ST201406 134.qxd 5/27/2014 8:19 AM Page 1 NEW ENGLAND MOUNTAIN BIKE ASSOCIATION July 2014 #134 www.nemba.org ST201406 134.qxd 5/27/2014 8:20 AM Page 2 ST201406 134.qxd 5/27/2014 8:20 AM Page 3 SSingleingleTTrackS NEMBA, the New England Mountain Bike April / May 2014, Number 133 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. SingleTracks is published six times a year by the New England Mountain Bike Association for the trail community. ©SingleTracks Don’t Get Editor & Publisher: Philip Keyes Bugged - Deer 4 Contributing Writer: Bill Boles Copy Editor: Nanyee Keyes Ticks are Executive Director: Philip Keyes [email protected] Everywhere There’s an epidemic taking hold of New NEMBA PO Box 2221 England. Don’t fall victim to Lyme Acton MA 01720 Disease, and check yourself carefully for Board of Directors ticks after every ride. Adam Glick, President Matt Schulde, Vice-President Anne Shepard, Treasurer Harry Meyer, Secretary Rob Adair, White Mountains NEMBA Brian Alexander, CeMeNEMBA John Anders, Midcoast Maine NEMBA Eric Boudreau, Wachusett NEMBA Matt Bowser, Central NH NEMBA Aaron Brasslett, Penobscot Region NEMBA Paula Burton, CT NEMBA Eammon Carleton, BV NEMBA Matt Caron, Southern NH NEMBA Steve Cobble, SE MA NEMBA Leo Corrigan, RI NEMBA Paper Trail SingleTracks Hey, get creative! We wel- Brian Danz, Greater Portland NEMBA Peter DeSantis, Southern NH NEMBA come submissions, photos and artwork. This is Erik daSilva, Penobscot Region NEMBA Treadlines — 4 your forum and your magazine. Be nice, and Andrew Favreau, Greater Portland NEMBA share! Harold Green, Pioneer Valley NEMBA Chapter News — 16 David Hughes, Carrabassett Region NEMBA On the Cover: Lisa Montesi riding on Cape Chris Joosen, White Mountains NEMBA NEMBA Rides — 36 Cod during NEMBA’s Northeast MTB Advocacy Steffi Krug, Pioneer Valley NEMBA Summit. Photo by PK. Chris Kezckemethy, Fairfield County NEMBA Support our Sponsors — 38 Frank Lane, North Shore NEMBA Do you have a photo that would make a good Bill Markham, Berkshire NEMBA Stuart McDonald, Merrimack Valley NEMBA cover shot? Email it to [email protected] Harry Meyers, Berkshire NEMBA Barry Moore, Merrimack Valley NEMBA Want to Underwrite in ST? Chris O’Toole, CeMeNEMBA Kevin Orlowski, Central NH NEMBA SingleTracks offers inexpensive and targeted Peter Poanessa, BK NEMBA underwriting which helps us defray the cost of David Riding, SE MA NEMBA producing this cool ‘zine. Call 800-57-NEMBA Pete Schraeder, BK NEMBA or email [email protected] for our media kit. Dan Streeter, North Shore NEMBA Joshua Tauses, Carrabassett Valley NEMBA Moving? Chris Thurrott, Greater Boston NEMBA Al Tinti, CT NEMBA Don’t miss an issue! Change your address online Ryan Tucker, Fairfield County NEMBA at nemba.org or mail it into SingleTracks, PO Box 2221, Acton MA 01720 WWW.NEMBA.ORG Save the Trails SingleTrackS No. 134 | 3 ST201406 134.qxd 5/27/2014 8:20 AM Page 4 TREADLINES Northeast MTB Advocacy Summit on Cape Cod On April 4-6 one hundred and twenty mountain bikers from New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine gathered on Cape Cod for the Northeast Mountain Bike Advocacy Summit. Leaders of many of the mountain bike associations in the northeast discussed The Northeast MTB Advocacy Summit was hosted by the New issues critical to the future of the sport –trail access, youth develop- England Mountain Bike Association in partnership with the ment, ride education, land stewardship and many others. Concerned Long Island Mountain Bike Association, the Jersey Off- It was a “work hard – play harder” weekend designed to bring togeth- Road Bicycle Association, the Vermont Mountain Bike Association, er many of the region’s key advocates in order to build a better north- the Kingdom Trails Association, and the Saratoga Mountain Bike east for mountain biking. Association. “There are literally hundreds of advocates working tirelessly to pro- Besides numerous symposia and numerous panel discussions on a mote our sport,” says Philip Keyes, the director of the New England wide range of issues, participants also rode three of the signature trail Mountain Bike Association, “and we wanted to get them all in the systems on Cape Cod: Otis, Trail of Tears and Willow Street. same room to share ideas, best practices and inspiration. It was an Ride leaders from Cape Cod NEMBA were great hosts and ride lead- amazing weekend, and I believe that the knowledge shared will be put ers. We thank everyone who made this summit happen. into practice for many years to come.” 4 |July 2014 Ride the Trails ST201406 134.qxd 5/27/2014 8:20 AM Page 5 Save the Trails SingleTrackS No. 134 | 5 ST201406 134.qxd 5/27/2014 8:20 AM Page 6 6 |July 2014 Ride the Trails ST201406 134.qxd 5/27/2014 8:20 AM Page 7 TREADLINES Central CT NEMBA Helps New Singletrack at the Prevent Ban in Tolland Middlesex Fells Thanks to the involvement of Central CT NEMBA and area mem- It was with great sense of pride and victory that Greater Boston bers, a proposed ban on mountain biking was prevented and cycling NEMBA volunteers finally created new shared-use singletrack at the will still be a legitimate activity on conservation lands in Tolland, Middlesex Fells Reservation. Connecticut. After nearly 8 years of filing papers, engaging politicians, counter- Central CT NEMBA was able to help defeat a proposal by a local ing obstructionist moves by opponents and exhibiting profound group called “Conserve Tolland” to ban mountain biking on all 13 patience for a lengthy process to complete, we finally put Rogue of the town’s open spaces. At the April 8th meeting of the Tolland Hoes and McLeods to the dirt in the Dark Hollow Pond (DHP) sec- Town Council, the group argued for the ban citing trail damage, user tion of the Fells. The moment culminated a long-planned effort to conflict and liability issues as their reasons. create a sustainable route through DHP and reclaim habitat that has Alan Tinti, a Central CT NEMBA board member, and several local been seriously fragmented by a spiderweb of rogue trails. mountain bikers spoke in defense of mountain biking. Numerous On April 27th, more than 25 NEMBA volunteers, joined by DCR studies show that the impacts of mountain biking and hiking are staff, took on the first phase of creating a fun, well-defined, and essentially similar and that user conflict issues can be addressed sustainable route through DHP. Before last Sunday, the Dark Hollow through education and setting appropriate expectations to share Pond Trail would have been better described as an entanglement, a trails. web of rogue paths branching off of both sides of over-worn and Central CT NEMBA played a key role, along with Connecticut Forest confusing routes. & Parks and the Sierra Club, in strengthening the recreational lia- By camouflaging and re-vegetating the entrances to redundant bility law in Connecticut to protect towns and municipalities which rogue trails and establishing some sections of new sustainable sin- allow recreation on their properties. Connecticut’s recreational use gletrack the crew gave the new DHP trail a fun and flowy feel, tak- statute is more robust than it ever has been. ing full advantage of lovely forest topography and features. And The Town Council voted to adopt the Conservation Commission’s bikers, hikers, dog walkers and all those who use this wonderful recommendations to allow and manage mountain biking on Tolland park will enjoy a new rock-armored ramp that NEMBA built at the open space, along with other types of muscle-powered recreation. trail entrance. Save the Trails SingleTrackS No. 134 | 7 ST201406 134.qxd 5/27/2014 8:20 AM Page 8 TREADLINES NEMBA Trail School at Goodwin State Park Riders and trail enthusiasts “Our trail school is key to increas- from an array of organizations ing our capacity to improve and gathered at Goodwin build more trails,” commented Conservation Center in NEMBA director, Philip Keyes. Hampton, Connecticut for “I’m confident that everyone who NEMBA's annual two-day attended this year’s class will go course in trail design, construc- on to put on their own trail care tion and maintenance. events and help us build a better New England for trails and trail- In addition to riders from based recreation in all its forms.” numerous NEMBA chapters from Maine, New Hampshire, Our thanks to the supportive staff Massachusetts, Rhode Island at the Goodwin Conservation and Connecticut, participants Center and the CT Department of came from the Connecticut Energy & Environmental Parks & Forests Association, the Protection for opening their doors Central CT Regional Planning to us and allowing us to camp out Agency, the Friends of Goodwin — the evening bonfire was great! State Park, Greenfield Trails We also thank the Friends of Association (NH), Londonderry Goodwin State Forest for helping Trails (NH) and even as far away with project locations. Lastly, a as the Gennesee Region Offroad huge shout-out of thanks to our Cyclists (Rochester, NY). NEMBA instructors, Paula Burton, Adam Glick, Maciej Sobieszek and Mike Tabaczynski, and to our ride leaders, Stacey Jimenez and Glenn In the NEMBA tradition of "work hard, play harder", the course fea- Newcombe. tured not only classroom instruction but outdoors hands-on build clinics as well as an epic ride on the extensive trail system that If you missed out, mark your calendars now for the May 21-22, 2015. encompasses Goodwin State Forest and Natchaug State Forest. 8 |July 2014 Ride the Trails ST201406 134.qxd 5/27/2014 8:20 AM Page 9 TREADLINES Building Singletrack Trail near Downtown Haverill, MA When mountain biker and Haverhill resident, Jeff Wardle, first con- the Winnekenni tacted the New England Mountain Bike Association (NEMBA) about Foundation, building single-track trail near downtown Haverhill, the group got offered his sup- excited.