It’s starting to feel like summer: we’re hitting drier trails, rollerskiing is feeling more comfortable, and we’ve made our first trip to the Range. This week included some running intervals at the excellent Cochran’s trails, some on-ski strength at the Range, and a visit to the Burt/Richter trails in Huntington on Saturday. This is an adventure we haven’t done in 2 years…a rollerski down Hollow Road in Huntington, a run up Camel’s Hump road, and then lunch at the Burt’s and some good old fashioned labor building bike trails in the woods! Thanks to the Burt and Richter families for hosting us on what turned out to be one of the nicest days of the summer so far.
Here is a photo from the unmistakable barn on the way into Huntington, followed by a video of some skate speeds by the crew.
All MNC members and friends are welcome to join us for a fun group ride on the Lamoille Rail Trail. This packed gravel trail runs on flat terrain for roughly 15 miles from the Cambridge Trailhead to Morrisville. There are several locations along the route for people to start for a shorter route or add detours to make it longer.
The plan is to meet at the Cambridge Trail Head at 9:30 AM. Groups will be formed and hopefully converge for lunch and beverages at Lost Nation around 11;30.
We’re lucky to have a lot of terrain so close to us…you might not think of the Southridge neighborhood in Williston as a “ton of terrain” if you ski there all the time…but many ski teams and clubs are forced to ski almost exclusively on bike paths or even smaller neighborhoods. Rollerski route options are probably the only true benefit of suburban sprawl if you’re an athlete, and we sure have it here.
We can do a long ski from Williston Central School all the way to the edge of Taft Corners, with a mix of hills and curves and generally safe, friendly drivers. Or, we can plan out hills to make an ideal loop for intervals or, in the case of the Masters, a great timetrial course. We’re just down the road from Burlington but we’ve got a whole network of “trails” to rollerski on.
So, we donned out hi-viz clothing and hit the roads for the first ski-specific intensity of the year on Thursday; a little L3 rollin’ in the neighborhood.
On Saturday, we gathered at Cochran’s for another adventure on trails that are really not that expansive when you’re comparing them to the Long Trail or peaks of the White Mountains…but still feel a world away all the same. These are the BEST trails around, and I’m happy to fight anyone who says otherwise! They have EVERYTHING…from flow to gnar, traverse-able terrain to grueling mountain climbs and white-knuckle descents.
Half of us were biking, and half of us were running. We used the Eastern Cup radios to communicate, set off from different start spots, converged atop the peak, and sent it down to the other side and Dugway road. There, some stashed water and food awaited us to make the journey back via the River Trail. Richmond is really becoming a small mountain biking hub, and plenty were out enjoying the area by the time we finished up.
There were crashes. There were wrong turns. There were moments of chaos as we fought to survive the insidious forests deep in the deadly jungle-land known as the Richmond Mountain Trails…
We’ve gotten a few weeks of spring training under our belt, and the 2019/2020 season is underway. We’ve begun putting in some running mileage, some rollerski kilometers, and some reps in the gym. It’s been great to have a mix of returning skiers and new faces; athletes who finished last winter ready to make the most of the off-season.
It’s been a tough spring for good access to running and mountain biking, with mud taking over nearly every trail. But things have dried out just enough to start returning to some of our favorite spots like the Preston trails in Richmond and of course Bolton for the uphill run test!
Nothing like running as hard as you can uphill for 20 minutes straight to get in the mood!
After the run test the other day, we ventured deeper into the woods…an hour later we made it here
When we aren’t climbing the trails, we are cruising the streets..
There are still a few weeks left until the start of summer training…be sure to sign up AND if you have not yet, be sure to sign up for either Mountain Camp or Mini Mountain Camp while a few spots still remain for those adventures!
Juniors: if you are available this week, see the signup form below for several options to select a time and meet to review the season and plan ahead…see link below!
MNC members and friends are welcome to join us for a fun group ride on the Lamoille Rail Trail. This packed gravel trail runs on flat terrain for roughly 15 miles from the 
