Magazine of the New England Mountain Bike Association ... Files/ST200110 58_0.pdf · Jason Record,...

Magazine of the New England Mountain Bike Association

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SingleTrackSSingleTrackSMagazine of the New England Mountain Bike Association

New England’s Best

Fall FoliageRides

SingleTrackSNEMBA, the New England Mountain BikeAssociation, is a not-for-profit 501 (c) (3)organization dedicated to promoting trailaccess, maintaining trails open for mountainbicyclists, and educating mountain bicycliststo use these trails sensitively and responsibly.

SingleTracks is published six times a year bythe New England Mountain Bike Associationfor the trail community, and is made possibleby riders like you.

©SingleTracks Editor & Publisher: Philip Keyes

Singletracks Committee: Bill Boles, KrisztinaHolly, Nanyee Keyes, and Mary Tunnicliffe

Executive Director: Philip KeyesLetters/Submissions:

SingleTracksPO Box 2221

Acton MA 01720

Voice 800.57.NEMBAFax: 520-395-7759

Email: [email protected]

Board of DirectorsBill Boles, President

Len Earnshaw, Vice-PresidentAnne Shepard, TreasurerJohn Dudek, Secretary

Rob Adair, White Mountains NEMBAMark Bialas, Merrimack NEMBANorman Blanchette, Merrimack NEMBABill Boles, SE MA NEMBAJack Chapman, EFTA LiasonBob Croston, Greater Boston NEMBAHunt Durey, North Shore NEMBATom Grimble, Greater Boston NEMBAJim Grimley, RI NEMBAGray Harrison, Wachusett NEMBAKrisztina Holly, At LargeTina Hopkins, Rhode Island NEMBARich LaBombard, Pioneer Valley NEMBARob Macgregor, VT NEMBATom McCrumm, Berkshire NEMBADeb McCulloch, Cape Cod & Islands NEMBATJ Mora, VT NEMBAMark Polomski, SC NH NEMBAJason Record, Seacoast NEMBAJean Ruben, SC NH NEMBAAlex Sokolow, CT NEMBAMitch Steinberg, Blackstone Valley NEMBADan Streeter, North Shore NEMBAAdam Thomas, Cape Cod NEMBAMary Tunnicliffe, Berkshire NEMBAJohn Turchi, CT NEMBAJim Wrightson, Wachusett NEMBACarolyn Zept, SE MA NEMBA

We are also dedicated to having fun!

NEMBA, P.O. Box 2221Acton MA 01720800 -57-NEMBA

WWW.NEMBA.ORG

SingleTrackSOctober / November 2001, Number 58

Making the Trails a Better PlaceNEMBA means trails. As a user group, we donate1000s of hours each year to improve the trails.Here’s a park by park, blow by blow of what NEMBAis doing. Compiled by Philip Keyes

New England’s Best Fall FoliageRidesBright colored leaves and few bugs make fall thebest season to ride. This guide will make sure thatyou see some of New England’s best foliage on yourbike. Edited Krisztina Holly

Mountain Bike PatrollingNEMBA’s volunteer patrols spend thousands ofhours each year riding trails assisting people inneed. Their role is key to educating trail users to getalong. Compiled by Tom Hogan

Paper TrailOff The Front —4Chain Letters —5Treadlines —8Happenings —6SideTracks —24Chapter News —27NEMBA Rides —33Heroes —36NEMBA Sponsors—37NEMBA Calendar—39

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SingleTracks welcomes submissionsand artwork from our literate or cre-ative membership. This is your forumand your magazine, so please send usstuff!

Contribute! Got a cool story idea?Want to build your publishing resume?Give us a call. You can reach us [email protected] or call 800-57-NEMBA.

On the Cover: Chris Noesser rides theEl Prieto Trail in Pasadena, CaliforniaPhoto by Bill Freeman, www.Shoot35

Know Someone who wants toAdvertise?

SingleTracks offers inexpensive and tar-geted advertising which helps usdefray the cost of producing this cool‘zine. Call 800-57-NEMBA or [email protected] for our media kit.

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The terrorist attacks against our country and the great sadness that we feelfor the untold loss of innocent life has made this a difficult issue ofSingleTracks to crank out. Paling in contast to the enormity of the dangers

and suffering facing our nation and the world, mountain biking is small and insignificant.However, we should all seek to make the world a better and kinder place through whatevermeans possible. Indeed, it is the small things in life which provide meaning and value tothe whole. It is a gloriaous planet: ride it, cherish it and help make it a more peaceful place. —Philip Keyes

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O F F T H E F R O N T

I've been reading NedOverend's book, "MountainBike Like a Champion". Thebook is full of tips. Full ofsuggestions geared to makingyou a better rider. And one ofhis best tips is to ride around

in your big chainring wheneveryou can.

When you're in your big chainringeverything happens quicker. You're

going faster and you have a lot ofmomentum. And that momentum can get you through difficultterrain much easier than you'd believe if you never left your lowergears.

It's like that with organizations too. The bigger the organization,the easier it is to achieve your goals.

And NEMBA is almost ready to shift into its big chainring.

The momentum that we've gained through doing thousands ofhours of trail work, our three thousand members, our 15 localchapters is the driving force, the leg power that is about to allowNEMBA to shift onto the big ring and really get rolling. And oncewe do we'll become a major player in the Trails Community.

But to do that we can't lose site of what has already made NEMBAsuch an effective force out on the trails. It's our activism, our vol-unteerism, our commitment. NEMBA members have always beenwilling to roll up their sleeves and get involved. Whether it's trailmaintenance, leading rides, attending meetings, riding patrols orjust advocating for our sport by giving a cheerful, "Hello" to every-one that we meet out on the trails.

And NEMBA needs to be in its big chainring.

The challenges faced by our organization today are the same asthey were 14 years ago when NEMBA was born: Insuring that we'llalways have a place to ride. And insuring that the places where weride will be protected from the development and misuse thatthreaten them.

Six years ago I suggested in this column that NEMBA could bemuch more effective if we increased our membership base from itsthen 348 members to 500. And I set as a goal doing that in oneyear.

Now we have over 3000 members, and these members give us thefinancial resources to achieve much more than we ever could haveimagined in 1995.

But to make NEMBA truly effective, to give us the power to ridearound in that big chainring, we need to grow larger.

By this time next year, when NEMBA will be celebrating it's 15thanniversary, let's get our “NEMBERship” up to 5,000 people.

If we do, then NEMBA's next 15 years will make the accomplish-ments of the last decade and a half seem like we'd spent thatwhole time riding around in our granny gear.

How can you help? Well, for every NEMBA member, there areprobably 100 riders who aren't. And many of them are people thatwe ride with every week. So for a start, put the arm on your friendsand get them to join.

Oh! And if you'd like some NEMBA brochures to hand out at yournext ride, or to leave at your local bike shop, call the NEMBA hot-line at 800-57-NEMBA.

Happy Trails,

Pushing the Big Ringby Bill Boles, President

Bumps?. . . What Bumps?The Number OneSuspension Post

603-431-3023www.use1.com

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Chain LettersThanks from the David Kirby TrustOn behalf of David, and his family, I want to express our sincerethanks for the incredible donation made to "The Kirby 2001 FamilyTrust" by NEMBA. In today's society we are often bombarded withthe terrible hardships and tragedies that surround us in the news.It is so comforting to know that an organization like NEMBA existsand is willing to really help out a family or person in need.

I want to give youan update onDavid's condition.David continuesto maintain atremendous posi-tive outlook onhis chances forrecovery. Anytherapist who hashad the opportu-nity to work withDavid has beenamazed at thelevel of effort,

desire and progress that he puts into his quest. I am certain that inhis quite moments alone he has some difficult times, but he rarelyexhibits a negative outlook.

Sheila, Julia and Emily are all doing well. Sheila has taken on theproject of re-designing her kitchen with the help of family andfriends. This project incorporated the gutting of the entire kitchenand replacing cabinets and all, not just paint and spackle. I mustadmit, I thought it was an overwhelming job for her while lookingafter the two young girls and David, in his condition. She is trulyan amazing woman and has shown great strength and determina-tion as well.

We have seen so many acts of kindness like yours through the past10 months. It has not only given David hope, but it has inspiredthe entire Kirby extended family. It's important to me that youknow how much your organization has contributed, (not onlythrough thoughts, but through action), to a very difficult and trag-ic situation.

Jim Kirby, Kirby 2001 Family Trust, Lynn MA

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C H A I N L E T T E R S

Take Care of the Trails You RideOn a particular trail that I consider "my own" I perform regulartrail maintenance; I consider it a duty and the price of admis-sion.

One section gets overgrown with thorns during the summer andI thought hard on how to treat the situation. After all, I stillconsider it "the woods", so I felt it should remain as natural aspossible for others to enjoy the wilderness experience-noclearcutting, no man-made obstacles, no removal of live growth.

I considered using weedkiller but nixed the idea, realizing that'snot respecting nature and the opportunity for others to experi-ence a natural setting. I settled on hedge clippers to trim theweeds back, and it looks like in time, with selective trimming,the woods will grow into a tunnel-like canopy around the trail. Ithink this was the best choice.

So today I rode on another local trail, one I knew would be over-grown in a particular spot. I had even considered giving it thehedge clipper treatment. That is, until I rode through it.Someone HAD USED WEED KILLER on the the trail. The placelooked burned, dead. THIS IS DEFINITELY WRONG. In our lust to"play" out in the woods, we should not be turning the trails intobarren patches of land, killing off that which annoys us. It's lazyand it doesn't preserve our rapidly dwindling forested areas.Please exercise some common sense next time you're performingtrail maintenance.

Peter W. Polack, Meriden CT

Patrollers Lend a HandI wish to thank some people that aren’t really known. TheMountain Bike Patrol was at Lynn Woods Sunday and helped meout. I got a flat and didn’t have a spare tube on me. This wouldhave ruined my day, but the Mtn Bike Patrol saw me in the park-ing lot and offered me a tube to get back on the trails. I did notget their names, but I wish to thank them, and NEMBA, fordoing such a great thing. Once again thanks.

Joshua Silverman, via email

Give us a piece of your mind!Send letters to:

[email protected], PO Box 2221

Acton MA 01720

NEMBA’s Online PollNEMBA website poll got me to thinking., imagine that!...

The poll asks what NEMBA should focus more on: 1) fun eventsand rides; 2) building and maintaining more singletrack; 3)working with land managers to keep more trails open; or 4) pub-lishing information about places to ride.

Why must we choose ONE? It's all good, and important. Wecannot hope to survive and flourish without ALL of thesethings. That is what's great about a wide and diverse group suchas NEMBA. Each member can do their part, no matter howseemingly small it is. For some people, it's contacting land man-agers and civic officials to secure permissions. Others dig in,swinging mattocks and Pulaski's and raising money and materi-als and work parties to build bridges. Everybody does their part.Parents volunteering to participate in their PTA's Bike SafetyRodeo. It's all good. Showing your NEMBA card when purchas-ing a new tube at the LBS. Being polite and courteous to fellowtrail users, no matter who they are. Respecting trail closures,even volunteering to help hang the closure signs! It's all good. Iknow I'm preaching to the choir here so I'll shut up now. See youon the dirt.

John Gunterman, Hooksett NH

NEMBA Website Great for VacationsI recently took a mountain biking vacation in Mass. Thanks toyour website I did all the research ahead of time. Had some greatrides, especially at Wompatuk and Foxboro. Even had a visit to aLBS for a quick repair. Thanks for a site loaded with useful info.

Bill, NJ via email

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C H A I N L E T T E R S

Friends of Freetown SF Grateful forPedro’s-Harpoon Adventure SeriesDonationThe Friends of the Forest deeply appreciates your organization'sgenerous donation. Please be assured that we will put thesefunds to good use in the forest. In the past, we have provided afax machine, a router, hand tools, folding chairs and even paidfor a major truck repair. The forest would have lost the truck ifwe had not been able to pay the repair bill, as the budget wasempty at the region for repairs. We will try to be frugal withthese gifts and make sure they are really needed. Your donationwill be put to good use.

Everett C "Salt" Philla

A Little Knowledge Changes How You Seethe Trails You RideJust a quick note to tell you how much I enjoyed theNEMBA/IMBA trail school this summer at Lake Massabesic. Theknowledge I gained about trail design and maintenance wasinvaluable. Every opportunity I get, I am showing others why thetrails we are riding are deteriorating and how to improve them.

Actually, It is difficult to just ride a trail without analyzing italong the way... de-berm there....needs a rolling grade dipthere...

Peter DeSantis, Candia NH

Time to Get Your Hands DirtyI'm mad. Stark raving frothing mad. See, it happened like this.Sunday was Earth Day. All was well and good in the cosmos. Iwoke up, played with my kid, downed some java, and headedout to do a little granola crunchy Earth Day work, biker style.We met at the parking lot, 9 am scratching our armpits andrubbing off last night's beers. Talked some of the local accessissues, and who got the new rigs. Then headed to the trail.

The trail work session started off well enough. Move a coupleof rocks, drag a log or two, and three hours later 100 feet ofwashed out mud pit turns into singletrack with a picturesquelittle run off ditch beside it. We all felt pretty good. Had donethe good deed, fixed some nasty erosion, and made the landmanagers happy.

So you wonder where the mad comes in…Of course a dozenriders came past our work site, talked about feeling guilty, andkept right on truckin' through, but that didn't phase our spir-its. What got to me was the two dozen cars sporting NEMBAstickers in the lot. Well, we took our turn, spent about threehours sweating and trying to catch the geek on the rigid sin-gle speed. Unfortunately it gave me time to think (which isnever a good thing).

You see my midwest upbringing found myself riding pineinstead of wheels on Sunday mornings. They often talkedabout giving ten percent to the Lord. I'm not getting religiouson you, but will preach for a moment. If our religion onSunday morning is the ride, why not give ten percent to thetrail? Ride ten hours, work one. That's 4 work days a year ifyou ride ten hours a month. I'll bet most of ya'll are like meand spend a lot more time on the saddle than that everymonth. Give some back to the trail you rode (insert "preach itbrother here"). My local park is in serious need of trail work.It's five minutes from Providence, and people ride it daily.Some days I feel like I'm the only one toting shears and a packshovel to fix overgrown mud bogs. If we want to keep ridingwe need to keep working. It's that simple. Do something.

Jon Wellington, Johnston RI

The Top Ten Reasons for Riding EarlyHere are my top ten reasons for riding early:

10) No traffic getting to the trailhead.9) Plenty of parking.8) No one else is on the trails yet.7) No bugs. ( okay, maybe less anyways )6) Usually cooler. ( summer, always in winter! ) 5) If you have a mechanical failure, you can get to the localbike shop and still get a ride in.4) You still have the rest of the day to get things done.........toappease your spouse.3) You can take a nap.2) If you crash, the search party has more daylight to find you.1) When you get back, if you meet up with other NembaMembas, you can go again!!Donald Jordan, Holbrook MA

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T R E A D L I N E S

CT NEMBA’s Fall Fiesta, Oct. 14CT NEMBA invites everyone to its fourth annual Fall Fiesta onSunday, October 14th. The day-long event begins at 9:30amwith a bunch of different level mountain bike rides held at GayCity State Park in Hebron, CT. At noon, there will be a party atthe Glastonbury Elks Club. Trials guru, Kevin Brody, will be onhand to wow the crowd with his gravity defying bike skills, andthere will be plenty of food and drink. All NEMBA members andtheir families are welcome to attend the event. For information,contact John Turchi: [email protected], 860.653.5038.

NEMBA's Online PollCheck out our website to take our online poll. Each couple ofweeks we'll feature a new poll to get a sense about what youthink of mountain biking and what NEMBA should be doing.While still ongoing, the results of the current poll show that31% wish NEMBA to focus on working with land managers tokeep more trails open. 28% wish NEMBA to build and maintainmore singletrack. 21% wish for more fun events and rides, and19% want more info on places to ride.

Log on to NEMBA’s website, www.nemba.org, to participate inthe current poll, and make your voice heard.

Give to NEMBA's Annual AppealMembers will soon receive a request to make an above andbeyond contribution to NEMBA's financial security. Regardless ofwhether you can give a lot or a little, we hope that you will makean end-of-the-year donation. It takes a lot of financial resourcesto run our organization and make it grow stronger, and this canonly be done with your support. Help us grow stronger so thatwe can make an even greater difference in improving mountainbiking and mountain bike access in New England. If you wish tomake your donation on the phone, please call 800-57-NEMBA.Thank you for your support.

NEMBA Awards GrantsNEMBA's Grants Committee is pleased to announce that threegrants have been awarded in this round of NEMBA's GrantsProgram. Greater Boston NEMBA received $500 for a boardwalkproject in the Middlesex Fells. Southeast Massachusetts NEMBAwas awarded $498.20 for a bridge construction project forBorderland State Park in Easton, MA. And New Hampshire'sWhite Mountains NEMBA was awarded $500 to construct amulti-use bridge along a trail on the Town of Conway CommonLands.

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Turkey Burner Toy DriveOn November 23rd, CT NEMBA is planning to hold six ridesthroughout Connecticut to seek donations of new toys that will begiven to terminally ill children at the Children's Medical Center inHartford, CT. Rides will be organized by CT NEMBA's TrailAmbassadors. The toys will be given to the children over theDecember holidays. To participate in this toy drive and ride, contactCT NEMBA president, John Turchi at 860-653-5038 [email protected]. More details may also be found atwww.nemba.org.

Blue Hills Toys for Tots RideThe Second Annual Blue Hills Toys for Tots ride will take place onNovember 25th. Bring a new toy to donate and go for a great ride.Participants may either go on various level led mountain bike ridesor follow the pre-marked ride course at your leisure. Last year'sevent gathered hundreds of toys for needy children, and this yearhopes to be even bigger. For more info, go to NEMBA's website orcontact Bill Boles at 508-583-0067.

Contribute to “Best of...”Single Tracks has started a “New England Best of....” series editedby Krisztina Holly. Last issue featured best swimming holes andthis issue explores the best places to ride to see fall foliage. For thenext issue, we’re look for the best places to ride during the winter.Got a favorite place to icebike or a trail that rarely gets any snom?Contribute! Send an email to [email protected].

Redbones BBQ Makes NEMBADonation From Bike Week

The good folks atRedbones haveg e n e r o u s l ydonated the pro-ceeds of theirlast two annualBike Week cele-brations. Thedonations total$2750. Thefunds will bedivided betweenthe GreaterBoston Chapterand the regional

organization to promote advocacy at both the local and regionallevel. Located in Somerville's Davis Square, Redbones BBQ hasalso offered past support for NEMBA's annual bash. We thankthem for believing in us, and hope that members will also thankthem personally when they frequent their fine establishment.

T R E A D L I N E S

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T R E A D L I N E S

Pedro's-Harpoon MTB AdventureSeries Hits Great Brook Farm SP

Over 150 people turned out for the adventure charity ride at GreatBrook Farm in Carlisle for a day of riding. Staged by the MerrimackValley and Greater Boston NEMBA chapters, the event raised $710for the Friends of Great Brook Farm.

SE MA NEMBA PurchasesTrail Care Trailer

Southeast Mass NEMBA is now the proud owner of a trail main-tenance trailer which will be used to store the chapter's trailmaintenance equipment and get the tools to numerous projectlocations in the area. Wompatuck State Forest NEMBA liaison,Paul Peaslee, researched and made the purchase, and he waseven able to have the trailer decalled with NEMBA's logo andwebsite. Look for the trailer at their trail maintenance events thisfall!

NEMBA has Expo Booth at Mt.Snow and Pedrosfest

NEMBA boardmembers and vol-unteers staffed theofficial NEMBAbooth at Pedrosfestin Lanesboro, MAand the NORBAWorld Cup race atMt. Snow inAugust. Specialthanks to JohnTurchi, RobMacgregor and LenEarnshaw forspearheading this.It's important for NEMBA to get increased exposure and plenty of facetime with New England mountain bikers. Pedrosfest is a great end-of-summer ritual for mountain bikers around the region, and we thankPedro’s USA for letting us jump on their festive bandwagon.

Merlin Metalworks’ SmallestFrame Presented to Anne ShepardWhen Anne Shepard won a Merlin frameset in last year’s drawing ofthe Merlin-NEMBA Trail Maintenance Series, Merlin faced a chal-

lenge. Large of heart,short of stature, Annehas been riding a 24inch wheeled moun-tain bike to accomo-date her petite size,so Merlin spent a lotof time working withBelmont Wheelworksto design Anne herown custom Merlinframe that would fither to a tee. TheMerlin Series is proofpositive of the greatpartnerships that canbenefit trails, and wethank MerlinMetalworks for goingthe extra mile forAnne, who is now rid-

ing around with a very big grin!

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Need some-thing to ride onyour nextmountainbike epic?Proud Supporters of NEMBA and Essex

County Velo (www.ecvcycling.org)

52 Railroad Ave., South Hamilton MA978-468-1301

www.bayroadbikes.com

50 Water Street, Newburyport MA978-465-5566

www.riversidecycle.com

We may play hard, but there’s no question we work hardtoo. Many of you might have joined NEMBA because ofthe loads of fun stuff we do, but you’ll be glad to know

that your donations and volunteerism are having a positive effecton New England trails. For the last few years, we've annually dedi-cated over 80 trail work days to about 35 differernt public openspaces in New England, a incredible number considering that theseevents take place primarily in the spring and fall. Our trail schoolsare among the best in the country and those leading our events aresome of the best trained mountain bikers in the land, so even ifyou’ve never been to any of our trailwork parties, you’ll be glad toknow that we have experts on hand to show you the ropes.

Here are just a few things NEMBA is doing in a small handfull ofthe parks and open spaces. We’re always looking for more volun-teers, so we hope that you'll come and participate in our eventsand help make a difference on the trails that you ride.

ConnecticutHuntington State Park, Redding CT

CT NEMBA has been active in trail maintenance in HuntingtonState Park for the last two years. Working with park managementwe assisted in creating a new/alternate route to address drawingtraffic away from a highly eroded area. The result is a great sectionof singletrack that establishes a neat loop around a lake in the

park. For cyclists,we have foundthat the noviceriders enjoy cruis-ing down the trailand the moreadvanced ridersfind a challengingride up the trail.A good relation-ship has devel-oped with theland managers.Our projects thisyear also includedworking onredefining a trailin an area dis-turbed by a fire,and to hardensome treadwayson popular single track. We further helped the land manager byremoving an illegal dump and breaking down unauthorized firerings. Our ambitions for the near term include assisting with docu-

Making the Trails a Better Placecompiled by Philip Keyes

A D V O C A C Y

Continued on page 12

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A D V O C A C Y

menting the trail system using GPS, and of course continuing ourtrail work in the areas of the erosion prevention and trail widening.Additional volunteer help is also being sought to assist the landmanagement team and to that end we are trying to form a Friendsof Huntington type of group. —Collin P. & Paula Burton

Pequonnock State Forest, Trumbull, CT

A group of locals concerned about the condition and use of thetrails in Pequonnock S.F. approached CT NEMBA to seek advice and

a s s i s t a n c e .Concerns rangedfrom a generallyunmarked ord o c u m e n t e dtrail system; therecent develop-ment of unoffi-cial social trails;a general lack ofunderstandingof land use poli-cy; and ofcourse a trailsystem thatcould stand a bitof loving care.This area isdeveloping ar e p u t a t i o namong the bicy-cling communityfor its trail sys-tem and particu-

larly its sections of very technical terrain. In response NEMBA vol-unteers took the lead and contacted the responsible DEP landmanagers.

We held a very productive meeting is which participants learnedthe specific land use policies, and the land managers were made

aware of thec o n f u s e dperceptionsfaced byu s e r s .N E M B Aoffered as-sistance ind r a w i n gv o l u n t e e rsupport fortrail main-t e n a n c ep r o j e c t s .W e

arranged our first TM event on July 14th and by the time you readthis, a second event will have already occurred. For our first effort avery enthusiastic group built a series of rock bars and drainageditches to divert water from a key problem area. Several trails werebrushed in, and the treadway redefined to keep riders on a key trailsystem artery. Meanwhile, the DEP has posted more signs to helprecreational users know where and when hunting takes place on

the property. Sowhat's next? Wewill assist theland manager inupdating trailsystem recordsand are planningtrail blazing pro-jects and willevaluate how toaddress the vari-ous social trailswith a guise onbringing severalinto the officialtrail plan. Forhard trail main-tenance we willbe developingproposals forresponding to afew wet trailsections withthe application of bog bridges or turnpiking. NEMBA will alsoreach out to the cycling community through the CT TrailAmbassador program to sensitize users of DEP management issues

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and to generally promote a sensitive cycling ethic within thegreater trail user community. —Paula Burton

Bluff Point State Park and Coastal Reserve, Groton CT

The logistics of establishing a company cycling club at Pfizer, Inc.were developed earlier this year. One of the components of thisclub was to establish a community outreach program and to pre-serve the trail lands we ride. In our case the area riding favorite,Bluff Point, was the obvious choice. To accomplish this, we wentto two key resources: CT NEMBA and the CT Department ofEnvironmental Protection (DEP). Several e-mails and meetingslater, a community of area cycling parties (Pfizer cycling club,Electric Boat cycling club, Wayfarer Bike, Rose City Cycles, MysticCycle Center, and The Bike Barn) have joined together in a loosecooperative.

With the help of CT NEMBA, a relationship with the local DEP isdeveloping. The DEP representatives have been very helpful andprovided several ideas that could enhance the Bluff Point State Parkand Coastal Reserve experience. Since Bluff Point sees over 1000mountain bikers each week, we decided to focus our efforts on thistrail system. There are several activities that are progressing thisyear. These include:

1) We are developing a regular program to conduct remedial trailmaintenance designed to clear overgrowth, brush, and debris thattend to clutter this trail system.

2) This fall we will assist the land manager in a more comprehen-sive trail system review in order to develop a trail maintenanceproject plan. This will serve as a foundation for developing moreformal maintenance events.

3) Working with CT NEMBA, we will promote and develop theConnecticut Trail Ambassador program in southeastern CT to fur-ther the educational outreach mission of NEMBA.

4) At the encouragement of local DEP management, we agreed towork jointly with the local park supervisors, CT NEMBA, and areacycling resources to develop a "Bike Day" at Bluff Point. This isenvisioned as a recreational outreach program designed to promotebicycling opportunities at Bluff Point while promoting responsibleuse of the trail system. —Paul Bassett

MDC Reservoirs, West Hartford CT

CT NEMBA was originally formed to assist the MetropolitianDistrict Commission maintain trails and educate bicyclist in theMDC Reservoirs, Hartford's most used open space. Working withthe MDC we established and maintain a unit of the New England

M o u n t a i nBike Patrol.Over thepast twoyears wehave alsoassisted theMDC in sev-eral trailm a i n t e -nance pro-jects. Thisyear howev-

er we have something to be proud of. Following the completion ofa comprehensive logging project across the property this spring, CT

NEMBA, in cooperation with the MDC and the MDC's RecreationalUser Committee, engaged in a series of four TM events that literal-ly re-established the entire trail system. This event series, promot-ed as a multi-user project to foster cooperation between usergroups, fell short of this noble intention. It turns out that all vol-unteers hailed from the cycling community. But we are proud tonote that these events have attended to the entire trail systemirrespective of the individual trail use designations. —Gene Kulak

Cockaponset StateForest, PattaconkRecreation Area,Chester CT

CT NEMBA has beencoordinating volunteertrail maintenance ser-vices at Cockaponset forthree years now. Webelieve that we haveassisted the local DEPsupervisor in reinvigorat-ing the many recreationaltrail cycling opportuni-ties here. Our effortshave concentrated on re-opening disused trails to

A D V O C A C Y


help better distribute traffic and diversify opportunity across thearea. Most recently we have helped the land manager mark/blazethe trail system which the DEP has used to produce an updatedtrail system map. The future of mountain biking at Cockaponsetlooks bright. —Joe Ortoleva

Penwood State Park, Bloomfield CT

Local cyclists continue to play a key role in trail maintenance activ-ities at Penwood. CT NEMBA has taken a lead in coordinating vol-unteer trail services, facilitating several trail reroutes that haveenhanced the quality of the recreational experience here. Mostrecently we teamed with an area Boy Scout troop to develop andimplement a new 2.5 mile singletrack designed to draw cyclingtraffic away from a key section of the old road loop frequented bywalkers and runners. This has enhanced overall safety while addinga really cool multi-user tread. We anticipate that we will continueto be a key resource to park management in coming years. — JohnTurchi

MassachusettsLynn Woods Reservation, Lynn MA

Greater Boston NEMBA has volunteered untold hours working toimprove this urban park for all trail users, and there's always a lotgoing on. We are completing an official Walden Pond Loop ride,and we are continuing to reshape Bow Ridge to connect the trailsevered by development. There are lots of opportunities to make agreat trail network at the site of the old Bow Ridge trail. We havealready completed a couple of loops in the area, and we will beconnecting a network of other unused trails in the coming springseason. —Michael Salerno

McLean Hospital Open Space, Belmont MA

Greater Boston NEMBA is currently working with the town ofBelmont to preserve MTB access to the currently private, soon tobe town owned open space. NEMBA is drafting a trail assessmentof all the existing trails. Future plans include trail system designand maintenance. —David Kleinschmidt

Rock Meadow Conservation Area, Belmont MA

NEMBA has been working with the local conservation commissiondoing trail maintenance in this area for several years. Future plansinclude further maintenance projects as well has helping with atrail assessment project and the eventual connection to Met. stateproperty. —David Kleinschmidt

Met State Hospital, Belmont,Waltham, Lexington MA

Bits and pieces of ad hoc maintenance has been done in this areafor several years. Currently the property is in the process of being

turned over to the MDC. NEMBA has future plans to work with theMDC to preserve MTB access here and to provide trail connectionsto other parcel in the area. —David Kleinschmidt

Callahan State Park, Framingham MA

Over the past several years, Blackstone Valley NEMBA has mademany valuable enhancements to this very popular and heavily usedpark. We have a very positive and supportive relationship with theland manager. We constructed a multi-use bridge (suitable for

horses) and re-routed the existing trail around a large perpetuallyboggy section of the Ladyslipper trail. We installed water bars andreinforced a stream crossing on the lower section of Fox Hunt trail.We built a large switchback re-route and closed off a badly erodedsection of Red Trail Trail. Mike and Jan Riter from IMBA's TCChelped inthe planningand layoutof this pro-ject. Lastfall, wecleared amuch need-ed newparking loton EdmandsRd. Theexisting loton Millwoodis always full, and cars illegally parked on the roadside are a haz-ard. The new lot sees frequent use by both mountain bikers andequestrians with trailers. Current project: We recently made judi-cious improvements to the very steep and rocky Gibbs Mtn sectionof the Backpacker trail, largely to make it more suitable for horses,and closed off numerous "cheater" lines, while retaining the chal-lenging characteristics which appeal to more experienced riders.Later this fall we will construct and install a new information Kioskat the Edmands Rd. parking lot. Future projects: Most of our effortsto date have been in the more heavily used South side of the park.In future, we hope to build bridges or cut re-routes around severalperpetually muddy sections on the Backpacker and Pine Tree looptrails on the North side. —Anne Shepard

Noanet Woodlands, Dover MA

Over the past several years Blackstone Valley NEMBA membershave participated in many successful and well attended multi-usertrail work days at Noanet. Thanks to this (and an excellent rela-tionship with the current Trustees of Reservation's land manager,Jeff Montgomer), we have helped to keep mountain bikers welcome

14

A D V O C A C Y

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A D V O C A C Y

at thispark. Wealso hopethat bya c t i v e l yd e m o n -strating ourc o m m i t -ment anda b i l i t i e shere, wemay helpsustain and improve access for mountain bikers at The Trustees'other parks. Our past projects have included installing water barsand grade dips on several trails. Last fall we cut 1/4 mile single-track re-route, and closed off a steep section of the pipeline trail.In the future we plan to re-route another steep section of single-track, install additional erosion control devices as needed and per-form ongoing maintenance. —Anne Shepard

Whitehall State Park, Hopkinton MA

Over the past 2 years BVNEMBA has built a new1/3 - mile trail around anew subdivision thatdestroyed an older sec-tion of trail. Jan and MikeRiter, IMBA Trail CareCrew #1, assisted us inlocating the re-route withsustainable inclines. Itwas hard work as most ofthe trail traversed a steepsidehill and involvedbench cutting into theslope. We will finish thesection this fall with a50-foot wooden walkwaythat goes across a verysteep, unstable, and high-ly-used slope. Future projects may involve cutting back overgrownsections of the trail and building a new trail around the perimeterof a peninsula to replace a badly-eroded trail that goes straight upand down the two sides. —Anne Shepard

Westborough Conservation, Westborough MA

Over the past year, BV NEMBA has held 2 trail maintenance daysin asssociation with the Westborough Community Land Trust,assisting them in their 5-year project to build a 26-mile multi-use

trail around the perimeter of town, and will have another trailmaintenance event this fall. Tasks have included cutting trailsthrough dense forest, building bog bridges, and laying wood chipsin wet areas. We have also assisted the project leaders in trailplanning and routing. We will continue to work with them in thecoming years as they complete these trails. —Anne Shepard

Upton State Forest, Upton MA

Two years ago BV NEMBA assisted the Bay State Trail Riders(equestrians) in rerouting the Grouse Trail around a steep, badly-eroded section and cutting back overgrowth. Future projects mayinclude a few small bridges across streams and a few new shortconnectortrails toallow formore sin-g l e t r a c kl o o p saround thepark.

D o u g l a sState Park,D o u g l a sMA

BV NEMBA has been fortunate to have established a longstandingpostive relationship with the land managers at Douglas. In addi-tion, Blackstone Valley NEMBA has been granted "Stewardship" ofthe historic Midstate trail within this forest. Past projects haveincluded brush & blowdown clearing and tagging the MidstateTrail. Additional brush & blowdown clearing is planned for this fall.Future projects may include re-routes around several perpetualboggy areas. We are developing several long term proposals to cutre-routes or new connecting trails in the event that existing trailson private land are lost to development. If approved, such trailsmay require bridges at several stream crossings. Hodges Village:This past spring, BV NEMBA launched our first trail work project inthis park, clearing brush and blowdowns, establishing the maintrails and closing off braids. The land manager is very enthusiasticin his support of mountain bikes and other trail users, and we lookforward to building a strong relationship with future projects here.

Rocky Mountain, Greenfield MA

A great deal of work was accomplished by Pioneer Valley NEMBA'sMay work day with a total of 35 hours of work clearing trail,shoring up switch backs, and general park maintenance. On two


16

other occasions members trekked out and removed several treesthat had slid in to a trail on the backside of the Poets Seat area aswell as blow downs on other trails. —John Dudek

Sugarloaf Mountain, South Deerfield MA

On two occasions, impromptu work parties have hiked in to theback side of South Sugarloaf to remove blowdowns from this pop-ular trail biking destination assisted by Pioneer Valley NEMBA. —John Dudek

Mt. Tom, Holyoke MA

The ongoing access issue and a new trail proposed by PioneerValley NEMBA will be discussed at the September 24th meeting.This meeting is shaping up to be very interesting and could be aturning point in terms of the future of mountain biking on thispopular mountain range.

If the new trail is approved, construction could begin this year. Alot depends, however, on winter conditions, ConservationCommission approval and review of endangered plant species. —Rich LaBombard

Holyoke Range, Amherst MA

This has been an excellent season for the Batchelor Street andTinker Hill area of the Holyoke Range State Park. Pioneer ValleyNEMBA is still hoping that the parking lot off of Batchelor Streetcan be built this year. There are very few trouble spots in this area- not much work is needed on the trail system. -Rich LaBombard

D.A.R. State Park, Goshen MA

We're still facing the trail building moratorium in this park, so thetrail Pioneer Valley NEMBA proposed last year is still on hold.Also, a 100-acre parcel purchased last year has yet to be surveyed.The Park Supervisor has suggested a new trail on that parcel andhopes to have the boundaries in place by spring. —RichLaBombard

New HampshireLamsom Farm, Mont Vernon NH

Lamson Farm is a 300 acre multiuse public farm located in MontVernon, NH. South Central NH NEMBA has hosted two successfulrides at this beautiful farm during this past spring and summer.Two members of the SCNH chapter have recently met with theLamson Farm Commission to discuss trail use. The commissionwas open to mountain biking and eager to have assistance withmaintaining their trails. Later in September, the group will be walk-ing the trails with members from the commission to identify spe-cific areas of need. A trail day will be organized in mid October.The initial trail work will involve trail marking and clearing ofdebris. The commission has a long term goal for relocation of oneof the trails. There has also been some discussion about creating amap of the trail system. SCNH-NEMBA's goal is to develop andmaintain a positive working relationship with the commission sothat biking will continue to be permitted in this area. —SusanDecloedt

Mine Falls Park, Nashua NH

Mine Falls Park is a medium sized , multi-use, City Park under thejurisdiction of the Nashua Parks Department. But the ParksDepartment has happily turned over the care and maintenance andmost of the decision making to the Mine Falls Park AdvisoryCommittee, a small group of volunteers very dedicated to keepingMFP looking good and open to all users.

MFP has been a very popular destination for mountain bikers forsome time now and the trails are beginning to show serious signsof over use and misuse. The response from the MFPAC is to closeor re-route the trails that have become too time consuming tomaintain. Unfortunately, those have been the most fun, challeng-ing trails. South Central NH NEMBA has been participating regu-larly on the MFPAC trail days and we have offered to help maintainthe trails that the MFPAC does not have the time for. An offer theywere very happy to take us up on. We've gone out a couple oftimes this season and done small repairs and we have a bigger pro-ject scheduled for November. Next year we plan to schedule regu-lar TM in Mine Falls. —Jean Rubin

Yudicky Farm, Nashua NH

Yudicky Farm is a new, multi use park in the West End of Nashua.As its name implies, it was once a farm, so it has some overgrownmeadows (popular with the ATV crowd) some woods that havebeen logged and a network of old farm roads. When the city wasgiven the land a few years ago, they put in some softball fields anda parking lot. Next year the city plans to put in some soccer fieldsand more parking.

Yudicky is open to mountain biking but it is not well known, norare there many trails. The Urban Trails Alliance, a volunteer group,had put in two nice nature trails that run through the woods andhad plans for more, but UTA is going through a difficult time andmay disband. SCNH NEMBA helped the UTA with a bridge in thespring and they welcomed any help we were willing to give. There

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is potential for some nice trails in Yudicky, but we will have to seehow much of the land will be given to the soccer fields. —JeanRubin

Pawtuckaway State Park, Nottingham NH

There are not too many problems facing the park, except thatsnowmachines are widening and smoothing out the singletracktrails. Increased use of the park is creating some potential"overuse" and "overcrowding" of the park and trails on weekends bya variety of all users. Seacoast NEMBA has had numerous trail caredays that have addressed a variety of tasks (brushing, drainage

p r o j e c t s ,switchbackrepair, bridgec o n s t r u c -tion, etc.)The ambas-sador volun-teer patrolsthe park onmt bike forthe parkmanager aswell. In the

short term, SNEMBA plans to continue working with the landmanager to maintain the existing trails, and in the long term, wehope to work with the State to add new singletrack trails to thepark, and build bridges on the Shaw Trail so that trail users can

traverse muddy/wet areas. —Dave Heath

Bear Brook State Park, Allenstown NH

The park has a some old paths that were mostly laid out in poorlocations, in valleys and low spots that collect and retain water. Insome cases there is no place to move the water off the trail.

SNEMBA works toeducate cyclists aboutthe importance ofresponsible riding andadequate trail mainte-nance. We have a cou-ple of areas that we areplanning on repairingand some trails thatwill need minor re-routes, and in the longterm we are planningto create a new mapthat is more accuratethan the present one,and to re-route the

Sentinel Pine trail. —Len Earnshaw

Northwood Meadows State Park, Northwood NH

This park is small and until recently has not had any singletrack.However, SNEMBA has obtained permission to build a new single-track trail which we accomplished this year. We have also put in athirty six foot boardwalk to span a wet area and pulled out a ton ofold tires and car parts. Next year we hope to add another single-track section, and work with the land manager to explore the pos-sibility of expanding the trail network. —Chris Kofer

Fort Rock, Exeter NH

Unfortunately, Fort Rock is experiencing a lot of illegal trail cuttingwhich is of great concern to the land management. The park alsoexperiences heavy use, and it is tough to keep up with the trailmaintenance.SNEMBA hasput in manyrock bridges,wood bridges,corduroy andgrade dips aswell as a lot ofb r u s h i n g .They are plan-ning a coupleof bridge pro-jects and areworking to getpermission tore-route a couple of short sections. In the long term, putting astop to illegal trail cutting is key since it’s giving mountain bikers ablack eye. —Mark Desrochers

U.S. Forest Service, White Mountains National Forest

The Forest Service is in the midst of preparing a ForestManagement Plan revision and grappling with President Clinton'sRoadless Initiative. White Mountains NEMBA has been steadilyinvolved in providing input on the Forest Management Plan revi-


A D V O C A C Y

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sion, both at public hearings and during meetings with ForestService on mountain biking specific issues.

We have signed an agreement to assume maintenance of a net-work of trails in the Moat Mountain/Hales Location area. Prior tomeetings between NEMBA and the Forest Service the ForestService did not recognize these popular trails as legitimate. —RobAdair

Town of Conway Common Lands, North Conway NH

White Mountains NEMBA has an excellent relationship with theTown of Conway, and we are working closely with the town on anumber of projects. We recently completed construction of the"Red Tail Trail", a three-mile trail that gains about 1000 feet of ele-vation on Black Cap Mountain. Rich Edwards of IMBA's Trail CareCrew #3 called the lower third of the trail "the gnarliest terrainthey had worked on outside of West Virginia." The trail offers spec-tacular views of the Presidential Range as a test piece climb or anexciting downhill, and incorporates interesting rock features, mul-tiple switchbacks, and in the near future a 20-foot bridge that wehope will partially be funded by NEMBA's trail grant program.

White Mountains NEMBA is currently in the planning stages ofestablishing a new trail in the town's Shedd Woods conservationland. This short trail will switchback across a steep embankmentto connect Shedd Woods (located across from Memorial Hospitaland Whitaker Woods) with an existing trail that runs along theSaco River.

Three chapter members make up the majority of the ConwayRecreational Access Committee, currently in the process of negoti-ating easements with property owners to establish or preserveaccess to public lands. —Rob Adair

The Nature Conservancy Green Hills Preserve, N Conway NH

The chapter continues to maintain a good relationship with themanagers of the Green Hills Preserve, which borders the east sideof North Conway. The biggest problem TNC is currently facing isthe proliferation of all-terrain vehicles illegally using (and damag-ing) their trail system.

NEMBA introduced TNC to the concept of rolling grade dips in lieuof the "tank trap" style water bars that have been typically used,and we regularly contribute to trail maintenance activities in theGreen Hills. We are currently discussing how to help restrict ATVuse, particularly on the steeper erosion-prone trails. —Rob Adair

Echo Lake/Cathedral Ledge State Park, North Conway NH

We have a solid rapport with the Park manager and are currentlydiscussing the idea of mapping the park's existing trail system.White Mountains Chapter members informally maintain the bikingtrails within the park. We regularly work with the climbing com-munity to help out with Cathedral Ledge clean-up and mainte-nance activities. —Rob Adair

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Mountain Bike PatrollingCompiled by Tom Hogan, RI NEMBA’s Patrol Coordinator

E D U C A T E & A S S I S T

The New England Mountain Bike Patrol

The New England Mountain Bike Patrol is in the middle of anotherhighly successful year. The Patrols, located in Massachusetts,Connecticut and Rhode Island, have dedicated countless hoursserving as trail advocates by providing medical assistance,mechanical repair, and directional help to trail users. Additionallythey have assisted in trail repairs, clearing blowdowns off thetrails, and picking up trash and broken glass. The main mission ofthe Patrol is to foster responsible trail use within the mountainbike community while additionally assisting other trail usergroups. A Red Jersey easily identifies each Patroller along with theNew England Mountain Bike Patrol and NEMBA logos. The nexttime you see a Patroller out on the trails, please be sure to say "Hi",they are there to keep the trails open to our sport and assist you.

The Patrol Coordinators are Bill Redford (Middlesex Fells, LynnWoods and Great Brook), Brian Smith (West Hartford Reservoirand Penwood State Park) and Tom Hogan (Arcadia ManagementArea). Anyone interested in joining any one of these patrols canfind information about the New England Mountain Bike Patrol andemail addresses for each Patrol Coordinator atwww.nemba.org/trailprotection/bikepatrols.html

Greater Boston's New England Mountain Bike Patrol

The Greater Boston Unit of the New England Mountain Bike Patrolis a volunteer program of NEMBA's Greater Boston Chapter. We arealso an IMBA National Bike Patrol affiliate. The Patrol was foundedin 1996 and operates in the MDC's Middlesex Fells Reservation,the City of Lynn's Lynn Woods Reservation, and the Mass. DEMmanaged Great Brook Farm State Park in Carlisle.

Patrollers are tasked with assisting, informing, and educating alltrail users and are trained in 1st Aid, CPR, and basic bike repair.The Patrol works with and maintains wonderful relationships withthe Lynn and DEM Park staff and the MDC consistently supportsthe Patrol by providing 1st Aid and CPR training each year.Patrollers wear readily recognizable red Patrol jerseys and are aresource for all park users. We don't "enforce" park regulations; butwe're likely to advise you of them (you may not be aware of someof them).

The Patrol is a great way to put some time and effort back into thesport. Another way NEMBA works to keep the trails open. —BillRedford

Connecticut's Trail Ambassador Program

After a stellar start in its freshman season, the Trail Ambassador

Program continues to per-form remarkably. For the2000 season, 21Ambassadors covered 26locations statewide, logging585 hours. For 2001, thatnumber was nearly matchedin May and June alone!Twenty-eight Ambassadorsreported 549 hours in 40 dif-ferent locations statewide!

The Trail AmbassadorProgram is a volunteer pro-gram where mountain bikersare trained to assist otherswhile out riding.Ambassadors are trained intrail etiquette, trailsiderepair, and minor trail maintenance. They are issued yellow ridingjerseys, bike tools, and folding saws to carry out their duties.

Clearing branches and blowdowns from trails, fixing flats and help-ing lost riders and hikers are the most common tasks reported byAmbassadors. Some other tasks include "put out smoldering fire","cleaned litter and glass from trail", and marked routes and provid-ed support for benefit rides. Four TA's on one ride reported "single-speeded a bike with a broken derailleur hanger, adjusted a headsetfor one rider and loaned a pump to another… trimmed brancheson several trails, moved several downed trees, and picked up many

branches."

If you see a bright yellow jersey with the NEMBA logo out on thetrails, stop and say "hi", and say…. thanks. For anyone interestedin becoming a Trail Ambassador, watch Singletracks for upcomingspring orientations, or you can get on the waiting list for the nextorientation session by contacting the Trail AmbassadorCoordinator, Alex Sokolow, at 203 281-0789, [email protected].

Blue Hills TrailWatch

When MDC Blue Hills TrailWatch coordinator, Joe Sloane, is polite-ly but firmly explaining to mountain bikers why they should slowdown when they meet up with hikers, or why it's not a good ideato ride on off-limits trails, he usually adds a reminder that the priv-ilege of riding Blue Hills trails should never be taken for granted.Joe should know; he's been working with the MDC's Blue Hills staff


20

since the late 1980's as a liaison to NEMBA and the mountain bik-ing community.

As mountain biking grew in popularity a decade ago, so did theperceptions of conflicts on Blue Hills' trails. Local newspapers fea-tured articles that played on people's concerns about the apparentdangers to established trail users caused by this "new" sport.Breaches of trail etiquette were common as all trail users tried tosort out each other's motives both on and off the trails.

Sensing in early 1991 that the MDC was heading toward a totalban on mountain bikes on all of its properties, Joe enlisted the helpof Bill Boles and Sue Lee in proposing to the MDC that a core groupof riders be formed with the goal of using peer pressure to encour-age mountain bikers to observe policies and trail use guidelines.With no other programs of its type in New England at that time,insights from organizers of similar groups in Colorado andCalifornia were collected. Rather than calling themselves a patrol,the group chose TrailWatch as its name in an effort to promotecommunication and dialogue over enforcement.

With enthusiastic support of the MDC's South Region Ranger,Maggi Brown, and the entire MDC Blue Hills staff, the originalgroup of three has grown to a roster of over 35 members, half ofwhom are members of the hiking community. A future goal ofTrailWatch is to add members of the equestrian community totheir ranks. MDC staff, TrailWatch members and the public are allin agreement that TrailWatch is a resounding success. The currentlevel of trail user cooperation in the Blue Hills is excellent. A yearly

mountain bike ride seriesprovides frequent options forall skill levels throughout theBlue Hills' April-Decemberriding season. In coordina-tion with NEMBA,TrailWatch helps to organizetrail work efforts with thereservation staff. Along withthe support of the MDC andNEMBA, TrailWatch spon-sors include Ted WojcikBicycles, Bike Express,VoMax, and Bike Barn.

TrailWatch is a volunteerprogram that operates on ayearly special use permitfrom the MDC, granting thegroup specific privileges towork within the reserva-tion's 7000 acres. As agents

of the MDC, uniformed TrailWatch members are permitted to rideon trails that are off-limits to the public in order to inform riders oflegitimate trail options within the reservation.

For the past four years, the crowning achievement for TrailWatchhas been in the success of the MDC's Blue Hills Mountain Bike Dayin late September. Attracting hundreds of riders, and many addi-tional industry sponsors, this event showcases the strength of theworking relationship between the MDC and the mountain bikingcommunity. While providing a fun event with an emphasis on fam-ilies, Mountain Bike Day is a wonderful venue for teaching respon-sible riding values to mountain bikers at all experience levels. —JoeSloane

E D U C A T E / A S S I S T

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New England’s Favorite Foliage RidesEditted by Krisztina Holly, White Mountains

Who hasn't experienced the coming of fall with mixed emo-tions? The days get shorter and cooler, and it's only a matter

of time that soggy, gray days of November are here.

But on the other hand, if you seize the moment, fall offers some ofthe best riding of the whole year - the bugs are gone, the weatheris cooler, and the forest offers up the most awesome scenery. Wein New England are graced with some of the best foliage - foliagethat tourists travel from all over to see. But for us, the show isright in our backyards.

SingleTracks has compiled some of the best rides for enjoying theautumn burst of color, with a selection of different types of foliagefrom different parts of New England.

Urban EscapeNoanet Woodlands and Hale Reservation in Dover, MA

For one of the nicest foliage rides in the Boston area, take a tripout to Noanet Woodlands in Dover. This 600-acre park has lots offoliage providing maple, elm, and oak trees and has access to twopeaks providing wonderful views of the autumn colors. The pondsrunning down the center of the property also provide very pic-turesque scenes as the autumn colors are reflected skyward.

If you like vistas, search out the peaks. Noanet Peak offers a niceview of the Boston skyline as it looks east. It is amazing that allthe heavily populated towns between Dover and Boston are prac-tically hidden in trees. To find Noanet Peak, simply ride into thepark and follow the yellow trail. As it starts to climb, just keep

going straight as the yellow trail turns to the right at marker 6, fol-lowing the climb up until you reach the peak.

The best view, however, comes from Powissett Peak in neighboringHale Reservation. Hale provides another 1200 acres of forest withit's own set of features. Powissett Peak looks back westward andon a clear day you can make out Mt. Wachusett in the far dis-tance. In the fall, the view of the hills and valleys as you look outfrom this peak is wonderfully filled with red and orange hues.

For information about Noanet, stop in at the ranger station onweekends. They will be able to provide you with a map and pointout the spots mentioned here. Although Powissett Peak is in Hale,it is included on the Noanet map. The catch at Noanet is that theyrequire you to purchase a season pass for $15, less for members ofThe Trustees of Reservations. The funds go back into the trails, soit is for a good cause. (However, these passes are typically free ifyou come to our spring trail maintenance day.) You can learn moreabout Noanet in the 'Places to Ride' section on the NEMBA website.— Andy Thompson, Blackstone Valley NEMBA

No Contest, this is a Vermont Classic!The Contest Trail in Pittsfield, VT

No piece on foliage would be complete without an entry fromVermont! Land of sugar maples, Vermont transforms into a col-lage of color, and the trails get littered with the multicoloredleaves every fall. Recommended without hesitation by bothVermont natives that I asked, the Contest Trail is definitely a clas-sic. Peak is early, usually the last week of September.

This intermediate-level ride includes Vermont's landmark colors, aswell as great views from a big 50-acre meadow. It's a moderateclimb up a dirt road followed by a funsingletrack downhill, and shouldonly take about an hour an ahalf for the entire loop, withthe option of extendingthe ride with more jeeproads.

The Contest trail isactually more than agreat ride, it may alsobecome an importanttest piece for moun-tain bike advocacy. Itis a cooperative,experimental effortbetween the US ForestService and theKillington-Pico CyclingClub - the first piece of sin-gletrack open to mountainbikes in the Green MountainNational Forest. The trail is beingmonitored for rider traffic and impact. (Ironically enough, the pre-liminary study's result showed that it was not getting enough useto generate usable data.)

Directions to the trailhead: From either of Rtes 91 or 89, followsigns for Quechee, Woodstock and Rutland, via Rte 4 west. At theintersection of Rtes 4 and 100 North, at the Killington access

"TheContest

Trail is actuallymore than a greatride, it may also

become an impor-tant test piece for

mountain bikeadvocacy."

F E A T U R E


F E A T U R E

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road, take 100 North through Pittsfield. About 1 mile fromPittsfield Village, take a left on Liberty Hill Road (FR 223). Continueup the road about ¾ mile, ignoring all turns, until you find a gate infront of a jeep road on the right. Park here.

Ride directions: Continue up Liberty Hill Road, the direction youwere driving. Admire the views of Killington and Pico draped in col-ors as you climb up the steep road. The town road turns into a jeeproad, and as it finally levels out over the top and starts down again(about a mile), find the beginning of the very well marked trail tothe right.

The trail climbs for a ways through the woods, then rolls, pleasant-ly. Eventually, you'll start a longer, fairly high-speed descent, whichbrings you out into a huge clearing with more great views out overthe valley. The trail bears right at the bottom of the field, climbingslightly before a descent with water bars that will bring you rightback to the gate where you parked.

Although this particular ride is short, the Pittsfield area offers moregood riding, so it's a good destination for the weekend. For moreriding, ride the Hayes Brook Loop off Upper Michigan Road. Or, trythe jeep roads up off South Hill, which offer 1000 ft singletrackdescents. In addition, Killington has a commercial mtb center of itsown, and the White River Valley Trails Association network innearby Randolph offers even more riding in the area.

Mountain bike guide and advocate Tom Yennerell owns the localPittsfield Inn, (802-746-8943, rates $100-120 per night, includingbreakfast), and there is also a large selection of lodging, dining, andnightlife in nearby Killington.

Recommended bike shops are First Stop in West Bridgewater (inter-section of Rtes 4 and 100 south), True Wheels on the Killingtonaccess road, Green Mountain Bikes in Rochester, and MountainCycology in Ludlow.

—as described by Tom Yennerell and Rob Macgregor, VT NEMBA

Solstice Stones and SingletrackCharles Ward Reservation in North Andover, MA

While twisting thorough the forest on tight singletrack is a greatway to enjoy the colors of fall, a high meadow with long-rangeviews allows us to witness the grand tapestry that the seasonbrings. Charles Ward Reservation in Andover and North Andover,MA offers both. Over 10 miles of great trails and two major hills arepacked into its 695 acres less than half an hour from Boston.

The Reservation parking area is easily found by heading east onProspect Rd. off Route 125 in Andover. Here you will find posted amap and there may be one available for you to take on your ride. Ashort climb up a paved access road and along a section of the BayCircuit Trail brings you to top of Holt Hill, at 385' the highest pointin Essex County. On a clear day, the views from the Solstice Stonesat the top of the hill extend to Boston and the Blue Hills over twen-ty miles away.

A full ride around the perimeter of the park of the will take you tothe best of the singletrack. For a clockwise tour, try Margaret's Trailto the northeast corner of the property, then make the technicalclimb up the flanks of Boston Hill, where a former ski area now sitsidle. Rounding the antenna farm on top you will come to a meadowwith an exquisite panorama where you can take in a full measure ofcolor. You will amaze at how few vestiges of civilization can be seen

from Elephant Rocks. It's a roller coaster ride back down into thehollow between the two hills. A number of different ways can befound back up to the top of Holt Hill, all of which are worth a try. Ifyou still need more after exploring Ward, it is easy to add in somemiles at Harold Parker State Forest with a short ride on the road.

For a bit more detail, read another description of Ward Reservationat: http://www.nemba.org/ridingzone/p_Charles_W._Ward_Reservation. html

Also, consider supporting The Trustees of Reservations who man-age this area and allow us to enjoy the trails:http://www.thetrustees.org/

—Dan Streeter, North Shore NEMBA

Foliage in FloridaSavoy Mountain State Forest, Florida, MA

Located in the remote northwestern part of Massachusetts in theBerkshires, Savoy Mountain State Forest offers some of the best fallfoliage mountain biking available. Because of its remoteness, youcould ride here for days on end and never see another mountainbike.

The forest offers riding for all abilities. It's classic New Englandmountain biking, mixing rolling dirt roads and four-wheel trailswith vintage tight Eastern singletrack. Mud, roots, and their associ-ated slipperiness are all part of the bargain. After riding here, itbecomes easy to see why it was selected as the location for an

Foliage FactsStarting in early September, a sea of color washes south fromnorthern New England, settling down in the southern coasts bylate October. The red maples in the swampy areas are the firstto turn, contrasting boldly with the dark green holdouts. Butsoon, the rest of the trees follow suit - first with the neonpatchwork of the northern forest's sugar maples, followed bythe bright yellow birches, shimmering apricot-leaved beeches,and the fiery red carpets of blueberry shrubs. Ultimately, theruddy oaks mark the season's denouement.

Foliage occurs when the leaves stop producing chlorophyll,uncovering the bright colors that have been hidden all season.The trees react to the shorter days and cooler temperatures thatinevitably arrive at the end of each summer. The best foliageoccurs when cold, clear autumn weather follows a rainy sum-mer. Additionally, an autumn without rain means a longerpeak - a soaking rain spells disaster for fall colors.

Although "peak" in any one area lasts for only a week or two, ifyou plan it right, you can ride the wave of color south andmake it last for weeks on end. Every year's peak is different, soit's important to keep tabs as the season progresses.

For accurate, twice-weekly foliage reports compiled from realspotters across New England (or for an archive of past foliagepeaks) visit: http://www.foliagenetwork.com/northeast_us/index.html

For more information about the biology of fall colors, visit:http://portlandme.about.com/library/weekly/aa083098.htm—Krisztina Holly

23

IMBA Epic Ride this fall.

One reward is a view of four states (Massachusetts, New York,Vermont, and New Hampshire) on a clear day from the fire lookouton top of Borden Mountain. In late September, the blast of orangesand reds you can see flowing to the horizon is incredible. The rid-ing can also include natural wonders such as Balanced Rock, a pre-cariously positioned glacial erratic from the last Ice Age; Bog Pond,with its floating bog islands; and Tannery Falls, a sequence of 300-foot waterfalls.

This 10,500-acre state forest makes it easy to leave the everydayworld behind, and there is so much riding to do here that it wouldbe impossible to cover all the trails in even a long weekend. ScenicNorth and South ponds offer tranquil places to fish, picnic, andswim. Forty-five exceptionally nice campsites are located here in anold apple orchard. Three log cabins with stone chimneys overlook-ing South Pond are available for rental year-round and can bereserved up to six months in advance.

Directions: From Route 91 inMassachusetts, take Route 2 west pastGreenfield and Charlemont and turn left atthe sign for Savoy State Forest. You canalso gain access from Route 116 past thetown of Savoy.

Recommended riding: For the four-stateview, ride one of the many trails that takeyou to the fire tower on top of BordenMountain. An easy trail is Kamick Roadgoing NW from Bannis Road. Eventually itmeets the old semi-paved access road tothe summit, where you will turn right andclimb up to the top. An even easier routeis the gravel Adams Road. For a more diffi-cult route, take Burnett Pond Trail northfrom Bannis Road and turn right and go upand across the Kamick Road trail and con-tinue to climb (steeply) up to the summit.The trail going SE from the summit ofBorden Mountain is one of the best down-hills around.

In general, any of the trails betweenTannery Falls and the south end of theBurnett Pond Trail are well recommended.For true tight and testy New England sin-gletrack, try some of the trails aroundNorth or South Pond. On the other hand, the old roads/trails westof the ponds have seen heavy ORV use and are often very muddyand rocky. You'll find some mud holes the size of Rhode Island aswell as plenty of wet off-camber slabs that will keep you on edge,but it's all rideable if you like that kind of biking.

Pay careful attention to the contour lines on the map, as sometrails are very steep, but all are rideable. There is a new trail, notyet on the map, which goes down from Balanced Rock to theTannery Falls parking lot. It's very steep, rocky, and technical, andwill test your abilities.

For a real treat, it is possible to ride 35 miles, mostly all on dirt,from Whitcomb Summit in Florida, MA on Route 2, all the waythrough Savoy Mountain State Forest and connect to DubuqueState Forest. It's a day-long point-to-point ride that we do everyFather's Day.

Park Information: Savoy State Forest,260 Central Shaft Road, Florida, MA 01247, 413-663-8469www.state.ma.us/dem/parks/svym.htm

Feel free to contact me for more information: [email protected].

— Tom McCrumm, Berkshires NEMBA

If you'd like your favorite ride featured here, nominate it! And ifyou don't like to write, that's ok, too… if we like your sugggestion,we can even write it up for you. In the next issue we will be high-lighting New England's best places to ride in winter. If you have afavorite place that stays dry most of the winter, or is great for iceriding, send it to [email protected].

Kingdom Trails, Burke VT—Mike Rowell

About 50 years ago, Vermont's senator, George Aiken, com-mented that the North Eastern section of the state of Vermontwas so beautiful it should be called the Northeast Kingdom.The term stuck, and today the area is warmly referred to asthe "Northeast Kingdom" or simply "the Kingdom".

I grew up in the heart of this area and still have family firmlyrooted there. This connection gives me ample cause to fre-quent the local trail network which was aptly dubbed "TheKingdom Trails" by it's originator's, the Kingdom Trails

Association. The associa-tion manages and main-tains the existing net-work, as well as plansand develops new trailson a continual basis. Toaccomplish this, they relyheavily on the support ofits members. Annualmembership is $20 andincludes a high qualitytrail map as well as the

inside scoop on the best and newest stuff out there.

The Kingdom Trails are a network of more than 75 miles oftrails on mainly private land around the Burke Mountain skiarea. The trails include miles of tight twisty singletrack, aswell as doubletrack and dirt roads, many of which enjoy win-ter cross-country skiing and snow-shoeing use. The terrain ismainly rolling with some great, eye-watering descents, andthe some knee busting ascents. Overall, the trail systemaffords something for all levels of cross-country rider, buteven though the system is in and around a ski area, the liftsdo not run in the summer, so downhillers are out of luck.

For more information on the Kingdom Trails you can visit theKingdom Trails Association website atwww.kingdomtrails.org/ or call them at (802) 626-3215.East Burke Sports is the local shop and can set you up with amembership to the Kingdom Trails Association, or with a trailmap for a nominal fee. If you're hungry after your ride, walkacross the road to The Pub Outback for some awesome onionrings, and pub fare as well as a pint of the locally brewed,Trout River IPA.

"The riding canalso includenatural won-ders such as

Balanced Rock,a precariously

positionedglacial erraticfrom the lastIce Age; Bog

Pond, with itsfloating bogislands; and

Tannery Falls, asequence of

300-footwaterfalls."

F E A T U R E

24

S I D E T R A C K S

Cranky about Cranks?by Mike Rowell

OK, what are the least sexy —yet most important— parts on a bicycle?Probably cranks and bottom brackets. Because they are purely functional,I never gave them a second thought. If you buy a decent pair, they willlast forever and you will never do anything except re-lube the bottombracket shells once in a while.

That was the case for me through the first 9 or 10 years of my mountainbiking career. Then I started riding more technical terrain and doing biggerdrop offs. That is when my perspective suddenly changed and cranksbecame the first thing on my mind because they kept breaking. Over thecourse of the last year I have destroyed 4 sets of cranks. I'm not a smallguy (6'2" 210 Lbs.), but I'm also not doing 20' drops.

Lightweight cranks do not cutit. For cross-country, the RaceFace Turbine LP's are great.They are relatively stiff andstrong. For doing biggerdrops, however, they break.As a side note, Race Face'scustomer service and warran-ty policy is the best I haveever encountered. The KookaXC cranks are OK although Ihad trouble with them creak-ing when used for XC andbreaking when used on drops.The older Shimano XT hyper-drive cranks are best left forlight cross country riders.They are pretty flexible andreadily break under the strainof a small drop. The same canbe said for most lower-endcranks, such as Sugino and lower end Shimano. They tend to break andexpose neat imperfections in the forging process, such as voids.

The new ISIS standard is really cool. It uses a splined bottom bracket andcrank. The standard was developed by Race Face, Chris King and Truvativ.Although I have not used the Race Face versions yet, I did buy a TruvativISIS setup for my single speed. The first set was flawed out of the box andwouldn't stay tight. Apparently the tolerances were not close enoughbetween the BB and the cranks splines. Truvativ replaced that crank andBB (Truvativ Stylo Single Speed cranks and a Truvativ SL BB) at no charge(save shipping and a month long wait). The replacement was a slightlylower end crank (the Truvativ FireX), but after one ride, the non-drive sidearm will not stay tight on this set either. My conclusion, stay away fromthe Truvativ ISIS setup.

After lots of trial and error, this is what I have found does work. For cross-country riding, the Race Face Turbine LP's are great. For freeriding or doingdrops, the only thing that has worked for me so far is the extreme alter-native. The Azonic 454 cromoly cranks. They are huge and they weigh aton. You could use the arms as weapons and the BB spindle is a solidchunk of splined steel. Zero flex and they are strong as hell. Setup is chal-lenging, given all the little pieces parts, but they work.

The Worst-CaseScenario SurvivalHandbookby Joshua Pivan & David Borgenicht. SanFrancisco: Chronicle Books (1999).

Mountain bikers need to be prepared for what-ever the trails dish out. For the truly fanatic,this extents into all aspects of life, and if thissounds like you, here’s a book we heartily rec-ommend: The Worst-Case Scenario SurvivalHandbook.

You never know when you might need to wres-tle an alligator on your next ride. Or whatwould you do if you and your bike get caught in

q u i c k s a n d ?And then,of course,you mightneed toc o n t e n dwith killerbees. Faceit, withoutthis book,you’d be agoner!.

Some of theskills you’lllearn canprobably bemodified to

suit bikes. Do you know how to jump from amotorcycle into a moving car? This could be auseful mountain bike technique.... or maybenot!

Even if you’re off the bike, you might want toknow how to fight off a shark, take a punch tothe stomach, deliver a baby in a taxi, survive apoisonous snake bite, identify a bomb, surviveif your parachute fails, hotwire a car, jump off abuilding into a dumpster, ram a car, perform ahigh speed 180 degree turn in a car, escapefrom a sinking car, win a sword fight, maneuveron top of a moving train, perform a tracheoto-my, treat a bullet wound, survive an earth-quake, survive adrift at sea, survive when lostin a desert, survive an avalanche, survive beingcaught in the line of gunfire, make a fire with-out matches, or even avoid being struck bylightening.

Need I say more? It’s a dangerous world outthere — ride it only after you’ve read the book!—Philip Keyes

25

Creak(kreek) n. 1. a harshsqueak, like that of an un-oiled hinge. 2.an enigma, something hard to find, buteasy to solve; bicycle mechanics lovethem. 3. a brain puzzle for the mechani-cally gifted (and challenged). 4. anopportunity for mechanics to receive duepraise.

Most of us have been there.You're riding on your favoriteset of rollers, you get up out

of the saddle and…the first peep.And another. Soon you realize you'vegot a small creak coming from somemysterious place in your bike. Itcomes and goes, presenting itself onemoment, then disappearing for weeksat a time, but always returning toannoy.

The creak-the result of frictionbetween two parts-is very common.Because a frame is a series of tubes,the sound of the creak can transportthroughout the frame and sound likea tin can telephone.

Many times there is a simple solution;the hard part is locating the creak'ssource. This itinerant creak can sendyou on a proverbial goose chase, anddiscovering its source can be a realworkout in itself. Over the years, wehave found some interesting potentialsources of creaks. The following is alist of possibilities to explore, andsome quick fixes.

Possible Sources of Creaks

Chainring bolts: Many times, chain-ring bolts dry out. A touch of Never-Seize™ (because it won'twash away) on the threads and shoulder is enough to quietthem down.

Bottom bracket: A lack of grease on the threads, loose crankarm bolts, or even improper installation of the BB itself cancause creaking. We recommend Never-Seize™ here, too.

BB cable guide: An illusory silent player located below the BB.Check to see if a Teflon or plastic sleeve houses the cables wherethey pass through the guide. Try greasing the threads on theanchor bolt.

Seat post: Another silent contributor. The remedy here is two-fold: First, check to see that the post is adequately greased; sec-ond, make sure that the post is not suffering from a build-up of

rust or corrosion.

Saddle/post clamp: Examine the areawhere the rails of the saddle contact thepost. It should be free of grit and grime. Aliberal greasing of the bolt should help,too.

Seat top clamp: Pull the seat post out andremove the clamp; clean off any dirt. Anapplication of grease helps here, too.

Cleats: Check the cleats on your cyclingshoes. Are they worn or loose?

Clipless pedals: All clipless pedals canbenefit from a light lube in the pivot areas.

Front derailleur: The mating surfacebetween the front derailleur clamp and theseat tube should be clean.

Wheels: Spoke tension can sometimescause a pinging noise. Try switching wheelsets.

Cable housing ends: Metal housing endssometimes creak inside the frame's cablestops. A dab of grease will help eliminatethe noise.

Head set adjustment: Check to be surethat the head set is properly adjusted.

Annoying creaks can ruin any cyclist's ride.Keep yourself sane by knowing exactlywhere to find them.

Things That Go Creak on a BikeRe-printed from The Seven Sun, Seven Cycles’ Owners’ Newsletter

Creaky Bottom Bracket Glemlin

S I D E T R A C K S

26

Fish Burritosby Krisztina Holly

Fish burritos are an easy and delicious meal after a hotsummer ride. It sounds kinda weird, but fish tacos aretraditional fare in Southern California - these burritos arethe same idea, but easier to snarf in large quantities. Tryit once and you'll be hooked! Preparation time: 20-25minutes. Feeds four.

Ingredients:

2 boxes of breaded frozen fish sticks (the baked varietyhas way less fat)1/2 lb Monterrey Jack cheese, slicedPackage of 8-10 burrito-sized tortillasSmall head of Savoy or green cabbage½ bunch cilantro sprigs, washedMexican tartar sauce (see below)

Mexican Tartar Sauce Ingredients:

2 TB of mayo2 TB of sour cream2-3 TB chopped fresh cilantro1 tsp lemon juice1 tsp ground cumin1-2 tsp ground chipotle pepper (or cayenne)1-2 tsp ground mild ancho chili pepper (optional)Salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven and bake the fish as directed.

2. While fish is baking, mix the sauce ingredients, shredthe cabbage, and wash and de-stem the cilantro.

3. When fish is done, assemble each burrito:

Melt 2-3 sliced of cheese on each tortilla (microwave orgriddle on low)

Add dollop of sauce, a couple fish sticks, a couple sprigsof cilantro, and cabbage

Wrap and eat!

S I D E T R A C K S

The Calls of the Wild by Deb McCulloch

Friends, and roamin' cross-countrymen...Won't you lend me your ear,While I run down the list of the many,Of the sounds, on the trails, you might hear.

They're the Calls of the Wild... and the wilder.Or sounds only nature provides,That creates the lure, that makes you come back...For more excellent singletrack rides.

For starters you'll hear heavy breathing,The blood pounds against the skull in your brain...Could it be again... that your starting pace,Was perhaps just a bit inhumane?

The first twenty minutes are hardest...When you suffer from oxygen debt.But think of the alternative...you could be homeListening to crap from your dumb TV set.

Fresh air, blue sky, the wind in the trees...Birds chirping, frogs croaking, the peepers...Are much more desirable than being a slave...to cell phones, or faxes, and beepers.

A large hill draws groans of anguishOff the back... a gassy burp from the goo.At the top a HUGE honkin' downhill, which...Spells relief... yelled LOUD... in "WAHOOOO'S!!"

Loads of fun, some frustration, much laughs and elationOn a bike, Life's as good as it gets!And just when you think that you've heard it all...Trust me pal, you ain't heard nothing yet!

In the distance a screeching of brakes,Or the screech from a hawk up above.The soft click of fine tuned gears as they shift...The explosion of knob over nub.

Ever notice the quiet that tends to descend,before tackling big technical rocks?With success, how that quiet abruptly ends... with a crock load of cocky trash talk?

Love the sound of tread crunching on ice crusty snow...Hate the cracking of helmets, Ti-frames, human bones...And the psssssss of a snake... Or worse... it's a flat...How I love the way mud hits my face with a SPLAT!

A mangled derailleur, the snapping of chains,Are frequent producers of words, quite profane.The bozo back there who was yakking his guts...(Free beer last night, and he drank far too much.)

Leaf matter that sticks in your brake, fork, and rim...Try to snag it while moving, you risk life or limb.But you go for it... cuz it's so damn annoying.You were lucky that time, you can go on enjoying...

The trails and their sounds... so beautiful...I'm sure I could pen hundreds more...But at this moment, I hear my bike calling ....See you later... I'm out the door!

C H A P T E R N E W S

27

After a great summer, the crisp autumn air hasarrived, but don't mothball your bike yet! We'vestill got plenty of great riding, trail work and funevents happening in Blackstone Valley.

Fun Ride and Family PicnicBravo to Dave Freed for organizing our fantasticmidsummer gathering at Hopkinton State Park!On a warm sunny July morning about 25Blackstone Valley membas and their families(plus a few welcome visitors from other chap-ters) gathered for a day of riding and feasting.We started out by traversing the rooty shore-line trail south of the reservoir, then dividedinto faster and slower groups. The fast and fitfolks climbed up the Glebe, Pipeline and Vistatrails while others took a brief shortcut northon 85 before ducking back into the singletrackson the north side of the water. Everyoneenjoyed the technical singletrack of the LongTrail, emerging back at the swimming and picnicarea with a good appetite! A few folks took aquick dip to cool off, while others fired up thegrill. Refueling with snacks and cool drinks, wecommenced with a planning meeting whilewaiting for the coals to burn down. Makingquick work of our agenda, we scheduled our fallmaintenance projects and planned our upcom-ing events for late summer and fall. We con-cluded the meeting by awarding Dave his well-deserved Rock Shox Hero plaque and schwag,just as it was time to grill the burgers! A greatride, a tasty meal and a good time were had byall. Thanks to everyone who helped make thisevent possible.

Douglas Fun RideI'd like to give Mitch Steinberg and all the volun-teers a huge round of applause for hostinganother excellent NEMBA/EFTA Funride atDouglas in August. We had a solid turnout ofabout 100 riders, ranging from kids and newriders to seasoned experts. Thanks to diligentplanning and lots of pre-riding, Mitch and hiscrew laid out courses that gave everyone milesof smiles. Even the weather cooperated, we hadlittle or no rain in advance and the first bit ofcrisp autumn air arrived just in time to providea dry and comfortable ride. Thanks also to newmembas Mary and Colin MacDonald, and EFTA's

Sue Blaisdell forhelping out atthe registrationtent. A big thankyou also goes toArt, Mike, James,and Steve fromthe New EnglandMountain BikePatrol. Sadly theirservices werecalled upon whenone rider wasstung by beesand had a fright-ening allergicreaction. Ridersnearby rushed tosummon helpand the victimwas quickly evac-uated to the hos-pital for treat-ment. Lastreports indicatehe was recover-ing well. Our heartfelt appreciation goes toeveryone who assisted in this emergencyresponse. It's great to know we can count onNEMBA membas to come thru in a crisis!

Triple Basin BlastDave Freed has been busy organizing the 2ndAnnual Triple Basin Blast epic ride. The coursestarts at the AAC restaurant, tackling VietNam's supertechnical singletracks and rockyplaygrounds. Next we traverse the powerlinesto climb Peppercorn Hill and spin throughUpton State Forest. The 15 and 25-mile routesfinish up with a half circuit of the rooty shoresof Whitehall Reservoir, while Dave leads thetruly hardy souls on a round trip of 35 miles.Afterwards we'll return to the AAC for refuelingand festivities. As of press time the event ismere days away and we're looking forward toanother great ride. We'll report more in the nextissue.

Weekly ride series goes twilightThe bugs are gone and the air is crisp, thoughthe days are getting shorter, there's still plentyof great riding left!

Our Blackstone Valley Wednesday rides willcontinue into October as a twilight series. We'llstart at 6:00 and ride till dusk, then turn on thelights and keep riding for another hour or so.We'll continue our regular UMFF rotation -Upton, Milford, Framingham (we are working toobtain permission to be in the park after dark)and Floater. If you'd like to lead this month'sfloater ride please contact our ride coordinator,Jeff Gallo - [email protected]. It's a great timeof year to be out in the woods, C'mon out.

Trail MaintenanceAutumn's cooler weather means it's time tobreak out the tools and get back to workimproving the trails. Come join us and you willbe entered in the drawing for an awesomeMerlin Ti frame! This fall we have trail mainte-nance projects scheduled throughout theBlackstone Valley. On Sept 15th Dave Freed iscontinuing our alliance with the WestboroCommunity Land Trust on the Charm Bracelettrail network. On October 13th Mark Lamkinwill supervise the installation of our new Kiosk

at the Edmands road parking lot at CallahanState Park. On October 20th, Dave Freed andGary Whittemore will help install a boardwalkat Whitehall Reservoir. As you may know, theselast 2 projects were made possible by NEMBA'sLand Access grants. On November 3 PeterTaylor will lead our volunteers maintaining theMidstate Trail in Douglas State Forest. Trail workis good karma and lots of fun too. If you'venever tried it, don't be bashful, we'll help youlearn the techniques. You'll gain a whole newunderstanding of your favorite trails too.

Volunteer Appreciation Ride andLunch, Elect Chapter Officers

Who says there's no free lunch? On SaturdayNovember 17th, all Blackstone Valley membersare invited to join us for a brisk autumn ride fol-lowed by a scrumptious lunch. Any volunteerwho has participated in 2 or more trail work-days has lunch on us! After lunch we'll electchapter officers and plan our events for thecoming year. Everyone is welcome, come wrapup the fall season and help us organize morefun events for 2002! We will be choosing theride location and restaurant shortly, let us knowif you have any suggestions. Please RSVP toDave Freed at [email protected]

For more information about these events, pleasevisit our website at www.bvnemba.org, or feelfree to contact me. As always, we invite yoursuggestions for rides, events, or trail work pro-jects. Volunteers and prospective members arealways welcome. Hope to see you on the trailssoon! —Anne Shepard

BlackstoneValleyPresident: Anne Shepard, 508-624-7185

[email protected]: Mitch SteinbergSecretary: Jeff GalloVP Callahan: Mark LamkinVP Vietnam: Joe BolandrinaVP Upton/Douglas: Mitch SteinbergVP Whitehall/Hopkington: David FreedVP Noanet Woodlands: Andy

Thompson VP Hodges Village: Rich KordellEmail List: [email protected]: www.bvnemba.org.

Blackstone Valley Brain Trust

Why join Cape Cod Nemba? Well the factthat we maintain the trails should be enough ofa reason, but the people and the parties and theadventures are simply... Well, you tell me.

It started quite innocently as a graceful tower-ing pine swaying in the wind, its long conifer-ous branches reaching towards the clouds, anddespite your politics, or mine... It was destinedfor the logging mill. But soon, part of it wasgoing to take on legendary status.

Ah! But I digress... This story actually beginstrail side, deep inside Otis, where I met an ener-getic golden-haired woman on two wheels whohad hopelessly lost her bearings. "Can youpoint me to the way out?" she asked. That itwas towards evening and seeing the confusionin her eyes I knew that accompanying her tothe trail head was a better alternative than,"Take a left at the big oak and at your secondright after the downhill look for a rock near a

root and then..." and certainly easier for methan tossing and turning in bed all night, guiltridden and unable to sleep, fearing I had left herto the evil of darkness and the coyotes. Turnsout this was to be one of the best moves of mylife, because this was the beginning of a long,whacky friendship filled with laughter, single-track, kayaking, skiing and just hanging out,that continuous to this day.

To be sure, Ellin is just one more of the interest-ing links in the chain of life regarding the type ofpeople you tend to meet through mountain bik-ing. Her motto is, "You can rest when you die."She would commute over an hour from herhome in Scituate, to ride with the gang andsoon it just wasn't a group ride without her!She loved riding with us so much she got a jobas vice-principal at a local Cape Cod highschool. Many of us will often share tidbits andstories from work on a group ride as a type ofcoping mechanism or emotional release, andhigh school teachers ALWAYS have fascinating,if not highly entertaining tales to tell.

As a Vice-Principal it is Ellin's job to deal withmatters of discipline when they arise.

Many times this involves the confiscation ofinappropriate materials, such as cigarettes,matches, gum, etc... This brings me back to thelumber yard. In the imaginative hands of a 7thgrade shop student, a piece of our once majes-tic pine was carved into an exact replica of alarge male reproductive organ. (Hereafter knownas Woody, Peter, Johnson...) Once discoveredabout seven years ago, it ended forgotten in

Ellin's confiscation bag/which also doubles asher teacher supply bag.Just recently she held apeer leadership work-shop with some of herstudents and pulledout the same confisca-tion bag to hand outpencils for an exercisethey were going towork with when... YouGuessed it.... OUTPOPPED WOODY. Sheurgently lurched after itbefore it started to rollacross the floor andmanaged to keep theoffending ( to some)replica away from ten-der young eyes, avoid-ing needless embar-rassment, undo rumorand special emergencymeeting with theschool committee.

After composing her-self her first thoughtwas, "This doesn'tbelong in here, I needto get rid of it quickly."On her next visit toMitchy the bike shopguy she promptly gaveit to him stating shecouldn't think of any-one else who deserved

it more! WELL LET THE GAMES BEGIN! His evilbrain clicks into high gear and the jokes andpranks

are put into motion. His first victim... SweetKristine, the bike shop chick- the angel whosaves the shop guys butts when the "difficult"customers come along. Let's just say, he put lit-tle x-tra MEAT in her lunch bag!!! And all shereally wanted was condiments. He then strate-gically taped it along Greg's seat post. (Greg is afrequent target. After his crash in the parkinglot, the boys couldn't resist drawing a chalkoutline of the body where it fell for our viewingpleasure) Next in line, Conor... When he cameback from knee surgery, the bike shop mechanicgot a bit of a RISE when he reached up on thetool board to grab a "head-set" wrench.

When it was time for our annual end of summerchowdah contest, I bet you won't have to guesswhat our first place cook Chris Coleman wasgiven for his victory. Let's just say it wasn't aBOOBY prize. Well Christopher... simply beingChristopher paraded around with his trophy forquite some time until he concocted a scheme tobuild a mini hucking center. So he casuallydropped the rocket into his shirt pocket. Manyof us then took turns learning how to climb upthe plank he constructed leading to a foot highledge and attempted to jump off, which beforeyou know it led to an even higher huckingramp, and with the home brew beginning tokick in and sure...perhaps we were all a bit halfcocked...he said... "Let Build a teeter totter!"Damn if Mr. Coleman himself didn't totally yard-sale all over his back yard off that thing, butafter shaking off the grass and picking up thepieces he noticed that his "trophy" had mysteri-ously vanished.... "Hey!" he called out, "Whostole my dick?"

The list of suspects was LONG. It was going tobe HARD to break this case. Did anyone PRE-MATURELY evacuate the scene? Full bodysearched were contemplated! Our new friendfrom Switzerland, Bruno was sure "It MUST bevon ov zee vomen!!!" But not a single one of thedirtygirls came clean! Anyhow... at the risk ofthis getting firmly out of hand... There is a gen-erous reward for the safe return of_________.Fill in the space with your own term of endear-ment. Join Cape Cod Nemba, if just for the peo-ple and the laughs!

The new Bourne Town Forest Trail was complet-ed this summer with the help of AmeriCorp andwhich now runs continuously into the FourPonds Conservation Area.

This fall, all the trails will be GIS'd with the helpof the environmental tech students from theUpper Cape Regional Technical High Schoolwith new maps to be printed, all possible fromthe grant money Cape Nemba received fromMassachusetts Environmental Trust.

On Saturday, October 13th, Debbie McCullochwill be leading an introductory/interpretativewalk through the three miles of new multi-usepassive recreational trail as part of Cape CodPathways Weekend. —Deb McCulloch


28

Cape CodPresident: Charlie Genatossio,508-477-

4936, [email protected]

Vice-President: Mitch McCulloch

Secretary: Ellin Borrus

Treasurer: Margaret Moore

Email List: [email protected]

The annual Fall Fiesta is coming. Sunday,October 14th in the Glastonbury area. See theadvertisement elsewhere in this issue or on thechapter website. I think that we can prettymuch guarantee smiles for everyone. It gets bet-ter every year. Don't miss it.

Are you interested in helping guiding CTNEMBAwith its agenda and mission? At this time thereare two openings on the chapter's board ofdirectors. We would welcome anyone interestedin contributing to further our goals. Please con-tact any chapter officer to discuss the responsi-bilities of this position. We will be ratifying theseven member board at this year's Fall Fiesta.Please consider helping out.

Elsewhere in this Singletracks issue you will findrundowns of our trail maintenance effortsacross the state so I will not digress into thisnear and dear topic except to repeat our stand-ing offer. If you see a need and wish to addressit but need advice and/or help to get started,contact us. You will find that within the chapter

and across NEMBA there are many resourcesavailable that may be able to assist from any-thing from general advice to help with contact-ing land management agencies to technical TMknowledge to tools and managing volunteers inthe execution of TM projects. But you have toask. Start with me, John Turchi.

This summer, CTNEMBA joined the Coalitionfor the Permanent Preservation of theKELDA Lands. This is a not-for-profit coalitionformed to acquire BridgeportHydraulics/Aquarion property in western CT(Weston/Easton area) with the expressed pur-poses of preserving this 15000+ acre propertyfrom development. At this point CT DEP andThe Nature Conservancy are in contract negoti-ation with Bridgeport Hydraulic/Aquarion topurchase this land tract. This will be followedby the development of property managementpolicies, including recreational use policy.Herein is our interest. This property generallyabuts the southern side of Huntington StatePark and represents an excellent opportunityfor mountain biking and other pursuits. Soundgood? Stay tuned. We hope to have very posi-tive information to report in our next newslet-ter. Oh, and lest I forget, the success of puttingthis property acquisition deal together is begin-ning to spawn interest in expanding the coali-tion's agenda to consider pursuit of land acqui-sition across Connecticut all with the goal ofproperty preservation from development.Conservatively we are speaking of several hun-dred thousands of acreage across the state.Wow.

The CTNEMBA Trail Ambassadors have a neattwist in development. They have abscondedwith my traditional CT Turkey Burner FunRide and are planning to hold several simulta-neous ride events across Connecticut on Friday,November 23rd. Even better the gang is turningthe whole shebang into a charity/communityservice event, a Toy Collection drive. This is

way cool. Stay tuned to the CTNEMBA Emaillistserv and the CT Website. Details should beavailable soon.

Ever wonder who has signed on as businesssponsors of CTNEMBA? Here's a quick rundown.Let these businesses know that their support isimportant to us and patronize them.

Daniello's Amity Bicycle (Woodbridge)Benidorm Bikes & Boards (Canton)Biker's Edge (Bristol)Cannondale Corporation (supports every one ofour programs and then some)Central Wheel (Farmington) (also a sponsor ofthe CT NEMBP)Cycleworks, LLC (Wallingford)Newington Bicycle & Repair (Newington)North Haven Bicycle (North Haven)Pig Iron Bike & Mountain Works (Glastonbury)Rock 'n Road Cycles (Clinton)Saybrooke Cycleworks (Old Saybrook)St. Francis Cares (supports CT NEMBP at theRes)The Bike Shop, Inc. (Manchester)Valley Bicycle (Granby)Wallingford Bicycle (Wallingford)

Got any news, issues or otherwise? Need somehelp? Drop me a line. —Turch

29


Beautiful sapphire-blue to green fadewith a black forest print graphic

background and the NEMBA logos.They have an extra long zipper and

are made In New England by VOMax.

The Holidays are Coming!Get the Mountain Biker in the familydressed for the season!

Phone Orders Only, All Sizes!800-57-NEMBAIn Stock Now!

$55Shorts $45

$90 for bothfree shipping!

ConnecticutPresident: John Turchi, [email protected]

or 860-653-5038Vice-President: Alex Sokolow,

[email protected], 203-281-0789Secretary: Nancy Martin, [email protected]: Mike GnazzoDirectors: Irv Schloss, Paul Wetmore,

Matt MuellerEmail List: [email protected] Web: http://members.aol.com/joeorto/Patrol Web:

http://members.home.net/bnemba

The Big RingSummer is whipping past like the cool breezesthat have come to our nights lately. It is gettingdarker earlier and soon we will need to get outthe lights, the long sleeves and long pants. Wehave a few projects planned for the fall and wehope that you can join us.

Frame WorkThe following are the dates for our Ted WojcikFall Trail Care Series, so mark your calendars!Bring work gloves, boots and eye protection; wesupply the lunch, and bring your bike and gearfor a ride afterwards.

Ted Wojcik Custom Bicycles and MavicWheels sponsored Fall Trail Care Schedule

October 7 - Pawtuckaway State Park - ContactDavid Heath (603) [email protected]

November 4 - Fort Rock, Exeter NH - ContactMark Desrochers [email protected]

Check our website for additional Trail Care daysto be announced at www.snemba.org.

And give me a call if you know of other loca-tions that require maintenance, restoration ornew trails.

Chain GangDo your part, that's what it's all about. Comejoin us for a Trail Care day and see what it's liketo give a little back into the trails you ride. Oneday a year is a small investment to keep thetrails you ride open.

CrankedOur Seacoast Chapter Annual meeting will takeplace on Saturday, October 13. We are trying totime this with the relocation of the Ted WojcikCustom Bicycles factory move, but if the timingdoesn't work out we will have the ride at analternate location. Regardless of location thiswill be a great event. There will be group rides, a

free cookout for all SNEMBA members and newmembers can join that day. Contact me afterOctober 1 for meeting location and details,[email protected].

Happy TrailsWe are always looking for new people to ridewith regardless of skill level. Don't be shy! Allyou have to do is ask. If you're interested in rid-ing in our region, send us a note and we'll setup a ride or let you know where the good trailsare.

See you on the trails! —Len Earnshaw

SeacoastPresident: Len Earnshaw,

[email protected] Vice-President: Jon Wilberg,

[email protected]: Jason Record,

[email protected]: David HeathEmail List: [email protected]: www.snemba.org

Hey! Get online with PV NEMBA!We now have our own chapter email chat list

to help spread the word about our events andto generate a bit of mountain bike communityin our area. To join [email protected], go to the NEMBAwebsite (www.nemba.org) and click on "EmailLists." It's easy to join and we hope that all ourmembers will subscribe soon, so we can get theemail list going.

Chapter MeetingWe will be having a chapter meeting on Nov.3at 10:00 at the Notch Visitors Center on theHolyoke Range. We would like to encourage allmembers to make a special effort to attend aswe will be making plans for future projects,electing chapter officers, and working on avision of where our chapter should be headingin the future,

Naturally, there will be plenty of single trackstomping after for riders of all levels followedby refreshments. So, come on out, meet otherchapter members, and enjoy some great ridingand good times. See Ya' There!

PV NEMBA Helps Build Bike/SkatePark

Valley chapter members gave up their day offon Labor Day to help construct a stairwayentrance for the new Greenfield Bike/Skate Park.Chapter supporter Bicycle World donated thematerials and chapter members donated 15hours of labor digging, pounding and directingarea youths in construction. This park is des-tined to be a premier destination for NewEngland stunt bikers and skaters. —John Dudek

RI NEMBA Fun RideRI-NEMBA had a very successful Fun Ride onMay 23, 2001. Many local riders came out toshow their support of our group and enjoyedfollowing the arrowed loop that Jim Grimleydesigned for them. As always it was challengingbut very enjoyable. We also enjoyed cookingout afterwards and giving away some great raf-fle prizes. We had many new members join andthank them for deciding to support us. Thanksalso to Tom Hogan and the patrollers for show-ing up and lending a hand.

Blaze Reminder — Huntng Seasonis here

Hunting season in RI starts the second week-end in October and continues until the last dayof February. During this time you must wear200 inches of orange to ride mountain bikes inthe woods in RI. Thanks. —Tina Hopkins

30


PioneerValleyPresident: John Dudek, 413-772-0496,

[email protected]: Rich LaBombard, 413-

527-7427, [email protected]: George WillardWeb: http://pvnemba.tripod.com/pvnem-

ba.htm

Rhode IslandPresident: Jim Grimley, 401-782-0162,

[email protected]

Vice-President: Jim Christensen

Treasurer: Sara Grimely

Secretary: Tina Hopkins

Email List: [email protected]

Web: http://members.aol.com/rinem-ba99/rinemba.htm

RI Patrol: Tom Hogan, 860-376-3250

http://www.geocities.com/mtbikepatrol

31

Nashua NewsFall is here, the best season for riding. None ofthat awful heat and humidity that sucks thestrength right out of you in the summer and notas many bugs to bite at you and go down yourthroat as in the spring. But be advised to stillkeep your mouth closed if you plan to ridealong the canal in Mine Falls, those swarms oflittle bugs never seem to go away.

In July we had a chance to meet and ride withGary Fisher. Goodale's bike shop in Nashua

had Gary Fisher come in to promote his bikesand after go for a ride through Mine Falls Park.We set up a booth outside of Goodale's thathad a display of pictures showing many of ourrides and trail days. We also put out NEMBAbrochures and SingleTracks for people to take.Debbie made some of her yummy brownies tohelp entice people over (Gary ate 3 of them).We had a nice morning talking about NEMBAwith the people that stopped by. Thank you toall that helped.

Our own George Borrelli is now an official mem-ber of the Town of Merrimack ConservationCommittee. He had gone to a MCC meeting afew months ago to tell them about our newchapter and the status of mountain biking inMerrimack and they asked him right at thatmeeting if he would like to join the committee.George has some great ideas about a network oftrails that would connect the towns surround-ing Merrimack.

One thing that has really surprised me as ourSouth Central chapter has made contact withthe town officials and volunteers who look afterthe parks and the land, is how welcoming theyare to us. We've gone to meetings ready to givemountain biking a spirited defense, but wind uphaving to be careful not to promise more helpthan we can give.

South Central had a nice representation at thisyear's Great Glen 24 hr Race. Pamela andMark Polomski, Debbie and Dave De Groot, andCollin Galloway made up Team Cracked Rib.Paul Lemieux, also from SC NH was also thereriding as a member of another team. Everyonesaid they had a blast and they want to go backnext year. Check out the pictures and video onour new website http://Home.earthlink.net/~scnhnemba/

On a personal note, I would like to bid a fondfarewell to my old biking shoes. My pink andwhite, circa 1986, LA Gear aerobic shoes retiredat the end of July. They were with me from thestart, four years ago, scrounged from the backof the closet, on the flat petals of my GTPolomar , both feet flying as we hit the bumps.They moved with me when Santa brought me anew bike, this time pedals with straps! Theywent through dirt and puddles and mud and gotreal ugly and pretty smelly and the treads gotworn completely down. When I wound upwrapping electrical tape around one to keep thesole on, I realized it was time to let go. I hopethose new fangled shoes and those clipless ped-als are as faithful. —Jean Rubin

South-CentralNew HampshirePresident: Jean Rubin, [email protected]: Mark Polomski

[email protected]: Debbie DeGroot

[email protected]: Susan DeCloedt,

[email protected]: http://scnh-nemba.intranets.com/


It was a hot one on the Pedro's-Harpoon MTBAdventure ride in August. There was all kindsof chat on the Semass email about people nothaving enough water. You always need morethan you think you need, as in 1/1 ratio ofounces to degree. If it's 100 degrees outside,you better bring a full 100 ounce camel back.NOW THAT COLDER WEATHER IS LOOMING,YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT YOU ALSO NEEDTO DRINK A LOT ON THOSE CHILL RIDES.Dennis says that the next Freetown funridescheduled for November 4th will feature moresingletrack that isn't so rocky or sandy.

Ok, so let's all think about the Adventure andEFTA ride series for next year. We should havethem in as many forests in Southeast Mass aswe can. They raise money and bring out a lot ofpeople of all skill levels who wouldn't otherwisebe riding there. Contact the VP of the forestyou like and volunteer to put up arrows, helpdesign loops, work registration, sweep thecourse, etc. We need people to make thesework. It's fun to help and how else do you getto meet so many wonderful Nemba members?

Wait until you get a load of the new NEMBAtrailer. (Really, no pun intended). Paul Peaslee,

VP of Wompatuck is in possesion of it and will'loan' it for trail maintenance days in otherforests. This thing is nice, equipped for a seri-ous work day. I wonder if he actually bought hisnew 2002 truck to go with the trailer. He'sgoing to put in a requisition for some kind ofCAT earthmover as well. Ask and you shallreceive.

We all welcome Jan Hubbell, the new VicePresident of Franklin State Forest. We're sohappy to have her and give her our support atthat great riding spot. She's the one that's keep-ing us out of trouble at Vietnam in Milfordtoo. Remember, don't trash the new picnic tablenear the entrance with riding stunts. Jan actual-ly took up a collection to fund it. There's plentyof other things to do in 'Nam. The owner couldban us from parking on his property, as he'sbeen so gracious to let us do so. — CarolynZepf

SE MassPresident: Carolyn Zepf, 781-297-5658 Vice-Presidenst:Ames Nowell: Don Jordan, 781-767-

4044Blue Hills: Joe Sloane, 617-696-3533Borderland: Richard Higgins, 508-328-

7590Foxboro: Dan Ibbitson, 508-543-4428Franklin SF: Jan Hubbell, 508-543-4428Freetown: Dennis Lewis, 508-993-5920Wompatuck: Paul Peasley, 781-925-

2512Wrentham: Kevin Delaney, 508-226-

3467Treasurer: Bill Boles, 508-583-0067Secretary: Eero Kola, 781-356-2518Email List: [email protected]

Staying Coolwith Aqua Cool

NEMBA’sOfficial

H2O Source!

WachusettPresident: Vacant.Vice-Presidentl: VacantVP Groton TF: Dave Stockwell,

[email protected] Leominster SF: Jim Wrightson,

[email protected] Midstate: Jim Amidon,

[email protected] Townsend SF: Dana Blanchard,

[email protected]: John PrattSecretary: Gray HarrisonEmail List: [email protected]:

http://geocities.com/Yosemite/Meadoes/1441/

WhiteMountainsPresident: Mark Jenks, 603-536-0233,

[email protected]: Rob Adair, 603-356-

5214, [email protected]: Phil Ostroski Secretary: Cathy SteersEmail List:

[email protected]

BerkshirePresident: Mary Tunnicliffe,

413-298-0073, [email protected] VP: Herm OlgunickSecretary: Jan MarcotteTreasurer: Rex ChannellEmail List: [email protected]

32


Greetings, Green Mountain Bikers, Or is thatdusty mountain bikers? When was the lastsummer riding season when the main featurewas dust, dust and more dust? Hope everyonehas been getting out to ride. No excuses forrainy weather, anyway...

So we're anxiously awaiting the results of thecomment period for the International Paperroad trail proposal west of Stratton. The com-

ment period ended on Aug. 15th and the USForest Service staff should be reviewing thecomments and making a decision soon, if notby the time you read this. Certainly everyone isoptimistic that the proposal will be accepted.

The Forest Service has also asked us to submit a"wish list" of trails to be considered for moun-tain bike use in the next Forest plan revision, soif anyone has suggestions for suitable trails innon-wilderness areas, let us know. Newly hiredUS Forest Service planner Melissa Reichert wasinstrumental in creating the West River Trail,which some of you have ridden.

Now we turn our organizational efforts to theSomerset Reservoir area, but if anyone hasother suggestions for a trail project, pleasespeak up. Somerset will involve another paperchase, so a more practical project would be apleasant change in the short term. Proposals

should be made keeping in mind that we are asmall and loosely organized chapter, so weshouldn't try to tackle any huge projects. Bigthanks to Mt Snow for donating space for theNEMBA booth there at the Chevy Truck /NORBA finals, in mid-August. The booth was amodest success, enlisting new members forseveral different chapters. Thanks to JoanAmbusk, and Len Earnshaw from Seacoast NHchapter for their help in the booth.

Lastly welcome to our new members from thelast 2 months. Hope everyone has a great fallriding season! Happy pedaling! —RobMacgregor

VermontPresident: Rob Macgregor, 802-824-3642,

[email protected]: Cyndi Kilday

North ShorePresident: Dan Streeter, 978-462-4605,

[email protected]: Joe DizazzoTreasurer: Ron CorporonSecretary: Dan WalshEmail List: [email protected]

Greater BostonPresident: Tom Grimble,

[email protected]: Jeff Hyland, jhyland-

[email protected]: Colleen HaggertyTreasurer: Scott BriereEmail: [email protected] List: [email protected]: 3rd Wednesday of month

MerrimackVAlleyPresident: Norman Blanchette, 978-957-

0800, [email protected]: Mark Bialas, 978-452-

1590, [email protected]: Hugh Folsom, (978) 244-0633

33

Cape Cod & Islands

10/12 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130010/14 Vineyard Intermediate David Whitmon 508-693-490510/16 Trail of Tears Adv. Novice-Intermediate Steve Wong 7:00pm 508-428-193510/17 Otis All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130010/17 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130010/19 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130010/21 Vineyard Intermediate David Whitmon 508-693-490510/23 Trail of Tears Adv. Novice-Intermediate Steve Wong 7:00pm 508-428-193510/24 Otis All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130010/24 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130010/26 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-1300

NEMBA RIDE SERIESBill Boles, Ride Coordinator

NEMBA rides are led by individual NEMBA members for other members and prospective members. So if you haven't yet joinedNEMBA, please do.

Rides are usually for small numbers of people and vary with the location and the personal style of the host. Rideshave been known to change location or time at the last moment. So be sure to call the ride's leader, both to sign up, and tofind out more about the ride. **Be sure to contact the ride leader a couple of days before the ride takes place. That way youwill be sure that the ride is on.

If you commit to a ride, go, since space is limited. That way the rides will stay manageable and be enjoyable foreveryone. Helmets are required on all NEMBA rides. Contact the ride leader if the weather looks questionable.

HEY! - Why not lead a NEMBA ride yourself? Contact Bill Boles at 508-583-0067 or [email protected] for moreinformation.

(MBA) Indicates a NEMBA Mountain Bike Adventure Series Ride(EN) Indicates an EFTA/NEMBA Fun Ride.(D) Indicates a weekday daytime ride.(FBH) Indicates a Friends of the Blue Hills Ride.(BHTW) Indicates a Blue Hills Trail Watch ride.(NBTRS) indicates Newington Bike Trek Ride Series(Dog) Indicates you can bring your dog.(W) Indicates a WOMBATS ride.(k) Indicates a Kids & Family ride.(CALL) Indicates contact the leader to see if the ride is on.(TBA) Indicates location to be determined.

The following ride categories are only general guidelines. You should ask the ride's leader exactly what type of ride he or she isplanning in terms of distance, pace and technicality. Also, be realistic about your level of riding skills and don't join a ride thatis beyond your present ability or fitness level.

MBA 10-20 miles. A ride on a marked course for all ability levels. Normally includesshort and long loops. Call for more information.

EFTA/NEMBA 10-25 miles. Marked loops for all ability levels. Normally includesmultiple loops. Call for more information.

Kids/Family: 2-10 miles, usually easy pace & terrain. These rides are aimed atparents with young children.

Beginner: 2-7 miles, easy terrain, easy pace. These rides are aimed at riders withlittle or no riding experience.

Novice: 4-9 miles, mellow pace, easy terrain, frequent stops.Advanced Novice: 6-10 miles, mellow pace, either mostly easy terrain, or could be

technical terrain done slowly, frequent stops.Intermediate: 10-20 miles, moderately technical, somewhat faster pace, occasional

stops and bail out points. Intermediate rides are designed for people whoride frequently, and have some skills, but who probably don't enter races.

Advanced Intermediate: The same as intermediate, except faster and harder terrain.Advanced: 20-30 miles, high technical difficulty, fast pace, few stops or chances to

bail out. These rides are intended for advanced riders or, racers whowould like to go for a challenging ride at less than all out race pace.

Women's Rides: Can be any level of difficulty. Call for more information.

10/28 Vineyard Intermediate David Whitmon 508-693-490510/30 Trail of Tears Adv. Novice-Intermediate Steve Wong 7:00pm 508-428-193510/31 Otis All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130010/31 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130011/02 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130011/04 Vineyard Intermediate David Whitmon 508-693-490511/06 Trail of Tears Adv. Novice-Intermediate Steve Wong 7:00pm 508-428-193511/07 Otis All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130011/07 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130011/09 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130011/11 Vineyard Intermediate David Whitmon 508-693-490511/13 Trail of Tears Adv. Novice-Intermediate Steve Wong 7:00pm 508-428-193511/14 Otis All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130011/14 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130011/16 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130011/18 Vineyard Intermediate David Whitmon 508-693-490511/20 Trail of Tears Adv. Novice-Intermediate Steve Wong 7:00pm 508-428-193511/21 Otis All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130011/21 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130011/23 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130011/25 Vineyard Intermediate David Whitmon 508-693-490511/27 Trail of Tears Adv. Novice-Intermediate Steve Wong 7:00pm 508-428-193511/28 Otis All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130011/28 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130011/30 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130012/02 Vineyard Intermediate David Whitmon 508-693-490512/07 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130012/14 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130012/21 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130012/28 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-1300

Central, Wachusett & Western Mass

Connecticut

10/30 W. Hartford Reservoir Beginner John Turchi [email protected] 860-653-503811/23 CT Turkey Burner All Various Locations John Turchi [email protected] 860-653-5038

Maine, New Hampshire & Vermont

10/02 Massabesic, NH Beginner - Intermediate Walter Masgul [email protected] 603-512-509511/23 Auburn, NH All Jack Chapman 603-483-2951 (EN)

Metro Boston, Merrimac & North Shore

10/13 Blue Hills Intermediate Bill Boles [email protected] 508-583-0067(FBH)10/14 Blue Hills Intermediate Bill Boles [email protected] 508-583-0067(BHTW)10/21 Blue Hills Novice David Hodgdon 781-326-2543(FBH)10/23 Dracut All Norm Blanchette [email protected] 978-957-0800(EN)10/27 Fells Women Chris Sebastian [email protected] 617-573-9546(W)10/28 Harold Parker SF All Dan Streeter 978-462-4605 (EN)10/28 Blue Hills Teen/Fun/Ride Mark & Danielle 617-698-1802(BHTW)11/03 Blue Hills Novice John Mannix 617-698-1802(BHTW)11/10 Blue Hills Intermediate Bill Boles [email protected] 508-583-0067(FBH)

34

Advertise inSingleTracks

Reach thousands of mountain bikersthroughout New England!

Call 800-57-NEMBA for rates.

35

12/01 Blue Hills Intermediate Bill Boles [email protected] 508-583-0067(FBH)

Rhode Island

Southeastern Mass & Blackstone Valley

10/13 Foxboro SF Women Sue Mitchell [email protected] 508-761-4291(W)10/13 Blue Hills Intermediate Bill Boles [email protected] 508-583-0067(FBH)10/14 Blue Hills Intermediate Bill Boles [email protected] 508-583-0067(BHTW)10/14 Freetown SF Adv. Beginner - Intermediate Jim R. [email protected] 508-579-3168(4:30 PM)10/16 Wompatuck SF Intermediate Paul Peaslee 781-925-251210/17 Callahan SP Intermediate Jeff Gallo [email protected]/18 Foxboro SF Intermediate Dan Ibbitosn [email protected] 508-384-066510/20 Foxboro SF Women Kristin Weisker [email protected](W)(D)10/21 Blue Hills Novice David Hodgdon 781-326-2543(FBH)10/21 Freetown SF Adv. Beginner - Intermediate Jim R. [email protected] 508-579-3168(4:30 PM)10/23 Wompatuck SF Intermediate Paul Peaslee 781-925-251210/25 Foxboro SF Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-066510/28 Freetown SF Adv. Beginner - Intermediate Jim R. [email protected] 508-579-3168(4:30 PM)10/28 Blue Hills Teen/Fun/Ride Mark & Danielle 617-698-1802(BHTW)10/30 Wompatuck SF Intermediate Paul Peaslee 781-925-251211/01 TBA Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-066511/03 Callahan SP Women Harley Erickson [email protected] 978-772-9644(W)11/03 Blue Hills Novice John Mannix 617-698-1802(BHTW)11/04 Freetown SF All Dennis Lewis [email protected] 508-993-5920 (EN)11/06 Wompatuck SF Intermediate Paul Peaslee 781-925-251211/08 Foxboro SF Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-066511/10 Foxboro SF Women Sue Mitchell [email protected] 508-761-4291(W)11/10 Blue Hills Intermediate Bill Boles [email protected] 508-583-0067(FBH)11/11 Freetown SF Adv. Beginner - Intermediate Jim R. [email protected] 508-579-3168(4:30 PM)11/13 Wompatuck SF Intermediate Paul Peaslee 781-925-251211/15 Foxboro SF Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-066511/17 Foxboro SF Women Kristin Weisker [email protected](W)(D)11/18 Freetown SF Adv. Beginner - Intermediate Jim R. [email protected] 508-579-3168(4:30 PM)11/20 Wompatuck SF Intermediate Paul Peaslee 781-925-251211/25 Freetown SF Adv. Beginner - Intermediate Jim R. [email protected] 508-579-3168(4:30 PM)11/29 Foxboro SF Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-066512/01 Blue Hills Intermediate Bill Boles [email protected] 508-583-0067(FBH) 12/06 TBA Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-066512/18 Foxboro SF Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-066512/20 Foxboro SF Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-066512/27 Foxboro SF Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-066501/01 TBA Intermediate Bill Boles [email protected] 508-583-0067

NEMBA’sOfficialSingletrackBar!

Eat ‘em andRide!

36

JOIN NEMBA MEMBA HEROESPLEASE GIVE TO NEMBA’S ANNUAL APPEAL!

Master Trail Builders,$1000+AnonymousBill BolesKrisztina Holly & PeterBrandenburgJeffrey GalloMichael & Winnie GnazzoAndrew HongNed OverendRick Smith

Trail Builders, $500+Stephen Bonin

Benefactors, $250+Allison & Brad BrayPeter CrimminStuart & CatherineJohnstoneDave KingJames RileyJoe ScozzafavaAnne ShepardDan StreeterAndy Thompson

Sponsors, $100+Kyle AlvesJim AmidonSusan & Alexis ArapoffJeff BerlinJoe BinsackStig & Claudia BolgenScott & Charlene BosleyGeorge BrandenburgCharles BrownSkip BrownTim & Hilary BugbeeMelissa ButtaroDon ButtonJon ClarkEd ClausenLewis & Cary CollinsJack CooperKenneth DeckoBrendan DeeBud DeshlerJoe DiZazzoTom DoucetteDavid DunnNeale & Benjamin EcksteinDavid Eggleton FamilyTim EliassenBob GagnonMark GibsonRobert Giunta & FamilyDan GoldbergNoreen & Tom GreeneMark & Pamela GunsalusDan HampsonJohn HebertDorothy HeldRaymond Hubbe

John JenkinsDouglas JensenEdward JohnsonSteve KahlerJohn & Cheryl KataHasan KhanLew LahrJoyce Lockert & SharonLambBarry LaMotteRobert & DomenicaLevinsonJohn LevyScott LewisMike MargolisTim MeehanSteve MillerChris MillerDenis MorganMichael MulhernDan MurphyAlison Wald & JohnMustardDonald MyersJ. Shefftz & AndreaNewmanStephen NorwoodMarc ParadisCliff PierceMatt PlumJoachim PreissJay & Mary Beth ProsnitzThomas RiihimakiPierre RouzierCathy & Michael RowellJohn & MargaretRuttenbergLewis SabbagRobert & Ariane SalamyDon & Kristen SeibR. Leslie SheltonSteven ShoreBrian SmithMitch SteinbergTony & Jamie SudolTim SykesMike TabaczynskiMichael TonryDavid WeanGary WhittemoreDebra WimpeyFrank Wojtas

Supporters, $50+Tim & Chimene AdamsBruce AgliJohn AldersonMike AndersenMark AndersenJeffrey AndersonBruce AristideBob AtighechiChuck AtkinsonJane Barbieri

Ruth BarraganSam BartlettJennifer BashoreH. E. BatesRon & Diane BeliveauErica BerlElse BettencourtDana BlanchardNorman BlanchetteDaniel BonhamR. Scott BorrusDavid BoyntonSteven BransonScott & Laurie BriereShawn BroderickDave BrooksBecky McEnroe & DonBunkerBarry BurkeTom BurkeChris BusickDavid CarlsonAaron CarterJeffrey ChaplinDave ChicoineSteve & Lauren ClarkeMarshall ClemensPeter CollinsJohn ConnollyJeffrey CotranJoseph CristBrian DahlstromTom DeakinsJacqueline DecourceyDavid & Deborah DeGrootAllen DeludeRon DeSistoTom DigilioDick DoleLisa & PJ DrennanHunt DureyJeffery EskaVictor EvdokimoffWilliam FerzocoTed FinnPaul FlaxmanChristian FortinJonathan FrancisDavid & Karen FreedGerald GaudetteDave & Victoria GaudreauJohn GazleyJerry GeriboHarris GhausPeter GillDan GlassSteven GrahamLarry GuildTom HalliwellChris & Jesse HarrisBarry & Lisa HarsipRick HennessyEric & Eric HillAnn Mulligan & Greg Hirth

John HoffmanShawn & Brenda HurleyDonna Jensen & JeffreyHylandRebecca White & DavidIwatsukiCathy Steers & Mark JenksLarry JohnsenScott JohnsonAmee Seitz & MatthewJohnsonMatt & Holly JohnsonJohn JonesHoward & Trish KargmanAnna KleinfeldtDavid KleinschmidtAndrew & Leslie KohnkeEero KolaRichard KordellBen & Jake KrowickiJim LaffanKyle LafleurMark LamkinFrancis LaurenceMatt LennonLisa & Jim LewisCharles & Judi LincicumJohn LockwoodKen & Shari LongMark LudersRichard LuisePaul LynchRon MacDonaldEileen MaddenEdward MahoneyRich MandersChris MarinoMarla MarkowskiMichael MarraSeth MarshallMark MartinezJim MaysMegan McCutcheonChris McGrathJon McNeillLisa Mecure & DouglasMerrillChris & Kelly MeuserDavid MitchellBill & Denise MonroeRegina Badura & EgbertMostSteve MunizBarry MyersMike MylesDiana DeValk & JohnNachillyRebecca & Nick NowakEric OliverArt & Lori ParadicePatrick PedontiAndrew PenzinerJohn PewsDon Pierce

Jim PizzaPhil PlessMichael PollackDavid & Philip PoorvuJohn PuricelliMartha RekrutDavid RentonDianne Sforza & PaulRheaumeDavid RifkenRichard RobbinsTom RogersMantas RudzeviciusJessica Bassett &Consuelo RuybalCarol RyanMichael SalernoJonathan SalingerDavid SantomennaVictor SaverinoDavid & Josh ScavettaErik & Liz SchoepkeJen SecorHarvey SerrezeJohn SheehanMaura ShephardSteven ShoberGary SmithAlex SokolowPatricia SouzaMichael Souza Jr.Paul SpencerKevin SpragueKeith & Martha St. DenisElise-Marie StaleyDoug StotzJohn SweeneyNicholas & Nick SweetingMary & John TunnicliffeJohn TurchiAnita Rosencrantz &Robert TutwilerConrado VellveRon VeserPatrick WardRichard WarnerBrian & Ian WellsCarl WeymouthNancy Breen WhitcombJon & Lori WibergRichard WilkGeorge WillardScott WilsonRich WolfeMaury WoodAndy Sanidas & LesliWoodruffJim & Jennifer WrightsonPaul YaworskyDave Froehlich & KarynYoungShorta Yuasa

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SOS: Support Our Sponsors. They Support Us!$1000+Belmont Wheel Works, Belmont MABikebarn, Whitman MACycle Loft, Burlington MADirt Rag Magazine, Pittsburgh PAHarpoon, Boston MAIndependent Fabrication, Somerville MAIMBA, Boulder COMerlin Metalworks, Chattanooga TNRedbones BBQ, Somerville MASanta Cruz, Bicycles Santa Cruz CASeven Cycles, Watertown MATed Wojcik Bicycles, Hampstead NH$500+Gately Associates, Wellesley MAGoodale’s Bike & Ski, Nashua NHLandry’s Bicycles, Framingham MANewington Bicycle, Newington CTRock Shox, Colorado Springs CO$250+

Bicycling Magazine, Emmaus PACane Creek, Fletcher NCMavic, Haverill MAUSE Shokpost, Portsmouth NH$150-200+Competitive Edge, Northampton MADon’s Cycles, Fairfield CTMean Wheels Bike Shop, Lenox MAYarmouth Bicycle & Fitness, Yarmouth MA$100Bath Cycle & Ski, Woolwich MEBenidorm Bikes & Snowboards, Canton CTBicycle Alley, Worcester MABicycle Bill, Allston MABiker's Edge, Bristol CTBikes Belong Coalition, Brookline MA Cove Cycle, Hyannis MACycle Works, LLC, Wallingford CTDowneast Bicycle Specialists, Fryeburg MEEasthampton Bicycle, Easthampton MA

Exeter Cycles, Exeter NHFerris Wheels Bicycle Shop, Jamaica Plain MAHighland Hardware & Bike Shop, Holyoke MAMid-State Bicycles, Leominster MANorth Haven Bike, North Haven CTPig Iron Bicycle Works, Glastonbury CTRiverside Cycles, Newburyport MARock'n Road Cycles, Clinton CTSaybrook Cycle Works, Old Saybrook CTThe Bicycle Shop, Topsfield MAThe Bike Shop, Inc., Manchester CTUnion Cycle, Attleboro MAWallingford Bike & Repair, Wallingford CTYankee Pedaler, Hudson MA$50North Shore Cyclists, Amesbury MANortheast Bicycle Club, Burlington MATeam Bicycle Alley, Worcester MA

R i d e N E M B A ’ s C y b e r - T r a i l s !What are you waiting for? Don’twait for the next SingleTracks to findout what’s happening! NEMBA canhook you up with all the latestnews, rides and happenings on ourmany email lists. Join one, join two,three; it doesn’t matter. Thousandsof other New England mountainbikers are already online sharingtales of their latest crashs, their bestrides, and planning their next epics. Don’t miss out!

Log on to www.nemba.org’s “NEMBA Email Lists”Choose the email lists that fit your mountain bike fancy!:

[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@nemba.org

They’re free and they’re fun, so putdown the magazine and subscribe. Hey,

I said, put it down!

Membership Application

38

We need you to join! You’ll get a year’s worth of SingleTracks, a membership handbook, some cool stickers and amember’s card which is frequently good for discounts at your local bike shop. More than that, you’ll be welcome tocome to all our events and you’ll be helping make the trails a better place for mountain biking!

Pick a Chapter!

At LargeBerkshire NEMBABlackstone Valley NEMBACape Cod NEMBACT NEMBAGreater Boston NEMBAMerrimack MA NEMBANorth Shore MA NEMBAPioneer Valley MA NEMBASeacoast NH NEMBASouth Central NH NEMBASoutheast MA NEMBARhode Island NEMBAVermont NEMBAWachusett MA NEMBAWhite Mtns NH NEMBA

Name _________________________________________________________________________________

Address _______________________________________________________________________________

City ____________________________________________ State _______ Zip ______________________

Home phone _____________________________ Chapter _______________________________________

New:____ Renewal: ____ Visa/MC# _________________________________________ exp___________

Individual $20 ______ Family $30 ______ Supporting $50 _____ Sponsoring $100_____

Benefactor $250_____ Trail Builder $500 ______ Master Trail Builder $1000 ______

Dealer Memberships:Basic $100 _____ Supporting $200_____ Benefactor $500_____ Lifetime $1500_____

Industry Memberships:Basic $75_____ Supporting $100 _____ Benefactor $500_____

If possible, please include your company’s matching gift form

Mail to: NEMBA, PO Box 2221, Acton MA 01720OR CALL 800-57-NEMBA (10/01)

Membership Benefits• Supporting MTB Trail Advocacy, Education

and Helping to Preserve Open Space• Lots of Volunteer Opportunities• 1000s of rides around New England• Training, Skills Clinics• A year’s worth of SingleTracks• NEMBA Email Chat Lists• Discounts to NEMBA Events• Cool Stickers• Bike Shop Discounts at the Best Shops• Season Kick Off Party• Doing the right thing!

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NEMBA FALL EVENTSFestivals and BenefitsOct. 14 CT NEMBA Fall Fiesta, Glastonbury, 860-653-5038Nov. 25 SE MA NEMBA/ TrailWatch Toys for Tots Ride, Blue Hills

Mountain Bike Skills ClassOctober 20 Great Woods Parking Lot Lynn Woods Reservation, 2pm, [email protected]

EFTA/NEMBA Fun RidesOct. 28 NS NEMBA Harold Parker SP, 978-462-4605Nov 4 SEMASS NEMBA, Freetown SF, 508-998-2085Nov 23 FOMBA Turkey Burner, Auburn, NH, 603-483-2951

Merlin/NEMBA Trail Maintenance Series

Blackstone Valley NEMBAOctober TBD Whitehall Resevoir (Hopkinton) 508-366-7870November 3 Noanet, [email protected] Boston NEMBAOct. 20 Lynn Woods, 978-251-0105Oct. 28 Belmont, 617-924-4539Nov. 3 Great Brook Farm SP, 781-275-1861

SE MA NEMBAOctober 21 Wompatuck SF, 781-925-2512Nov. 11 Wompatuck SF, 781-925-2512 Wachusett NEMBAOct. 20 Leominster State Forest, 978-464-2763

Ted Wojcik/Mavic Trail Care Series

Seacoast NEMBANov. 4 Fort Rock, Exeter, [email protected] Central NH NEMBAOct. 27 Mine Falls Park, Nashua, [email protected] Mountains NEMBAOctober TBA North Conway, 603-356-6913

NEMBA Trail Maintenance Work Parties

120 Hamilton St.Leominster MA 01453978-534-BIKE(2453)

MMaakkee tthhee MMoosstt oouutt ooff YYoouurr SSuummmmeerr!!Power Bars, Water bottles,Socks, Gloves, Tool Kits,Pumps, Gift Certificates.

Gear Works has a new address: 120 Hamilton St., Leominster!

From the east: Rte. 2W to Rte. 13N. Take a left after the Railroad bridge, the shop is a 1/4mile on the right. From the east, take 2W to Rte.12S (exit 31A), and take a left at the light.

Gear Works is 1/2 mile on the right!

New England Mountain Bike AssociationPO Box 2221Acton MA 01720

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

Non-Profit OrganizationU.S. Postage

PaidPermit #148

Plattsburgh, NY

Please Donate to NEMBA’s Annual AppealWe Need Your Financial Support to Keep NEMBA Strong!

Magazine of the New England Mountain Bike Association ... Files/ST200110 58_0.pdf · Jason Record,...

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Transcript of Magazine of the New England Mountain Bike Association ... Files/ST200110 58_0.pdf · Jason Record,...