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Welcome!
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Just wanted to give a quick shout out and welcome to one of our new Central NH NEMBA supporting shops, S & W Sports in Concord NH.
They joined and support not one but two chapters of NEMBA!, both Central and Southern NH.
If you are located in/around Central/Southern NH or just passing through heading to one of our many awesome ride locations be sure to stop in and check things out. They are located at:
296 South Main St. Concord, NH and at http://www.swsports.net
I also can't forget to mention our other long time support shop Chainline Cycles in Laconia. Eric is as 'core as New England riders get and is always up for a chat and a good time. Stop in at:
48 Winnisquam Ave Laconia, NH or at http://www.chainlinecycles.com/
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Current Winter Riding Conditions
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If you are a skier like me you probably think the weather lately has SUCKED. A pretty decent thaw at the end of January and now bone dry cold conditions. But the nice thing about being a skier/cyclist is there is no crappy weather in winter!
Bad skiing conditions more often than not means your local mtb trails are nice and hard and ready to ride (if they get enough traffic), and Franklin Falls is no exception.
Mike and I met up this morning to get a better idea of just how things are looking. I am happy to report that about 75% of FFD is not only rideable but really fun as things stand right now.
I highly recommend Whaleback, Middle Trail, Chicken Ravine (but not Mighty), Beltline Rd., Heritage Trail, Pine Snake, Moose Gully, and Flood Plain Rd.
That is just about everything we rode, minus Rogue which I suppose technically is rideable but the last time it was soft enough to break through someone went for a walk without any form of support (snowshoes, etc.) and made all kinds of 'post-holes' and it is very rough riding right now. Rough enough that I caught one of those holes a bit too sharply and my rear tire went flat. The downside of riding home-made studs...we had gotten about 6 miles at that point though so I wasn't too bummed.
Luckily we met up with Matt from Rhino on the way out and Mike was able to get in another lap or two while I limped back to the parking lot.
Ride data: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/24170334
Get out there while you can, I have heard some rumors of snow coming, then it will be back to the slopes!
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Last Central NH NEMBA Trail Care Day of 2009- Ahern sate Park, Laconia
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Sunday November 15th @ 9 AM. Meeting at the double-gate parking lot. the entrance to Ahern is off route 106, (Parade road) heading North out of Laconia. Turn at the site of the former Prison (Laconia State School). The road to ahern is a quick left just as you enter the prison area.
Please bring rakes and brush nippers if you have them. We will be primarily raking out and maintaining the existing trails. There may be a couple spots that need re-routing due to drainage issues.
Your attendance provides you the chance to win a brand new Jamis mountain bike to be drawn at the end of the year.
As usual, bring your bike for a ride to follow the work time. We will likely end at about noon. Recommend bright clothing as it is deer hunting season.
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'09 A Year in Review
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I'm a sucker for recaps...I like taking stock, reviewing accomplishments, and setting goals for the future.
So what did CNH NEMBA get done this year?
Three brand new trails built in the area. Two at Franklin Falls Dam: Caddywhompus and Old Bench Extension and some new singletrack at the Hopkinton-Everett Dam area...have we settled on 'Troop 69' for that trail? (We got a lot of help from a local boy scout troop on that one)
Lots of other general maintenance days, cleaning up trails, laying ledgepack at Franklin Falls to alleviate some trouble spots, fixing some lines on Mighty Chicken and a yet to occur trail day at Ahern to clean things up before winter and hopefully get some trail markers up.
Not bad for a season's work and still plenty of room to improve. Ambition abounds at CNH and our goals are lofty. There are plenty of things to get excited about for next year, possible projects, expansions, areas with lots of potential for fresh new singletrack.
I have heard a rumor that CNH is one of the fastest growing chapters in NEMBA right now, and I think that might have something to do with the increased quality and quantity of riding in Central NH. If you ride in the area you should give joining up a thought. Help us get even more done and turn Central NH into one of the best ride locales in New England.
That's all for now, in the meantime get those bases waxed and those edges sharp. It's time to head into the mountains for a slightly different reason...bring on the white stuff!
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FFD Makes it's debut on the center stage
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So I entered a photo contest at the MTB offshoot of Velonews, singletrack.competitor.com, with a photo of me at Franklin Falls.
I think voting starts at the end of the month after people have a chance to send in more entries.
Head on over and check it out and if you are so inclined vote for me at the end of the month!
http://singletrack.competitor.com/2009/10/features/phat-phat-tire-photos_3940?pid=443#ngtop
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