [email protected] www.bvnemba.org08/13 Burlingame RI Adv. Beginner Lennon Schroeder [email protected] 401-212-669408/14 Foxboro SF, MA Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-066508/14 Wompatuck SP Intermediate Tyler Eusden [email protected] 617-974-369308/15 Duxbury All Walter Masgul [email protected] 603-512-509508/15 Lincoln Woods, RI Adv Beg & Adv Int Brendan & Leo [email protected] 401-487-533408/16 Pembroke area Kids Tim Drain [email protected] 781-826-1155(KIDS)

42 | March 2008

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44 | March 2008

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