New England Mountain Bike Association September 2010 #111 www.nemba.org RideRide LikeLike aa GirlGirl SouthernSouthern NHNH Ride-cationRide-cation SSingleingleTTrackS NEMBA, the New England Mountain Bike September 2010, Number 111 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. Ride Like a Girl 10 SingleTracks is published six times a year by the Downhiller, Karen Eagan, rides hard and fast, and New England Mountain Bike Association for wants to give other women the skills and confidence the trail community. to do the same. By Karen Eagan ©SingleTracks Editor & Publisher: Philip Keyes Contributing Writers: Bill Boles, Jeff Cutler Cartoonist: Philiippe Guillerm 12 Practice Your Copy Editor: Nanyee Keyes Executive Director: Philip Keyes [email protected] Technique Now in it’s third year at the Middlesex Fells, the NEMBA PO Box 2221 Wednesday “PYT” ride has been introducing Acton MA 01720 novice riders to mountain biking and better skills. By Adam Glick Board of Directors Harold Green, President Matt Schulde, Vice-President Vacation Destination: Anne Shepard, Treasurer Tom Grimble, Secretary Southern NH Why not travel less and ride more? Here are mess of great Rob Adair, White Mountains NEMBA Brian Alexander, CeMeNEMBA places to ride for your next “ride-cation”! By Bill Boles John Anders, Midcoast Maine NEMBA 14 John Barley, White Mountains NEMBA Brian Beneski, CeMeNEMBA 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 your forum and your magazine. Be nice, and Kevin Davis, Midcoast Maine NEMBA share! Peter DeSantis, Southern NH NEMBA Paper Trail Bob Giunta, MV NEMBA On the Cover: Judy Surdan, from Greenfield Adam Glick, Greater Boston NEMBA NH, at Greater Boston NEMBA’s Ride Like a Girl 2010 Events — 4 Brad Herder, Berkshire NEMBA skills series at Lowell-Dracut State Forest. Photo Rich Higgins, SE MA NEMBA by Anna Miller Steve LaFlame, Central NH NEMBA Treadlines — 5 Frank Lane, NS NEMBA Member Profile — 6 Have a pic that would make a good cover shot? Casey Leonard, Midcoast Maine NEMBA Email it to [email protected] Mark Lurie, CT NEMBA Cartoon — 18 Bill Markham, Berkshire NEMBA Want to Underwrite in ST? Fred Masciangelo, Greater Portland NEMBA Basic Biking — 19 Eric Mayhew, CT NEMBA SingleTracks offers inexpensive and targeted Harry Meyers, Berkshire NEMBA SideTracks — 20 underwriting which helps us defray the cost of David Riding, SE MA NEMBA Chapter News —23 producing this cool ‘zine. Call 800-57-NEMBA Steve Rossi, PV NEMBA or email [email protected] for our media kit. Tren Spence, CT NEMBA Dan Streeter, North Shore NEMBA NEMBA Rides —36 Moving? Mike Tabaczynski, Greater Boston NEMBA Support our Sponsors —38 John Vosburg, Blackstone Valley NEMBA Don’t miss an issue! Change your address online Mitch Wacksman, Greater Portland NEMBA at nemba.org or mail it into SingleTracks, PO Box WWW.NEMBA.ORG 2221, Acton MA 01720 NEMBA 2010 Events Calendar Kona Bicycles-Fox Shox MTB Adventure Series June 6 Pittsfield State Forest Pittsfield MA August 29 Lynn Woods Reservation Lynn MA June 27 Happening at Huntington Redding CT September 19 Foxboro State Forest Foxboro MA July 11 Wendell State Forest Wendell MA October 3 Great Brook Farm SP Carlisle MA July 25 Bradbury Mountain Pownal ME October 9-10 NEMBAfest @ Bear Brook Allenstown NH August 1 North Conway N. Conway NH October 31 Wicked Ride of the East N. Andover MA August 8 Cockaponset State Forest Haddam CT For Kids & Families Aug. 14 Explorer Kids Ride, Middlesex Fells, gbnemba.org Sept. 4 Explorer Kids Ride, Middlesex Fells, gbnemba.org Oct. 2 Take a Kid MTBing, Various, www.nemba.org Fun Stuff & Weekend Excursions Sept 2-6 Kingdom Trails Camping Weekend, [email protected] Sept. 12 Big River RI, Fun Ride www.rinemba.org Sept 11-12 NEMBA DH Trail Weekend @ Sunday River, portland- October 9-10 NEMBAfest @ Bear Brook State Park, Allentown NH [email protected] Dec. 12 Lincoln Woods, RI, Fun Ride, www.rinemba.org Trek Bicycles / NEMBA Trail Care Series (CT, MA, RI) Photo by Howie Granat Merrimack Valley NEMBA SE MA NEMBA Oct. 16 TBA Aug 21 Wompatuck SP, [email protected] Nov 6 Wompatuck SP, [email protected] Merrimack Valley NEMBA Oct. 16 Russell Mill, [email protected] Wachusett NEMBA Sept. 18 Leominster SF, [email protected] North Shore NEMBA Oct 17 Westminster, [email protected] Sept. 12 Beverly Commons, [email protected] Oct. 17 Leominster SF, [email protected] Oct. 17 TBD Oct. 26 Ward Reservation, [email protected] Jamis Bicycles / NEMBA Trail Care Series (NH & ME) Central NH NEMBA White Mountains NEMBA Aug. 22 Franklin Falls Dam, [email protected] June 6 TBD Oct. 24 Ahern SP, Laconia, [email protected] July 31 TBD Sinister Bikes Vietnam Trail Tour Every Tuesday Evening [email protected] 4 | September 2010 Ride the Trails TREADLINES Welcoming Carrabassett Region NEMBA We extend a warm welcome to our newest NEMBA chapter-- is not easily passable by bicyclists or hikers. This section is only a few Carrabassett Region NEMBA. hundred yards long but would connect their Poplar Stream Hut to the town's Narrow Gauge trail which connects the Outdoor Center. We Carrabassett Region NEMBA is planning to focus on building and hope to start this project in August 2010. It will be great publicity. stewarding a sustainable mountain bike trail network in the western mountains of Franklin and southern Summerset Counties. Their main Kingfield emphasis will be to increase the use of regional trails, link communi- ties and support local businesses. They already have a plethora of There are efforts being made by the town of Kingfield to extend the projects in the works around the region. Here’s the short list: Narrow Gauge trail from Carrabassett to Kingfield. We want to sup- port this effort. We will have a presence in conjunction with Carrabassett Valley Northern Lights Bike Shop (of Farmington) at a booth at the Kingfield Days Festival (July 16 through18th) with information about NEMBA A hand full of local riders have been working with the Town of and the formation of our MTB club. Carrabassett to build trails at the town owned (2,400 +/- acre) Outdoor Center www.sugarloaf.com/OutdoorCenter/index.html for Farmington several years (we have not lifted a shovel yet). In August 2009, Peter Webber of IMBA visited Carrabassett and prepared a report with a list A group of riders in Farmington have been given permission to build of recommendations. Hardy Avery of Sustainable Trailworks toured trails at Titcomb Mountain www.titcombmountain.com and we want the Outdoor Center in November 2009 and prepared a report detail- to support this effort. ing specific routes and unit costs for construction. Both of these Education / Events reports were commissioned and paid for by the town of Carrabassett with town funds. We are working with the town to obtain addition- We plan to organize weekly group rides and to hold periodic clinics al resources to have the first loop designed by Hardy Avery this sum- (trail building, riding techniques…) organize an annual mountain bike mer. festival and or in conjunction with a race of some sort. We are submitting a plan to the Maine Huts and Trails www.maine- Please join them, and if you wish to get involved contact David huts.org to help armor and place a tread on a portion of their trail that Hughes at [email protected]. Save the Trails SingleTrackS No. 111 | 5 MEMBER PROFILE Doctor Mike/ Mr. Ahearn By Paula Burton Science teacher by day and concierge bicycle mechanic by night, Mike Ahearn is here to fix your bikes at your house. He can be seen driving around town in his custom painted truck with the Doctor Mike logo on the side, and his "pigged out" bright green Marin Wolfe Ridge full suspension bike. Mike started this unusual business sev- eral years ago. Somehow, between working his first teaching job, and running his bicycle mechanic business, Mike finds time to ride. Ten minutes from his house in Danbury, CT he frequents Bear Mountain Park. "There are lots of log rides", he tells me. He can be seen riding at Huntington SP in Redding also. But his favorite place to ride is Blue Mountain Reservation in Peekskill NY. Mike covers a lot of ground in his business also, traveling to cus- tomers’ homes from Greenwich to Hamden, CT and sometimes into Westchester country in New York. In college and high school, Mike was a runner, and attended Iona College in New York, but he suffered a ting his teaching degree, he modified his plans and by February of series of injuries, transferred to James Madison University, in Virginia, 2009, he opened a repair business with a truck, a partner, and a rent- and joined the local mountain biking scene to stay in shape. While ed workshop. He attended Interbike ( a national meeting of the bicy- the trails were awesome, and local culture great, his bike kept break- cling industry), got himself a wholesale account, and was open for ing down. To save money, he learned how to repair his bike. business. During his breaks in college, Mike worked in a ski shop, now closed, Fast forward a few years, and Mike found his first job teaching at which also sold bikes in the summer. The industry was changing as Seymour High School in Seymour, CT. But on the side, Mike has con- were the bikes now being sold.