18 NE - Go on, ride when it's wet

[Doremite]

13 miles today in NEK. Fully worked. So fun tho. My mt bike stoke is erupting. Will take pics next ride if I can find a way to either not be panting or be fully engaged w descents.

[buttahflake]

45 miles, almost no traffic. I’m so lucky to have nice quiet roads.

[Vt-Freeheel]

Mixed surface ride today

[CantDog]

Made a nice loop at Stowe today. Through Cady Hill over to that other area via car wash, up Pipeline and around the Trapp trails to Kimmers, then back up to Trapp and down Pipeline. Hoped to make it back through Cady Hill but had some crash on Pipeline that I'm still trying to figure out, and nursing two sprained wrists. Standing up cranking at the top of Pipeline and suddenly over the bars. Felt like something grabbed my wheel but nothing obvious in the trail. Little bummed to not finish what I intended, but wound up being 26 and change so not a bad day on the saddle.

Tomorrow may be a wash, but impressed with Stowe riding. And no people around, saw some tourists on rental bikes around the Trapp trails, but no one else.

Kimmers rocks. I could do that trail all day.


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[JerseyDave]

Built the "Chicken way" as the 8 y.o. called it. Looking forward to passing the aviationally challenged on this feature. On your right....

I like Kimmers as an up. Avery had not yet figured out the downhill turn (blueberry was more of the same), and deviated heavily from the design another company had done that had the trail going side hill for a long distance. He thought crossing the little springs coming off the Mtn would be a PITA. Turns out the thru-the-fall-line turns are the real PITA, and without proper grade reversals for braking, and appropriate radius or berming to hold speed on the exit the trail has some flow issues. It also has some erosion/braking issues up top. The marbles he surfaced it with were also not awesome. Maybe they've been blown off the tread by now. It was clear as we built and test rode it, but he pushed us along before the ride quality was what I would call "Good" on many of the tight turns due to $$$. In the end Suck'emalloff got a bench with his name on it at the trail head and Avery got some award so that's all that really counts. Beautiful place to work for a summer. Good Brookie fishing and you can camp up the road from the parking area too, primitive only but a great place to hide out in $teaux.
Suck'emalloff (Self-appointed Club Douche) was selling it as a DH trail when it went in. Hardy Haul was the climb. Rides so much better in the reverse...but I'm a knit-picker when it comes to trail work and ride quality.


Scatchard tells me the Slate Valley stuff is real good, STW's best work. Less machine, more hand work. Straighter, faster and more natural. A kid I went to grade school with is the land owner buying up that town and covering it with trails. Some media went around earlier this week about a soft opening. I think nearly 20 miles of trail in. Heard a rumor of 50 miles being the ultimate goal.

[Vt-Freeheel]

[CantDog]

Beautiful place to work for a summer. Good Brookie fishing and you can camp up the road from the parking area too, primitive only but a great place to hide out in $teaux.
Suck'emalloff (Self-appointed Club Douche) was selling it as a DH trail when it went in. Hardy Haul was the climb. Rides so much better in the reverse...but I'm a knit-picker when it comes to trail work and ride quality.


Scatchard tells me the Slate Valley stuff is real good, STW's best work. Less machine, more hand work. Straighter, faster and more natural. A kid I went to grade school with is the land owner buying up that town and covering it with trails. Some media went around earlier this week about a soft opening. I think nearly 20 miles of trail in. Heard a rumor of 50 miles being the ultimate goal.

I did the Hardy Hill descent Saturday and enjoyed that. Kimmers seemed like it was in good shape, but what do I know. Pipeline had some sections that were pretty blown apart, as did Sphincter over near Cady Hill.

Brookie fishing is good--one the folks I'm up here with was out all day yesterday. That area up Ranch Brook is gorgeous.

[gravitylover]

Scatchard tells me the Slate Valley stuff is real good, STW's best work. Less machine, more hand work. Straighter, faster and more natural. A kid I went to grade school with is the land owner buying up that town and covering it with trails. Some media went around earlier this week about a soft opening. I think nearly 20 miles of trail in. Heard a rumor of 50 miles being the ultimate goal.

I'm going to try and get a few miles in on these trails when I'm in the area next week. It sounds like they're really trying to build it into a 'go to' zone for riding. There are a few other trail networks there now, the one over by Lake St Catherine is supposed to be fun, also mostly rake 'n ride.

[MaineSkiAddict1]

Picked up a stick in my derailleur Friday screwing it all to hell and breaking two spokes. Just got it back in time for a hot and sweaty ride today.

Decided to check out the USM side of the Gorham trails. Really interesting, albeit limited, stuff. Punchy climbs and short downhills. I had intended to ride the High school side as well but the heat got the best of me.

Came upon this one bridge. It rode better opposite the way I approached it.

[djspookman]

This race was epic. Finished just over the top third in the field for the 100 mile. Sooooo much fun. Even better was the next two days of riding with familiy at the KT, shredding with my groms!

[Vt-Freeheel]

That's great 6 or so hours on the bike is a long time. Beautiful countryside in the Kingdom.

[buttahflake]

100 miles of mixed surface, now that is sick, right there.
Well done! When I saw the times that Ted King and Mike Barton put down, I was blown away. Those guys averaged like 19.2!

[WaistDeepGroomers]

Most mile packed long weekend in awhile. Skipped out early on Friday after a meeting with my department head opened up the possibility of a promotion (yes, please!), bolted to Highland for the last two hours of Friday.

Zipped to Waterbury and got the full tour over the rest of the weekend. I gotta say, I've ridden a lot of places around the country and a few around the world, and Stowe/Waterbury has it going ON for trails. I was so impressed. Huge variety, and there was almost nothing I rode with the exception of the rooty climb up Permission in the 90° heat that.i wasn't psyced on. World class mix up there!! Reminded me of Bellingham. I'll be back!



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[djspookman]

100 miles of mixed surface, now that is sick, right there.
Well done! When I saw the times that Ted King and Mike Barton put down, I was blown away. Those guys averaged like 19.2!

They were HAULING. I got caught up in someone elses brake tap .25 miles into the start, poor guy got pile driven into the ground, stopped to help him for a minute, then caught up with the rest of the pack a mile downhill. King and Barton dumped everyone on the first hill, never to be seen again. Was quite spectacular.

Route was mostly week-old fresh gravel, some pavement, then some bumpy AF class 4 descents. Was a little bouncy on the CX bike, but still managed to hammer down and pass a ton of folks on downhills. Had one segment where I was headed downhill with a massive headwind, didn't even feel like I was moving. Overall Type2 funfest. Oh, I do it for the food at the end. Solid eats+ Hillfarm Edward on tap after!

Hopped over to the KT with the family for the next two days for mellow grom pace singletrack!
D

[HankScorpio]

Most mile packed long weekend in awhile. Skipped out early on Friday after a meeting with my department head opened up the possibility of a promotion (yes, please!), bolted to Highland for the last two hours of Friday.

Zipped to Waterbury and got the full tour over the rest of the weekend. I gotta say, I've ridden a lot of places around the country and a few around the world, and Stowe/Waterbury has it going ON for trails. I was so impressed. Huge variety, and there was almost nothing I rode with the exception of the rooty climb up Permission in the 90° heat that.i wasn't psyced on. World class mix up there!! Reminded me of Bellingham. I'll be back!

Stowe/Waterbury trails are the shit. Perry Hill quickly became my go to spot when I moved up here. Even better is most of the the Stowe trails can be connected to put together epic rides. Did you get to the new trails at Little River? They've built a couple new school trails there and there are more in the works apparently.

Next time you're around, drop me a PM. There is plenty to explore in the area, it's been keeping me busy all summer.

[WaistDeepGroomers]

Stowe/Waterbury trails are the shit. Perry Hill quickly became my go to spot when I moved up here. Even better is most of the the Stowe trails can be connected to put together epic rides. Did you get to the new trails at Little River? They've built a couple new school trails there and there are more in the works apparently.

Next time you're around, drop me a PM. There is plenty to explore in the area, it's been keeping me busy all summer.

I did ride little river. Super fun! Reminded me of Half Nelson in Squamish. And Burning Spear/Rastaman reminded me of Somewhere Over There, another slabby Squamish trail. Loved that big rock roll! Biggest one I've ridden since, well, Squamish haha.

I like Flowrence better as a flowy jump trail. A little easier to stay off the brakes and rail the berms, and those jumps were so.outrsgeously fun. Hadnt jibbed around like that in a dogs age! We had to do three laps.

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[jackstraw]

Sunday was so nice for a ride. Yesterday, today, tomorrow...the suck! Fuck this weather

[ticketchecker]

CV Trails crew just punched new Bear Trail through to Oak Knoll, pretty nice if you like that flowy smoove shit. It's really going to open up some new options for loops out by Stratton Brook Hut and Esker world.

[Fenris]

CV Trails crew just punched new Bear Trail through to Oak Knoll, pretty nice if you like that flowy smoove shit. It's really going to open up some new options for loops out by Stratton Brook Hut and Esker world.

That’s exactly what I explored yesterday.

Started the day heading up Hurricane Knoll, then over to Mikes and up Newton. Down Bear, connector, and Esker to Huston Brook Falls for a swim, then back up the Narrow Gauge singletrack to return the demo bike.

[JerseyDave]

The roll down in Waterbury is cool, but everyone takes the bail out line. Originally the line came in over the knuckle at the top. I remember when Hardy found that. We were with Knight riding around off trail looking for cool shit to huck. Hardy hit it on a DH bike first.

Amazing terrain. Hard to ride there now after enjoying it in it's early life. Put in a bunch of time on Spear/Rasta with Sinuosity. Fixed it up a lot. One day I walked around with a Pulaski. I must have cut out 500 roots that people were riding around. No one noticed. If I had a FS bike I'd like it better, but every time I have gone there in the last 3 years....maybe twice....I feel like I'm at a viewing for an old friend that died. Amazing terrain though.

[WaistDeepGroomers]

The roll down in Waterbury is cool, but everyone takes the bail out line. Originally the line came in over the knuckle at the top. I remember when Hardy found that. We were with Knight riding around off trail looking for cool shit to huck. Hardy hit it on a DH bike first.

Amazing terrain. Hard to ride there now after enjoying it in it's early life. Put in a bunch of time on Spear/Rasta with Sinuosity. Fixed it up a lot. One day I walked around with a Pulaski. I must have cut out 500 roots that people were riding around. No one noticed. If I had a FS bike I'd like it better, but every time I have gone there in the last 3 years....maybe twice....I feel like I'm at a viewing for an old friend that died. Amazing terrain though.

Which is the bailout line... going around the rock roll entirely? I guess I forgot what the top of the line looked like, maybe another rock you'd roll in over to rider's left?

At any rate, that is an incredible descent (Burning Spear to Rasta) although the climb out totally defeated me. Can't we get another tunnel going under the highway haha?

Give me a green light, a full weekend, and a pulaski and we could make the riding we have around Portland about a thousand times better. Thanks for your work up there, incredible stuff!

[buttahflake]

Sweet summer evening in central VT. First Wednesday of the month is MTB.
21 miles, we brought lights.

[MaineSkiAddict1]

Sweet summer evening in central VT. First Wednesday of the month is MTB.
21 miles, we brought lights.

Those shots are money. Nicely done!

[Vt-Freeheel]

Nice views for sure, it was ugly hot out last evening, 78 w/ 65` dew, thankfully a breeze was present.

[JerseyDave]

Which is the bailout line... going around the rock roll entirely? I guess I forgot what the top of the line looked like, maybe another rock you'd roll in over to rider's left?

At any rate, that is an incredible descent (Burning Spear to Rasta) although the climb out totally defeated me. Can't we get another tunnel going under the highway haha?

Give me a green light, a full weekend, and a pulaski and we could make the riding we have around Portland about a thousand times better. Thanks for your work up there, incredible stuff!

Just take you pulaski and do it. Don't take anything that is going to lower tread depth below the surrounding earth, but many roots stick up and people ride around on older bike trails. Just take 'em, no one will notice.

Original line on the roll down was straight over the knuckle of the rock you can see in your pic. The go around is so burned in now you can't even tell.

The original reroute for the climb out into Perry Hill went way climber's right just after the splash through the stream right as you come out of the tunnel. It went sidehill and connected up to bonus loop in the pines. Rasta was then gonna stay left and connect over to it. Sinuosity got the build out, then STW sent an email to the state saying the build was far to difficult, too steep a side hill, needed an engineer, a retaining wall, blah blah. The state bailed on it, and the new reroute for the climb was decided on....for which they build a retaining wall...?


The climb out is a good filter. As they continue to build excavator roads up there less and less people will ride Rasta man. Probably a good thing for the quality of the trail. Building the climb up permission certain accelerated the deterioration of those trails. 1999, 2000 the run down Spear/Rasta was fast loam and most of the roots were under 6 inches of loose organic. It's hard to appreciate just how much material has been lost on the trails there unless you walk it.

Joe's as well....the original trail is essentially gone. The photo you posted looking down that little ledge section, your bike is 6 feet off the original line. In some places that trail is 40 feet wide from one edge of impact to the other and there are so many go-arounds that at speed, and knowing the trail well, it's still very difficult to follow the original line, which was the shit when Joe put it in. C'est la vie, nothing lasts forever.