Ever heard of a BHAG? It’s a vision, a dream, an idea that seems a little bit beyond reality. It’s a Big Hairy Audacious Goal. In the sport of mountain biking and the world of advocacy, it’s the kind of thing that can transform a community.
Now we move on after two weeks in Vermont. Before we leave, we have to share that we’ve been pretty impressed with the level of effort being put into mountain biking and sustainable trails here. Success happens on a couple of different levels; it starts with the local clubs and is bolstered by the statewide advocacy group, the Vermont Mountain Bike Association. VMBA is an innovative organization that does many things well. One of their greatest attributes is connecting resources with opportunities. So Manchester is in good hands. It won’t be long before they will be added to all of the great places to ride in the Green Mountain State.
East Burke is home to the Kingdom Trails, a wildly popular network of over 100 miles of singletrack. I could spend a lot of time describing it, but I’d rather just get to the point. Go there, you’ll be blown away. After traveling and riding throughout the US for almost a year, I can honestly say it’s one of the most unique, exciting, and fun mountain bike destinations I’ve ever visited.
The Kingdom Sessions Day Three: Kitchel. Chad and A.J. railed multiple runs so that I could get my fill of shooting photos. Thanks guys!
After a busy weekend of work, we arrived in East Burke for some relaxing and riding. Life on the road can get pretty hectic and demanding so it’s always nice to find a place where you can chill and still have access to trails. Through a mutal friend we were able to connect with Knight at IdeRide. He found us some excellent accommodations (the IdeRide Lodge) and took us on an awesome ride. We can’t thank him (and his family) enough for the hospitality. It just proves our theory – bicycle people are some of the coolest people we know.
Everywhere we go, we seem to discover new things with each club we visit. The Fellowship is no different. They’ve managed to leverage a small paid staff with a collection of ambitiously dedicated volunteers. The result is a vast and diverse amount of stellar trails. To us, it’s remarkable. To them, it just goes along with snow and maple syrup, the three things that define the state of Vermont.
On the road again. Last year we were heading to Europe around this time. This year we are heading to Vermont to glean some knowledge from the other Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew…Monday turned into one of those days that makes you smile from ear to ear. We ended up staying near the ski mountain and decided to take some trails from our side of the valley to the other side of the valley to ride. Right out of our door, we joined up with some singletrack and whipped our way into town the long way.
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Tag: Vermont