January 2012 #119
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January 2012 #119 www.nemba.org SSingleingleTTrackS NEMBA, the New England Mountain Bike January 2012, Number 119 Association, is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organi- zation dedicated to promoting trail access, maintaining trails open for mountain bicyclists, and educating mountain bicyclists to use these trails sensitively and responsibly. Cape Cod, Exit 7 SingleTracks is published six times a year by the Are your trails snowbound? Maybe it’s time for a New England Mountain Bike Association for road trip to Cape Cod. Willow Street, AKA, Exit 7 is the trail community. one of the best rides on the Cape. By Bill Boles. ©SingleTracks Editor & Publisher: Philip Keyes Contributing Writers: Bill Boles, Jeff Cutler, Thom Parsons 10 Cartoonist: Philippe Guillerm Copy Editor: Nanyee Keyes Executive Director: Philip Keyes [email protected] NEMBA 8 PO Box 2221 Acton MA 01720 Board of Directors Harold Green, President Adam Glick, Vice-President The Ultimate Road Trip Matt Schulde, Vice-President Anne Shepard, Treasurer Glenn and Paula’s excellent adventure took them on great sin- Tom Grimble, Secretary gletracks across the US of A, from Michigan to Park City. Read all about them! By Glenn Vernes and Paula Burton Rob Adair, White Mountains NEMBA Brian Alexander, CeMeNEMBA John Anders, Midcoast Maine NEMBA John Barley, White Mountains NEMBA Matt Bowser, Central NH NEMBA Eammon Carleton, BV NEMBA Matt Caron, Southern NH NEMBA SingleTracks Hey, get creative! We wel- Steve Cobble, SE MA NEMBA come submissions, photos and artwork. This is Leo Corrigan, RI NEMBA Peter DeSantis, Southern NH NEMBA your forum and your magazine. Be nice, and Adam Glick, Greater Boston NEMBA Paper Trail share! David Hughes, Carrabassett Region NEMBA On the Cover: Todd Swinton mountain biking Steve LaFlame, Central NH NEMBA Frank Lane, NS NEMBA Letters — 6 in the Fore River Sanctuary, Portland Maine. Casey Leonard, Midcoast Maine NEMBA Photo by Jeff Scher. Bill Markham, Berkshire NEMBA Treadlines — 7 Stuart McDonald, MV NEMBA Do you have a photo that would make a good Harry Meyers, Berkshire NEMBA Basic Biking — 20 cover shot? Email it to [email protected] Barry Moore, Merrimack Valley NEMBA Chris O’Toole, CeMeNEMBA Go Willy Comic — 16 Want to Underwrite in ST? Peter Poanessa, BK NEMBA Chapter News —17 SingleTracks offers inexpensive and targeted David Riding, SE MA NEMBA underwriting which helps us defray the cost of Paul Rodrigue, BK NEMBA NEMBA Rides —36 Steve Rossi, PV NEMBA producing this cool ‘zine. Call 800-57-NEMBA Dan Streeter, North Shore NEMBA Support our Sponsors —38 or email [email protected] for our media kit. Chris Thurrott, Greater Boston NEMBA Al Tinti, CT NEMBA Moving? Mitch Wacksman, Greater Portland NEMBA Don’t miss an issue! Change your address online at nemba.org or mail it into SingleTracks, PO Box WWW.NEMBA.ORG 2221, Acton MA 01720 4 | January 2012 Ride the Trails Your Support Keeps NEMBA in the Big Ring Annual giving is not only a end-of-season tradition — it is critical in new chapter and rally the community around the vision of building a keeping us on track to provide you with great riding and stellar sin- network of mountain bike trails, trails that will make this area a true gletrack. NEMBA relies on your end-of-season donation to our mountain bike destination. The chapter has since been awarded a Annual Fund to keep our doors open and to work to create more Bikes Belong Grant, a testament to the energy and motivation of opportunities and more trails for you to mountain bike. mountain bikers in this scenic area. This is only one example of many great things taking place in NEMBA land. Please make a generous donation to NEMBA's Annual Fund. The trail building season in New England always seems short and it's Do you believe that mountain biking is good for the body, good for hard to fathom how we can dedicate 135 days to trailwork and still the spirit and good for the trails? Show your passion with a generous find time to ride. But we do! Our Mountain Bike Adventure Series donation! has gotten hundreds of families out on the trails, and has raised Our goal is to have good mountain bike trails near all of our commu- money for trailwork and open space protection, including the fabled nities. Having great trails provides a quality of life that builds great Bruce & Tom's in Massachusetts' North Shore. communities, and we all know that mountain biking is good for our Unfortunately, there are still some people —and some groups— that kids, our families and our communities. Please support NEMBA's remain hostile to mountain biking, groups that are actively trying to Annual Fund. Help us do all we can to make New England a better ban us from public trails. place for mountain biking. Your support helps us fight these extremists and stay vigilant. A trail Your donation is an investment in the future of our sport. is a terrible thing to waste! With 21 chapters, we're proud that NEMBA continues to grow Please return the Annual Fund card you received in the mail with your throughout New England. No matter where you are, you'll likely be check today or make your tax-deductible donation online at able to find some great people to ride with. But more importantly, we www.nemba.org. Your annual donation will insure that our next sea- have the volunteer capacity to build and care for the trails in your son of riding is even better! area. Sincerely, This season our four trail schools, including three done with the International Mountain Bicycling Association, were a tremendous success. Our school in the Carrabassett Valley helped galvanize the Save the Trails SingleTrackS No. 119 | 5 LETTER Thanks from the White Mountain National Forest Recreation Manager Dear NEMBA, Not only has Rob put in countless hours of physical labor on existing trails, and now on the new system, he has also made himself avail- This year history was made on the White Mountain National Forest able for numerous meetings and strengthened a once tenuous rela- (WMNF) - over 13 miles of mountain bike trail were added to the tionship between the Forest Service and the local mountain bike com- existing network of hiking trails. These trails are located in "The munity. The result has been a thriving partnership and a sustainable Moats", a landscape well-suited to such trails just east of the Moat network of trails for the public to enjoy. These successes were real- Mountain Range in Conway and Albany, NH. This might not seem like ized by working through the planning and approval process together, an accomplishment of historic proportion until you consider that this benefitting the current trail system and creating a foundation for trail network - a truly formalized trail network designed and built for future projects. mountain biking - is the first of its kind on the WMNF. On this land base there have been hundreds of miles of hiking trails for over a hun- Rob has been a pleasure to work with and has always made himself dred years but there has never been a trail system devoted to moun- readily available whether it be for meetings, trail work days, or con- tain biking. It's been a journey getting here, one the WMNF would sultation. He brings skills that have been very helpful in the pursuit not have embarked on alone, but together was made possible (and of the Moat Trail System Project - both his technical trail skills as well even enjoyable) due to a partnership with a small but dedicated com- as diplomacy and patience as we navigated through the process and munity of mountain bikers, and most notably their leader - Rob Adair. politics to create this now formalized trail network. The time he has given and his long-term dedication and commitment in working with Rob has been a key partner with the Forest Service for over a decade WMNF is to be commended. as a trail volunteer and an advocate for mountain biking. The last sev- eral years he has filled the role of president of White Mountains Thank you Rob and the White Mountains NEMBA Chapter! The NEMBA. The chapter has been active in the local mountain biking White Mountain National Forest looks forward to continuing our community for well over a decade. During that time, they have fos- partnership with you and NEMBA, and furthering our relationship tered the growth and viability of mountain biking in the area, work- with the mountain bike community. ing with town, state and federal governments as well as local organ- Sincerely, izations to ensure there are trails to ride. Every year NEMBA hosts scheduled volunteer trail days throughout the summer, creating Jana Johnson opportunities for trail users to give back to the trails that bring riders Dispersed Recreation Manager so much enjoyment. Saco Ranger District, White Mountain National Forest 6 | January 2012 Ride the Trails TREADLINES Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day at the Middlesex Fells Reservation A rainy Friday and cloudy skies on course on the soap box track. When Saturday didn't keep 40 kids and par- taking a break from riding, the kids were ents from coming out to enjoy the able to make their own bike part t-shirts Greater Boston chapter's Take a Kid and personalized bike license plates. Mountain Biking Day at the Middlesex To round out the day everyone chowed Fells on October 1. The weather stayed down on burgers and hot dogs grilled to dry and a great time was had by all. perfection by Anthony of the Cycle Loft.