NEMBAfest 2002! Come Celebrate our 15th Birthday Files/ST200208 63_0.pdf · Mitch Steinberg, Blackstone Valley NEMBA Mary Tunnicliffe, Berkshire NEMBA John Turchi, CT NEMBA Roger

September 2002, Number 63www.nemba.org

September 2002, Number 63www.nemba.org

NEMBAfest 2002!Come Celebrate our

15th Birthday

SingleTrackS No. 63 | 3

SingleTrackSNEMBA, the New England Mountain BikeAssociation, 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 thesetrails sensitively and responsibly.

SingleTracks is published six times a year by theNew England Mountain Bike Association forthe trail community.

©SingleTracks Editor & Publisher: Philip Keyes

Staff Writer: Krisztina HollyContributing Writers: Bill Boles, Jeff Cutler

Copy Editor: Nanyee KeyesExecutive Director: Philip Keyes

NEMBAPO Box 2221

Acton MA 01720

Voice 800.57.NEMBAFax: 928-395-7759

[email protected]

Board of DirectorsBill Boles, President

Tom Grimble, Vice-PresidentAnne Shepard, TreasurerCarolyn Zepf, Secretary

Rob Adair, White Mountains NEMBANorman Blanchette, MV NEMBABill Boles, SE MA NEMBAJack Chapman, At LargeBob Croston, Greater Boston NEMBAJohn Dudek, Pioneer Valley NEMBAHunt Durey, North Shore NEMBALen Earnshaw, Seacoast NEMBAHugh Folsom, Merrimack Valley NEMBAJim Grimley, RI NEMBAJohan Holmquist, North Shore NEMBAKrisztina Holly, At LargeTina Hopkins, Rhode Island NEMBARich LaBombard, Pioneer Valley NEMBARob Macgregor, VT NEMBAWalter Masgul, SC NH NEMBATom McCrumm, Berkshire NEMBAJonathan Melzar, Seacoast NEMBATJ Mora, VT NEMBAJason Record, Seacoast NEMBAJean Rubin, SC NH NEMBAVictor Saverino, Cape Cod NEMBAAlex Sokolow, CT NEMBAMitch Steinberg, Blackstone Valley NEMBAMary Tunnicliffe, Berkshire NEMBAJohn Turchi, CT NEMBARoger Wharton, Cape Cod NEMBAJim Wrightson, Wachusett NEMBA

WWW.NEMBA.ORGFor advertising rates, request our Media

Kit by calling 800-57-NEMBA oremail [email protected]

SingleTrackSAugust / September 2002, Number 63

The Real Dirt on NEMBA’s PastNEMBA is celebrating its 15th birthday this fall,so we delved into the archives and interviewedsome of the early movers and shakers to get thereal story about NEMBA’s dirty past. By KrisztinaHolly

Looking Into NEMBA’sCrystal BallNEMBA’s growth in membership and resourceshas been exponential, so where are we headedand what might we be doing in the future? ByPhilip Keyes

Riding Upton State ForestExcerpted from Jeff Cutler’s Book, MountainBike America: Boston, Upton has some greatwoods riding for you to enjoy. By Jeff Cutler

Paper TrailEvents Calendar —4Chain Letters —5Treadlines —7Happenings —9Chapter News —26NEMBA Rides —34NEMBA Sponsors—38

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SingleTracks welcomes submissions,photos and artwork from our literate or creativemembership. This is your forum and your mag-azine, so please send us stuff!

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

On the Cover: NEMBA Founder, Heidi Davis,racing at Mt. Snow in 1989. Photo courtesy ofHeidi.

Want to Advertise?

SingleTracks offers inexpensive and targetedadvertising which helps us defray the cost ofproducing this cool ‘zine. Call 800-57-NEMBAor email [email protected] for our media kit.

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4 | August / September 2002

Sept. 22 Blue Hills MTB Day [email protected], 617-696-3533Nov. 3 CT NEMBA Fall Fiesta, [email protected], 860-653-5038

August 25 Wompatuck SP, Hingham MASept. 8 Mt. Washington Valley, NHOct. 20 Great Brook Farm SP, w/ NEMBA 15 Year Bash Festival

August 17-18 Mt. Agimenticus/IMBA Trail Clinic, www.mtanemba.org

Blackstone Valley NEMBASept. 21 Hodges Village, [email protected], 508-865-9964Oct. 5 Callahan SP, [email protected], 508-788-9912Nov. TBA Douglas SF, [email protected], 508-529-9339

Greater Boston NEMBAAug. 17 Great Brook Farm SP, Carlisle MA, 800-57-NEMBASept. 14 Lynn Woods Reservation, Lynn MA, 781- 647-3287Sept. 28 Great Brook Farm SP, Carlisle MA, 800-57-NEMBAOct. 5 Lynn Woods Reservation, Lynn MA, 781- 647-3287

SE MA NEMBAOct. 6 Wompatuck SP, [email protected], 781-925-2512Nov. 10 Wompatuck SP, [email protected], 781-925-2512

Wachusett NEMBASept. 14 Leominster SF, [email protected], 978-464-2763Oct. 19 Leominster SF, [email protected], 978-464-2763

Aug 24 Pequonnock Valley, Trumbell, 203-426-5369, [email protected] 7 Huntington SP, Redding, 203-426-5369, [email protected]

Seacoast NEMBASept. 15 Northwood Meadows State Park, [email protected], 603-

895-6633Sept. 29 Fort Rock, Exeter, [email protected], 603-895-6633Oct. 13 Pawtuckaway State Park, [email protected], 603-895-6633Oct. 27 Bear Brook State Park, [email protected], 603-895-6633

Oct. 27 NS NEMBA Wicked Ride of the East, Harold Parker [email protected]

Nov 29 FOMBA Turkey Burner Fun Ride, Auburn NHwww.fomba.com 603-483-2951

2002 Mondo Events Calender

Fun Stuff & Benefits

Pedro’s-Harpoon MTB Adventure Serieswww.nemba.org 800-57-NEMBA

Trail Clinics

EFTA / NEMBA Fun Rides

Merlin / NEMBA Trail Care Series

Rocky Mountain Bicycles NH Trail Care Series

Cannondale / NEMBA CT Trail Care Series

Oct. 20 NEMBAFest MTB FestivalGreat Brook Farm, Carlisle MA, www.nemba.org, 800-57-NEMBA


Chain Letters

Got Something to Say?Send letters/comments/gripes/money

to:[email protected]

Letters may be editted for space and clarity

Thanks for Help with National Trails Dayat Cutler Park

I would like to thank you for all of your help with planning,organizing, and recruiting for National Trails Day at Cutler Park.Your ideas and thoughts were a big help in designing the day andyour efforts to recruit volunteers from the biking community con-tributed significantly to wonderful turnout of volunteer workers. Ithink everyone had good time working in the park and enjoyingthe fruits of their labors later on. And you deserve a hugeTHANK YOU for dealing with the neighborhood concerns aboutthe trailwork that was happening and allaying their fears. Thisevent was a great kick off to biking in Cutler Park and I hope towork with you on future projects.

Kevin R. Hollenbeck, Reservation Supervisor, MDC

Supporting the Land Preservation FundEnclosed is a check for the Land Preservation Fund. I'm reallyhappy NEMBA has established the fund, and is actively workingto purchase as much of Vietnam as possible. I could ramble onabout the evil of sprawl and its irreversible effects forever-but Iwon't. Keep up the great work.

Brendan Dee, Providence RI

In Defence of MxAs I read David Riding's letter to the editor in the last issue ofSingleTracks I had a sick feeling come over me. Change a fewwords from MX'ers to mtbikers, and this could have been writtenby the Friends of Fells anti-mtbiking group, the Wheeled Locusts.

However, what concerns me most about this letter is that like theWheeled Locusts, the author feels his interaction with the groupsduring those rides somehow warrants involvement with legalauthorities or as he puts it "I think the gloves need to come offwith respect to motorcycles". Since mtbikers have no more rightto Vietnam than dirtbikers, what possible good could come ofinvolving the police, except for creating more negative press formtbikes and possible action that eliminates access for bothgroups.

As an avid road cyclist, mountain biker and dirt bike rider formany years I have a different perspective on multi-use trails thanmost. A little history is in order for many of those who don't real-ize that dirt bikers, MXer's as they are referred to in this letter,created the majority of trails in Vietnam, Freetown, Groton andmany other places mtbikers currently ride. As such, who isinfringing on whom?

Our energies are better spent fighting the eco-nazi groups thathave dedicated their miserable lives to ridding the woods ofmtbikes. Also, we mtbikers need to be careful in casting stonesregarding environmental impact of other user groups. Just as thewheeled locusts seek out high impact areas in the Fells for theirwebsite, I can take pictures of the Appalachian Trail in Maine thatare in substantially worse condition from foot traffic.

Life is full of choices. I won't defend the dirt bikers that Davidencountered on his rides, however, I wonder if just their presenceon the trails somehow made the situation seem worse than itwas. If so, there are many places to ride mtbikes without encoun-tering dirtbikes. Courtesy is a two way street, both groups haveparticipants which could use a dope slap to make them realizethat a small minority can have a very adverse impact on their abil-ity to enjoy their sport.

Don Seib, Chelmsford MA


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

Outdoor Explorations Thanks NorthShore NEMBA for DonationOn behalf of the volunteers, participants and staff of OutdoorExplorations, thank you so very much for your contribution of$761 stemming from the Pedro’s-Harpoon Mountain BikeAdventure ride put on my North Shore NEMBA.

One in five Americans is living with a disability, making peoplewith disabilities the largest minority in the country. Yet, despitethese numbers, people with disabilities rarely enjoy the full rangeof opportunities available to the larger community. OE has foundthat personal growth and insight are crucial to overcoming preju-dices and preconceptions about one's self and others. Your gen-erosity helps Outdoor Explorations ensure that all people,regard-less of ability or economic circumstances, have access to the free-dom,beauty, and life-changing power of the outdoors.

Thank you again for your support and for your commitment toadvancing community-wide inclusion of people with disabilities. Ilook forward to keeping you informed of our progress throughoutthe year.

Jim Schultz, Outdoor Explorations


Vietnam UpdateDonations Needed

NEMBA's Executive Director, Philip Keyes has been working with aconsortium of land managers and public agencies including TheOffice of Executive Affairs, The Trustees of Reservations, and theMilford and Holliston Conservation Commissions. Thanks to theseefforts, the OEA has agreed to provide substantial funding assis-tance to purchase the Robsham parcel, provided that Milford andHolliston implement Conservation Restrictions and other stipula-tions. For our part, NEMBA must raise $250,000, certainly a bigchallenge, but it's much better than several million! The time hascome for us to put our money where our mouths are. I know theeconomy is tight right now, but how much are these trails worth toyou? If every 'Nam rider gave $50-100, that would go a long waytoward meeting this goal. $100 is a fraction of what many riderstypically spend on bikes and accessories each year. Don't forget toask if your employer offers a matching program. Those who wish todonate to NEMBA's Land Preservation Fund may send tax deductibledonations to NEMBA, PO Box 2221, Acton MA 01720. All dona-tions will be used to preserve open space through the purchase ofland and conservation restrictions, with the first order of prioritybeing given to Vietnam. —Anne Shepard

T R E A D L I N E S

Seven Cycles Gets Top HonorsNearly 500 people voiced their opinion on NEMBA’s online pollabout who they thought was their favorite New England mountainbike manufacturer. Seven Cycles came out on top, just edging outCannondale.

New England has a rich bicycle culture and all of our local compa-nies are worth supporting, so next time you need a new steed,make sure local manufacturers are on your short list.

New Hampshire MTB PatrolThe New Hampshire Mountain Bike Patrol is about to embark uponit's first active patrol season, We will initially operate at Bear BrookState Park, but hope to expand to other local riding areas as the pro-gram gains additional members, momentum, acceptance and recog-nition.

The fundamental goal of mountain bike patrols is to ensure trailaccess for mountain bikers and all trail users. Our mission is to be afriendly presence on the trails to assist all trail users. While thePatrol performs many functions, enforcement is NOT one of them.

We are currently sanctioned as a chapter of the National MountainBike Patrol under IMBA. Patrollers provide assistance to hikers,equestrians, and especially mountain bikers. They give information,provide directions, help with minor repairs, and provide basic firstaid. The reason we have chosen to work under the auspices of IMBAis that they assist in forming new patrol groups, certify individualpatrollers, and help provide equipment and medical supplies atgreatly reduced cost to patrollers.

We work with the land manager to identify activities that the patroland agency could do together. Advanced Patrollers may wish to vol-unteer for duties such as spot trail maintenance, joint response tomedical emergencies, search and rescues, etc. Also, with mountainbike patrollers providing information and assistance to riders, theburden of lost, stranded and injured mountain bikers should beeased for local officials.

We will also be offering our services to event organizers in the formor spectator and participant support, acting as Course Marshals forraces, etc. For example we will be riding "sweep" at this years BearBrook Boogie, where we will be observing and assisting in the eventof any medical or mechanical needs.

If you're interested in joining the NH patrol, contact JohnGunterman at 603-268-0011 or [email protected].—John Gunterman


Massachusetts NEMBA ChaptersInitiate Trail Guide Program

Following on the success of CT NEMBA Trail Ambassadors, threeMassachusetts NEMBA chapters have begun a similar program toprovide assistance and information at over a dozen state parks andforests. Called Trail Guides, these volunteers will ride the trails asdiplomats-providing maps, offering directions and helping park visi-tors to have a pleasurable and safe experience in the parks.

In addition to assisting park visitors and being a diplomatic pres-ence, the trail guides will report trail problems to the land managers."We're essentially trying to formalize what any good mountain bik-ers would do anyway while he or she rides: help out fellow trailusers and be a positive influence on the trails." says ExecutiveDirector, Philip Keyes. "Since mountain bikers cover a lot of ground,they're in a perfect position to help park supervisors troubleshoottrail issues in their parks." The Department of EnvironmentalManagement and NEMBA signed a Memorandum of Understandingfor the program in June.

For this season, Greater Boston, North Shore and SE MA NEMBAhave adopted the program at Great Brook Farm, Wompatuck, HaroldParker, Bradley-Palmer, Willowdale, Cleveland Farms,Georgetown/Rowley, Bald Pate Pond, Prospect Hill Recreation Area,F. Gilbert Hills, Franklin, Wrentham, and Freetown State.Additionally, the guides will operate along with NEMBA's bike patrolat the Lynn Woods Reservation and the Middlesex Fells.

Next year, NEMBA hopes to bring the program to other chaptersand many other parks statewide. If you’re interested in being a guidefor 2003, send an email to [email protected].

Buy Your Raffle Tickets Now!NEMBA's annual Land Access Raffle is in full swing and we hopeeveryone will support it by buying tickets either online or by phone.This year's prizes include a choice of Specialized mountain bikes,either the Enduro Expert (their high-end freeride bike) or the FSR (alightweight cross-country dualie)! Other prizes include a great tripin Moab with AdventureBus and a RockShox Psylo XC with U-turntechnology.

All proceeds—every dime!—goes to NEMBA's Trail Grant to fundtrail projects that benefit mountain bikers around New England, soplease ante up now and get some tickets! You can get a ticket for$10, six for $50 or a whopping fifteen for $100. Go online to orderby credit card or call 800-57-NEMBA-operators are standing by!

The drawing will be held at NEMBA's big birthday bash at GreatBrook Farm SP on October 20th.

Celebrate NEMBA’s 15th B-daywith a combined NEMBAfest and

Pedro’s-Harpoon RideThis will be THE event of the season. Everyone is invited to ourbirthday bash on Sunday, October 20th at Great Brook State Farmin Carlisle MA. We plan to have plenty of rides as part of thePedro's-Harpoon series, as well as bike demos, live music, a trialsshow by Kevin Brody, a bike swap, and plenty of mountain bikegames for everyone to enjoy. There might even be a beergarden!

When: October 20th, 9am until whenever!

Where: Great Brook Farm SP, Carlisle MA

Info: www.nemba.org or 800-576-3622

Directions:

From North/South/East. Take Route 128 to exit 31 onto Route 225West. Stay on 225 West for 7 miles to Carlisle center. Right ontoLowell Street at the small rotary in the center of town. The park is1.5 miles up on the right.

From the west, Route 2 East to 495 North. Take 225 East toCarlisle Center. At small rotary in the center of town, follow SPsigns on to Lowell St. The park is 1.5 miles up on the right.

NEMBA Website Speeds UpNEMBA's website is finally off of the backroads of the internet andhas entered the high-speed superhighway. "Our website has greatcontent and gets more than 120,000 visits monthly," says PhilipKeyes, "It's also the source of about 60% of our new members, soit's been very frustrating to wait for high speed service to come toActon." With the faster speeds, we hope that more members willmake nemba.org their default website and keep up-to-date with thelatest NEMBA happenings.

Two Maine NEMBA ChaptersMaine now has two new NEMBA chapters. In the south, Mt.Agimenticus NEMBA was created by merging with the advocacygroup, Agimenticus Region Mountain Bike Association. Now underthe new NEMBA ban-ner, Mt. AgimenticusNEMBA held its organi-zational meeting onJuly 16, electing officersand board members,developing plans for anupcoming trail clinicwith IMBA's RichEdwards, and dis-cussing ways to edu-cate local mountainbikers about the com-plex issues facing thepark. The trails at Mt. Aare managed by a coali-tion of seven majorstakeholders, includingthe NatureConservancy, the Stateof Maine, varioustowns and water commissions, as well as numerous privatelandowners. The group has already set up a website to educatemountain bikers about the issues and to announce upcomingevents, www.mtanemba.org.

In the rest of state, Maine NEMBA was created to interface withpublic and private landowners to improve mountain bike opportuni-ties by developing and maintaining trails.

T R E A D L I N E S

Steve Cole and fellow ARMBA members at a Mt. Atrail day


H A P P E N I N G S

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Visit our Pub! 4pm to 2am, Monday - Thursday2pm to 2am, Friday - Sunday

McNeill’s Brewery90 Elliot Street • Brattleboro VT • 802-254-2553

Want a really great beer?

Pedro’s-Harpoon Ride Raises Money for Outdoor ExplorationsOn May 19th around 200 moun-tain bikers traveled to HaroldParker State Forest from all overNew England to enjoy a superb dayof riding on three self-guided loopsthrough the forest, courtesy ofNorth Shore NEMBA. Everyone hada great time and the event pro-duced 38 new NEMBA member-ships and raised over $750 beyondnew membership dues to supportthe event charity: OutdoorExplorations, whose mission is "touse the outdoors as a catalyst foradvancing community-wide inclu-sion of people with disabilities".Thanks to the event sponsors andto all those who volunteered theirtime to make this event possible,including the volunteers from theNew England Mt. Bike Patrol - andespecially the brave souls whohelped arrow the routes the daybefore in rain, sleet, and snow! —Hunt Durey


H A P P E N I N G S

Offroad Trike Rides Harold ParkerAdventure Ride

Charlie Croteau suffered a per-manent spinal cord damage in1970, but this didn’t stop himfrom riding the 6.5 mile beginnerloop at the Harold ParkerAdventure Ride on his offroadhandcycle. Developed byNEMBA’s Bob Hicks and Charlie,the full suspension trike has anauxiliary electric motor drive toassist with the climbs. On thedownhills, Charlie gets to go forit gravity-powered!

Built from old bike parts andelectrical tubing, the trike looks a bit of a clutter but it does the jobwell enough so that a new much tidier upgraded version is now beingbuilt for next season.

Getting back into his beloved woods after a quarter century has beeninspirational for Charlie, so he and Bob are moving ahead with theiroffroad trike concept to eventually make them available to other per-sons with physical disabilities wishing to get back on the trails.

Know someone who might be interested in joining them? Contact BobHicks, 978-774-0906 or Charlie Croteau, [email protected]. —BobHicks

David Kirby is Cycling AgainMountain biker Dave Kirby of Lynn, who suffered spinal cord dam-age in a fall in the autumn of 2000 in Lynn Woods, is making solid,steady progress back towards independent mobility and is nowcycling again, albeit on three wheels and on paved roads and bikepaths.

Dave made the move from a wheelchair to a handcycle this spring.Dave hooked up with NEMBA's Bob Hicks and fellow quadraplegicCharlie Croteau to help modify the handcycle so it would allowquadraplegics with limited hand/arm strength and dexterity to enjoyhandcycling. Specially developed handpedal grips enable Dave tofirmly grip his handcycle's pedals to power his cycle along, steer it,and operate gear shifting and braking.

A tandem unit attached to the rear of the handcycle permits Daveto ride in company with a normally-abled friend or family memberfor both companionship and added power for uphills and overlonger distances.

While all this sounds a bit like product development —Dave isindeed a "test pilot"— it happens to also be good fun for all. Daveand Bob enjoy weekly outings along Lynn's oceanfront bikepathwith the tandem, and are now about to move on to more challeng-ing open road going.

What about off road again in Dave's future? An off road handcycletrike Charlie and Bob have built already is on the trails with Charlieat the pedals, and when Dave feels he is ready to have a go again onthe trails, a next generation fully suspended off road trike will beready. —Bob Hicks


H A P P E N I N G S

On National TrailsDay, South CentralNH NEMBA workedwith the AmherstC o n s e r v a t i o nCommittee toreroute a trail andbuild a bridge over asmall stream in theH a z e l t i n eConservation LandParcel in AmherstNH. The originaltrail was prone to

erosion and equestrians found the small bridge impassable.

SC NH NEMBA purchased lumber and supplies through the generoussupport of a State of NH’s Dept. of Trails & Recreation.

Because of the size of the project, the work had to be done over twodays. Saturday, June 1st was devoted to prep work. Fourteen peoplewere there to help, including 2 teenage boys from the local highschool, so we split into two groups. One group went over to thebridge site to clear some of the brush and start placing the rocks thatwould be needed for the center support. The other group took careof preparing the lumber. A very kind family whose land abuts

Hazeltine let uscarry everythingthrough theirbackyard, whichwas just a hun-dred yards or sofrom the site,thus saving usfrom having tohaul 240+ boardfeet worth oflumber a miledown the trail.

On Sunday, a total of 20 people wound up coming to help. A bunchof folks worked on cutting the new trails and closing off the old trail.The stringers were bolted together. Some very strong guys heftedsome amazingly huge rocks into place for the stringers to rest on.Work paused briefly while a thunderstorm blew through, then every-body gathered as the 36' long stringers were passed hand over handand placed down on the supports. The decking was nailed on (thelast few boards squeaked by with just 2 nails each! The next day wewent out and put the rest of the nails in.) Then two ramps, one outof stone and one out of logs were built. The trail and bridge turnedout great and everyone did a fantastic job! —Jean Rubin

South Central NH NEMBA Builds Bridge in Amherst NH

Don’t miss the sixth annual

BLUE HILLSMountain Bike Day

Sunday, Sept. 22, 10am-3pmBlue Hills ReservationExit 3 Off of Route 128

Houghton’s Pond, Milton MA

-Marked Loops for all abilities-Expo area with bike shops, builders

and more-World famous bike limbo contest-Skills clinics and obstacle course

-free raffle of great bike swag

INfo: call 617-696-3533www.nemba.org



In the creepy, dark basement of a near-abandoned bicycle factory, aracing gorilla weaved among milling machines, displaying awesomebike handling skills on his 12-inch fixed gear bike to the sounds ofJesus Lizard and Black Flag.

A twisted circus, perhaps? No, this was NEMBA's blowoutHalloween fundraising party sponsored by Merlin Metalworks in1992.

Fueled by donuts and alcohol, costumed guests mounted custom-welded choppers decorated in a chariot theme and raced up anddown the impromptu track, skidding around the corners assisted bydisco albums scattered along the floor. "Someone found a leftoveralbum collection at Fat Head Cycles upstairs," explains JenniferMiller, Operations Manager at Seven Cycles. "Nothing good, justjunk - and someone threw them all over the floor and it turned intoa crazy skidding contest, it was outta hand!"

There was a band. No one seems to remember who they were orwhat they played. In fact, the band was a little miffed that no onewas paying attention. But one memory-impaired guest swears thatSue Lee, one of the original key members of NEMBA who designedthe newsletter, got on stage with them with an accordion at onepoint.

Someone from North Carolina, of all places, won the titaniumframe. Ashley Korenblat, then-president of Merlin and the host ofthe party, was generally a very particular person who liked thingsdone with precision and control, but that night she just had tothrow up her hands and enjoy the evening. "Can you believe I letpeople do that?" she asks.

The party was a huge success, with $2300 in proceeds funding anintern at the Middlesex Fells the following summer. NEMBA fromthe very beginning was dedicated to promoting responsible cycling,trail work, and helping keep trails open to mountain bikers. Buttrue to its social reputation (most members were hard-core racers,and the organization has been likened to a "dating club" by morethan one old-timer), NEMBA decided to throw the wackiest partyone could imagine.

But NEMBA wasn't only about fun and games. NEMBA's genesiswas the conception of sponsored mountain bike racer and wetlandsbiologist from the Mass DEP, Heidi Davis, who had been horrified tosee the perpetually wet mud bog at the Jack Rabbit run race.

The Real Dirt on NEMBA’s Pastby Krisztina Holly

NEMBATimelineBy Bill Boles

October 1987 - Heidi Davis & friendsgive testimony at a MassachusettsMetropolitan District Commissionpublic hearing regarding mountainbike use on MDC land. They refer tothemselves as The New EnglandMountain Bike Association.

April 1988 - First NEMBANewsletter.

May 1988 - NEMBA has its firstcleanup day at the Middlesex FellsReservation near Boston.

October 1989 - NEMBAbegins collecting dues tocover 'out of pocket'expenses. Dues are $8.

Late 1989 - NEMBA joinsIMBA

January 1990 - NEMBA'sfirst mailing to members.(80 members in 43 towns)

March 1990 - First Bostonarea bike dealers offer dis-counts to NEMBA members.

May 1990 - NEMBA per-suades the Mass DEM thatmountain bikes shouldn't beclassified as 'motorizedvehicles'.

May 1990 - NEMBA member JoeSloane joins the Blue HillsReservation Citizens AdvisoryCommittee, in eastern MASS.

July 1990 - NEMBA sends CT mem-ber Sarah Meigs the information sheneeds to keep CT trails from beingclosed to mountain bicycles.

November 1990 - The Trustees ofReservations begin reviewing moun-tain bike policy in the NoanetWoodlands in Dover MA.

November 1990 - Ashley Korenblat,future IMBA President, joins NEMBABoard of Directors.

February 1991 - NEMBA institutes aletter writing campaign that con-vinces the MA DEM that mountainbike use should be governed by thesame rules as all other non-motorizedtrail users. IE: Trails are to be con-sidered open unless signed as closed.

May 1991 - Joe Sloane and Bill Bolespresent a plan for a "Blue Hills TrailWatch" to the MDC.

June 1991 - NEMBA begins a seriesof Saturday morning trail mainte-nance sessions in the Middlesex Fells

Reservation.

October 1991 - NEMBA does its firsttrail maintenance in the NoanetWoodlands.

October 1991 - NEMBA sets up anautomated phone line.

1992 - NEMBA creates bylaws, a mis-sion statement and incorporates as aMassachusetts non-profit organiza-tion.

February 1992 - NEMBA holds firstAnnual Membership Meeting.

April 1992 - NEMBA funds an internto do trail work in the MiddlesexFells. The intern builds 23 bridgesand installs many erosion controldevices.

June 1992 - NEMBA workswith the town conservationcommission to lay out, buildand open trails in theNeedham Town Forest (MA).

June 1992 - Mike Morris'sHorticultural Hell race inArcadia RI donates $350, adollar per racer, to NEMBA.

June 1992 - NEMBA firstpublishes "Share the Trails"and "A Guide to HostingEnvironmentally SensitiveEvents".

October 1992 - NEMBAbegins to work with theTrustees of Reservations to

develop a mountain bike policy for theNoanet Woodlands.

October 1992 - The MDC and NEMBAstart Blue Hills Trail Watch.

October 1992 - NEMBA's firstfundraising party: a Haloween bash atMerlin raises $2300 to help fundanother Fells intern and to publish"Share the Trails".

June 1993 - NEMBA Donates $500 tothe Friends of the Lynn Woods fortools and trail maintenance materials.

June 5 1993 - NEMBA holds NationalTrails Day events in five regions ofMassachusetts: Blue HillsReservation, Nickerson State Park,Wachusett Mountain, F. Gilbert HillsState Forest, and Boxford StateForest.

September - 1993 - NEMBA's TrailIntern Program wins IMBA's ModelProgram Award.

September - 1993 - The AmericanHiking Society gives NEMBA its"Trails for Tomorrow Award" forbest fulfilling the spirit of NationalTrails Day.

September 1993 - Blue Hills Trail

This must have gone out with the extinction of thumbshifter, but I guess every newgroup has to have a secret shake! Circa 1990.


"In contrast to California,there weren't any 'nomountain biking' signsyet in Massachusetts,"explains NEMBA member#3, John Levy. But in ademonstration of fore-sight that might havebeen the key to the rela-tively good mountainbike access we have inNew England, she wasdetermined to do some-thing about it, beforemountain biking becamehistory.

Many have heard thisstory and may assume it'sapocryphal, but it's true.Heidi and Mark Abrams,from Fat Head cycles (andthe owner of those baddisco albums on Merlin'sfloor), went to a publichearing regarding moun-

tain bikes at the Middlesex Fells, a very popular riding area justnorth of Boston. They had met with their mountain biking friendsin advance and planned what they would say. In the heat of someaggressive anti-mountain bike rhetoric during that meeting, Mark

leaned over to Heidi and suggest-ed she stand up and say she rep-resented the "New EnglandMountain Bike Association." Soshe did, and the name NEMBAwas born.

The first time I met Heidi Daviswas the summer of 1994; wewere both riding at the Fells.Much to my amazement, she was5 months pregnant! I thought,"Wow, this is one tough chick!" Iimmediately was impressed, andthus was my first insight into herperseverant personality.

It turns out Heidi was the perfectambassador for mountain biking,and New England was fortunateto have her. "Heidi cared becauseof her profession in wetlands,"explains Jennifer Miller, "andbecause of her background shecould get in there and have moretechnical arguments. And shewas really well connected. Shewas racing at the time for Fat Cityand she knew tons of people thatrode."

Watch receives a $2500 SymmsGrant to fund a part-time trail watchintern.

1993 - NEMBA Donates $500 to theTrustees of Reservations to helpthem implement a mountain bike pro-gram in the Noanet Woodlands.

1993 - NEMBA hosts the firstWomen's Ride Series.

June 1994 - NEMBA holds its firstmarked Fun Ride in the Douglas StateForest, MA on National Trail Day.220 people attend.

November 1994 - NEMBA receives a$2500 Symms Grant for a summerintern for 1995.

February 1995 - Bob Hicks takes overproduction of "NEMBA News".

February 1995 - NEMBA is asked tocoordinate all Massachusetts NationalTrails Day events. This was previouslyhandled by the Appalachian MountainClub. NEMBA helps to coordinate 40events statewide.

February 1995 - Bill Boles becomesNEMBA's second president, BobHicks is VP.

April 1995 - The MDC accepts anAdopt-a-Trail for a marked mountain

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Heidi Davis after racing at Wompatuck SP, circa1987


The sport of mountainbiking was differentback then. Everyoneseemed to know eachother, through seeingeach other in thewoods or meeting atthe races. This tight-knit community reallyserved NEMBA well inthe early days.

Ken White, an earlyNEMBA member whofell in love with moun-tain biking at one ofthe first NEMBA skills

clinics in 1988, remembers one of the key public hearings inKendall Square. "It's amazing, Heidi and Sue rallied 50,maybe 100, people to the meeting. That's probably half ofall the mountain bikers total in the Boston area."

Because mountain biking was all very new, there was asense of adventure. Someriders were exploring trailsthat had not been used forcenturies. Once such explor-er was Brian McKeller, whoseveral years later went on tofound the Boston Cup race in

bike loop.

NEMBA donates $1000 and 5 TrailMaintenance days to get the trail offthe ground.

June 1995 - Philip Keyes joinsNEMBA's Board as Secretary.

June 1995 - Ken Koellner presentsNEMBA with its own web page andbecomes NEMBA's first webmaster.

June 1995 - NEMBA will sponsor aBicycle Patrol in the Fells in 1996,Krisztina Holly will initiate.

June 1995 - NEMBA holds a NationalTrails Day ride in the Douglas StateForest. 215 people attend.

August 1995 - NEMBA's first LandAccess Raffle nets several hundreddollars for trail maintenance. Prizeshad to be purchased at a discount.

January 1996 - NEMBA Board mem-bers participate in the first NationalIMBA Summit in Arizona.

February 1996 - NEMBArestructuresto create Chapter Program.

March 1996 - NEMBA announces firstfully donated Land Access Raffle,$6000 worth of prizes.

March 1996 - First Mountain BikePatrol training clinic takes place.

Ken White, Member #45, at first trailmaintenance day at the Middlesex Fells

Reservation

Before the IMBA Trail Rules, there was the NORBACode. Circa 1990Early Newsletter art


Needham in the 90's. An early member aptlydescribes Brian as "a long haired hippie mountainbiker with a double genius IQ." He spent his freetime poring over maps and linking trails all overeastern Massachusetts by bike. "One time I wasabout to enter Dogtown [in Gloucester, MA] anda local warned me boldly, 'Don't go in there!People haven't been there since the 1700's and it'sdangerous!'"

Back then the woods in general were considered ascary place, with rusted out cars and lots of illic-it activities. "At Lynn Woods, there were at leasta dozen junked cars, and you would navigate bythem. By Walden Pond there were a couple ofFords next to the trail, and then you'd take a leftby the Camaro on top of the steel tower hill,"remembers Ken White. "But as people got intomountain bikes and into these properties, it pro-

vided an impetusfor cleaning themout and makingthem presentablefor everybody."

As part of theearly explorationprocess, Brianand two others,

Pete Gaetani and Russ McIntosh, mapped out thefirst "All-Terrain Century." About 35-40 peopleshowed up one Saturday morning in the fall of1991 to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Brian hadprepared for each person a little Ziplock baggie

March 1996 - NEMBA conducts itsfirst Trail Boss Training session inthe Lynn Woods, Massachusetts.

May 4 1996 - First NEMBA/MerlinTrail Maintenance event. Participantsare eligible to win a Merlin Titaniumframe.

June 1996 - National Trails Day eventnets $1800 for NEMBA with $300going to the Douglas State Forest.187 attend.

June 1996 - NEMBA gets its owninternet domain www.nemba.org, andsets up email lists.

September 1996 - NEMBA awardedan $8995 National Recreational TrailsGrant to fund the NEMBA/MerlinTrail Maintenance Series.

September 1996 - NEMBA's LandAccess Raffle brings in $5480.

September 1996 - NEMBA initiatesNEMBA Trail Grants program usingthe raffle funds.

October 1996 - NEMBA hosts firstNorth East Mountain Bike Summit inHawley MA. It was attended by 20organizations from Washington DC toMaine.

November 1996 - NEMBA's homepage

Heidi racing for Fat City at the Jack Rabbit Run in NorwalkCT. This mud pit — and its negative environmentalimpacts— gave her inspiration to create NEMBA

Early Newsletter art


containing directions, an energybar, a pair of socks, and a dimeto call home!

However, despite all the warn-ings and polite hints along thelines of "this is a serious ride,consider your ability and fitnesslevel, etc." two people immedi-ately stood out from the crowd- a woman with a portable grillstrapped to the panniers on therear of her bike, and a man whocouldn't even hop the curb asthey entered the trailhead in thefirst 100 yards of the ride.

"The first 10 miles took twohours," laughs Ken. "There wasan incredible process of shed-ding riders left and right as theirbikes fell apart and they gaveup." And then the real ridingbegan. Only 4 riders actuallyfinished, around 10PM.

The bikes were different backthen, too. Specialized startedtaking a chance with the revolu-tionary new StumpJumper. Justthe fact that you could ride on

the dirt without getting aflat tire seemed amazingto many.

"We always biked offroad, but until then, thebike to have at the timewas a 10-speed," remi-nisces Brian. "When Ifirst bought a fat-tiredbike, it was 32 poundswith bullmoose handle-bars. It was called theShogun and the guy justhad one model for sale.Frankly, he thought I wascrazy for paying $325 forthat bike. And hethought I was even cra-zier for thinking thisthing would catch on! Hetruly did not think a fattired bike would becomepopular."

So, as increasing numbersof outdoor lovers wereseeking out new trails onbikes and falling in love with mountain biking, there was a core groupof advocates led by Heidi Davis that was quietly plugging away to

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November 1996 - Dave King initiatesthe "Green Mountain Bike Trail"which is later renamed the "ApexTrail".

March 1997 - Philip Keyes becomesNEMBA's third president.

March 1997 - NEMBA inaugurates"Trail of Fame Award" for lifetimeachievement. Heidi Davis and BillBoles are named as the firstinductees.

June 8, 1997 - NEMBA holds its firstNEMBAfest in the Lynn Woods. Over500 people attend.

1997 - NEMBA performed over 5670hours of trail work and education.

December 1997 - NEMBA Donates aProflex full suspension bike to theFreetown State Forest's ranger.

March 1997 - NEMBA's first ChiliCookoff and Annual Meeting.

July 1997- NEMBA receives federal501 (c) 3 tax exempt status with thehelp of Attorney Stig Bolgen.

September 1997 - First Blue HillsMountain Bike Day, sponsored by theMDC with NEMBA assisting. 250 peo-

Ashley Korenblat, early NEMBA honch and Merlinprez. Ashley moved on to co-own Western Spirit

Cycling and become IMBA’s president. Photo cour-tesy of John Levy, NEMBA Member #3, taken

around 1990


make sure that trails stayed open. But it was an emotional rollercoaster for them.

The first sign of trouble was when the Sierra Club officially issued astatement denouncing mountain bikes. This statement was likelythe cause for the sudden prohibition of mountain bikes inWilderness areas, decades after the introduction of the originalWilderness Act. The Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) inBoston, under extreme pressure from two different interest groups,was seriously considering banning mountain bikes from theMiddlesex Fells and the Blue Hills. The Massachusetts Departmentof Environmental Management (DEM), not quite knowing how todeal with this new user group, planned to lump mountain bikes inwith off-road vehicles, essentially banning them from mostMassachusetts trails.

Furthermore, several early members recall being verbally abusedrepeatedly at land advocacy meetings just because they enjoyed thetrails on two wheels, but nevertheless they continued to go. "I wasreligious about going month after month," recounts Ashley aboutthe Fells meetings. "I would dress up - even put a skirt on," sheemphasized," just to show that mountain bikers were nice people.I think I spent 3 years trying to work on them." Bill Boles and JoeSloane, other dedicated NEMBA advocates, similarly went tirelesslyto the Blue Hills meetings.

Their persistence paid off. As time progressed, NEMBA had moreand more win stories. The MDC finally decided to allow mountainbikes in both the Fells and the Blue Hills, if not exactly on all of thesingletrack. Noanet Woodlands in Dover remained open afterintense involvement from Sue Lee and other caring cyclists. And in

ple attend.

November 1997 - NEMBA's KrisztinaHolly attends IMBA's first GlobalSummit in Geneva Switzerland.

February 1998 - NEMBA's BrianSmith, Mark Jenks, Krisztina Hollyand Philip Keyes attend the firstIMBA State Rep Summit inTennessee.

March 1998 - NEMBA hires its firstExecutive Director, Philip Keyes.Krisztina Holly becomes NEMBA’sfourth president.

March 1998 - Bob Hicks inducted toNEMBA's Trail of Fame for lifetimeachievement in advocacy.

Spring 1998 - CT NEMBA awarded$2500 Powerbar DIRT grant fortools.

April 1998 - NEMBA publishes thefirst issue of SingleTracks Magazine.

May 1998 - Seacoast NEMBA holdsits first trail maintenance day atBeaver Brook State Park.

June 1998 - Greater Boston NEMBAawarded a $3000 Mass Greenwaysgrant for Lynn Woods map produc-tion.

June 1998 - RI NEMBA holds its

first trail maintenance day in theArcadia Management Area.

July 1998 - Merrimack NEMBA holdsfirst cleanup at the Lowell-DracutState Forest.

August 1998 - Shays NEMBA holdsworld's first equestrian & mountainbike poker run at Mt. Grace StateForest.

August 1998 - Cannondale Team Partyraises $2000 for NEMBA.

September 1998 - ConnecticutNEMBA wins IMBA Model ProgramAward for work with the MDC inWest Hartford.

September 1998 - 500 people attendBlue Hills Mountain Bike Day

September 1998 - CT NEMBA raffleraises $2000 to benefit the NewEngland Mountain Bike Patrol at theWest Hartford Reservoir.

September 1998 NEMBA's LandAccess Raffle nets $4000 to fundNEMBA Trail Grants.

September 1998 - Greater BostonNEMBA donates a bike to the LynnWoods ranger.

October 1998 - NEMBA joins theAppalachian Mountain Club Trail


the largest victory of all, after an incredible mobilization and let-ter-writing blitz in 1991, the DEM decided to allow mountainbikes on most trails, after threatening an almost complete ban.

"NEMBA was clearly the most active and sophisticated advocacygroup," described Theo Stein, environmental journalist and moun-tain bike advocate in Connecticut and then later in the Berkshires."They gave us a model and an inspiration to work on." NEMBAhelped Connecticut cyclists overturn the mountain bike ban onthe 700 mile "blue blaze" system, a big coup.

Because NEMBA pre-dated IMBA, Heidi was getting phone callsfrom all over New England and the rest of the country, asking forhelp to stave off bicycle bans in their necks of the woods. In1993, NEMBA traveled to Vegas to accept an IMBA ModelProgram Award, and also received a "Trails for Tomorrow" awardfrom the American Hiking Society. NEMBA was getting a nation-al reputation.

It's hard to imagine, amidst all the success around this time 10years ago, that NEMBA was on the verge of collapse and may haveceased to exist. But the organization was becoming a victim ofits own success.

As a result of all the buzz and a a shortage of volunteers torespond, Heidi had nearly become a one-woman show. Sherecounts, "One day I went to Ashley and said, 'I can't do it any-more, I'm going to have to dissolve it!' But Ashley said, 'I knowwhat we should do!' and she put together a mini business plan."

They broke up the work into bite-sized pieces and offered a MerlinMetalworks tour as incentive. Titles like Membership Card Guru,

Assessment Team in the MiddlesexFells.

November 1998 - Lynn Woods BowRidge construction begins.

1998 - NEMBA/Merlin TrailMaintenance Series in Massachusettstotals 2300 volunteer hours.

March 1999 - NEMBA's second annualChili Cookoff and Annual Meeting heldin Cambridge MA.

March 1999 - $2620 in NEMBA TrailGrants awarded to 6 NEMBA chap-ters.

May 1999 - Greater Boston NEMBAand Cycle Loft team up to offer aseries of skills clinics.

May 1999 - NEMBA begins financingand managing 6 New England MTBmailing lists.

May 1999 - NEMBA's Advanced TrailBuilding School takes place in HawleyMA.

May 1999 - GB NEMBA does trail-work in Belmont on MetropolitanState Hospital Land.

June 1999 - NEMBAfest on Cape coddraws 400 people for a weekend offun.

August 1999 - IMBA's Trail CareCrew arrives to spend a month doingprojects in New England.

August 1999 - Eastern Fat TireAssociation's Jack Chapman joinsNEMBA's Board of Directors as aliaison.

August 1999 - Plans made for anEFTA/NEMBA Fun Ride Series.

September 1999 - NEMBA Donates abike to the Noanet Woodlands landmanager.

September 1999 - NEMBA constructsa new trail in the Leominster StateForest.

October 1999 - Land Access Rafflenets $4300 for NEMBA Trail Grantprogram.

October 1999 - Blue Hills MountainBike Day attracts 350 people

April 2000 - CT NEMBA wins a$4,000 National Recreational TrailsGrant to fund its Trail AmbassadorProgram.

April 2000 - RI NEMBA Joins theNEMBA/Merlin Trail Care series.

April 2000 - Greater Boston NEMBAbuilds a new trail at the Great BrookFarm State Park.

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"OFO" (Only Financial Officer), "Voice of NEMBA" (the hotline),and "Mister Info" (guy who sends out newsletters) were born."How can you say 'no' to just going to the post office once a week?"chuckles Ashley.

Heidi did step down about a year later, but it wasn't until after shehad groomed some successors, and Bill Boles and Bob Hicks tookover as President and Vice President.

NEMBA is now the second largest advocacy organization in theworld (after IMBA), and it wouldn't have been possible without asecond wind in the mid 90's. The watershed event was probablythe International Mountain Bicycling Association's advocacy sum-mit in Tucson, Arizona, to which several key New England advo-cates had been invited and came home with new ideas and newenergy.

At that time, NEMBA was having growing pains and having a hardtime servicing all of its 300-odd members and living up to it'sregional name. But at the summit, the New England delegates (BillBoles, Philip Keyes, Mark Jenks, Theo Stein, and I) started dis-cussing plans for growth via a new chapter system. With this sys-tem, NEMBA would be able to expand without losing its grass-roots ties to local trails.

Concurrently, NEMBA was finding new creative energy. It was oneof the first organizations to have a website, thanks to the foresightof Ken Koellner, and an email list, thanks to Tom Greene. New pro-grams were springing up, like the New England Mountain BikePatrol and Mark Wickersham's brainchild, the Merlin/NEMBA trailMaintenance series (still going strong after all these years).

April 2000 - Greater Boston NEMBAdonates $3000 to help the CarlisleConservation Commission buy land.

June 2000 - Cape Cod NEMBA andthe Bourne Conservation Commissionwin a $3750 MassachusettsGreenways Grant for wetlandspreservation and trail restoration.

June 2000 - EFTA and NEMBAannounce a 10 event fun ride series.

June 2000 - CT NEMBA hosts a trailbuilding school.

September 2000 - Blue HillsMountain Bike Day draws 500 people.

October 2000 - NEMBA launches ahot new website.

October 2000 - MA NEMBA awarded$8572 in National Recreational Trailsfunds.

October 2000 - Ned Overend'sdonated 1992 championship M2 racebike nets NEMBA $1,000 at auction.

December 2000 - Cape Cod andSoutheast Mass NEMBA hold Toysfor Tots rides. 325 toys are collect-ed.

2000 - NEMBA hosted a record 87Trail Maintenance events in 43 parkstotaling 3400 hours.

March 2001 - Krisztina Holly present-ed Trail of Fame award at NEMBA'sAnnual Meeting. Bill Boles electedpresident.

May 2001 - Pedros Harpoon MountainBike Adventure Series debuts in theLynn Woods.

May 2001 - NEMBA/IMBA trail build-ing school held at Lake MassabesicNH.

June 2001 - Cape Cod & IslandsNEMBA wins $1000 SpecializedLeading the Way grant for its afterschool program and trailwork.

June 2001 - Greater Boston NEMBAdonates a bike to the Lynn Woodsranger.

September 2001 - NEMBA TrailGrant program awards $1498.

September 2001 - Southeast MassNEMBA purchases a trail care trailerto store and transport its tools.

September 2001 - Blue Hills MountainBike Day draws 400 riders.

September 2001 - MASS NEMBAawarded $22,000 in NationalRecreational Trail funds.

September 2001 - NEMBA's LandAccess Raffle nets $5020 for the

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With so much going on, NEMBA shortly realizedthat it was essential to "turn pro" to keep themomentum going. The organization was fortunateenough to have someone - Philip Keyes - that wastalented enough and willing to start on very meagerpay and a vision of what the organization could be.This final element, the executive director, was likelywhat has given NEMBA the escape velocity to con-tinue to grow and achieve the prominence it hastoday.

Mountain Bike advocacy still has its challenges inNew England. We still face potential closure inurban areas, and some places we have not yet madethe headway that we wished we could have. But inthe first fifteen years NEMBA has already grown toa size it took the Appalachian Mountain Club morethan fifty years to reach. With 15 chapters aroundthe region and over 3,000 members, NEMBA ispoised to grow into those challenges.

NEMBA is no longer that quaint club where every-one knows each other. But what it has gained inreturn is a constituency for making mountain bikinga legitimate activity on the trails in New England.

Trail Grant Program.

September 2001 - CT NEMBA wins$5000 National Recreational TrailGrant for its trail ambassador pro-gram.

October 2001 - 150 riders attend CTNEMBA's Fall Fiesta.

December 2001 - CT NEMBA holdsits first trail maintenance session atTyler Mill.

2002 - Rocky Mountain Bicycles spon-sors NH NEMBA's Trail Care Series.

2002 - Merlin continues its sponsor-ship of the MASS and RINEMBA/Merlin Trail Care Series.

April 2002 - NEMBA creates a LandPreservation Fund to purchase andprotect land.

April 2002 - MDC opens 3 new prop-erties to bikes in EasternMassachusetts.

April 2002 - NEMBA takes part inthe Connecticut Trails Assembly.

April 2002 - Blackstone ValleyNEMBA hosts a woman's skills clinic.

April 2002 - NEMBA joins theMassachusetts Forests and Parks

Evolution of a Magazine!

Heidi and Mark Abrams put outthe first issue in 1989. In 1995,Bob Hicks became the editor of“NEMBA News,” and in 1998

Philip Keyes took it on and the‘zine was re-named

SingleTracks. Any guess as towhen we’ll go glossy?

Continued on page 22


Dreams sometimes have a way of becoming reality if you try hardenough, so let's dream a little, take a look into NEMBA's crystal ball,and see where NEMBA might be a few year's down the trail.

• NEMBA's Headquarters and a place we can call our own

Imagine a nice lake with rolling and mountainous terrain with glori-ous singletrack winding its way up the forest floor. Then imagine anold farmhouse with a few offices, recreational rooms, seminar rooms,some bedrooms and a bike barn. NEMBA's headquarters could servedouble time as a clubhouse for our members to come, hang out, helpout or just have fun.

• Have seasonal Trail Care Crews working around NewEngland

Volunteers will always be the backbone of NEMBA's care for thetrails, but think of the positive role a small crew of professional trailcrew leaders would have for both volunteer opportunities and thetrails. Like IMBA's Trail Care Crew, a NEMBA crew could help organ-ize the events, meet with land managers during the week, and set upand initiate projects, so that volunteers could come in on weekendsand help build new singletrack and learn about trails and trail care inthe process.

• Develop a professional staff

It wasn't too long ago -actually March of 1998-that NEMBA hired it'sfirst fulltime executive director. Since then, NEMBA energy level andactivity has been phenomenal. My guess is that not too long fromnow, we'll have to increase our staffing to create new programs andpush our organization into the 21st century. Following IMBA's lead,managed growth through a carefully selected staff increases produc-tivity and has a significant positive effect on improving opportunitiesfor mountain biking.

• Build an endowment for our organization, our programsand trail grants

One of the key things that sets the truly great outdoors organizationsapart from NEMBA is their financial resources, not only in terms ofmembership but through the building of endowments for the organi-zation and programs. As NEMBA —and its membership-matures, wehope to play a role in our member's annual giving, long term financialand estate planning. Part of the reason for the success of groups likethe AMC, Sierra Club and The Trustees of Reservation has been fromthe planned giving of their supporters. Since NEMBA is a tax-exemptnon-profit, there are real tax benefits to giving securities to NEMBA,and donors not only receive a tax deduction on their gifts but are alsofree from the capital gains tax associated with the securities.

• Build stronger connections to politicians

Only in recent year's has NEMBA made strides in gaining access tothe corridors of political power, and we intend to build on these rela-tionships and push for greater access and representation in thefuture. State-level policy decisions about open space and the use andprotection of open space are going to be the key areas where NEMBAcan play a positive role for mountain bikers.

• Become partners with the key environmental groups andagencies

While there's no question that NEMBA is on the map and in theminds of many environmental groups and agencies, we are just nowbeginning to enter productive partnerships with them to work to a

common goal. With the tremen-dous growth in our member-ship, nearly 4000 at present, weare beginning to have our voicesheard. The near future is thetime to build on these relation-ships and make them work bothfor mountain bikers and for thegood of the trails.

• Open offices in themajor urban center in NewEngland

This may be fairly far off, but asour chapters grow, it's not hardto envision a time when at leastsome of our chapters will have

Looking into NEMBA's Crystal Ballby Philip Keyes

Where the Money Comes From:

Your NEMBA Dollars at Work:

NEMBA’s Growth:

2001 Cashflowby Anne Shepard, Treasurer

Partnership.

April 2002 - NEMBA attends IMBA'sMountain Bike Advocacy Summit inMoab Utah.

May 2002 - NEMBA/IMBA Trail CareClinic in the Lynn Woods builds a"technical trail" to offset the loss ofthe Bow Ridge to development.

May 2002 - Lynn Woods MountainBike Adventures event is run as abenefit for the Land ConservationFund.

June 2002 - NEMBA hosts 11 trailcare sessions to celebrate NationalTrails Day.

June 2002 - NH NEMBA awarded$3500 in National Recreational TrailGrants.

July 2002 - Seacoast NEMBA startsa Sprockids program.


their own professional staff and offices to work on issues and oppor-tunities specific to the chapter.

• Create mountain bike programs in our school systems

The future of our sport depends not only on where riders take it butalso on the next generation of riders-our kids. Kids are fatter andmore sedentary than ever before, so much so that it's deemed anational issue. What better way to turn this around and promote thegreat aspects of our sport than to work with school systems, bothpublic and private, to get mountain biking as an afternoon and week-end activity. Many schools also help promote community service anda balance program could be developed that would get the kids to ourtrail care days and help engender a sense of stewardship and trailsavvy.

• Offer more fun stuff: camping trips, group charters toexotic mountain bike destinations, festivals

So many trails, so little time! Think of the great possibilities if westarted offering charter rates to some of the world's best mountainbike destinations. Whether it's southern Vermont or southern Utah,I'm sure we'd all appreciate the company of NEMBA friends on somegroup trips. Some could be upscale events -mountain biking inCalifornia wine country-while others could be gritty adventures alongmulti-day backcountry routes. The possibilities, like the trails them-selves, could be endless.

• Complete the Apex Trail through New England and offersupported tours along the route

Our dream of this long distance mountain bike trail through NewEngland has been around for years. Thus far, only preliminary sectionsmapped out and rideable. However, this trail will someday offer excel-lent adventure and multi-day cycling through some of New England’smost scenic areas.

• Get every serious mountain biker hooked up with NEMBA

Growing NEMBA’s membership is not only important tothe health ofour organization: it gives a real voice and credibility to mountain bik-ers as we seek to protect our access to the woods and promote thesport. We have grown from around three hundred members to near-ly 4000 over the last few years. However, the number of bikers isprobably in the tens of thousands, and we need to find ways to bringthem into the organization.

NEMBA’s future looks bright, and I predict that we will go on to doeven greater things. Be proud to be a NEMBA member, and the bot-tom lines is that without you, NEMBA could not do what it does.

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M O R E P L A C E S T O R I D E

The following was excerpted with permission from Mountain BikeAmerica: Boston, a guide by Jeff Cutler. The book explores 29 riding

areas between Cape Ann (Gloucester) and Cape Cod and is appro-priate for all riding levels. Mountain Bike America: Boston is pub-

lished by Globe-Pequot Press and can be found at any Barnes &Noble, Borders Books, Amazon.com or by visiting

www.jeffcutler.com and ordering a signed copy.

Ride SpecsCounty: Worcester, MassachusettsStart: From the parking lot at the end of Loop Road. (This road is nextto the entrance to the Forest Headquarters and is a dirt fire road.)Length: 6.4 milesApproximate Riding Time: 1-1.5 hoursDifficulty Rating: Mostly moderate with one short section thatwould prove difficult even for professional ridersTerrain: Soft, loamy singletrack, packed dirt, and loose gravel double-track with some wicked rooty sections and hard, rock-strewn fireroadsElevation Gain: 616 feet.Nearest Town: Upton, MAOther Trail Users: Hikers, horseback riders, and the Armed Forces

Getting ThereFrom Worcester: Take State Route 90 (the Massachusetts Turnpike)east to MA 495. Take MA 495 south to Exit 21B toward Upton. Gowest on MA 135 to Westboro Road, which is on the left. TakeWestboro Road to Spring Street. Turn right onto Spring Street andthen almost immediately turn right onto a dirt fire road that leads tothe Upton State Forest parking area. Park anywhere in this lot.

Ride SummaryUpton State Forest is a great intermediate park that has a new trailsystem and a variety of trail surfaces to please most riders. The climbshere are not difficult, except for one, and the roots and rocks arespaced far enough apart in most sections to make navigation rela-tively smooth.

Ride DescriptionA portion of this ride is on fairly new trails. Here you'll notice that thesurface feels like a sponge because the dirt has not been packed downby years of trail use. Additionally, some stumps in the trail have notbeen worn down to the ground by tires or horse hooves. These con-ditions make riding a little taxing because each pedal stroke loses

some power to the soft, cushioned path. These con-ditions also contribute a little danger as the three tofive-inch stumps can stop or deflect a front wheel inan instant making a rider's next move quite crucial.

Riding downhill can also be a challenge because thesoft surface is also a little loose, making braking lesseffective. But the downhills are mostly moderate inslope and have long areas to run out if the bikebegins to get out of control. One area, at the end ofWhistling Cave Trail, has a steep climb that's fairlyimpossible to finish. Riding it the other way is evenmore difficult. The broken reflectors and scratchedtree stumps at the bottom of the hill are silent wit-nesses.

Some not-so-silent forest dwellers are the motorcy-cle riders who occasionally buzz down the double-track and wide singletrack trails. Although the regu-lations prohibit motorized vehicles, it's wise to keepan ear cocked when crossing the fire roads or ridingaround blind corners. Some motorcycle riders areoblivious to their surroundings and may scream pastwithout even a nod-but most are courteous.

Another bunch you may see leaving the forest asyou arrive is the Army. By the time most cyclistsarrive, at about 9 or 10 a.m. on a weekend, thesereservists have already jogged through the woodsand accomplished all their soldiering for the day.One bonus to arriving while the troops are still atUpton is that they bring along their own Port-o-Potties. They're cleaner than the ones typicallyfound at a concert or football game and the armypersonnel are kind enough to let riders change orrelieve themselves inside.

This ride can become wet in a few spots, but for the

Upton State Forestby Jeff Cutler, excerpted from Mountain Bike America, Boston


most part. it's high enough that water drains offthe trail. In one spot at the beginning of OldHopkinton Spring Trail, there's a small river thatcrosses the singletrack at the base of a largeuphill, but at the time of publishing, a bridgewas being built to span the crossing. The otherwet spots are on Whistling Cave Trail, beforethe uphill and at the very start of this ride as itenters the forest off of Spring Street.

Because of the unused trails and broad varietyof terrain, the future of Upton State Forestlooks bright. The paths are easy to follow andgetting lost isn't usually a problem as there are many fire roads thatcross through the woods and lead back to paved residential streets. Afinal suggestion is to take care on the tricky sections and bring sometires that grip well on loose surfaces-at least until this trail sees a fewmore seasons of riders.

Mileage and Directions0.0 START the ride from the dirt parking lot near the map case. Keepthe fire gate at your back and the map on your right and begin ridingdown the doubletrack fire road, Loop Road, toward the street.

0.1 Take a right on Spring Street and an immediate left into the woodsat the blue marker. This singletrack trail winds through the forest forabout three miles while crossing a few paved roads.

0.2 Cross Westboro Road and continue on the singletrack trail.

0.3 Cross Ridge Road onto Rabbit Run Trail, a singletrack path thatclimbs up into the woods.

1.5 Take a left on a short section of doubletrack that leads back toRidge Road. Cross the road and enter the singletrack trail as it con-tinues climbing.

1.8 Cross Westboro Road again and ride onto Old Hopkinton SpringTrail. This singletrack cruises up and down through the woods withtwo steep descents and one long climb.

2.3 At the "Y" intersection, stay left on Old Hopkinton.

2.4 At the "T" intersection, take a right on wide singletrack.

2.7 Take a right onto a doubletrack trail at the "Trail" sign.

3.0 Take a left into the woods at the "Trail" sign. This singletrack hasone mean downhill that drops onto Spring Street.

3.2 Cross over Spring Street and head right for a moment, then takea left back into the forest on Mammoth Rock Trail.

3.9 At the "Y" intersection Mammoth Rock Trail is the righthand sec-tion. Stay to the right.

4.2 At the intersection with Grouse Trail, go straight over the rockwall down to Loop Road, a dirt fire road.

4.21 Take a left on Loop Road.

4.4 Take right up a wicked doubletrack uphill-this is Hawk Trail.

4.8 Take a left off of Hawk Trail onto Middle Road, also a dirt double-track.

5.1 Take a right onto Whistling Cave Trail. This singletrack trail haslots of roots and ends with a steep climb.

5.8 Come to a "T" intersection with doubletrack fire road, Park Road.Take a right.

6.3 Go left onto Loop Road.

6.4 Cross through the fire gate at the dirt parking lot to end the ride.

Ride InformationTrail Contacts: Upton State Forest, Upton, MA: (508) 529-6923

Schedule: The park is open year round. Hunting is allowed so ride onSundays or wear blaze orange during hunting season.

Local Information: Trail maps are available at the parking lot in themap box.

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C H A P T E R N E W S

Vietnam Update: Land ConservationFund Target $250,000NEMBA's Executive Director, Philip Keyes hasbeen working tirelessly with a consortium of landmanagers and public agencies including TheOffice of Executive Affairs, The Trustees ofReservations, and the Milford and HollistonConservation Commissions. Thanks to theseefforts, the OEA has agreed to provide substan-tial funding assistance to purchase the Robshamparcel, provided that Milford and Holliston imple-ment Conservation Restrictions and other stipu-lations. For our part, NEMBA must raise$250,000, certainly a big challenge, but it's muchbetter than several million! The time has comefor us to put our money where our mouths are. Iknow the economy is tight right now, but howmuch are these trails worth to you? If every 'Namrider gave $50-100, that would go a long waytoward meeting this goal. $100 is a fraction ofwhat many riders typically spend on bikes andaccessories each year. Don't forget to ask if youremployer offers a matching program. Those whowish to donate to NEMBA's Land PreservationFund may send tax deductible donations toNEMBA, PO Box 2221, Acton MA 01720. Alldonations will be used to preserve open spacethrough the purchase of land and conservationrestrictions, with the first order of priority beinggiven to Vietnam.

AAC Parking Update:The owner of the American Athletic Club is con-cerned about the growing number of mountainbikers parking in the lot. She asks that ridersmake sure to leave plenty of space for other cus-tomers. Naturally, she expects riders to demon-strate their appreciation by patronizing therestaurant. On a Saturday this spring, she count-ed over 20 riders' cars and not a single one pur-chased any food. Simply put: If we want to pre-serve this privilege, we need to make our pres-ence beneficial for this business. Here are a fewground rules:

Please park on the hill near the road, and leaveplenty of space near the restaurant for regularcustomers. If the lot is crowded, please seekalternatives. They are often very busy on week-ends. Please do not use the bathrooms unlessyou are staying to eat. (Obviously) Please don'tmake a mess, if you're muddy, clean off at yourcar. Please *DO* come in and eat after your ride.Let the staff know that you and your fellow rid-ers appreciate their hospitality. Enjoy a hot mealand a cold brew and everyone will be much hap-pier!

A Hot time at the Hop-UpAbout a dozen hardy riders braved melting heatand humidity on June 23 to join Dave Freed andAnne Shepard on the 2nd Annual Hop-Up 20ride. We climbed up and around Peppercorn Hill,just west of Lake Maspenock in Hopkinton. Aftera few miles of climbing we descended to themuddy and rocky rolling doubletracks under thepowerlines and headed towards Upton SF. Theforest canopy cover offered a welcome respitefrom the sun, and the inviting singletrack revvedup our cranks and spirits. Anne's group took adirect route towards Lake Whitehall, while Dave'sgroup explored more of Upton's bounties. For thefinal leg, we skirted the boggy edge of LakeWhitehall, then turned south for a final climband descent in the Hopkinton Town Forest,which lead us to our start location. Dave chartedthe route with our new GPS system. After theride, Blake Carlson welcomed the hot but happycrew to terrace of his lakeside home to revivewith cold brews and hot pizza. Thanks Blake!

Third Annual Triple Basin Blast EpicIf you missed the Hop-Up, you'll have anotherchance to visit some of these trails, plus the leg-endary technical singletrack of "Vietnam" on our3rd Annual Triple Basin Blast Epic on September21st. Once again we'll be offering short, mediumand long routes of 15, 20 and 30 miles. For moreinformation, please contact Dave Freed at 508-366-7870 or [email protected]

Our weekly Wednesday HUFF rides series atHodges, Upton and Framingham is in full swing!Our June floaters visited the wild woods ofBolton and the rooty singletrack of BuffumvilleDam in Oxford, near Hodges Village. If you haveany suggestions for floaters, please let us know.Our rides are follow the leader style and we leaveat 6 PM sharp to ensure enough daylight. Thepace and terrain is generally intermediate level,but we will adjust to the needs of the group. Wealso offer a novice ride at Callahan, and as need-ed at our other locations. For directions anddetails, please visit www.bvnemba.org or contactthe ride leaders.

Hodges: Rich Kordell [email protected]

Upton: Dave Freed 508-366-7870 [email protected]

Callahan Jeff Gallo [email protected] &Anne Shepard 508-624-7185 [email protected]

Ride Leaders NeededWe can always use a few extra ride leaders tobreak into smaller groups. We're also on thelookout for cool trails to discover on our end ofmonth floater rides. If you'd like to suggest a rideor become a leader, please contact Jeff Gallo [email protected]

Trail Care ProjectsFall is just around the corner and we're preppingour tools for more NEMBA-Merlin Trail Care proj-ects. Participate in 2 or more Blackstone Valleytrail care days, and we'll buy you lunch at ourVolunteers Appreciation ride later in the fall. AllNEMBA trail work volunteers will be eligible towin a Merlin frame at the end of the season, socome and join us! On September 28th, RichKordell will be coordinating Blackstone ValleyNEMBA's first ever participation in the NationalEnvironmental Education & Training Foundation"Public Lands Day" at Hodges Village in Oxford.This is a huge annual trail maintenance event,which usually brings well over a hundred volun-teers representing a wide variety of trail usergroups. Hodges has miles of fantastic trails andthe Army Corps of Engineers have been very wel-coming towards mountain biking, so we feel thatit's important that riders join in this effort. Formore information, please contact Rich at 508-865-9964 [email protected]. On October 5thMark Lamkin will host a project at Callahan StPark in Framingham. This popular park has longbeen the center of many of our chapter activities,and it gets a great deal of use by bikers, equestri-ans, hikers and dog walkers, so please help usspend a few hours maintaining this greatresource. For more information, please contactMark at 508-788-9912 [email protected] InNovember, we are planning a trail care project inDouglas State Forest, we expect to begin markingthe trails with improved signage, and performregular maintenance of the Midstate Trail. Ourold friend from Callahan, Cary Van Der Akker isnow the chief ranger at Douglas, so we expectthere will be many exciting projects in the future.For more information, please contact MitchSteinberg 508-529-9339 [email protected]

Now let's enjoy the rest of the summer and keepriding all through fall! —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/Hopkinton: David FreedVP Noanet Woodlands: Andy

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

Certified Public Accountants

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75 Second Avenue, Suite 300

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Phone: (781) 453-1116 Fax: (781) 453-1117

e-mail: [email protected]



We've promised a website and now are deliveringthe baby. Check it out: WWW.CTNEMBA.ORG

It's new. It's still an infant. It will evolve. Careto lend a hand? Paul Bassett is managing the siteand is interested in your comments, your ideas,and your creative support. Hunt the site and youwill find his email address (it's a goof!).

I am crafting this chapter report one week priorto our benefit ride (an MBA series event) atCockaponset State Forest (July 21st). All thatI can say is that the weather forecast for theevent is splendid! For those of you unaware, lastyear was a washout of biblical proportions. Itlooks like this will not be the case this year andwe will finally have an opportunity to showcasesome of the best riding opportunities that thisforest has to offer. Check our website to hearhow it went.

So what's next? We are slipping towards fall sothat means our annual chapter membershipmeeting and party, otherwise known as the FallFiesta. About a 150 riders at last years event.This is an absolute gas. And, we accomplish itwhile acting as considerate trail users. We'reholding the event a bit late this year as a changeof pace. The date is November 3rd. The loca-tion? West Rock State Park in Hamden. Wewill promise rides for all abilities. Stayed tuned.

I have got to spend a moment in a grim tone. Noother way to put it, I continue to hear vaguerumblings (Ok, not all can by categorized so gen-erally. Some specific criticisms have beenreceived.) regarding MTB use and concern aboutthe condition of trails at various locationthroughout Connecticut. I know that as mem-bers of NEMBA that I'm preaching to the choir,but we have got to begin taking these rumblingsmore seriously. Otherwise I fear that we willbegin to see dramatic reactions by land man-agers. Most of the locations are the more heavi-ly trafficked areas, just as you might expect.Some are places where CTNEMBA has beenactively involved, like the Res or Huntington forinstance. Some are not and neither have a largeconcentration of NEMBA members (point is case,Mianus River Park in Stamford & Greenwich).But in each concern over notable degradation oftrail tread, trail braiding, unauthorized trail cuts,stunt construction, and more are being recog-nized. Guys (and gals), I will not brow beat withgloom and doom, but we can do better than seethis. Mountain bicycling as a trail sport is at thepoint when it has been receiving increasedacceptance by the greater trail user communityand by land access managers. Lets not looseground. We can effectively demonstrate that weare legitimate participant of this trail community.What does it take? You, me, and everyone whodesires to ride on quality trail systems. It meanstaking the time to learn something about the

trails that are important to you (i.e. Who reallyowns the properties that the trails are on? Whatare the trail access/use policies? Who is the landaccess manager? Who takes care of the trails?).Then see where you might help. Trail mainte-nance? Discuss the possibilities with the landaccess manager and whoever is performing thisservice, if at all. (NEMBA and its resources canlikely help you, too.). Talk to other trail users.Bicyclists and non-bikers, alike. (Where are theirheads on this?) Get the word out that indiscrim-inate behavior on the trails (be it while riding orwith unauthorized construction or maintenance)is doing a disservice to everyone in the long run.In other words, sell the sensitive principles andtenets of organizations like NEMBA and IMBA.Get your friends and other to understand the sit-uation. Get then to join groups like NEMBA andeven local friends of the parks groups. Gettinginvolved, and hopefully in front of any calamitousaccess restrictions, often times will avoid conflictand enhance the position of the mountain bicy-cling community as trail user participants. Iencourage you all to take time to act as respon-sible trail users in any fashion that you feel com-fortable, be it to discuss the matter with fellowcyclists or to contact a land manager and offersupport. Bet that you feel good about it.

That's more than enough for now. Sorry that I feltthe need to play, Reverend Jim. What do youthink? Got any question or concern? Feel free totap on my shoulder or any chapter officer at any-time. Let's make a difference. —John Turchi

ConnecticutPresident: John Turchi, [email protected] or

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

[email protected], 203-281-0789Secretary: Nancy MartinTreasurer: Mike GnazzoDirectors: Paul Bassett, Paula Burton,

Howie Kargman, Matt Mueller, DonMyers

Patrol Coordinator: Brian Smith, [email protected]

Ambassador Coordinator: Alex SokolowEmail List: [email protected] Web: www.ctnemba.org

McLean Access Granted but ProblemsAriseAfter more than a year of hard work, the conserva-tion restriction on the McLean property has beenchanged to allow for mountain bike access.McLean is the largest parcel of privately owned'open space' inside of route 128. The property is

not very large (108 acres) but is a critical parcel ina network of open spaces. In 1996, McLeanHospital decided to divest this property and withthe treat of development looming large, the townstepped in and found a way to preserve a large por-tion of the land as public open space. AConservation Restriction was drawn up betweenthe Town of Belmont, McLean Hospital and TheTrustees of Reservations to preserve this land asconservation land. Unfortunately for us, there waslanguage included in this document that restrictedthe use of bicycles on the property. NEMBA mobi-lized a group of volunteers to respond to this crisisand help public meetings to keep the mountainbike community informed. All of this effort paidoff when the Conservation Restriction was finallychanged at Town Meeting in late spring.

As much as we would all like for that to be the endof this issue, it is only the first step. While thenew Conservation Restriction does allow cyclistsaccess to the property, it is not full open accessand there are provisions for that access to be takenaway. We need to continue to work with theBelmont Land Management Committee to helpcreate a trail use policy that will allow cyclists rea-sonable access to the trail system.

This entire effort has recently suffered a severe set-back when a pair of constructed stunts was dis-

covered on the property. The Land ManagementCommittee made it clear that if they had knownabout this activity before the Town Meeting, theywould not have recommended a change to theConservation Restriction. NEMBA now finds itselfonce again in crisis recovery mode and the timingcouldn't be worse. Just as we are about to sitdown and discuss the details of how much accesswe will be able to get, the creation of these stuntswill set us back to the point were we will have toargue for having access at all. With better landmanagement and a formal trail use policy and man-agement presence on the property, the stunts mostlikely would not have been built in the first place.This is a good example of why mountain bikersneed to be aware of land management issues,especially in urban areas where open space issparse.

I would like to acknowledge the enormous effortthat has been made by two of our members, DaveKlienschmidt and Magnus Snorason. Their tirelesseffort was critical to getting these changes made. Iwould also like to thank the members of NEMBAand RAGE who showed up to voice support duringthe public comment meeting. —Tom Grimble

Greater BostonPresident: Tom Grimble,

[email protected], 617-776-1363

Vice-President: Joe LevineSecretary: Daniel AlarcoTreasurer: Scott BrierePatrol Director: Steven Fuchs,

[email protected]: [email protected] List: [email protected]

Meetings: First Monday of each monthat Wild Women Outfitters, 397 Mass.Ave., Arlington


Pedro's-Harpoon Ride a Success On May 19th around 200 mt. bikers traveled toHarold Parker State Forest from all over NewEngland to enjoy a superb day of riding on threeself-guided loops through the forest. Everyonehad a great time and the event produced 38 newNEMBA memberships and raised over $750beyond new membership dues to support theevent charity: Outdoor Explorations, who's mis-sion is "to use the outdoors as a catalyst foradvancing community-wide inclusion of peoplewith disabilities". Thanks to the event sponsorsand to all those who volunteered their time tomake this event possible, including the volun-teers from the New England Mt. Bike Patrol - andespecially the brave souls who helped arrow theroutes the day before in rain, sleet, and snow!

Membership Drive Through various incentives, events, and theefforts of existing members, the North ShoreChapter has seen a net increase of about 50 newmembers since late last year. Our membershipnow stands at around 170. Great job to thosewho are actively trying to get the word out andrecruit new people! We need to keep up the goodwork, so I ask all members to PLEASE make a

small effort to sign up other people you ride withas well as random people you meet in parkingareas and on the trails. All it takes is a few min-utes to tell them about NEMBA, our chapter, andall the reasons why it's a great group to join.You'd be surprised at the positive reaction you'llget. They can join easily through the NEMBAweb site - www.nemba.org. I'm hoping that yourcontinued recruitment and new membershipsfrom our upcoming Halloween Fun Ride will pushus over the 200 member mark by the end of thisyear. Please help out!

Local Bike Shop MembersI am very pleased to say that we now haveSEVEN local bike shops and one local riding clubas NSNEMBA members. They are as follows: BayRoad Bikes (Hamilton), Bicycle Shop of Topsfield,Riverside Cycles (Newburyport), Salem Cycle,Seaside Cycles (Manchester), and Western Cycle(Danvers); as well as the North Shore Cyclistsclub. Please frequent these shops and let themknow how much we appreciate their support!

Chapter Email List & Web Site ***All members (particularly new members)please note: all of our chapter communication isdone via our chapter email list and web sitewhich are limited to chapter members only (andare separate from the standard NEMBA emaillists). We now have about 125 people signed up.All announcements about chapter meetings, funrides, events, trail maintenance, etc. are madethis way. Additionally, the web site contains acalendar of chapter activities, trail maps of localriding areas, and an archive of all past email post-ings. So, if you're not signed up, you're missingout! If you wish to be added to the list, pleaseemail me at [email protected].

Weekend Fun Rides Our weekly planned fun rides continue to be a lotof fun and a great way to meet new riders andexplore different local riding areas. We have atleast one ride or event planned for every weekendthrough October. The rides vary in ability level soeveryone can find a few rides that suit them dur-ing the season. Other impromtu rides also occureach week and are posted by members on ouremail list. Check out the SingleTracks ride sched-ule and email postings and come join the nextfun ride that looks appealing to you.

Wicked Ride of the East On Sunday October 27th, we'll host the 3rdannual Wicked Ride of the East at Harold ParkerState Forest. This ride is part of the EFTA Fun RideSeries and last year's event was a great success.The ride will be very similar to the Harold Parkerevent earlier this year, with arrowed loops for allability levels. So mark your calendar and comejoin us for a little Halloween fun in the woods!

Chapter Cookout On June 9th about 25 chapter members showedup for a fun chapter ride, barbeque, and meetinghosted by our chapter VP Johan Holmquist andhis partner CeeCee Mullen at their house next toGeorgetown-Rowley State Forest. Two differentgroups enjoyed morning rides through the forestlead by our hosts who then lavished us with agreat cookout afterwards. Thanks to Johan andCeeCee for their hospitality and for making it agreat day! I hope to have one more chapter rideand cookout before the end of the season, sostay tuned.

State Park Trail Guide Program Thanks to an effort led by Johan Holmquist, ourchapter will be participating in the brand newTrail Guide program sponsored by NEMBA andthe MA Department of EnvironmentalManagement, Division of Forests & Parks. Thepurpose of the Program is to have NEMBA mem-bers act as "uniformed" ambassadors on bikes atDEM properties and to assist people as neededwith directions, trial maps, etc. Guides will alsomonitor trail conditions and reportproblems/needs to park officials. This is a greatnew program and can only enhance the goodrelations we have with DEM park staff. This sea-son, Johan and CeeCee will be guides atGeorgetown-Rowley, while Sam Davis will guideat Bradley Palmer & Willowdale. TheDEM/NEMBA agreement also includes BoxfordState Forest, Cleaveland Farm State Forest, andHarold Parker State Forest. If you are interested infinding out more about this program and possi-bly signing up for next year, contact me at [email protected]. —Hunt Durey


North ShorePresident: Hunt Durey, 978-921-1062,

[email protected]: Johan Holmquist, 978-

352-9904, [email protected]: Ron CorporonSecretary: Jessica SlateEmail List: [email protected]


D.A.R. State Forest in GoshenDave Carpenter and Boy Scout Troop 710 fromWorthington joined us for a day of trail clearingat the D.A.R. on May 11th. Fourteen Boy Scoutsand six adults helped out that day. The trail wecleared is on the map, but has been virtuallyunused because of its location at the southeast

corner of the park. The lower section was re-routed, making the entire trail about ½ mile long.

On June 16th, a rainy Saturday, George Willardand I constructed a 22' bridge on the Blue Trailwhere it intersects with the Headquarters Road.We utilized some yellow cedar decking that wasgenerously donated by Northampton Lumber.

The proposed trail at the park is still beingreviewed, but we should get a response fromDEM soon. Once approved, we will post a work-day to start the project.

Batchelor Street, GranbyOn June 1st, NationalTrails Day, we had nineparticipants for a day ofbrush cutting, chain-sawing and re-routing ofa short, muddy sectionof the Serpentine Trail.We also did some rockwork on another wetsection of the same trail.This work was done inpreparation for theAdventure Series ride wesponsored on June 11th.

The next planned workday is scheduled forSaturday, August 3rd atthe Holyoke Range.

Adventure SeriesRideWe had 140 participantsat the ride, which beganat the Notch Visitor'sCenter in Amherst on a

slightly overcast, but dry day. Overall, I think theride went well…..I kept hearing comments about"all that climbing……" welcome to WesternMass! Special thanks to Earl Alderson, whomapped out one of the loops (which wasn't quiteas easy as Philip described - my fault!). Otherthanks go out to the Holyoke Range and our gen-

erous sponsors - Competitive Edge, Seven Cycles,Harpoon and Metro Sports. We raised $638.00and have yet to determine how to use it. Manypeople either signed up or renewed their mem-berships at the ride - thanks for joining or renew-ing and we hope to see you on a trail day soon!

Mt. TomGood news about Mt. Tom Ski Area - a purchaseand sale agreement has been signed by DEM andthe owners of property. The Boys Club ofHolyoke and the Trustees of the Reservation havealso signed agreements to purchase a portion ofthe property. A proposed trail could possiblymove forward later this year on a section of thatland. —Rich LaBombard

PioneerValleyPresident: John Dudek, 413-772-0496,

[email protected]: Rich LaBombard, 413-

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

ba.htm

Once again the powers that be in RI-NEMBA puton an excellent Fun Ride in Arcadia. The weatherwas perfect and Jim Grimley came up with tworoutes that pleased both beginners and advancedriders. Mark Robinson was kind enough to donateGatorade and Fruit-2-0 for all the thirsty riders.Sara Grimley and myself signed up the 70 riderswho showed up and managed to convince quite afew people what a great group we are and that theyneeded to join up. As always, free food was pro-vided for all members who rode the route. Thanksto everyone who helped out and showed up, hope-fully we'll see you out there at our fall ride.

It continues to amaze me how we can barelyadvertise a fun ride and 70 people show up, but yetwhen we advertise, beg and plead for help on a trailmaintenance day only 3 mountain bikers show up.Where was everyone on June 1st??? It's disap-pointing to put time and effort into planning aworkday and to not have the group you are work-ing so hard to represent care enough to show up.We know that everyone's time is valuable, but afew hours one Saturday a year is not a lot to ask tokeep your favorite trails open and in good condi-tion. About 15 people showed up for our joint

workday with AMC and a lot was accomplished,unfortunately most of the credit needs to go to theAMC members who showed up. A huge and spe-cial thanks go to the mountain bikers who attend-ed- thanks Jim Christensen and Jennifer Fournierfor helping out. Thanks also go to Nuala andMichael McLaughlin and Henry Cruciani for organ-izing the hikers and for all their work. We alsoneed to thank David- the mountain biker that wasriding along that we put to work for a while.Hopefully, your still reading this and you thinkabout giving up one Saturday this fall to help usrepair the trails you ride all time- it's really not a lotto ask. Keep an eye on our RI-NEMBA email listand web site for information on dates. —TinaHopkins

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

[email protected]

Vice-President: Jim Christensen

Vice President of Big River: MarkRobinson

Vice President of Lincoln Woods: JonWellington

Treasurer: Sara Grimely

Secretary: Tina Hopkins

Email List: [email protected]

Web:http://members.aol.com/rinemba99/rinemba.htm

RI Patrol: Tom Hogan, 860-376-3250

http://www.geocities.com/mtbikepatrol


The Big RingThe third annual Bear Brook Boogie was held onJuly 7th. This is part of the EFTA/NEMBA Fun RideSeries and was a benefit for Bear Brook State Park.This year's event had a record number of partici-pants!

And through the generous contributions frommountain bikers we raised a record amount for thepark.

There were lots of smiling faces and thumbs-up atthe finish, indicating that a good time was had byall. Makes it all worthwhile! Given the deadline forthis issue I will report on the effort of volunteersand the final numbers from the event, but all indi-

cators show a record year! I can tell you we had tennew NEMBA memberships, three renewals and anew EFTA membership.

Two shops stepped up big time and provided prizesfor the event: the Bike Barn in Manchester andGoodale's Bike and Ski in Hooksett. Together theyteamed up to provide well over one hundred dol-lars in product and gift certificates. Please thankthese shops the next time you're in the area.

A sincere thank you to all the volunteers andeveryone who came to enjoy the trails and for theirgenerous contributions!

Frame WorkI dropped by to see our good friend Ted Wojcik thispast week to check out what's happening in theworld of custom bicycles. Ted has been one of thestrongest supporters of NEMBA from the start ofour chapter and continues to support us whenev-er he can. If you have never seen a Ted built bike,you are in for a treat. His attention to detail iswhat has made him famous. The best way todescribe his welds are "invisible"; there is notanother builder who can match his seamlesswelds. And there are thousands of custom paintoptions to assure yours is truly unique. Ted ispresently working with another custom bikebuilder, to design a new rear suspension system.The bike is in the final testing stages and being rid-den, wait - make that thrashed - by a local hotrod.I had the chance to see this new system and it isunique to anything on the market today. Ted

explained the geometry and benefits, such as nobobbing. "But how does it ride?" I asked. Ted, inhis quite unassuming and unpretentious way,smiled and replied, "You will just have to try it tofind out". I hope to have the chance to do justthat and get back to you with the results!

Adding to his magnificent road and hardtail stableare the 29 inchers he has been building, and, ofcourse, the singlespeed craze has him busy as well.

Ted custom builds each bike to your exact specifi-cations and will also help with proper fitting if youneed some expert guidance. His handmade gemsare pieces of art from a bygone era of customcraftsmanship and pride. If you are in the marketfor a new bike and appreciate the quality of customcraftsmanship that only a few talented builderscan provide, you should check out Ted's offering.He can be reached at 603-329-8057, or www.ted-wojcik.com.

More New Tools!The Seacoast Chapter has recently purchased newtools to add to our arsenal. We now have twoheavy-duty shovels manufactured by Zac Tools.We are planning on purchasing high quality lop-pers for our next Trail Care event. Come join usand help break in these new tools!

Chain GangFor the past ten years the first Saturday of June isdesignated as National Trails Day.

SeacoastPresident: Len Earnshaw,

[email protected], 603-895-6633Vice-President: Jonathan Melzar,

[email protected]: Jason Record,

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


RidesThere is quite an assortment of rides that SouthCentral has going this year. There are the Sundaymorning and Wednesday evening "Wolf Pack"rides that Ron Marcoux is leading again this year.On Monday and Wednesday evenings, JustinRigoli leads rides from Nault's Cyclery in Nashua.(Justin, you have to come up with a catchy namefor your ride!) On Tuesday evenings you canchose between "Walter's Ride", led by Walter "DieHard" Masgul, or you can go "Biking With Bob".Bob Hall leads that one out of his bike shop,Souhegan Cycleworks, in Milford. On Thursday,for the women, there is "Girls Love Dirt" (a.k.a."The Dirty Girls") led by Pamela Polomski. Ridesare posted on the Southern NH/Seacoast e-maillist or check out the calendar section on the SCNH web site, home.earthlink.net/~scnhnemba.

This year though, we don't seen to be able to puttogether any weekend rides. Last year we hadsome great rides.

Don't be afraid to lead a ride, it's not hard. It can

be a beginner ride or an expert ride, long or short.You just let people know what sort of a ride it willbe, where and when it will be held and how toget there. It does help to have to have a goodidea of the trail you want to go on (on occasion,people have been temporarily misplaced,although no one has never not come back from aride). You have to have some one to lead and tosweep and you just have to make sure everyoneis wearing a helmet and has water. It's easy!

Hazeltine ThanksElsewhere in this issue, there is a summary of thebridge and trail work we did at Hazeltine, so Iwon't go over that again. What I do want to dois give a huge Thank You to all of those whoworked so hard to make Hazeltine such a suc-cess. Thank you to Mrs. & Mr. Woodbury forletting us use their driveway and to BethWoodbury for all her liaison work with the ACC.Thank you to Walter Masgul, Dana Merrill, EllieMorrill, Harry Rubin and Beth for their work onthe "committee". Also Thanks to Ron Marcouxfor all his help and expertise on bridge day. Andof course, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You to allof the people who came out and helped Saturdayand Sunday!! There are some pretty great peoplehere in Southern NH!

Upcoming EventsThe chapter is thing of putting together a bikeparts swap/sale sort of thing later this fall, per-haps combined with a ride or other event, toraise some money for the chapter. So if anyonehas any ideas, or wants to help put it together,let me know.

Trail Days The Mine Falls Park Advisory Committee has thefollowing trail days scheduled for Mine Falls Parkin Nashua. Sat. Aug 17th, Sat. Sept 21st, Sat.

Oct 26th. They are from 9 to 1 and all tools andsupplies are provided. The meeting place is thecommuter parking lot off of exit 5W. Mine Fallsneeds all the help it can get, so see if you can'tmake it to at least one of the trail days.

If one of the trails that you love to ride is in needof some help let it be known. It does not have tobe a huge project, it can be something as simpleas cutting back the overhanging branches or put-ting some corduroy down over a soggy spot.

Alaska Mark Lisee, South Central NH's Alaska ambassa-dor, has been sending some great photos. Someof them will be put on our web site so everybodycan ohh and ahh. The picture above is of Mark onMatanusk Peak. Who's up for a road trip? —JeanRubin

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

[email protected]: Debbie DeGroot

[email protected]: Susan DeCloedt,

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


I must say it's very nice to be out on bikes after along wet spring. The trails are just beautiful atthis point, especially after all the good volunteerwork done on them by our NEMBA members fromall over.

As some of you may already know, the MDC hasopened Cutler Park in Needham to mountainbikes. Earlier this spring, this was a good turnoutfor building a new bridge and other maintenance.This park has some nice rolling singletrack, butnothing like it's sister, the Blue Hills.... We'rethinking of having one of the monthly ride/meet-ings there this summer to introduce people to it.

There is another new bridge at Wompatuck inHingham. Speaking of Wompy, there is MountainBike Adventure ride to be held there on August

25th starting at 9:00 a.m. Every ability can cer-tainly have a great time riding there.

We in southeast Mass. have been meeting everythird Wednesday of the month for our shortmeeting agenda and then riding for about 12miles or so. More and more people have beenjoining us and it's been so fun; I hope you canmake some of them. I canthank the ride leaders forsure, as we've been shownsome fabulous stuff that alot of people haven't expe-rienced. It's a good placeto bring up any questionsor comments that you mayhave about the sport,trails, what-have-you. Thelocation is posted on theSEMASS email list; if you'renot on it, please subscribeby going to thewww.nemba.org website.

Our most popular event isagain on the horizon. Markyou calendar for September22nd - Blue HillsMountain Bike Day.Didn't we have like, 700people last year?! Yikes.Nobody was riding overeach other either. There areabout 5000 trails in there,with experienced ride lead-ers to guide the way forALL levels. Usually we'relucky enough to have afew of the highly charis-matic rangers and trailwatch people for the task.

There are lots of events inHoughton's Pond parkinglot, bike demos, stuntshows, etc. We're going totry and get somemasseuses there too. Bythe way, it's FREE.

I'll sign off by reminding y'all of the importance onnot creating any stunts or structures on publicland without permission from the land managers.This can lead to angry rangers and trail closure, aswe've seen in the past, boy do we hear about it.Happy riding. —Carolyn Zepf


This year's event was held on June 1, and a fewEFTA racers decided to assist the Seacoast Chapterof NEMBA's Scheduled Trail Care Day atHenderson-Swasey Park in Exeter, New Hampshire.

Some had already participated in prior Trail Careevents while others were checking it out for thefirst time in preparation for the upcoming EFTA PayDirt Program.

The goal for the day was to construct two bridgesto span natural drainage areas and prevent usersfrom widening the trail.

We divided the projects into two: a primary andsecondary. The primary project was looking to bevery difficult so we all started working in that areato be sure we could complete it that day.

The first part of the project required dredging workto restore the original drainage, and curbing to nar-row the widened part of the trail. Teams split offto clean out the drainage, gather large stones, andlay out the lumber for the bridge.

Experienced and "newby" trail volunteers workedvery well together and quickly got the project mov-

ing. After a few hours we had laid the bridge inplace on its stone cribs and all that was left tobuild were the (heavy) stone ramps. The primaryproject was at a point where we knew we couldsplit up into two groups and accomplish bothgoals.

Half the group went with Mark "Kibby" Desrochers,our faithful leader, to the second section, while therest stayed to finish the ramps.

Once the stone ramps were dragged, rolled, andwiggled into position, the group went across thepark to assist on the second bridge. They arrivedjust in time to help nail down the last few boardsinto place.

Everyone worked very hard, the bridges are betterfor the trail and, just as important, fun to ride.

The next time you ride Henderson-Swasey inExeter you will surely come across the efforts ofthe following people who help keep us in goodstanding with the land managers:

Jerry White, Stephanie White, Claudia Oldford,Bob St. Hilaire, Warren Prouty, John Scalese, Noah

Harwood, Lowell VonRuden, Kelly VonRuden, EdFerrero, Alex Ferrero, Bill Rucker, Bill Plumber, MarkDesrochers, and Richard Cobb

The Seacoast Chapter of NEMBA sincerely thanksall the volunteers who help to keep these trailssustainable.

As I am writing this we have completed five of thisyear's Rocky Mountain Bicycle sponsored NH TrailCare Series. Here is your chance to support the tri-als you ride.

NH Trail Care Series DatesSunday, September 15 - Northwood Meadows

State Park -Chris [email protected] Sunday, September 29 - Fort Rock, Exeter - Mark

Desrochers: [email protected], October 13 - Pawtuckaway State Park -

Dave Heath: [email protected], October 27 - Bear Brook State Park - Len

Earnshaw: [email protected] an email or call me if you have any questionson the Trail Care events. —Len Earnshaw

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

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

7590Foxboro: Dan Ibbitson, 508-384-0665Franklin SF: Jan Hubbell, 508-341-5509Freetown: Dennis Lewis, 508-993-5920Myles Standish: Tim Scholz, 508-763-

2327Wompatuck: Paul Peaslee, 781-925-2512Wrentham: Kevin Delaney, 508-226-

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


Tips For Leading a RideAfter participating in guided rides and leading ridesin Leominster State Forest over the last few years,I've found some tips that have made our rides moreenjoyable.

Try to get an assessment of the abilities of thepeople joining the ride. If you were riding withbeginners or children this would not be the time togo for that epic 4-hour ride. Offer plenty of bailout opportunities for the people in your group,with an escort back to the parking lot. Getting lostyour first time out doesn't foster the best rideexperience either. Before you leave for the rideinform everyone that they need to stop at everyintersection to enable the rest of the group to stay

together. This is a good time to get ahead count and be sure to keep a followup head count during the ride. Losingpeople for one reason or another sucks.

The tools I carry are typically: Onetube each of Presta and Schrader type,two air pumps if they can't be convert-ed easily in the woods, tire levers, mul-titool, a good chain tool that you don'thave to struggle with, a short sectioneach of 8 and 9 speed chain and a cellphone sometimes. And oh yeah, bugrepellent for sanity during that repair inthe middle of a swamp. So far, nobodyon our rides has had to walk out of thewoods….yet.

Get out and lead a ride.

TM Days 02 - LeominsterState ForestThis years gotten off to a great start, we had a verysuccessful first TM day on National Trails Day 1stof June with 13 volunteers pitching in. On thismorning we were able to complete a bridge with atwenty foot span plus approaches and an addition-al section of boardwalk. The year before we hadinstalled 50 plus feet of boardwalk in this area atthe south end of the forest, although we couldn'tget all of the materials to the site for the newbridge, we were able to move and repair an exist-ing structure that had been washed downstream.There was also a group that had split off earlierand removed some huge blowdowns that neededattention in another area of the forest.

There are two more days scheduled in the fall formaintenance. Hope to see you there.

LSF: a jewel not to be taken lightlyI'd like to thank the people that had started theNEMBA presence before me along with the pastand present Forest Managers. If it had not been for

their fortitude at a crucial time we might not knowLSF as it is now. Some people see the work thathas been done such as boardwalks and bridges asmaking the trails too easy. This approach has keptthe trails open in water quality sensitive areas andhelped to show our concern for the trails we alluse. A large portion of the existing trail networkhad been put in by a local motocross bike associa-tion but had some serious damage to areas thatNEMBA then stepped in to repair, otherwise theland managers at that point were ready to halt theuse of all trails to mountain bikes as well. NEMBAhas also added a lot of first class trails to add toevery ones enjoyment. Please respect other usersof the trails. Note: The forest is not open tomotorized vehicles except snowmobiles. —JimWrightson

Greetings and a big Vermont state salute (youknow- the fly swatting thing).

IP Road in Green Mountain NationalForest Open to BikesThe former " I.P. Road" (Green Mountain NationalForest FR 341) between Winhall and Stratton townis now open to mountain biking. A June 1stNational Trails Day work project was well attend-ed with a crew of eight volunteers and a ForestService staffer. Signage was posted and blow-downs and leaners from the mid-May snowfallwere removed. Big thanks to all of you who cameout to help.

There are a few loose ends to tie up, but we final-ly have some backcountry bike access in theManchester district of the national forest. Manythanks to Dave King, Theo Stein, Bill Boles (themore things change....) and Forest Service stafferPenny Wu and all those other NEMBA membaswho got the ball rolling way back in 1991. Let's

hope the next access project goes more quickly andsmoothly.

This route is only an starting point, after all. Weneed to show that we can respect the closed sta-tus of the intersecting trails and keep up our main-tenance efforts before we will get more access. Asthe planning process for the forest moves forwardhopefully we will see increased access includingsingletrack trails, but we need to prove ourselveswith the IP Road first.

So please go ride the route-it's an intermediatelevel ride, 10 miles one way with a car shuttle or20 out and back. The downhill to Winhall is a bet-ter ending than the climb to Stratton town so planyour shuttle accordingly. You can probably carryenough speed to stay ahead of most of the deerflies that way....

Wilderness Issues Need ActionThe proposal for additional wilderness designatedland in the Green Mountain National Forestremains open. We're disappointed that theVermont Wilderness Association (VWA) has notresponded to our requests for more informationand a meeting.

This now 2 months after we sent a letter to VWA,and more than a month after a face to face requestwith a VWA representative at a wilderness forum.Assuming we will not be able to reach any favor-able agreement with the VWA in a timely fashion,we need to look out for our own interests as

mountain bikers.

Write your congressional delegates and ask themto leave any new wilderness designations to theForest Service planning process. This should NOTbe taken to mean that we as mountain bikers areopposed to wilderness. In this case we were leftout of the loop of the VWA proposal, and so weare only being true to our mission of advocating formountain bike trail access on publicly owned land.We will at least be represented in the ForestService planning process, which is currently under-way.

VT NEMBA’s National Trails DayVT chapter organized a work project to post thesignage on the newly designated "IP Road" moun-tain bike route in the Green Mountain NationalForest. Minor cleanup of fallen trees and pluggedculverts was also done. 8 volunteers and a ForestService staffer braved the warm temperatures andbugs to dig 17 or 18 post holes with a brand newhydraulic auger rented from a local power equip-ment dealer. Very speedy and almost effortless.......The cost of signage materials and the equipmentrental were covered by a NEMBA Trail Accessgrant, which the chapter greatly appreciated.

If you're off to the races at Mt. Snow Aug. 15-18be sure to stop by the VT NEMBA booth there andsay hello.... In the meantime, happy pedaling, —Rob Macgregor

VermontPresident: Rob Macgregor, 802-824-

3642, [email protected]: Cyndi Kilday

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

[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/


The U.S. Forest Service has committed to respond-ing by Labor Day to our requested re-route of thelower Mineral Site Trail. The trail falls into a grayarea of being a long-standing existing trail but notofficially in the Forest Service trail system. Whilethe wait for the red tape to break can be frustrat-ing, it's encouraging that the FS is willing to workwith us to resolve this problem.

Also in the National Forest, work is underway onlong bog bridges on the popular NanamocomuckTrail. By the time you read this, most of the workshould be done and in use. Thanks to all the vol-unteers that showed up to help! Thanks also toRocky Mountain Bicycles for sponsoring the NHTrail Care Series, and to the New HampshireRecreational Trails Program grant to enable us to

buy all this bridge material.

Mark your calendar for the White MountainsPedro’s-Harpoon Adventure Ride, scheduled forSunday, September 8th. The start location will beback at Anna's Field, just east of Bear Notch Roadon the Kancamagus Highway. Hope to see youthere! —Rob Adair

WhiteMountainsPresident: Mark Jenks, 603-356-0233,

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

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

[email protected]

Join NEMBA to Save Trail AccessMountain bikers need a single voice to protect trail access, build new trails and take care of the thousands of

miles of trails in New England. We’re a grassroots organization that relies on you and your financial support to pro-tect our sport. Whether you ride a lot or a little, if you enjoy mountain biking, you should become a NEMBA

member! Get your friends to join too.Pick a Chapter!At LargeBerkshire NEMBABlackstone Valley NEMBACape Cod NEMBACT NEMBAGreater Boston NEMBAMaine NEMBAMerrimack MA NEMBAMt. Agimenticus 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 (2 Cards) $30 ______ Supporting $50 _____ Sponsoring $100_____

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

Referred by: __________________________________________

Mail to: NEMBA, PO Box 2221, Acton MA 01720 Join online at WWW.NEMBA.ORG

Other NEMBA Chapter Contacts:Mt. Agimenticus NEMBA Steve Cole, [email protected], 603-433-6328, www.mtanemba.org

Berkshire NEMBA: Mary Tunnicliffe, [email protected], 413-298-0073

Cape Cod NEMBA: Charlie Genatossio,[email protected], 508-477-4936

Maine NEMBA Don Theriault, [email protected], 207-764-7600

Merrimack Valley NEMBA Norman Blanchette, [email protected], 978-957-0800


NEMBA Group RidesNEMBA rides are led by individual NEMBA members for other members and prospective members. So if you haven't yet joined NEMBA,please do. Rides are usually for small numbers of people and vary with the location and the personal style of the host. Rides have beenknown to change location or time at the last moment. So be sure to call the ride's leader, both to sign up, and to find out more about theride. Important—Be sure to contact the ride leader a couple of days before the ride takes place. That way you will be sure that the ride ison.

If you commit to a ride, go, since space is limited. That way the rides will stay manageable and be enjoyable for everyone. Helmets arerequired 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 more information.

(MBA) NEMBA Mountain Bike Adventure Series Ride(EN) EFTA/NEMBA Fun Ride.(D) weekday daytime ride.(DB) daybreak or early morning ride.(FBH) Friends of the Blue Hills Ride.(BHTW) Blue Hills Trail Watch ride.(NBTRS) Newington Bike Trek Ride Series(Dog) you can bring your dog.(W) WOMBATS ride.(K) Kids & Family ride.(CALL) Contact the leader to see if the ride is on.(TBA) 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 is planning interms of distance, pace and technicality. Also, be realistic about your level of riding skills and don't join a ride that is beyond your presentability or fitness level.

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

EFTA/NEMBA 10-25 miles. Marked loops for all ability levels. Normally includes multiple loops. Call for more information.Kids/Family: 2-10 miles, usually easy pace & terrain. These rides are aimed at parents with young children.Beginner: 2-7 miles, easy terrain, easy pace. These rides are aimed at riders with little 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 tobail out. These rides are intended for

advanced riders or, racers who would 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.

Cape Cod & Islands08/17 Trail of Tears Advanced Intermediate Roger Wharton [email protected] 508-775-3299(DB)08/17 Pochasset Beginner - Skills Ride Ted Rowan [email protected] 508-540-2200 X29808/18 TBA Beginner & Inter. Village Cycles [email protected] 508-759-677308/18 Vineyard Intermediate David Whitmon [email protected] 508-693-490508/21 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130008/22 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130008/24 Trail of Tears Advanced Intermediate Roger Wharton [email protected] 508-775-3299(DB)08/24 Pochasset Beginner - Skills Ride Ted Rowan [email protected] 508-540-2200 X29808/25 TBA Beginner & Inter. Village Cycles [email protected] 508-759-677308/25 Vineyard Intermediate David Whitmon [email protected] 508-693-490508/28 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130008/29 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130008/31 Pochasset Beginner - Skills Ride Ted Rowan [email protected] 508-540-2200 X29808/31 Trail of Tears Advanced Intermediate Roger Wharton [email protected] 508-775-3299(DB)09/01 TBA Beginner & Inter. Village Cycles [email protected] 508-759-677309/01 Vineyard Intermediate David Whitmon [email protected] 508-693-490509/04 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130009/05 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130009/07 Pochasset Beginner - Skills Ride Ted Rowan [email protected] 508-540-2200 X29809/07 Trail of Tears Advanced Intermediate Roger Wharton [email protected] 508-775-3299(DB)09/08 TBA Beginner & Inter. Village Cycles [email protected] 508-759-677309/08 Vineyard Intermediate David Whitmon [email protected] 508-693-490509/11 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130009/12 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-1300


09/14 Pochasset Beginner - Skills Ride Ted Rowan [email protected] 508-540-2200 X29809/14 Trail of Tears Advanced Intermediate Roger Wharton [email protected] 508-775-3299(DB)09/15 TBA Beginner & Inter. Village Cycles [email protected] 508-759-677309/15 Vineyard Intermediate David Whitmon [email protected] 508-693-490509/18 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130009/19 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130009/21 Pochasset Beginner - Skills Ride Ted Rowan [email protected] 508-540-2200 X29809/21 Trail of Tears Advanced Intermediate Roger Wharton [email protected] 508-775-3299(DB)09/22 TBA Beginner & Inter. Village Cycles [email protected] 508-759-677309/22 Vineyard Intermediate David Whitmon [email protected] 508-693-490509/25 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130009/26 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130009/28 Pochasset Beginner - Skills Ride Ted Rowan [email protected] 508-540-2200 X29809/28 Trail of Tears Advanced Intermediate Roger Wharton [email protected] 508-775-3299(DB)09/29 TBA Beginner & Inter. Village Cycles [email protected] 508-759-677309/29 Vineyard Intermediate David Whitmon [email protected] 508-693-490510/02 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130010/03 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130010/05 Pochasset Beginner - Skills Ride Ted Rowan [email protected] 508-540-2200 X29810/05 Trail of Tears Advanced Intermediate Roger Wharton [email protected] 508-775-3299(DB)10/06 TBA Beginner & Inter. Village Cycles [email protected] 508-759-677310/06 Vineyard Intermediate David Whitmon [email protected] 508-693-490510/09 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130010/10 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130010/12 Pochasset Beginner - Skills Ride Ted Rowan [email protected] 508-540-2200 X29810/12 Trail of Tears Advanced Intermediate Roger Wharton [email protected] 508-775-3299(DB)10/13 TBA Beginner & Inter. Village Cycles [email protected] 508-759-677310/13 Vineyard Intermediate David Whitmon [email protected] 508-693-490510/16 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130010/17 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130010/19 Pochasset Beginner - Skills Ride Ted Rowan [email protected] 508-540-2200 X29810/19 Trail of Tears Advanced Intermediate Roger Wharton [email protected] 508-775-3299(DB)10/20 TBA Beginner & Inter. Village Cycles [email protected] 508-759-677310/20 Vineyard Intermediate David Whitmon [email protected] 508-693-490510/30 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130010/31 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130011/02 Pochasset Beginner - Skills Ride Ted Rowan [email protected] 508-540-2200 X29811/02 Trail of Tears Advanced Intermediate Roger Wharton [email protected] 508-775-3299(DB)11/03 TBA Beginner & Inter. Village Cycles [email protected] 508-759-677311/03 Vineyard Intermediate David Whitmon [email protected] 508-693-490511/06 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130011/07 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130011/09 Pochasset Beginner - Skills Ride Ted Rowan [email protected] 508-540-2200 X29811/09 Trail of Tears Advanced Intermediate Roger Wharton [email protected] 508-775-3299(DB)11/10 TBA Beginner & Inter. Village Cycles [email protected] 508-759-677311/10 Vineyard Intermediate David Whitmon [email protected] 508-693-490511/13 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130011/14 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130011/16 Pochasset Beginner - Skills Ride Ted Rowan [email protected] 508-540-2200 X29811/16 Trail of Tears Advanced Intermediate Roger Wharton [email protected] 508-775-3299(DB)11/17 TBA Beginner & Inter. Village Cycles [email protected] 508-759-677311/17 Vineyard Intermediate David Whitmon [email protected] 508-693-490511/20 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130011/21 Trail of Tears All Mike Dube [email protected] 508-477-130011/23 Pochasset Beginner - Skills Ride Ted Rowan [email protected] 508-540-2200 X29811/24 Trail of Tears Advanced Intermediate Roger Wharton [email protected] 508-775-3299(DB)11/25 TBA Beginner & Inter. Village Cycles [email protected] 508-759-677311/25 Vineyard Intermediate David Whitmon [email protected] 508-693-4905

Central, Wachusett & Western Mass08/25 Leominster SF Beginner - Adv. Beg. Jim Wrightson [email protected] 978-464-2763 X-16309/08 Leominster SF Beginner - Adv. Beg. Jim Wrightson [email protected] 978-464-2763 X-16309/15 Leominster SF Beginner - Adv. Beg. Jim Wrightson [email protected] 978-464-2763 X-16309/22 Leominster SF Beginner - Adv. Beg. Jim Wrightson [email protected] 978-464-2763 X-16309/29 Leominster SF Beginner - Adv. Beg. Jim Wrightson [email protected] 978-464-2763 X-16310/06 Leominster SF Beginner - Adv. Beg. Jim Wrightson [email protected] 978-464-2763 X-163

Connecticut08/17 W. Hartford Reservoir All Newington Bike [email protected] 860-225-008508/26 Meshomasic SF, Portland Intermediate Alex Sokolow [email protected] 203-281-078908/31 Middlesex Community Col. All Newington Bike Shop [email protected] 860-225-008509/04 Case Mtn. Manchester Intermediate Alex Sokolow [email protected] 203-281-078909/03 Wadsworth Falls SP Advanced Novice Barry Burke [email protected] 860-344-095609/09 Tyler Mill, Wallingford Beginner & Novice Alex Sokolow [email protected] 203-281-078909/14 Tyler Mill, Wallingford All Newington Bike [email protected] 860-225-008509/28 Penwood SF All Newington Bike [email protected] 860-225-0085


Maine, New Hampshire & Vermont08/20 TBD Intermediate Bob Hall [email protected] 603-673-181708/27 TBD Intermediate Bob Hall [email protected] 603-673-181709/03 TBD Intermediate Bob Hall [email protected] 603-673-181709/07or 8 Fort Rock, Exeter NH Intermediate Ron Corporon [email protected] 978-465-753809/08 White Mountains All White Mts. NEMBA 800-57-NEMBA(MBA)09/10 TBD Intermediate Bob Hall [email protected] 603-673-181709/17 TBD Intermediate Bob Hall [email protected] 603-673-181709/24 TBD Intermediate Bob Hall [email protected] 603-673-1817

Metro Boston, Merrimac & North Shore08/15 Great Brook SP Women Nanyee Keyes [email protected]/15 Groton TF Intermediate Josh & Cal [email protected] 978-772-159008/17or18 Chebacco Woods Adv. Intermediate Brion O'Connor [email protected] 978-468-600308/22 Great Brook SP Women Nanyee Keyes [email protected]/22 Groton TF Intermediate Josh & Cal [email protected] 978-772-159008/24 Wompatuck SF Women Angela Kuketz [email protected] 508-451-5488(W)08/24or25 Dykes Pond, Gloucester Advanced Hunt Durey [email protected] 978-921-106208/25 Wompatuck SP All Bill Boles [email protected] 508-583-0067(MBA)08/29 Great Brook SP Women Nanyee Keyes [email protected]/29 Groton TF Intermediate Josh & Cal [email protected] 978-772-159008/31or9/1 Lynn Woods Novice Kim Simonds [email protected] 781-593-382709/01 Blue Hills Advanced Dave McElwaine [email protected] 781-721-5342(BHTW)09/05 Great Brook SP Women Nanyee Keyes [email protected]/05 Lynn Woods Beginner Tom Walker [email protected] 978-590-506609/05 Groton TF Intermediate Josh & Cal [email protected] 978-772-159009/07or18 Fort Rock, Exeter NH Intermediate Ron Corporon [email protected] 978-465-753809/07 Middlesex Fells Women Chris Sebastian [email protected] 617-974-7623(W)09/08 Blue Hills Intermediate Steve Cobble [email protected] 781-254-8796(BHTW)09/12 Great Brook SP Women Nanyee Keyes [email protected]/12 Groton TF Intermediate Josh & Cal [email protected] 978-772-159009/14or15 Bradley Palmer SP Adv. Novice Jessica Slate [email protected] 978-921-435509/14 Vietnam Women Kristen Weisker [email protected] 617-697-6943(W)09/19 Great Brook SP Women Nanyee Keyes [email protected]/19 Groton TF Intermediate Josh & Cal [email protected] 978-772-159009/21or22 Boxford SF Intermediate Dan Streeter [email protected] 978-462-460509/21 Groton TF Women Harley Erickson [email protected] 978-772-9644(W)09/22 Blue Hills All Blue Hills Mountain Bike Day 617-698-180209/26 Great Brook SP Women Nanyee Keyes [email protected]/26 Groton TF Intermediate Josh & Cal [email protected] 978-772-159009/28or29 Dogtown Intermediate Eileen Madden [email protected] 617-241-594310/03 Groton TF Intermediate Josh & Cal [email protected] 978-772-159010/05or6 Chebacco Woods Intermediate Shawn Gager [email protected] 978-921-106210/06 Blue Hills Intermediate Steve Cobble [email protected] 781-254-8796(BHTW)10/10 Groton TF Intermediate Josh & Cal [email protected] 978-772-159010/12or13 The Piggery, Manchester Intermediate Shawn Gager [email protected] 978-921-106210/17 Groton TF Intermediate Josh & Cal [email protected] 978-772-159010/20 Great Brook Farm All NEMBAFEST! www.nemba.org 800-57-NEMBA(MBA)10/24 Groton TF Intermediate Josh & Cal [email protected] 978-772-159010/27 Harold Parker SF All Hunt Durey [email protected] 978-921-1062(EN)10/31 Groton TF Intermediate Josh & Cal [email protected] 978-772-159011/07 Groton TF Intermediate Josh & Cal [email protected] 978-772-159011/14 Groton TF Intermediate Josh & Cal [email protected] 978-772-159011/21 Groton TF Intermediate Josh & Cal [email protected] 978-772-1590

Southeastern Mass & Blackstone Valley08/11 TBA Beginner & Inter. Village Cycles [email protected] 508-759-677308/11 Douglas SF All Blackstone Valley NEMBA (EN)08/13 Wompatuck SP Intermediate Paul Peaslee [email protected] 781-925-251208/14 Upton SF Intermediate Dave Freed [email protected] 508-366-787008/15 Foxboro SF Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-066508/17 Foxboro SF Women Ann Natalizia [email protected] 508-384-8266(W)08/18 TBA Beginner & Inter. Village Cycles [email protected] 508-759-677308/20 Wompatuck SP Intermediate Paul Peaslee [email protected] 781-925-251208/21 Callahan SP Beginner & Inter. Jeffery Gallo [email protected] 508-366-265508/22 Foxboro SF Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-066508/24 Wompatuck SP Women Angela Kuketz [email protected] 508-451-5488(W)08/24 Blue Hills Novice David P. Hodgdon 781-326-007908/25 TBA Beginner & Inter. Village Cycles [email protected] 508-759-677308/25 Wompatuck SP All Bill Boles [email protected] 508-583-0067(MBA)08/27 Wompatuck SP Intermediate Paul Peaslee [email protected] 781-925-251208/28 TBA Beginner & Inter. Jeffery Gallo [email protected] 508-366-265508/29 Foxboro SF Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-066509/01 Blue Hills Advanced Dave McElwaine [email protected] 781-721-5342(BHTW)09/01 TBA Beginner & Inter. Village Cycles [email protected] 508-759-677309/03 Wompatuck SP Intermediate Paul Peaslee [email protected] 781-925-251209/04 Hodges Village Dam Beginner & Inter. Rich Kordell [email protected] 508-865-9964


09/05 Foxboro SF Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-066509/08 TBA Beginner & Inter. Village Cycles [email protected] 508-759-677309/08 Blue Hills Intermediate Steve Cobble [email protected] 781-254-8796(BHTW)09/10 Wompatuck SP Intermediate Paul Peaslee [email protected] 781-925-251209/11 Upton SF Intermediate Dave Freed [email protected] 508-366-787009/12 Foxboro SF Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-066509/14 Vietnam Women Kristen Weisker [email protected] 617-697-6943(W)09/15 TBA Beginner & Inter. Village Cycles [email protected] 508-759-677309/17 Wompatuck SP Intermediate Paul Peaslee [email protected] 781-925-251209/18 Callahan SP Beginner & Inter. Jeffery Gallo [email protected] 508-366-265509/19 Foxboro SF Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-066509/22 Blue Hills All Blue Hills Mountain Bike Day 617-698-180209/22 TBA Beginner & Inter. Village Cycles [email protected] 508-759-677309/24 Wompatuck SP Intermediate Paul Peaslee [email protected] 781-925-251209/25 TBA Beginner & Inter. Jeffery Gallo [email protected] 508-366-265509/26 Foxboro SF Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-066509/28 Foxboro SF Women Ann Natalizia [email protected] 508-384-8266(W)09/29 TBA Beginner & Inter. Village Cycles [email protected] 508-759-677310/01 Wompatuck SP Intermediate Paul Peaslee [email protected] 781-925-251210/03 Foxboro SF Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-066510/06 TBA Beginner & Inter. Village Cycles [email protected] 508-759-677310/06 Blue Hills Intermediate Steve Cobble [email protected] 781-254-8796(BHTW)10/08 Wompatuck SP Intermediate Paul Peaslee [email protected] 781-925-251210/10 Foxboro SF Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-066510/13 TBA Beginner & Inter. Village Cycles [email protected] 508-759-677310/15 Wompatuck SP Intermediate Paul Peaslee [email protected] 781-925-251210/17 Foxboro SF Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-066510/20 TBA Beginner & Inter. Village Cycles [email protected] 508-759-677310/22 Wompatuck SP Intermediate Paul Peaslee [email protected] 781-925-251210/24 Foxboro SF Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-066510/27 TBA Beginner & Inter. Village Cycles [email protected] 508-759-677310/29 Wompatuck SP Intermediate Paul Peaslee [email protected] 781-925-251210/31 Foxboro SF Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-066511/03 TBA Beginner & Inter. Village Cycles [email protected] 508-759-677311/05 Wompatuck SP Intermediate Paul Peaslee [email protected] 781-925-251211/07 Foxboro SF Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-066511/10 TBA Beginner & Inter. Village Cycles [email protected] 508-759-677311/12 Wompatuck SP Intermediate Paul Peaslee [email protected] 781-925-251211/14 Foxboro SF Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-066511/17 TBA Beginner & Inter. Village Cycles [email protected] 508-759-677311/19 Wompatuck SP Intermediate Paul Peaslee [email protected] 781-925-251211/21 Foxboro SF Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-066511/24 TBA Beginner & Inter. Village Cycles [email protected] 508-759-677311/26 Wompatuck SP Intermediate Paul Peaslee [email protected] 781-925-251211/28 Foxboro SF Intermediate Dan Ibbitson [email protected] 508-384-0665

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