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7 December 2011
MVTR December Meeting VP Jon called the Pearl Harbor Day MVTR Meeting to order and introduced Jay McGrath, representative for Western Powersports (and provider of some of the more popular trail on the Classic Southern Loop). Jay brought along samples of the new 2012 Fly Gear. The new line-up includes a full selection of jerseys and pants in a wide spectrum of colors and sizes; they also cover a wide variety of features and price ranges. Among other highpoints were the new Leatt-Fly cooperative neck brace with a list price of $359 and a feature laden enduro jacket (that might even run large enough to fit me) for only $99. He brought along a new Acerbis „pressure suit‟ style of armor that he has been personally testing as well. With fall fast turning toward winter the only recent event to discuss was the Annual MVTR Fall Challenge, held on 26 November. With great cooperation by the weather, this was described as being the most organized and best-attended challenge to date. 45 riders and 25 spectators enjoyed some good food and great trails. Dave C. set the fastest time of the day, riding the 6-mile lap in 21:18. When all was over and done, a much appreciated donation of $430 was made to a local charity, The Shepherds Pantry. With the Annual NETRA Sanctioning Meeting just completed we got a report on our events for 2012. The New England Classic Charity Trail Ride is on the schedule for 9 & 10 June 2012 and the Rocky Mountain Weekend Hare Scramble; Jr. Enduro and PeeWee event will take place on 28 & 29 July 2012. For several years we have hosted an enduro on alternate years. 2012 would have been an „off year‟ had Luis not volunteered (with anticipated additional help from Sea Coast Trail Riders) to Trail Boss the Mountain View Turkey Run on 7 October 2012. This will take place on trails not recently used in the Wolfboro/Ossippee area. Another new addition to the schedule will be Mike & Karen‟s „Youth Ride/Family Ride‟ on 22 July 2012. Described as a „glorified Nervous Novice‟ day, the date was intentionally planned so that this non-competitive ride would coincide with a Hare Scramble, giving the fast and furious an outlet to „get it on‟ while preserving this as a new/young rider friendly event, where parents can get some seat time with their not quite ready to race offspring. Building upon the success of this years "Ladies Day In The Dirt", Sarah is planning to expand it into an „all invited‟, "Family Day In The Dirt" for 2012. No date has been selected; the venue is anticipated to be Alton. It is looking as though 2012 will be another full year with 17 HS, 9 Enduros, 14 Jday‟s and a plethora of turkey runs, short courses, and etc. on the schedule so far. A report on the NETRA Comp Committee annual meeting showed that there were not too many rules changes for 2012 but there will be some „tightening up‟ in a few areas. Sound Test failures are to be reported to try and limit the „it passed fine last week‟ situations. Riders will have numbers on their bikes by their second race and will be expected to „declare‟ their club affiliation (and thereby, which event they will be working) at the beginning of the season. There will be no „backdating‟ of club memberships; riders will not accumulate any seasonal point until they are listed on the club roster in the NETRA database. It remains the rider‟s responsibility to ensure that they have been entered. The 2012 scoring contract was awarded to Amanda. The last of the mileage markers have been „installed‟ in Hop-Ev. A sizable group of volunteers created a nearly 4-ton block of concrete to stabilize the River Loop suspension bridge over the Veteran‟s Weekend. Word has it that Brian has gone back there alone to complete the project but as he always says „If there are no pictures then it didn‟t happen!‟John and JD have been out reconning some potential new trail to add to the Classic Northern Loop for next year. Chairman Don brought up "Ice Box 2012". The date will be 1 January or the fist Sunday with enough/adequate/safe ice. Since winter weather can change conditions rapidly, you really want to be on the „Winter Riding List‟ to get notified as to when it actually happens. Several improvements have been made for this event, a new floor is in place for the tent and a pig roast is planned. Don did mention that the number of crock-pots present had been declining and that he would like to see that reversed. Snow removal equipment would be an asset; a couple of 4 wheelers would be welcome – provided that they are equipped with plows.
2 November 2011 MVTR November Meeting The November meeting was called to order at 19:10. President Tom apologized for running late but most of us were too busy with pizza and bench racing to have noticed the time. First up was a review of what has been going on in the North Country on the conservation/recreation front. Tom has recently attended several meetings to keep up with any changes and learn how we are to be affected by them. In the northernmost region are some 13 million acres in the Connecticut Lakes Headwaters area, pretty much everything north of Young‟s Store for those familiar with Pittsburg. Within that area are some 340 miles of "roads" which are under state control for recreational use. It is planned that some of those "roads" will become designated trails for specific user groups, snowmobiles, not surprisingly are allowed pretty much everywhere, trails specifically for equestrians and mountain bikes are on the list, anything open to motorcycles is conspicuously absent. A number of grand fathered lease properties have been "swapped" so that leaseholders still have use of a site but in a less environmentally sensitive spot. DRED is now closely monitoring the gold mining there as it was progressing beyond the pan in the stream‟ point and damage was occurring. On a more positive note, several of the northern counties are looking toward allowing roads to be opened to OHRV use on a town by town basis as has already been done in Berlin. In the end, our access to the North Country is dependant on the land owners, predominantly 5 large paper companies, as long as they don‟t want us, we are out. If we can become accepted as is slowly happening in the Berlin/Jericho Park area, there is still hope. There are currently two pieces of legislation up for consideration that would affect OHRVs. First is a proposal to grant reciprocity with VT on acceptance of OHRV registrations. This could financially benefit some North Country businesses and save money for some residents. Currently, NH does not have reciprocity with anyone and stands to lose some registration fees if this passes (editor‟s note, having watched the state as it was dragged kicking and screaming to be 48 th of the contiguous states to accept the federal boat registration system remember having to put a license plate on any powered boat used in state waters? I am not holding my breath on this one happening soon). Second is a proposal to change the wheeled OHRV registration to include a club membership requirement. Currently there is an extra fee‟ to register a snowmobile if you are not a member of a listed‟ NH club with that fee split among state agencies involved with snowmobiles. In theory this generates a larger pool‟ of volunteers to maintain and groom the trails, in practice it probably generates another source of income to state agencies, how well it would translate to the smaller number of wheeled vehicle clubs with our much more limited trail systems is hard to project.Riding Don told us that the Russ Henry Memorial, hosted by the Sea Coast Trail Riders was "the best Turkey Run ever", with a good route sheet and very good arrowing, there were some big puddles and some mud along the way. Also riding it were John, Dave, Ron, Sarah and Doug, not everyone agreed as to whose odometer was correct at the end of the day but none were sorry about riding it. The Tri-State Enduro at Hodges was reportedly more than a little wet. Our own Rocky Mountain Enduro was held last month. Attendance was OK considering that it was sharing the date with 4 other events. We had 62 signed up with 60 actually riding. Many appreciated the format, which looped back to the start for gas (certainly the guy I helped‟ (I held the bike up while he worked) change out his toothless countershaft sprocket did, probably the sweepers who did not have to tow him home as well). The great turnout of our club members to make sure everything got done was really appreciated. Since we generally host an enduro every other year Luis is looking at hosting a Turkey Run in 2012 at a new location, stay tuned. NETRA News The sanctioning meeting will be coming up on 3 December 2011; anything to be included on the 2012 calendar needs to be submitted by that time. MVTR is looking to host the New England Classic Charity Trail Ride on 8,9 & 10 June, the Rocky Mountain Weekend Hare Scramble, Jr. Enduro and Pee Wee should happen on 28 & 29 July. The as yet unnamed Turkey Run to be co-hosted with (or we help them host, or they help us host it to be decided) would presumably be held on our‟ enduro date of 7 October. We may be looking at some rule changes as well as structure changes coming from NETRA. The current method of funding event insurance is causing a substantial loss in funds. At present the insurance fees paid out by NETRA are based on a flat per event‟ fee and have to be paid early in the season. Most HS events have enough entrants to cover the insurance cost. Enduros, along with the Jr Enduro and Pee Wee events held in conjunction with another event are riding close to the balance point of breaking even. Stand-alone Jr Enduros and Pee Wee events are flat losing as far as insurance. The fact that the fees have to be submitted early in the season, before most (sometimes any) events have been held, combined with a limited amount of funds on hand has resulted in some individuals personally fronting the insurance money. Additionally, NETRA has been covering the difference between the club paid scoring fee‟ and the actual cost of having the event scored. The industry grants, which previously covered much of this, have evaporated. There has been great reluctance to raise dues, particularly in the current economy. How this can be all or partially alleviated remains to be seen. Trail Projects A few club members ignored the October blizzard and headed north to Jericho, where they constructed several bridges and finished cutting the inaugural single-track section. Neal advises that a dozen bikes riding a dozen laps each would be a good start to having it burned in for next season. 6 November (yep, right now as I type this, sorry but 18 when I got up was too depressing for me) is the date for the Rocky Work Party. Luis‟ plan is to join forces with the local snowmobile club (sorry again, I didn‟t hear the name) and re-deck three bridges that are getting past due‟ on the Bergeron Property in Alton. Veteran‟s Weekend will be the date for the final Hop-Ev Work Party. Brian plans to coerce Mike to build yet another set of forms on Saturday, the 12th and then on Sunday the 13th, all hands will be mixing and pouring concrete to create some permanent abutments for the River Loop suspension bridge. All the usual clich‟s apply, time to cowboy up, give back to the trails or just plain come out and help. Upcoming The 2011 Landry Ranch MVTR Challenge is planned for 26 November. The trails were all cleared prior to the October snowstorm; a crew should be on scene (today, the 6th) trying to get it ready once again. Jeff told us that Mom‟ had recently met with the local conservation commission who were impressed enough with the trail loop to offer a grant to upgrade the bridge. The current loop is 6.2 miles of single-track, the plan is to bring that up to 7 and call it good‟. Riders are encouraged to bring something to throw on the grill‟ and/or a dish to share. As always, quiet bikes only. Respectively Submitted Bruce
October 2011 MVTR October Meeting
Vice President Jon called the October meeting to
order at 19:00.
With our Rocky Mountain
Enduro literally just days away, it was the
first topic for discussion. Rick first gave us an update on Luis daughter,
she is now home and making slow but steady progress in recovering from the
accident. They both were able to enjoy the Deerfield Fair but Luis stated
that he was getting fatigued at the end from pushing the still necessary
wheelchair.
As of meeting time the trail work was about 95%
done and they were closing in on having the logistics under control as well.
The course was being pre-ridden today and the route sheet would be proofed
on Friday. There would be a work party beginning at 09:00 on Saturday and
any available bodies were desired for help on event day (Sunday) starting at
0dark thirty. Later in the evening, Alex got a phone call from Peter
confirming that he was now out of the woods (with the help of a headlamp),
having completed arrowing and recovering his drowned bike.
In associated news, the Sea Coast Trail Riders
are looking for sweep riders to assist with the upcoming
Russ Henry Turkey Run (the
current incarnation of Noble Woods). Let them know if you can be there.
In recent events we had riders attending hare
Scrambles at Remsen
(a new course, fast with few rocks but a 6 hour ride to get there),
Stateline (fast), and
Richardsons Farm
(muddy, quite a few buried bikes and fast at least when the throttle was
stuck open according to Andy). The Mudslinger
enduro in the Berkshires was held entirely on
private land. It was reported to be somewhat milder than years past although
certainly no cakewalk with only two C reported to have finished before
houring out. The Ammonoosuc River
turkey run was, as always interesting. Many riders found themselves having
route sheet issues on Saturday while Sunday got rave reviews for great
weather and trails. There were some who wished for better signage, had they
known that a beverage stop was coming soon, they would have put off
resting until they got to it. The Hawk Ride
managed to somehow elude almost all of the rain.
25 riders enjoyed what was reported as, a great route sheet (there were no
arrows), great trails and an interesting bridge. At the
Buckfield International Two Day
ride, Steve, Tuck and others enjoyed riding with the slow, C group but
arrived close behind the very fast A riders. Neil reportedly did
not break his wrist.
In Hop-Ev
news, the mileage markers have been posted on all but the single-track
trails so far. It is hoped that this will simplify locating injured riders
and also help pin down areas that are in need of some maintenance attention.
In a recent work detail the prison transitional work force moved several
pallets of concrete block out into the woods and installed it into a
bridge to prevent it floating away again. There will be a work party on
12 & 13 November to
rework the suspension bridge out on the River Loop.
All available hands are requested in
Jericho on
29 & 30 October for a work
party consisting of bridge building; trail cutting and some burning-in of
the single track.
Tom was unable to be present at our meeting
because he was attending a Comprehensive Land Use meeting at UNH. I expect
that we will hear a report about that next month.
The New England
Classic Charity Trail Ride committee is already
hard at work, preparing for the 2012 event to be held on 9 & 10 June.
Looking for ways to make the event even better and involve more of the club
members, they are planning to split some of the jobs into more manageable
proportions. They have already recruited some new guy (Jarrod) to oversee
Tech Inspection, he
will take the responsibility for having the testing equipment and
technicians in place during all the hours that tech is supposed to be
available. There are more vacancies to be filled, ideally there will be:
A Logistics Coordinator
to be on site Friday through Sunday. This job would entail getting people
set up to work or camp in the appropriate locations, signing and enforcing
(with deputies?) the tracks speed a quiet hour rules, having some workers
and tools on hand to be dispatched to trail issues as found by the
pre-riders.
A Raffle Coordinator,
the event traditionally has two raffles, a CF raffle and the MVTR raffle,
both happening concurrently with the Banquet. Rumor has it that the club
raffle might be changed to a cup(?) format where you would buy your
tickets and drop them in the cup at the item you would like to win, then a
winner would be drawn from that cup for the item. In past years a ticket
would be drawn and the chosen person would go through what is available,
while fun it can make for a long evening.
An Information Booth,
available throughout the weekend, someone would be available to answer
questions, give directions, provide spectator maps(?), etc.
There also remains a vacancy to be filled as
Big Bike Rally Trail Boss,
someone to plan a route, write a route sheet, figure out a lunch stop,
recruit a sweep rider or two and generally ride herd over the group of Big
Bike Riders.
The NETRA
Competition Committee will be meeting in early
December. If you have an idea for a rule change it needs to be submitted to
a club Competition Committee Representative before 1 November 2011. The club
will be voting on which events it would like to host for 2012 at the
November meeting (2 November 2011), be there to support the events that you
want to see happen next year.
Bruce
7 September 2011 MVTR September Meeting
With the weather not encouraging a pre-meeting ride, the
crowd was ready and the pizza mostly devoured when the meeting began at
20:00. Rick gave us a brief recount concerning Luis daughter who was
seriously injured last month in an accident caused by a drunk driver. After
being airlifted to Boston and having several surgeries, she has been moved
to a Rehab Hospital in Haverhill where she continues to recover. This has of
course taken a toll on Luis and any time he had to work on the upcoming
Rocky Mountain Enduro. For the time being Rick has stepped up to cover some
of the Trail Boss duties. (Late note: Luis was planning to head up the work
party today 18 Sept.) In other MVTR friends and family news: Nate of Klim
gear, known by many members was hit and killed by an SUV when he stopped to
assist someone on the side of the road. Nate was 32 with 3 kids, the
youngest only 3 weeks old. On a happier note both Jay and JD are recovering
well from their respective surgeries!
A further review of Rocky Mountain Weekend
shows it to be one of our better years. With cooperating weather we had 282
riders venture to the woods of Alton. Changing our handling of the parking
donation to be more in line with other events and having a number of
trophies already on hand were seen as two contributing factors in improved
revenue.
The Ladies Ride was held under great riding
conditions. There were 15 riders participating in a something for everyone
event. Extra Special Thanks are due to the landowners who refused the
collected donations, preferring to have it used toward growing the event
next year!
Next month we will revert to Standard
Schedule for meetings. Show up before 19:00 or plan on missing out on the
pizza!
In Hop-Ev news: The Bureau Of Trails covered
the post Irene trail clearing and repair on the main trails, getting the
park back open quickly, leaving only the single track for MVTR to handle. As
of meeting date Brian had cleared the River Loop, having the BT trail still
to do. Mileage Signs have been hung on Stark Pond, Basset Mill, Hanglider
Hill and Sugar Hill trails.
The Wednesday Night Rides will continue until
the end of Daylight Savings Time.
Recent Events
found MVTR riders at Speedsville
in NY where 37 NETRA were among those appreciative of the rain having held
off until almost the end. Also notable was the
No Snow Run Enduro in
CT where they did in fact have snow in August! Riders enjoyed a good mix of
trails with some new stuff mixed in. No one seemed to be complaining about
the last few miles being cut out due to the initial arrival of Irene. A consensus of those attending events this year is that
they are getting a bit easier. This is seen as a way to keep from losing
more and more riders to competing race series. By meeting attendee
guesstimate the average age for enduro riders would be in the 40s with
Hare Scrambles riders averaging in the late 20s. Upcoming Events include:
The
Ammonoosuc River Run
on 3 & 4 September in Haverhill, NH will feature 127 miles of trail plus 20
miles of single track on Saturday, followed by another 100+ miles on Sunday.
The
Eighth Annual Hawk Ride
in memory of Tom McAlpine will feature 75 miles of trail and a BBQ. Hosted
by Jay, it will start and end at his place in Deerfield, NH on 2 October.
Also on 2 October will
be another Ladies Ride,
this one hosted by Karen and Mike. It will center around a 10 mile loop
featuring the 3 miles of single track in their backyard in Lebannon, ME.
On Saturday, 26 November there will be the
annual Time Trials at Jeffs in Windham.
The Rocky Mountain Enduro
will be soon upon us! Rick brought us up to date on the 9 October event. The
plan is to have an all off road
(no plate or license needed), AMA rules (you stay, get to ride all day with
friends on the same minute), 25 to 30 mile loop, with a gas stop back at
start (approximately midway on the loop), which will be run twice. He has
been up scouting and found considerable storm damage that will need to be
cleared. Work parties are scheduled for the 11th
and 18th
(yes, the one on the 18th
was unknown at meeting time but since it has now come and gone, I am
including it here). If the trails already planned on can be cleared in time
he hopes to add some more fun stuff to the route. Keep tuned to NEDB and
your email (you DO have a current email on file with MVTR right?) for more
work party announcements. There will be
a lot of Day Of workers needed to cover the event, keep the date open!
Neal reports that he needs someone to go to
Jericho go over the single track there with the Bureau Of Trails. This is a
necessary step in getting it approved, contact him if you can help.
6 July 2011 MVTR July Meeting
The July MVTR Meeting began shortly after 20:00
following up on the heals of the simultaneous Rocky Weekend Committee
Meeting and the 31st
Classic Committee Debriefing Meeting and the disappearance of 13 pizzas. Classic 31
Tom started us off with a summary of the debrief meeting:
There will be/is an effort to get more of the club
members involved in the running, planning, overseeing, etc. of the Classic.
Part one of the plan, is to get anyone interested on to the Committee, new
blood is always welcome. Part two is to identify a number of new jobs then
find volunteers to adopt them and make them their own by figuring out what
help and resources they need to have and recruiting those individuals. The
idea being that we reach out beyond the Usual Suspects and get more
individuals active in the process. In the past pretty much everything has
been divided among the members of the committee and then a month or two
before crunch time a sign up sheet gets passed around to find volunteers to
help. It has worked remarkably well (editors opinion) but puts a lot of
strain on a small number of individuals. At the same time it has given the
appearance of the Classic Committee being a small closed club, which is
certainly not the case.
Successfully completing a task often means that
you inherit it for life, the hope here is to get enough club members
involved that some jobs might even be handled by different crews on
different days and that volunteering might still leave you a day free to
enjoy the ride rather than being a lifetime commitment. Its OK to volunteer
to do just one thing or for just one (or part of one) day. [I learned early
in my MVTR membership that the more stuff you get involved with, the more
people you meet, and sometimes people who once they know you and recognize
you as a productive member offer invitations to ride new and different
places. As you get more involved it becomes more fun] (more editorializing
by me).
Lisa came bearing gifts and Thank Yous.
She wanted not only to offer thanks but also to remind us that the success
of each Classic is dependant on the contributions made by
all of MVTR. That
work is appreciated by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and also very much so
by the 200 families across NH who are affected by Cystic Fibrosis. In a less
than stellar economy we were still able to raise $103,000, of which $22,000
came directly from MVTR. This will all go toward continuing research to find
treatments and ultimately make CF stand for Cure Found. Her gift of LIFE
SAVERS
was a reminder that by hosting the event, year after year the members of
MVTR are truly life savers.
JD was the only (adult ride) Trail Boss still
standing by this point in the evening. He reported that unlike earlier in
the week, by ride time there was NO dust. There was also no complaining to
be found, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves despite being soaked and
cold. All the problems surfaced early and after the first hour there were no
more calls on the emergency line.
Jay described the kids as all being cold and
wet but having a great time. Tired or not everyone kept on riding after the
lunch break, even if only to keep warm. He wanted to thank all who had given
up their ride in order to help chaperone the Kids Ride and open an
invitation to others to join in next year.
Tom added that a thank you had gone out to the
store/gas station at the Alton Circle (Reset 9 on Saturday). When waves of
wet, cold riders appeared they cranked up the heat in the store and gave out
expedient raingear (trash bags) to the riders to help them continue on
with the journey. Rocky Mountain Weekend
At the end of this month, just 3 weeks away at this point, we will be
hosting Rocky Mountain Weekend. Those members of the Rocky Committee who are
competing have been working hard to observe how the other events they attend
are working out and trying to list any ideas that we should adopt to improve
our event as well as identify any potential pitfalls that we need to avoid.
That said there are not a great number of changes planned for this years
event. We will be looking to try and get all the Official Venues (Sign-up,
Waivers, Tech, Med, etc.) into one area in an effort to improve
communication and provide for more frequent relief for those working the
areas. Andy told us that he has been trying to recall those volunteers who
handled various tasks last year and then supplement them with additional
help. As always more club members are needed and welcome. The HS course will
be run in reverse direction this year. There are a couple of areas where new
go-arounds are planned to avoid stoppers. The change in direction will
necessitate shortening and or exposing a number of stumps in some sections
and as always there are new face slappers to be trimmed back. There is a work detail planned for 9 & 10 July, with
meeting points designated as 08:30 (breakfasted and ready to depart) at the
Alton Traffic Circle McDonalds or at AJs Gate at 09:00. A trailer full of
tools will be on site but feel free to bring what cutting, clearing
implements you have and are comfortable using and or loaning.
The hay fields are scheduled, (as much as weather
allows) to be cut beginning on the 18th.
Later that week the grass track will need to be laid out and the (almost)
final arrowing done. The 30th
and 31st
are the event itself. Any and all time that you can offer to help is
welcome, a day or a few hours, it all adds up. Please contact
Andy
or call him at 603-887-3296 if you can help at the event or in the days
leading up to it. For a copy of the event flyer click
here.
Feel free to print and post them as appropriate. At present there is no plan to try and obtain a Fire
Permit for the weekend, if you need warm food please plan accordingly. Hop-Ev
Brian is planning a work party to be held on 17 July, meet in the parking
lot at 09:00. There are several bridges, which require attention. If time
and manpower allow some signage issues may be attended to as well. The Rest
The weekly trail rides continue. Two weeks ago
it was rather rainy but last week drew a big crowd. Rides are planned for
every non-meeting Wednesday evening, meet at the Hop-Ev parking lot around
17:00.
A Womens Ride is in the planning stages. The
concept is in place and soon a date will be announced.
A newsletter should be appearing within the
next week.
Not much Competition riding appears to be
taking place by club members of late. Mark stated that Laurel City might be
on his schedule as a throw-away although Zach didnt seem to have minded
it. Art has been taking lots of pictures, which he said is cheaper than
riding although he does have a new bike.
Respectfully (more or less)
Submitted
Bruce
1
June 2011
MVTR June Meeting
The first order of
business (after pizza) was the upcoming 31st
Annual New England Classic Charity Trail Ride. Mark
Still needed, will be a couple of Course
Marshals. Banquet ticket sales have closed with 160 sold, Tuck has a couple
of extra tickets. More Trail Ambassadors are still needed. These are
riders who will lead/coach a small group of riders who lack
experience/confidence in navigating by route sheet. The sign-up sheet for
Pre and Sweep riders is pretty much filled. The Bear Brook and Pawtuckaway
trails were ridden twice last week, best described as Awesome. Jay
The Kids Classic has 34 pre-registered riders
thus far. The maximum is 50, he will hold entries open until the night
before. JD
As of Saturday the Northern Loop was mostly
arrowed. They will be working this Sunday in the Devils Den section. The
course is 120 miles, more or less with a few changes from last year, most
specifically an added Hero Section on the Bergeron property. Lunch will be
open at Alexs at 10:30, riders not leaving the lunch stop by 12:30 will be
re-routed around the Devils Den section to First Gas at the Alton Circle. Lisa
A big Thank You to all who are helping with
the event. The 200 families in New Hampshire who are affected by Cystic
Fibrosis really appreciate it as well! Chip
Sundays Southern Loop will be about 115 miles.
It is currently about 80% flagged and will be finished this weekend and next
week. He announced that we still needed someone to provide and run sound
equipment for the Riders Meetings. Glen stepped up to cover that spot.
Sundays lunch will once again be provided by Abby Road Construction, who
have always done an excellent job! Tech
Will be open on Friday from 5pm to 7pm.
Saturday and Sunday hours have to be set in accordance with Speedway Quiet
Hours. We would like to have signs posted with the hours (once we determine
what they are). Big Bike Rally
Last years 160 mile route up into the lower
White Mountains with bag lunches provided by Elvios Pizzeria in Lincoln and
delivered to meet the riders at Rumney Common. Word about the ride is out on
MVTR.org, NEDB.com and ADVrider.com.
The usual club rides that happen on the
Tuesday and Thursday following the Classic look to be unlikely this year.
News from Windham was that the Jason Raines
Riding School was there
for three days in May. 26 adults were in
attendance on Friday and Saturday, followed by 8 youth riders on Sunday.
Those who participated were impressed with the quality and quantity of
information learned. Lots of pictures were taken by Art and Jeffs brother
(name?). Jason is a Nationally sponsored Ampro rider for Yamaha.
Tonights Pre-Meeting ride only drew 4 riders
but they headed out at 17:30 and had 25 miles of fun. While MVTR Summer
Schedule continues riders should try and show up about 17:00 on meeting
nights. Alternate Wednesday (non-meeting nights) Night Club Rides will begin
following the Classic and run weekly until daylight gives out at Hop-Ev. A Work Party was held on 21 May at Hop-Ev. 12 MVTR
members were present. The BT Trail and River Loop were walked and/or ridden
and cleared (a couple of trees have been reported down since). In addition
the bogus ATVs Permitted signs were removed from the sinfle track trails.
More Hop-Ev work parties will be scheduled once the Classic is finished. TomNHOHVA seems to be fading due to apathy. There are only 6
clubs left in the association, of which, we are the only 2 wheel oriented
club. Tom is going to approach Sea Coast Trail Riders and perhaps Montshire
to see if they can be encouraged to participate.
4 May 2011 May MVTR Meeting
Our May meeting began with
words about our continued cooperation with other OHRV clubs. Jack Wheeler of
New Durham ATV has stated that out of 16 other OHRV clubs in NH only MVTR
has come forward and helped with their trails, they do appreciate it. We are
also working hand in hand with the Androscogin ATV Club on the development
of trails at the Jericho ATV Park in Berlin.
The 31st
Annual New England Classic Charity Trail Ride will be coming up soon on 11 &
12 June 2011.
Mark spoke on the needed help
for Classic 31. 1st
was a request that riders solicit friends, neighbors, co-workers at al for
pledges rather than just paying the entry fee and calling it good. The
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has an exceptional ratio in its usage of funds,
90% of each dollar raised goes to actively supporting the cause, searching
for a cure for CF! They are very careful to keep their administrative budget
under control (not always the case with charities) and get as much done as
possible with every dollar. Through the 30 years to date of Classic Trail
Rides, $1,798,000 has been raised for the CFF. Banquet Pre-Registration is
due by 27 May 2011. Pre-Registration is ongoing for the Youth Ride (i.e. the
Kids Classic). Jeff will need sweepers for the BBR. One or more persons
will be needed to get the Event Awareness Signs up and collected each day.
Lucien is recruiting Pre and Sweep riders, Tuck has a sign-up sheet. Course
Marshals (3 on Saturday) will be needed for traffic control in a couple of
areas.
JD Northern Loop ~ New this
year is the implementation of an Ambassador Program, at least two riders
per day are requested to coach/lead small groups of riders who might not
feel confident enough to tackle the Classic on their own. Preferably there
would be a slow group and a fast group, which would be set up right
after the Riders Meeting. The Loop was pre-ridden on Sunday with only two
trees having been found blocking the route. Arrowing will be taking place on
Sunday(s); he would like to have sweep riders also doing some of that to
increase their familiarity with the route. The snow is almost gone; there
will need to be a few changes made in the hero section at Bergerons.
Jeff The Big Bike Rally ~
they are going to try and pre-ride the main route on Friday, still too much
snow for the hero sections.
Chip Southern Loop ~ The
trail outside of the state parks has already been ridden and cleared twice.
Jay Kids Classic ~ There
are still openings available. He is looking for more volunteers on both days
to help out with both riding and parking lot duties (lunch).
John The Classic Committee
will be meeting next Wednesday at Freedom Cycle.
Massachusetts Legislation, a
bill is in the works which would set a minimum age for riders, this would be
for riding anywhere not just in competition. Also included is a requirement
for everyone to have to get an OHRV sticker and in the process pay a sales
tax on his or her OHRV unless they can show that it has already been paid,
even to ride on their own land. Public Hearings are scheduled for 11 May in
Boston and 12 May in Worcester. The committee tasked with coming up with
these rules did so without any public input.
New Hampshire Legislation It
appears that the legislature is still on our side, at least there does not
seem to be any anti off-road legislation pending. The Dupont Group is
keeping watch for any changes to that status. There is a move underway to
make the Wheeled OHRV sticker process more like that of snowmobiles where
the cost of the sticker would be increased for those not in a registered
club.
NETRA There are several
budgetary issues playing out. Over the last couple of years they have not
received grants ($20,000), which had been always there but the operating
budget hasnt changed to take this into account. The new insurance program
has been working out well however the payment plan requires that 1/3 of the
cost be submitted in January when there has not yet been any event income
and there is little or no cash reserve left to cover it. Individuals have
been stepping up to cover it on the short term. The new scoring system is
costing $200 more per event than the clubs are paying to cover it with NETRA
covering the shortfall.
Rupert Freedom Cycle is
launching a new web site very soon. It will feature a full microfiche for
parts diagrams and allow for an e-mail check on parts availability. On-line
parts ordering is already up and running, it is being used by a number of
dealers who get their parts from Freedom Cycle.
Hop-Ev RTP and Grant-In-Aid
requests have both been submitted for 2011. The RTP grant did not get funded
(a request is in to learn why), leaving less $$ to perform trail repairs.
2011 Projects will be based on what funding is available. A written request
has been submitted to allow access to clear trails before the opening on 23
May. It is expected that a walking (non-vehicle) work party will be
permitted. Updated Trail Maps are still in the works; most everything has
been mapped on GPS. A separate source of funding for the new handout maps is
being checked on. Mile Markers are still on the list for improving the
ability to locate injured riders or sections needing repair. Work Parties
will begin in earnest after the Classic is held.
April Minutes 2011
Jon Thomas called the meeting to order shortly after 7:00pm.
Andy informed the club that a
checking account has been set up for Hop/Ev with a $5,000 balance.
Lynn Anthony will maintain the
account with Brian Harjula having access to the funds to purchase materials
and equipment rental for the park.
The states Grant and Aid
program will reimburse all monies used for the upkeep of the park.
He also noted the club has a
Balance of $15,500 but cost of putting on the Rocky Mountain Weekend is
approximately $10,000. The proceeds for the Rocky will cover the $10,000
outlay plus return a profit.
The timing between work done at
Hop/Ev, State reimbursement and The Rocky is very important.
The Classic is a fund raising
event for CF and MVTR is reimbursed for expenses only, The Rocky is our lone
fundraiser.
Hop/EV; Kevin Boothroyd and John have created a GPS map of Hop-Ev
that will be used for maintenance and by local police and fire/rescue
departments.
Kevin stated that the bridges
and the new signage would be added to the map when work at the park begins.
Brain does not expect any of
the major projects to start before May 23rd.
John Mesick and Brain sent our
request for new signage to the State.
Bill Gegas has been promoted
and will no longer be involved at Hop/Ev.
The Classic; Mark Stock, Jeff Barr and Jay Lees
reported on their needs for the Classic which include:
The need to get pledges in lieu
of the registration fee, banquet tickets, check the BBR route with Jeff,
riders and general help for Jay and the Kids Classic. JD Mott and Chip
Fredette with begin scouting the northern and southern routes next week;
there is still a foot of snow in the woods making it impossible to get out
any sooner.
Al Tucker reported that Lucien
Soucy (loudog72@hotmail.com)
would take over the responsibility of coordinating the preriders and sweeps
for the Classic.
Chip has turned in the Rally
Permits for review. A section of trail the Classic uses on a class 6 road in
Belmont will remain open, a local resident attempted to have the town close
it.
J-Day
There will be a J-day off-road
race held in Chester NH on August 7th.
The 2-mile loop is on a horse
farm that Cody Anthony has been employed at for 2 years.
Cody was instrumental getting
the event principles together.
More information about the
event is at
www.jdayoffroad.com.
Andy said if all goes well the
owner of a 300-acre parcel that abuts the horse farm may be open to allowing
similar events held on his property.
Tuck wanted know if he could do
a practice lap. (Maybe thats his secret).
Several members reported on The Spring Challenge, most said it the
best course in years, it missed the big rock gardens and deep water of
previous years.
Al Tucker finished 31 out of
151 C riders and first in the Masters Division.
Toms race didnt go quite as
well, Tuck is still waiting for him to finish. Membership;
Art said some active members are late in renewing membership and asked that
they please send the renewal form in. If the back of the newsletter is
highlighted your dues are due.
NHOVA: Tom is now on the Board of Directors.
The club is looking for a MVTR
member to replace Tom on the board.
There was a discussion regarding promotion points for woman in the
NETRA H/S series.
Scott (bighead85) was not sure
if the woman racing counted in the promotion point calculations for C class
riders.
After much discussion and
referring to the NETRA rules it was concluded that the womans class is the
same as the Super Senior and Masters Classes.
There are no promotion point
awarded the those classes, if a female racer wanted to move up she would
have to compete in one of the displacement classes.
The specialty classes Womans,
Super Senior and Masters should not be counted in the promotion point
formula.
Al told the membership a few Seacoast Trail
Riders are head to the Hatfield McCoy riding area in West Virginia.
Anybody interested in joining
them can contact Peter Anania
http://www.SeacoastTours.net
or ANANIA on NEDB.
Duane Call is staring an off-road racing series The New England
Grand Prix with three events scheduled.
The races will be mix of motocross, enduro and
cross-country they will be held at MX 101 in Epping NH on May 22, May29 and
June 26. Contact Duane for more information 603-483-5405 or
ldgcall@comcast.net.
March Minutes 2011 Meeting was called to order @ 7:20 By Andy
Anthony Copies of the February Minutes were available to
the membership Andy had the club Banner
that was used at the NETRA annual meeting.
The photos on the banner look
great; most of them are Arts handy work. Brain Harjula is in the process of applying for
New Hampshire Grant and Aid for Hop-Ev and Jericho Park. John Mesick recapped the
Hop-ev maintenance meeting held at the Anthony House.
At the meeting Brain wanted
the membership to understand how important it is to document any work done
at Hop-ev.
Pictures can be the best way
to demonstrate to the Army Corps and the state the work being done.
Not just work parties need to
be reported, any work a member does on their own needs to be reported to
Brain.
To purchase the materials
needed for Hop-ev projects a separate account will be established and
monitored by Lynn Anthony, any money used for materials and equipment
rentals will be reimbursed by State the with the Grant and Aid the club
applied for.
The club is looking into
upgrading some of the equipment at Hope-Ev such as and a Trailer and 4
wheeler by using Grant and Aid and RTP Funds.
If a new trailer can be
purchased the old single axel trailer will be retired from park duty and
used as the MVTR event trailer.
It was again mentioned the
State wants to see more work done at Hop-ev this year.
Brians very ambitious 2011
Hop-ev project list was distributed to the membership. Andy went over this years event schedule and
discussed the fact that the enduro the club is putting on requires five
times as many workers as a hare scramble does. The Jr Enduro at the Rocky on
7-24 is an excellent opportunity for club members to get the training needed
to successfully put on the Rocky Mountain Enduro in October. In a NETRA pole the 2010
Rocky Mountain Jr. Enduro and Pee Wee Race were voted BEST EVENTS in their
respective series for 2010.
Congratulations to the Trail
Bosss and all the workers who put on such a great event.
Andy said that at last years
Rocky the Hare Scramble,
Jr.
Enduro and the Pee Wee were run on three separate courses and that the
number of members that showed up race weekend to help in any way they could
was great. The layout used in the
pits last year worked well. Bikes got in and out of the pits quickly and
safely.
Andy as a member of the NETRA
Competition Committee will work to improve pit safety at all events.
Members who plan on competing in NETRA races
should check with Art to make sure their club affiliation is correct and up
to date. Tom, although not able to
attend the meeting, wanted to update the club on the NOVA situation.
After looking into the work
NOVA is doing it appears they are not working for our interest.
It may serve MVTR better to
break ties with NOVA and take our seat back on the Parks & Recreation Board.
Tom is willing to sit on the
board until anther member steps forward. Several members reported
that winter riding at Bear Brook has been good with large number of riders
taking advantage of the conditions.
There are so many riders at
Bear Brook that one member saw 15 dirt bikes and just 2 snowmobiles in the
parking lot. Andy thinks members
should try helping each other this season.
With gas prices on the rise
and the cost of riding or racing getting very expensive in this economy we
should try pool our resources when going to events.
No matter what event you go to
you see truck after truck with just one bike in it and maybe a club member
sitting home because gas money was not in the family budget that week.
If you are going to an event
and have room in your vehicle post it on the MVTR Forum @ NEDB.com or MVTR
Face book. The Classic NETRA has full schedule
this season with at least one event planed on most weekends.
The Classic is the only event
on the schedule the weekend of June 11 and 12.
In a year when another event
was on the same weekend as the Classic fundraising was noticeably down.
John is in the process of
putting together the maps of the Classic route for the State.
He also mentioned that any
members interested in working on the classic should contact the trail bosses
early and reminded us that some of the best early riding is at the work
parties.
Matt Belanger reported on the
Kids Classic he needs a A or B rider to lead the fast kids, Matt did it last
year but it seems age has caught up with him.
He also needs people to help
with other riding groups, moving the bikes from Loudon to Hop- ev on
Saturday and Loudon to Alton on Sunday.
Matt amused the meeting with
the story of the Mud Hole at last years event.
We had 30 or so bike and kids
in the pouring rain complete with thunder and lightning and half the bike
stuck in knee-deep mud and water cascading into the hole from all
directions.
I know it was a sight I will
never forget. Ray is looking for
someone with a pickup truck that on the Thursday before the Classic can,
with Al Tuckers trailer, bring the equipment from the Cystic Fibrosis office
in Nashua to the track in Loudon and a trip to Coke for supplies.
He also needs 2 other
volunteers to help with the move.
Ray and Chip had been doing
this in the past but Chip is now the southern loop trail boss and Ray has
other responsibilities. Chip will have a complete list of the jobs we
needs to fill for the Classic at the April meeting. Meeting adjourned 9:15
R Sousa
February
2011 Minutes Meeting was called to order at 7:28. Due to a
snowstorm there were 15 +/- members and an equal number of pizzas. Bill Gages from the NH
Bureau of Trails was on hand to address the club on Jericho Park and Hop-Ev.
Bill
told the club the state is using its resourses to build the ATV trails and
currently the park has 60 miles of ATV trails with another 60 miles planed.
Of the existing trails 10% are
old logging roads, 30% skid trails and the rest is new construction.
The trails the state are
putting in are built to federal government standards - 6 to 8 wide crowned
with drainage swale on the sides giving the trail a total width of 20.
These trails are very
expansive to build; a recently constructed 2 mile section cost almost
$25,000 to build.
The Bureau of Trails would
like to see a Motorcycle club build a single-track trail system in the 7,500
acre park.
Jericho is excluded from the
rules that limit trail development at Bear Brook, Pawtuckaway and other
state parks.
To develop a single-track
trail a club would design it, flag and ribbon it, the sate will walk it and
either approve it or have the club make the necessary changes for approval.
Once approved the club would
construct the trail with funding for equipment rental and material, money
would be coming from state Grant and Aid and federal RTP Grants.
As with Hop ev club labor to
install and maintain trails is credited at the rate of approximately $17.00
per hour to cover expenses that Grant and Aid does not.
It seems organization and
labor is the only thing that can limit the amount of single track at
Jericho.
MVTR has assumed the
task of building some single-track trail with Neal Lorenzen and Bruce taking
the lead.
Tom stated MVTR will help
in any way it can but because of the distance to Jericho it would be ideal
if a club can be formed in the area with local riders to build and maintain
the single-track system.
MVTR might be able to put on a
Turkey Run out of the Park in 2012. Mr. Gages noted that
local businesses welcome atv and dirt bikes to the Jericho park area and
appreciate the business they bring with them.
There is also a large
campground planed for the park. The State now offers a 30-day temporary Off Road
stickers for out of state riders. Bill was not sure if Jericho will come up on a
ATV web search he will check with the state web master. The reckless riding and
racing in the Hop-Ev parking lot was brought up to Bill.
Mr.
Gages suggested we contact Fish and Game about enforcement and that as
citizens we can report the offending Vehicles OHRV number to Fish and Game
and that local police can also enforce OHRV laws.
This
can be done for any violation including ATV s On Marked Single Track.
Tom
reminded the membership that we have a vested interest in Hop-Ev and should
politely remind violators of the rules but must avoid confrontation.
It might be possible to put
Jersey Barriers in to allow vehicles and trailers into the parking lots but
breakup the straight line thru the parking lots.
This would help eliminate some
of the speeding in the parking area. Dave Lynch suggested asking Fish and Game to
place an unmarked officer in the parking lot to give out tickets, warnings
do not seem to work. Jim Nash asks why the
Army Corps was putting no riding signs up in the Henniker
area.
Mr. Gages said the Army is
just enforcing old laws. Netra Banquet
The
poster that was used to represent MVTR looked very good and Jessica Rodier
will continue to work on it so it can be used at The Classic.
Mvtr now has 5 members on the
NETRA Board of Directors.
The Netra competition
committee wants clubs to focus on racing numbers being correctly displayed
on bikes at events this season, and sound levels will also be tightly
controlled.
MVTR purchased a copy SST
Motor Sports Video of the 2010 Hare Scramble and Enduro season.
The video will be used at club
events.
Jim Nash found a vhs
video of early Temple Mountain events; fortunately a club member has the
ability to convert the tape into a DVD.
Jim also received an
e-mail from an event promoter in New York asking if MVTR could help with a
Hare Scramble on July 2nd
and 3rd.
The membership did not feel we
would be able to take on another event this year, but a few members would be
interested in collecting some of the $30,000 prize money. Lisa asked that club
members please order your banquet tickets when you sign up for the Classic.
This will make it easer to
plan the meal. An e-mail was sent to the club from a Belmont NH
resident informing us the town of Belmont is considering closing down a
section of a class 6 road used for the Classic. JD and Chip plan on attending the Belmont
meeting. Al Tucker reported The
Crossroads Winter Scramble was a fast race,
Jakes average speed was 30
mph and he was clocked near the barrels at 80 mph.
Al told the club he lead for 2
laps of the masters race, it was just the wrong 2 laps.
In
order to run the race The Seacoast Trail Riders had to shovel 2 miles of
trail that snow moving machines could not get to BY HAND. 1 December 2010 MVTR December Meeting
I must have been too busy grabbing pizza to
notice what time the meeting was called to order by President Tom. First up
was a reminder that in Hop-Ev the suspension bridge is up but guardrails are
not yet in place. Shawn, Dave and Dan went riding there recently, someone
ended up neck deep in some rather cold water! Recent Riding Event
The recent hare Scramble in NY was well
attended by MVTR riders. Andy described a new fantastic property; Shawn
said that it was scary fast with lots of single track. Among the NH riders
a broken fibula as well as a kneecap and femur were earned. Scott survived
but learned that calling for Trail might get you brake checked rather than
allowed room to pass. Coming Attractions
MVTR will be looking to host the following 2011
events: The Classic in June, Rocky Mountain Weekend on the same weekend as
this year and an enduro in Sept/early Oct. as available. Tuck and Lynne are
headed off to the NETRA Sanctioning Meeting next weekend. Since it has taken
me nearly a month to put these notes into a summary, I have the ability to
look at the outcome of the meeting and report that: The New England Classic Charity Trail ride will be held
11 & 12 June 2011 Rocky Mountain Weekend will be held on 30 & 31 July 2011 The Rocky Mountain Enduro will be happening on 9 October
2011 Jericho
Due to some confusion (not saying on whose
part) Tom did not make it to the Androscoggin ATV Club meeting however Neal
did attend. From what he heard (and said? hard to imagine him not having
anything to say) the single track would be ours alone to design and get
implemented, the beginners riding area may be a cooperative or shared
project. AATV is looking to use grants to expand the trail system beyond the
Jericho boarders. Bill Gegas is hoping that we will work together and
commingle the clubs to get things moving along. Tuck and Mark were up a few
weeks ago to clear single track. Neals single track has been accepted to
be built to the AMA standard, which calls for 12 on the ground and 34
between trees at handlebar height. The Pavilion and Campground projects are
still in the works. Recent Events
Jims Past to
Present day at Pats Peak drew quite a crowd for a first time event. He was
offering Thank Yous to all who attended. 120 vintage fans attended the
banquet, learned about the old days from Bob Hicks (originator of Trail
Rider magazine), heard about the not quite so old days from Paul Clipper
(most recent ex-editor of Trail Rider and were entertained as Bucky Lewis
had Tuck and Jim dancing in matching pink tutus. There was a wide range of
vintage hardware to review and lots of picture taking. Plans are underway
for next years version, which may include holding it under canvas at Jims
place and adding a vintage ride. Jim had been limited on available dates and
this year ended up being scheduled against PSTRs Toys for Tots Ride,
because of this he had asked attendees to bring a toy to be added to what
they collected. He needed two pickup trucks to haul the collection!
25 riders and about a dozen spectators showed
up to see who was quickest on the Windham Loop last weekend. Al beat
everyones time and was looking to reign as champion until a late arriving
Dwayne showed up and handily undercut his time!
KPTR held a MotoTrial in Foxboro, no trials
bikes allowed to enter. I ended up with Dwaynes name in my notes here as
well but didnt get anything written down as to how he did there.
JD and Johnny O said that it was a perfect day
and much fun at PSTRs Toys for Tots Ride. Hop-Ev
John has been researching signage to see if we
can reduce the number of near misses by people going the wrong way or
treating the two-way sections as one (their) way only. The current signage
has been applied in accordance with standard trail sign practices, what we
are seeing is that a large number of riders are not at all familiar with it.
John is looking to find highway type signs that could be added and perhaps
make things more obvious for the trail impaired.
Tuck will be inventorying the trailer to see
what we have and what needs to be ordered for signage. Mileage Markers are
on the list for next seasons improvements. Tuck will also be speaking with
BOT to see what if anything can be done to tighten the entrance to Sugar
Hill trail and reduce its being used as part of the Parking Lot Race
Track. Everything Else
Our membership and contact lists are scheduled
to be updated soon.
JD and Company repaired a bridge in Barnstead
that is a part of the Classic Northern Loop and had fallen into disrepair.
It was voted to reimburse him for cash spent.
The work party to repair trail 22 completed
their task.
At the conclusion of the meeting Pres. Tom and
the assembled membership took part in an in house video that was being
created by Art.
3 November 2010 MVTR November Meeting
Vice President Jon called the meeting to order
at 19:14. First up for consideration was to decide on MVTR events to be held
in 2011.
Luis and Rick have been contemplating ideas for
an Enduro. They are considering a traditional enduro, which would involve
trails as well as public roads to connect sections. They are hoping to find
an available date in Sept./October. The New England Classic Charity Trail
Ride will be on our agenda for June and the usual suspects have stepped
forward to trail boss a Hare Scrambles, Jr. Enduro and PeeWee Scramble under
the umbrella of Rocky Mountain Weekend in August.
The NETRA Competition Committee will be meeting
in early December. They will spend the first session sanctioning dates for
the clubs events and then consider requests for changes in the rules. Among
the potential rules changes expected to be considered are: Bringing back the
Jr. Class, Limiting the number of AA riders, Eliminating the Two Year Rule
and Dividing the Super Senior class into A,A, etc.
Mark reported that he had recently been up to
Jericho assisting Neal, Bruce and Jim. A cloverleaf of single track is
completed, the first bridge project has been done and more single track was
cut. In addition they rode 32 miles of trail. This area has the potential to
become a Hatfield-McCoy type of destination for the Northeast! They will
be heading up again at 06:30 on Saturday to do more.
Neal, Colin and Jim attended a State Trail
Meeting at Cannon Mountain last month.
Jeff spoke a little about Windham, currently
there is about a 5-mile loop on private property there. It is open to MVTR
members on announced designated dates. Work Parties and rides are announced
through Bob Landrys contact Ride List. Jeff is hoping to hold some
events there next year.
In Hop-Ev news there are now more rules to
follow when working on the trails there to keep out of environmental
issues, we pretty much cant go out and fix anything now without
submitting a plan for review and approval first. The leaves are down and it
is time to finish up the GPS tracks of the trails. Logging is finally
complete and the affected trails can be cleaned up now. Work Parties will be
announced shortly. Increased arrowing and mileage markers are likely to be
on the spring schedule at this point. There IS a clear mandate in one
respect, there will be NO New Trail, sections needing improvement will need
to be repaired in place as there will not be any re-routing.
A Classic work party will be held up on
Bergerons shortly. The new trail in Devils Den is arrowed and needs to be
burned in.
6 October 2010
1 September 2010
MVTR August Meeting
The August MVTR Meeting was called to order at 20:05. With
President Tom out of town, the honorable V.P.Jon Thomas was presiding over
the festivities. Freshly inside from the Pre-Meeting KTM demo rides,
Regional Representative Brooks Hamilton fielded questions ranging from when
a 350 EXC version will be available (still a rumor) through which models
have/will get linkage, progress on the electrics, availability of an E-start
150, training and conditioning and on through how he enjoyed the Sea Coast
National Enduro (rather dusty on row 35).
Events
The Sea Coast Trail Riders very successfully held a National
Enduro last month. JD declined to offer a final version summary since the
club has not had a chance to meet since the event. He did offer that from
his viewpoint on row 22 the drought induced silt was still livable, later
rows became very much buried in the silt and dust, visibility was
challenging and there was much evidence of missed corners. Shawn offered
that things were much nicer on row 9. When all was over and done it was
Lafferty with the win and Timothy taking the NETRA honors out of 400
entries.
Our own Rocky Weekend was also held last month. With Shawn being
the only TB present and no wrap-up having happened yet the full report will
have to wait another month. As a preview to the National, the drought was
already well underway by Rocky, it was dry and silty, riders found the first
half of the loop fairly technical, with the second half fast.
MVTR was well represented at the Somers Fun Turkey Run and
Adventure Ride. Ron, Jim, Tom, Tammy, Andy, Lynne and Cody tackled a 59 mile
ride of which about 12 were paved. Those of us with less ambition set out
for 120 or so miles of adventure including (due to a wrong turn) an
interesting piece of single track perhaps better bypassed on a DR 650.
Once again the New England Rough Riders have returned from the
Colorado 500 with stories and pictures. Jim said he did pretty good riding
the big, wide trails with his son. He also said that they experienced
maybe an hour of rain during the week, he neglected to mention (but Tuck
didnt) receiving the 2010 Iron Man award. Also in the awards was 2010
Rookie Of The Year Joe. Art sent home pictures on an almost daily basis
(subject to net access) so that those left behind could get a frequent fix
of the riding.
Hop-Ev
We are looking forward to some cooler weather to allow projects to
continue. Railings still need to be constructed on a River Loop bridge. Some
of the logging has been cleaned up, some new go-arounds may need to be
constructed when all is done.
Jericho
Neal continues undaunted in the quest for single track! With the
help of a few dedicated southerners (at least compared to Berlin) a fair
stretch of single track has been cut but two bridges (so far) are needed
before it can be approved for use. To that end he was looking for a donation
of $500 for construction materials. A motion was made and approved by those
present to provide that funding. On a similar but not quite related subject,
John told us that there is need for some bridge repairs in a section of the
Classic route. He will investigate and report further next month.
Upcoming Events
The
Stateline Hare Scramble and Supercross at the Hopkinton Fair both take place
over Labor Day weekend. The Ammonuoosuc River Turkey Run and Unadilla share
the following weekend.
4 August 2010 MVTR August
Meeting 2010
The
August 2010 MVTR Meeting began at about 20:14 following the last Rocky
Mountain Weekend Committee meeting prior to the event. Attendance was
noticeably down with conjecture being offered as to that being a result of
vacations or perhaps there having been no pizza at last months
meeting.
Freedom Cycle
First on
the agenda was a survey re: PARTS by Freedom Cycle followed by announcements
that a) the new KTM 350 SX should be here by Saturday and b) Brooks
Hammilton will be at the 1 September MVTR meeting (hint - as in pre-meeting
ride) as the area KTM representative.
Trail Rider
Trail
Rider Magazine is now running under its new management/editor/owner Kevin
Knovello. We wish him much success in the venture. Already we have seen
changes, Art and Jim were recently involved with testing and providing input
about some of the new 2011 bikes. The now retired Trail Rider
owner/editor/etc. is reportedly finishing up preparations before hopping on
a DL 650 and heading out for a long ride.
Election of Officers
This
would likely fit well under the heading of Short and Sweet. With no one
expressing interest in taking on any of the positions available a
nomination was made to continue on unchanged. Was there a vote? I dont
recall as I was unsuccessfully scanning the room looking for anyone who
might consider taking up the position of Scribe.
Enduros
Tuck
reported that he has continued to do well although Rick had to bail him out
last week on some route sheet and computer issues. Rick reported on the
Mudslinger, which this year had 99 entries, cooperation from Mother Nature,
speed changes and an apparent change in organizational mind set. Tuck was
unable to continue his winning (1) streak at Rocktoberfast as Mike
squeezed by him to take first in class.
Hop-Ev Wednesdays
There
have been a fair number of riders showing up for Wednesday evening rides at
Hop-Ev. More club riders are welcome and encouraged; any skill level can be
accommodated (though I hear that it might be best NOT to let Tom convince
you that there is nothing to it re: the River Loop). Check the weekly Who
is riding Hop-Ev thread on NEDB or just show up between mid afternoon and
17:30. The odds are good that most there will be from MVTR, if you dont
recognize anyone, just ask.
Hop-Ev
The
bridges have been sufficiently repaired/rebuilt to open all the trails. More
work remains on some of the railings and low/fallen branches continue to be
a problem. Jim asked that if you encounter a problem fix it as best as
possible and/or get word to him so that it can be addressed.
Jericho Lake Park
There has
been a fair amount of work already completed by a few individuals to get
some new single track opened up in Jericho. The present stumbling block
seems to be bridges, a few are needed and there isnt currently an avenue
for the funding to be obtained/processed. Far from a stopping point, a
number of people are working on how to keep things moving ahead and insure
that there will be single track to ride there as soon as possible.
The Sea Coast National Enduro
The
SeaCoast Trail Riders will be hosting their National Enduro in just 2
weeks (the fact that it starts in less than 18 hours shows how late I am in
getting this summary assembled). The all off-road (with road crossings)
course is being described as more technical than most Hare Scrambles while
being more open than most regional Enduros. I hate to quote it but fast and
fun was used in the description. As of meeting time they had 375
pre-entries thus far, the event will be capped at 500 riders (5 per line).
Rocky Mountain Weekend
There
have been a number of work parties up at the Rocky. Shawn estimated that he
had 20 volunteers each day last weekend, enough help that he (and they) cut
even more new trail for the race. Andy said that the Jr. course was about
6.4 miles long with the mini approaching 3. Check and sweep riders are still
needed as well as clean-up crews for Sunday. Much of the equipment and
supplies has already been transported up there, some of us will be moving up
beginning tomorrow, join us!
The Rocky Mountain Weekend is the only event that we hold each
year which (hopefully) makes money for the club, all members are encouraged
to participate in some way, be it racing, officiating, picking up or just
coming up to enjoy the movies under the stars on Saturday Night (bring along
a chair). The two priorities for our 2010 edition are to maintain a First
Quality event and (hopefully, this year) end up on the plus side of the
debit sheet. Tee shirts will be available for sale at the event, after
sales, they will be awarded to working volunteers and club members.
The silk screens have been saved so that more can be ordered to insure no
one gets left out. See you up there!
7 July 2010July MVTR Meeting
With the ad-hoc Rocky Weekend Committee running over on time the regular
MVTR monthly meeting began late at 20:30. First up was a viewing of part of
the New England Classic Charity Trail Ride video (part because the second
half of the copy I made did not want to track well). At 20:48 with NO pizza
yet in sight (who was supposed to order that) we moved on to the meeting
with a Thank You to all involved and a recount of the Classic weekend with
some insight toward next years event.
John
our retiring Northern Loop Trail Boss told us that the Speedway is working
toward once again being an integral part of Bike Week. Included in that will
be an upgrading of the New England Classic (Road Race) and integrating our
Charity Trail Ride into the mix once again. We are scheduled to be at NHMS
on 10, 11 &12 June 2011 (you can mark your calendars now!), this means that
we will once again be Opening Bike Week and will be sharing the Speedway
with the New England Classic Road Race. Other changes will no doubt take
place, we may not be quartered in the same parking lot(s), etc. but those
who used to enjoy coming up to NH for a whole week of MC related fun will be
able to once again
In
summation of 2010s event we hosted 550 riders, who raised in excess of
$110,000 to continue the fight to make CF stand for Cure Found! Pilgrim
Sands Trail Riders who earmark several of their yearly events toward this
goal was again the highest fund raising visiting club, Thank You!
He also
stated that outfitting our Course Marshals with orange vests helped them get
recognized when they were out at some of the Danger, Slow and Two-Way
Traffic locations. We did nonetheless still have a number of complaints
from residents on Class 6 roads about SOME riders using excess speed near
their homes. Please keep in mind that just because YOU dont live there does
not mean that no one does, we need a lot of public cooperation to keep
holding this event. As I heard John say at the Riders Meeting You do not
want to be the one that screws this up for everyone else!.
Jim,
Kirk, Dave and Shawn were among the riders who partook in the Tuesday After
club ride hosted out of Henniker (Thanks Jim). All said it was a nice day of
trail riding including some new sections and that it was followed up with a
great BBQ.
Jericho
Mountain
will be home to the 2010 OHRV weekend on 10 & 11 July 2010. Publicity is
reported as being spotty (unless you are a regular Union Leader reader?) in
this part of the State. Much of what is planned is centered around 4
wheelers but there is a dual-sport ride from there as well. More information
on the weekend
here!
The
single track project for the park is still in progress, the first leg had to
be approved by 4 different agencies but this is done and clearing IS
progressing. It wont be ready by the weekend but it will happen.
Hop-Ev
work is continuing, the BT trail is now open with a couple of temporary go-arounds
due to the forestry/salvage logging not having been completed. Matt will be
heading up a two-day work party there on 17 &18 July 2010. The big obstacle
remaining to having all of the trails open is the resurrection and
rehabilitation of the River Loop suspension bridge. The weekend plan is to
retrieve the sections from wherever they floated to and get them
repositioned on the cables, at that point new guardrails can be constructed.
If all goes well, lots of people show up and that work gets completed early
there are no doubt a few other spots out there that could use attention. The
starting time for each day was unsure at meeting time, a guesstimate of 0900
was offered up subject to revision if needed.
RIDING
continues! Tuck told us that once again he has noted that it is better to be
lucky than good, at the last enduro his computer died, then his route sheet
holder came apart, despite it all with luck and some swag (from the long
range shooting world - scientific wild assed guess) (s) he zerod a check
and was able to reach his goal for the season by beating Mike in an event.
Enduros will see the Rocktoberfast (with its 60 mph Erzburg section?) and
the Mudslinger coming up. Dont forget that the Seacoast Trail Riders are
holding the Noble Woods National Enduro next month on the 22nd.
In Hare Scrambles there are many trips to CT for the Connecticut State,
Salmon Run and Indian Ridge events. The Dual-Sport/Turkey Run crowd can head
to Rhode Island for the Thrill n Chill next weekend (17th & 18th).
For more
riding opportunity there are the John Day Series and the NECC Series (where
Duanne (our resident sandbagger according to our President NO not the one
in Washington, the one we like!) overalled the last event.
Several
tracks are open for MX practice as well, MX 207, Canaan, MX 101 and the
Lodge @ Belmont were mentioned.
The last
two Wednesdays have seen between 8 and 15 club members showing up to ride
at Hop-Ev. The participants have literally ranged from 6 to 60+, with riding
generally getting underway at about 17:00.
5 May 2010May 2010 MVTR Meeting
The May meeting was called to order at 20:00 (perhaps the first time
ever on time). Prior to the meeting our Certified Sound Test Technicians
set up in the parking lot so that members could get an idea of where they
stood. Most of the bikes passed, most of those that did not were
already expected to be loud. It was a good practice and learning experience
and it will be repeated next month before the meeting. Once everyone had
moved indoors, Jay McGrath of Western Powersports was introduced and right
at that point our timeliness went downhill due to the arrival of pizza. Once
everyone was resettled, Jay began his presentation about the products they
distribute. This is the 50th anniversary of
Western Powersports, a substantial accomplishment in the industry.
The Jericho OHRV Weekend
Coming up shortly
will be the OHRV weekend at Jericho Park in Berlin on 10 & 11 July 2010. In
preparation, Neal and some hardy volunteers have flagged out about 5 miles
of single track, in hopes that it can be approved by the State and cut in
time for the event. With or without the new trail, Neal is planning to have
a 60+/- mile dualsport ride for the event. Matt and Jay are working on
having a Kids Ride put together for the weekend as well. By all
appearances there is growing local support for the weekend and for the whole
idea of having an OHRV riding area that is bike friendly.
The Hoots 100 Several MVTR riders attended the Hoots 100 trail ride in what was unseasonably hot weather. Art said it was great riding and included 5 HS courses with good arrowing but a route sheet that could have been improved upon. Someone else (whose name I missed) said that it took then 8 hours to finish and that they couldnt wait for the next one.
The Classic
A reminder that no
one is allowed into Rocky before noon during May, failure to heed this could
result in an unpleasant interaction with the turkey hunters (they ARE
supposed to be there now) and jeopardize our use of the property! Work on
the Classic Rocky hero section will begin in 2-3 weeks.
John JD and
company were out last weekend building waterbars on a new (to us) section of
trail that will provide access to Devils Den. The many blow downs on the
Northern Loop were cleared the week before. A new for this year, hero
section on Whiteface was checked out during a snowstorm and a Trash Cleanup
Day will be needed out there after Mothers Day.
JD The route
sheet of the Northern Loop is completed with the exception of the Whiteface
Hero section and needs only to be proofed.
Dan Sign-up
sheets for pre riders and sweep riders are posted. Lots of volunteers
are needed for this. Pre-riders should be both fast and already familiar
with the route from having worked on its preparation, otherwise the need to
replace an arrow or three could result in being caught up to by the
participants. Sweep riders can be a bit less skilled, presumably there will
be enough sweep riders to form groups and mixed abilities can be averaged
out.
Tuck The last of
the blow downs were cleared shortly before meeting time, the route sheet is
ready to be proofed. There is still some bridge work to be done on Jays
private 5 mile trail section and some face slappers to be trimmed as well.
Dave A reminder
that there is a number of non-riding jobs in need of volunteer coverage as
well. Several drivers are needed to shuffle the videographers to numerous
vantage points during the first half or so of Saturday. Someone is needed to
transport the lunches and meet up with the Big Bike Rally in the North
Country. More recovery vehicles and crews are always needed for both days of
the trail ride. I snagged the cushy job of picking up the breakfast at
06:00 on Sunday.
Tom An overview
of the many facets of What Is The New England Classic Charity Trail Ride
was presented. Many of us have learned by osmosis over the years but we tend
to forget that newer members have yet to be involved and may not be aware of
everything that goes into holding the Classic and all the different
elements that come together to make up the event. It is especially important
that all MVTR members understand that there are always volunteer
opportunities available and that everyone will be needed to make this, the
30th Anniversary Classic a success!
Bruce A reminder
that the ticket office at NHMS closes at 20:00 (i.e. 8pm) on Friday! No
one who is not pre-registered will be admitted into the track between
that time and 07:00 (i.e. 7am) on Saturday. There is always some
misunderstanding about pre-registration! To be pre-registered you need to
send in your registration form and be put on the list! If you are
collecting pledges, it is understood that you may not be sending cash/checks
in ahead of the event, many are still collecting until the last minute and
bring it with them to turn in, this can be done on Saturday morning. You can
be admitted to the track grounds after 20:00 on Friday
ONLY if you are on the list,
track security will be attending the gate and they will not make exceptions.
So if there is ANY doubt as to whether you will be arriving on time Friday
(flat tire, had to go back and get the riding gear you forgot to pack,
overwhelming need to stop and shop at one of the state liquor stores, etc.)
get your entry form sent in and get on the list. Most if not all Classic questions can be answered by theCFF Office
At
1-800-757-0203
Hop-Ev Jim The recent winds have brought down more trees in the park, Bureau of Trails personnel are already removing them and have cleared all* the other trails. A change for this year is that maintenance and preparation of the entire single track is now our responsibility. The nature of the single track (i.e. being limited to a width of 36) does not lend itself to being traveled upon by tractors, etc., the need to create wider access into the single track for such machinery ends up attracting larger vehicles onto the trails.
This years high
water (50
deep in the parking lot) has created a need to reset several of the small
bridges on the Hanglider Trail. A work party should be called shortly to
accomplish this. A pleasant side note is that the other bridges (which have
been weighted by various means) remained in place.
Upcoming
The Rock Maple Farm
HS and Jr. Enduro are this (by now last) weekend. There is an Enduro coming
up in two (now one?) weeks in Rhode Island.
MVTR Ride Night
will be every Wednesday except meeting night, at Hop-Ev, beginning once the
park opens on 23 May 2010. The plan is to meet up at around 17:00, some no
doubt will arrive later, and others will probably have been riding much of
the afternoon by that point.
Sound Test will be
available 2 June 2010 from 17:00 or so until the start of the monthly
meeting.
7 April 2010April MVTR Meeting
The April
Meeting of the Merrimack Valley Trail Riders began shortly after 19:00
hours. Word of our budget tightening had apparently not reached all of the
membership and as a result the standard pizza order did not get reduced.
This will be remedied and henceforth the pizza should be considered to be a
snack rather than dinner. EVENTS
Observations from the recent PSTR Hare Scramble: Tucks crash (sand
in the throttle he says) was recorded for all posterity, word is that the
video has gone viral. Many of the past seasons issues with scoring have
not improved. While some of the riders are not helping by insuring that they
have proper numbers and only one (the correct one at that) transponder,
there still seem to be systemic problems, which need to be addressed/solved.
One issue was certainly the lack of sufficient transponders to handle the
number of new riders coming out to race. The CLASSIC
The 30th annual New England Classic Charity Trail Ride is
fast approaching, hard to believe that it is less than two months away. A
phone bank was held on 17 March 2010 (St. Patricks Day no less) to remind
past entrants that it was time to get out and solicit sponsors. MVTR members
are reminded to get requests in early for banquet tickets. Another get
signed up early item should be the Kids Classic, with no other events
being held on the same weekend it should once again be an early sell-out! HOP-EV
Another dedicated group gave up traditional St. Patricks Day
festivities to attend the Hop-Ev Planning meeting at Tucks on 17 March
2010. A list of Trail Watchers was compiled from the group of regular
riders. In this way each trail will be monitored and problems or ideas for
improvement can be addressed. Jim and Matt will be overseeing the work
parties; I will be attempting to coordinate the collection of GPS tracks so
as to construct a new map of the trail system. In a related but not
exclusively Hop-Ev item, Tuck was given the green light to go ahead and pick
out an appropriate chain saw for us. ROCKY
While plans are progressing toward Rocky Mountain Weekend, the ground
out there is still far too wet to tolerate wheeled traffic. Once things firm
up there will no doubt be some work parties in Alton to get the Northern
Loop Hero section cleared for the Classic. The REST
It has been posed as to whether there was interest in establishing
another winter/snow Hare Scramble. This could take one of several forms,
either an addition to the regular series which might help justify the
expense that many make in purchasing studded tires for just one event each
year, or it could be part of a less formal Northern New England series (no
points involved and probably much less whining from the southern contingent
about how long a drive it is to ME, NH and VT).
Sean, Tuck and Andy have been certified as Sound
Techs. NETRA is emphatic that sound testing should be carried out
consistently at events this year.
The May MVTR Meeting will mark the beginning of
summer schedule, that means that riding (at some undefined level of
organization) will begin at or near 17:00 hours and the meeting will
commence at 20:00 hours. A sound test WILL be available!
2 December 2009
Events
Several MVTR riders finished out the competition season by
participating in the Dan Salomone Memorial Enduro. Jimmy said that it was a
great event although he had some bike issues he also mentioned some
interesting hills and some two-way traffic encountered where some of the
riders had not completed a section before the fast guys were starting in
on it from the other direction. He noted that he had houred out by check 6.
Rick summed his day up in saying that he had a blast. Donations and a raffle
were combined towards a scholarship fund (I did not hear a total but did
hear that it was quite substantial).
John, Jim, Kirk and Jeff were among the MVTR riders who took part in
the Pilgrim Sands Trail Riders TOYS for TOTS ride(s). There were in fact 3
rides to choose from that day, in addition to the annual trail ride Gordie
and crew hosted not one but two Adventure rides varying in both length and
degree of challenge. Jeff brought back to MVTR the plaque for Best
Represented Club which topped off a good day for another good cause.
The MVTR Challenge took place at Jeffs in Windham. About 25 riders
and perhaps half that many spectators enjoyed the day and a BBQ. Jake was
back from his season of contesting the GNCC series to take the title for
fastest lap although Duane wasnt far off the pace.
Dan, Art, Tim and Scott started their Thanksgiving Day celebration
with a few hours cruising the trails at Hop-Ev.
In addition to those mentioned rides was one in Meriden, CT last
weekend that attracted more than 90 riders. I did not catch the names of
MVTR riders who went there.
MVTR Events 2010
John and Tuck have both signed of understudies to take over their
respective Trail Boss positions when they retire after the upcoming 30th
Anniversary of the New England Classic Charity Trail Ride. The Trail Boss
positions for next years Rocky Mountain Weekend will be Shawn for the Hare
Scramble, Andy with the Jr Enduro and Tammy officiating the PeeWees.
NETRA 2010 Sanctioning
The 2010 Sanctioning Meeting should be underway some 1,300 miles
north of here as I compose this summary (dont feel bad, its only about 50
degrees and has been raining a lot). In order to fit into the National
Schedule for 2010, the Sea Coast Trail Riders need to hold their Enduro on
22 August, this may leave their traditional weekend available and we are
hoping to be able to move the Rocky Mountain Weekend to its place on 7 & 8
August. The NETRA Board of Directors has looked favorably on a rule change
(NOT submitted by MVTR) to enact a No Competing Event status for the weekend
of the New England Classic Charity Trail Ride. In order to become official
it must be approved by vote of the membership at the Annual Meeting in
January. Rick has submitted a rule change to reduce the number of
unclaimed trophies at enduros; currently clubs must purchase trophies for
several classes, which are sparsely if at all contested. His suggestion
would provide for some consolidation.
Upcoming
The first Hare Scramble of the 2010 season is just 5 weeks away! The
Sea Coast Trail Riders Winter Scramble will take place in East Kingston, NH
near/at the intersection of routes 107A and 108 on January 10th.
Much of the course has been literally raked of leaves so as to allow the
ground to freeze before the event. Parking will be at a premium so Motor
home space is unavailable.
I am several hours late on this item; Jim has a Hop-Ev trail repair
project scheduled for 09:00 on Saturday. He is looking to recruit at least 4
able bodies to get the 4 wheelers and trailers over to the park and meet up
with Gary (and his tractor) to get some of the larger holes filled before
the ground freezes.
JD has announced that Arizona was just too much fun to not warrant a
return trip this winter. He will be leaving on 17 February for about a
month and has space in the trailer for another 4 or 5 bikes.
According to Clipper, Peter Starr is still interested in our helping
out with promotion (and venue?) for a fundraiser showing of his movie Take
It To The Limit to benefit Prostate Cancer Research. No date has been set
at this time.
4 November 2009
November MVTR MeetingThe meeting was called to order at 19:18. Tuck needed to get to another appointment so he was given the floor to bring up issues for consideration at the upcoming Comp. Committee Meeting.
Several
items were brought up for discussion; the most talked about was the issue of
throw-aways/number of events. The consensus of members present was clearly
that the number of events, (Hare Scrambles, not so much Enduros) was
becoming burdensome on recreational riders who still wished to be
competitive. The time and money needed to compete in the series was taking
a lot of the fun out of it, particularly when events are scheduled on 4, 5
or more consecutive weekends. It was clearly understood that there are a
number of riders who are at a point in their lives where they can and wish
to race every weekend. In that respect, there was little desire to try and
cap the number of events held. There were several throw-away options
discussed, in the end, the most popular was that if a riders scores from 75%
(rounded off to the nearest whole) of the events held (not scheduled
or sanctioned) were used to calculate final ranking, it would allow for more
flexibility. In this way, a rider could ride every event (except the one
worked) and have his best scores count while another could choose to compete
when and where he (or she) desired and if he rode 75% he would not be
summarily eliminated from year-end contention.
Other items brought forward included, possibly changing the number
from the current 10 to instead allow the top 20 finishers to receive
championship points in an event. The question was raised as to whether there
needed to be a NETRA rules change in order for an Enduro run under National
rules to qualify for NETRA points. The issue of the Work Rule and use/need
for a letter of intent was brought up, there currently appears to be no
NETRA oversight, it falls to the individual Trail Bosses as to when and
under what requirements a Work Credit is issued. Also brought up was the
number of classes in Enduro events. Should engine displacement really the
determinant for classes? Should there be less displacement ranges, i.e.
combine 200 and 250 classes?
The Sea Coast Trail Riders have been successful in their bid to hold
a National Enduro in 2010. In order to fit into the National schedule it
will be held on 22 August 2010 instead of their traditional second weekend
of August. If we follow tradition, MVTRs events for 2010 will be the
Classic on 5 & 6 June (dictated by the New Hampshire Motor Speedway pretty
much immovable) and Rocky Mountain Weekend on 24 & 25 July. There had been
some preliminary talk last year about perhaps swapping dates with Sea Coast
to allow more time between the Classic and the Rocky as well as breaking up
the current run of a month of HS followed by a month of Enduros. We will
have to wait and see if this looks like a reasonable adjustment during the
Sanctioning Meeting.
MVTR members having an issue they would like to see discussed or
changed should get it written up and forwarded to Tuck or Rick before
the Comp. Meeting!
Events Ridden
At the Black and Blue, Cody was awarded video fame, if not for
his technique in negotiating the tires, certainly for his recovery. Rick
finished 9th OA and described the course as awesome, Art had a
great time while finishing 3rd B Senior, Mike reported that some
Cs missed the A-B cutoff and Andy just had a ball.
Steves fall adventure ride out of Henniker got rave reviews, all
hoping that it is on the 2010 schedule.
Trail Work
Jim organized a work party at Hop-Ev in the rain last week.
Gary brought over a tractor and the group hauled screen and riprap out onto
the Stark Pond trail to fill some of the severely eroded sections. Still
work to be done out there,
Jim is currently pretty tied up on
weekends and looking for a few good men to head up some weekend work
parties, contact
him if you can help out.
Peter recently rebuilt a section of trail on Caverly Mtn. From the
pictures on NEDB, it would appear that it would now stand up for quite some
time.
Upcoming Events
The Endurocross in Winchendon and the A1A Connector
dual-sport ride were both upcoming at the time of the meeting, being
scheduled for what is now, last weekend.
Still to come is the PSTR Toys For Tots ride on the 15th,
which will include a dual-sport ride and two available Adventure Bike loops.
In addition to gathering toys for those in need, this ride raises $$$ which
become part of the donation brought annually by PSTR to the Classic.
MVTR riders who make the trip down should remember to let them
know where you came from and how much we appreciate their efforts.
Also on the list for upcoming events is the re-rescheduled Dan
Salomone Memorial Enduro (formerly the Gypsy Moth) on the 22nd
of November. Another of the events for a really good cause, try to support
this one as well!
Other Stuff
Progress
continues in the Jericho Lake Park area, connections to surrounding trails
are coming along. If not already, there should soon be links to Success Pond
and the Berlin-Gorham-Randolph rail trail.
Ray has discovered some route sheet holders, which allow for opening
and adding notes while on the trail. He asked for and received permission to
order some for use by our Trail Bosses.
There was an OHRV death during a charity trail ride in Pawtuckaway
State Forest. Details were limited at meeting time, it was reported that she
was trying to avoid others stopped in the trail and struck a tree. It is a
tragic reminder that we rarely know what may be around the next corner. 7 October 2009
|
| Q |
Bruce