At the Heart of Singletrack

Trail Crew

With wet weather in VT, a MTB'er must look inwards at times and face a brutal truth: It's just too wet to ride. With that realization comes a couple of choices: clean bike, drink beer, watch a bike movie, pig out on some Ben & Jerry's, or..... get out anyways and give that favorite local trail some much-needed love. With that, our Wednesday ORS MTB ride set out to do some local trail work.

The Wednesday ride is some folks only chance to ride during the week. Every Wednesday people excitedly call the shop throughout the day to inquire if the ride is still on, and where we're riding. On this particular Wednesday, folks called with an already less-than-excited tone asking, "So, are we still riding?.....[long hopeful pause]." My reply: "Sorry, no group ride today. But we're gonna grab some tools and head up to do some trail maintenance after a couple of intense storms that came through."

With a little encouragement, stoke and some promised hydration (read: beer), a couple of folks rose to the occasion. This is where the "heart" of singletrack  lies. I often think to myself, "Where would we ride if it weren't for all the volunteers?" These local clubs and VMBA (Vermont Mountain Bike Association) and their blood, sweat, and tears go into building all the great places we get to ride here in VT. We are fortunate to have all these things at hand to make VT a true destination for MTB'ing. It is the people that constantly give their time even when they would rather be riding that keep singletrack alive and well.

So the next time it's raining instead, of digging into a pint of B&J's or watching a bike video, grab your pack, tools and some good friends and head for that favorite trail. Chances are it needs a little love and this way you can be sure that trail will be able to keep on giving back.

Worcester Range at Sunset

Here's to the trail builders and to all that give their time.

T.