CTNEMBA Fall Fiesta

On Sat September 19th CTNEMBA held its annual Fall Fiesta at Gay City SP in Hebron CT. This event is our big fall event and also the annual meeting where we elect and/or elect the board.

It was a perfect day. It started out a chilly 45 deg. but ended up being 70 deg. We had several rides including a long ride that explored both Gay City and Case Mountain. We had 14 people on the ride and got to experience some of the best singletrack in the area with some dirt road sections in between.

The event also had rides for all abilities that were marked with arrows in the park and a skills clinic by Salem Mazzaway. Everyone came back with smiles on their faces.

The event concluded with a pizza lunch and then a raffle where almost everyone won something. We even had a raffle for a GPS.

The existing board was reelected. However, due to term limits, we will be changing some of the officers. I am at the end of my term and look forward to serving on the board next year in another capacity and also helping the next president be successful.

Once the cleanup was done a group headed out for a second ride! They were also gracious enough to take down the arrows. It is important to leave the park as we found it.

Our next event will be Take A Kid MTB day at the West Hartford Reservoir on October 3rd.

Check out http://www.ctnemba.net/ for more information.

Landmine Classic MTB

Two weeks ago I did my final single bike MTB race of the year. It was the Landmine Classic in Hingham, MA. After an extremely rainy Saturday the race promised to be wet. We had stayed a friend's house near Boston the night before so we didn't have too far to travel. So after a fantastic breakfast of pancakes and coffee we headed out. We got to the general area with enough time but the Google directions let me down. So after about 30 minutes of going by gut feel we got to the race with just enough time to get ready and line up.

The race course was a single 25 mile loop. I like this format. It helps keep the different classes separated better. We started out in the usual fast pace and quickly settled in as we reached the single track. The first part of the course was fast singletrack that was moderately technical. As the race progressed we got into some terrain that had relentless roots and rocks. This part, although I really like this kind of riding, really took its toll on me. Did I mention the hub deep water also? It made for some really tricky lines through wet roots and slimy bridges. Fortunately, I was able to keep the rubber side down for the whole race.

I didn't feel great on this day but sure had alot of fun riding this course. I will be back next year and maybe if I can find the fitness I will do the 50 miler.

Mel and Lars also had a great time riding the roads and dirt roads of the park.

Although this was my last single bike race I will be racing the VT50 on a tandem for the 3rd year on Sept. 27 and then look forward to a handful of cyclocross races.