Please take note of meeting dates for the Manchester and the Mountains Bike Club.

With the exception of April, meetings are scheduled for the 3rd Wednesday of the month.

When:

• April 11
• June 20
• Aug 15
• Oct 17
• Dec 19

Place: RK Miles Office Building, 2nd Fl.
Time: 11AM – 12 Noon

Southern Vermont, Mid winter 2012 – 20 degrees Fahrenheit, 8:00 pm. and Kevin’s derailleur is completely embedded in his spokes.

Most mountain bikers have found themselves in this situation in the past. The trick to getting all parts back in their right spot is to first stop forward motion, fast.

Next, asses the situation and determine if you can get all the parts back into their correct position. The component most likely affected will be the derailleur hanger. Don’t panic if you find it’s bent.

The best solution if bent is to replace the hanger with the one in your tool kit. Hint, Hint.

If no replacement is available, gently bend it back in place. In the worse situations you may need to actually remove the rear wheel, and even the chain.

Bottom line: Take your time and think about purchasing –and carrying, an extra derailleur for the inevitable.

In the 2011 annual Gear Up for Lyme Equinox Hillclimb event, visiting hillclimber Greg Larson strapped a video camera to his bicycle and recorded his race to the summit. And what a ride it was! Divided into 6 parts by mile –with accompanying text commentary, Greg’s video shows exactly what it’s like to ride in an uphill climbing event. Greg finished 9th overall in 42:28.

Watch the video here.

For those of you who’ve participated in this event before–and hopefully plan on doing so again this summer, Greg’s video promises to keep those legs motivated to stay on the trainer as “winter” transitions to early spring and the promise of getting back out on the road comes into view.

And for those of you who have never considered the goal of climbing Equinox? Well, think again! Set your sights high! Aim for the top always remembering the words of that great race director, Andy Holzman, “It is only one hill!”

Presented by the Rotary of Manchester Gear Up For Lyme raises money to help with research and the development of a cure for Lyme disease. Most of us have friends or family members who’ve had Lyme, and all of us are at risk.

The goal this year is to register 200 riders or more. So, visit the website for more information and please spread the word.

Event Date: August 4th 2012
Website: http://www.gearupforlyme.com
Greg Larson’s Video: http://www.gearupforlyme.com/hillclimb-video

Photo Credit: © Lee Krohn

DATES:  August 15-19, 2012

A summer cycling event package through Southern Vermont that includes the following options:

• 4-day Grand Challenge
• 3-day Weekend Challenge
• 1-day Legendary “Gap” Century

For course and registration details please click here.

The Manchester and the Mountains Bike Club (MMBC) is a newly formed club dedicated to the promotion of safe road and mountain biking, and environmentally conscientious trail construction and maintenance in Southern Vermont. The goal is to create a vibrant local community of cyclists and for the past year the group has met monthly to define areas of development and map out local road and trail routes.

To inform the public of club goals to help local and visiting cyclists enjoy our local outdoor resources, all are invited to attend a first potluck supper hosted by the MMBC.

WHEN: Thursday, January 19th
TIME: 6:30pm
WHERE: RKMILES business offices located around the fence to the right of the Hardware Store.

Come learn more about the projects the group is working on and plans for 2012. Enjoy a slide show, brief presentations on projects and mingle with other outdoor enthusiasts. This is a great time to get involved and become part of the region’s newest recreational effort.

PLEASE RSVP  milesj@rkmiles.com

Bring your favorite dish to share with the crowd! All Ages welcome!

Not all of us are competitive cyclists. Some of us just want to go the distance, enjoy the scenery, and get our heart rate up. For those wanting a good ride but don’t have lots of time, here are a couple of fun loops in Dorset that will provide exercise and decompression after a long day .

Park at the Dorset Green and go south on Rte. 30 to Dorset Hollow Rd. Take a left and ride up Dorset Hollow Road. The road will continue to the right taking you into Dorset Hollow where most of the road is dirt, the views are spectacular and you are guaranteed a good workout that mixes gentle inclines and some steeper hills.

Don’t want the dirt road? Take a left and  ride through Kirby Hollow enjoying the rolling hills and farms. Travel down route 30 from Kirby Hollow and return on the Dorset West Road back to the green. This is an easy loop with just enough hill to get your heart rate going.

Want a flatter ride?  Pedal out Dorset West Road and enjoy riding past some of Dorset’s oldest and finest homes while enjoying views of the mountains running parallel to your route.

How about some climbing? Try Morse Hill Road and enjoy coming down the other side. Great views along the way both up and down either east to west, or west to east.

On a hot day you can make a stop at the Dorset Quarry for a quick cool down and then a stop at HN Williams Store for a snack and/or cool drink.

These routes can be lengthened or shortened depending upon time available. No matter the distance though you are guaranteed a fun workout on beautiful roadways. And you don’t need to be a hardcore rider to enjoy this part of Vermont on two wheels.

There is no better way to hone your feel for the trail than to venture out after dark. So out we went, four strong, onto the side of Green Peak.

As the sun went down we donned lighting gear and our world was reduced to whatever light our lamps provided, and the sounds of the increasing darkness.

Of course guys being guys we immediately began to compare the strength, breadth, and depth of our respective lights. Hands down winner was my son’s light, the inexpensive but effective NiteRider MiNewt 350 (made in the USA it says on the package).

Keep in mind that the two other guys in the group were using much older lights that tend to cast a yellowish haze instead of the LED blue of the NiteRider. My own light was a Sigma Power LED which was less expensive than the MiNewt and came with enough accessories -always a bad sign, to sink a ship, none of which helps to keep the light on the handlebars when the trail gets rough.

Anyhow, the MiNute 350 did a good job lighting up the trail illuminating not only what is directly ahead on the trail, but also what lies to either side. Having good light coverage definitely helps a rider to have the confidence needed to let it rip when descending down a mountain trail in the pitch dark.

My Sigma light -the one with all the accessories, did light up the trail but the beam was a touch too narrow, perhaps better suited to checking tonsils or the inside of a 6” culvert. Even so, it does make for some exciting riding and you’ll know where you are going… when you get there; if that makes any sense.

Bottom line? Riding at night is a blast, when you have a good light. Whatever light you choose make sure it has sufficient power and distributes it’s beam proportionally along and across the trail.

HOTEL DORY, RICCIONE, ITALY

We were warned that this trip would include some challenging riding and that was right on the mark!  We were challenged and exhilarated.

We used every cycling skill we had ever learned and some new ones which included riding around the Italian rotaries as one group surrounded by lots of traffic.

Our days began with a buffet breakfast and lots of delicious Italian coffee. We grabbed bananas and small sandwiches to take along on our ride. With full water bottles and air in our tires, we gathered in our groups in front of the hotel and waited for our guide and the start command. Then off we went weaving through the city and up into the hills.

There were lovely medieval towns with cobblestone streets and beautiful scenery to vie for our attention. After about two hours of fast riding we were looking forward to a cappuccino break in one of the small hillside towns. After many kilometers and steep climbs and some hairy descents, we headed back to Hotel Dory for our cyclists buffet.

Always a choice of pasta, lots of salad, breads and meat which we quickly devoured to gather our strength for the next day!

Joe and Fern Wagner

The “Let’s Move” initiative by Michele Obama suggests that youths between 6 and 17 exercise at least 60 minutes a day and adults at least 30 minutes a day. This is the eighth annual running of this event by IMBA (International Mountain Bike Association) and is funded in part  by Specialized Bicycle and Battenkill Sports.

DATE: October 1, 2011

TIME: 8:30 AM

PLACE: Manchester Elementary School (rain or shine)

AGES: 4 to 12  — Helmets Required

REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT

BY PHONE:  Call Battenkill Sports 362-2734
First 25 children to register will receive a Free T Shirt and/or water Bottle.

DAY OF REGISTRATION TIME: 8:30 – Manchester Elementary School

RIDE DESCRIPTION:

• The ride will include MEMS and the Recreation area. Younger riders will be on the track, more advanced riders on a wooded trail.
• An adult volunteer from MMBC bike club will lead small groups.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:  if interested please call Battenkill Sports at 362-2734.

Event sponsored by Battenkill Sports and Manchester & The Mountains Bike Club

The U.S. Senate affirmed its time-tested support of bicycling last week by forcing Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma to withdraw his proposal to eliminate dedicated funding for the Transportation Enhancements program.

IMBA supporters and our bicycle advocacy partner organizations influenced this outcome with 50,000 emails and thousands of phone calls to U.S. Senators in just 48 hours. Thank you!

As a result, funding for all federal transportation programs has been extended to March 31, 2012. The key, cost-effective programs that make bicycling safer and easier — Transportation Enhancements, Safe Routes to School and Recreational Trails — will continue to receive modest, dedicated support, about 1.5 percent of the total federal transportation investment.

A huge thanks go to the thousands of Americans, our supporters, who rallied quickly to contact their elected officials on this challenge. We will continue to keep you posted on key issues and opportunities that affect the future of bicycling in the United States.

Sincerely,

Jenn Dice, IMBA Government Affairs Director

P.S- Your support of our Trail Access Fund makes these efforts possible. Please donate today!