By Michelle Fields, Standard Correspondent
Last Sunday was a busy one up at the reservoir off Cox District Road. However, the activity did not have anything to do with the Woodstock Aqueduct Company, which owns the 360-acre parcel.
Instead, mountain bikers of all ages and experience levels gathered to rake and then bike the trails including learning technique on a new pump track created by the Woodstock Area Mountain Bike Association.
The Woodstock Area Mountain Bike Association held a trail event at a reservoir off of Cox District Road. Here, Silas Stout, 3, navigates the pump track while Brian Kardashian slows down behind him. The pump track is a special trail with a series of dips and bumps. (Rick Russell Photo)
The day began at 8:30 a.m. when more than 20 volunteers showed up to rake and reinforce trails. This was followed by a chili potluck, some Halloween fun, some practice on the pump track, and a variety of short and long trail rides for all ages and abilities. Over 40 people participated in the day’s activities.
“I just thought it would be fun to come and help out,” volunteer Scott Woodward said noting that in addition to raking, he helped level out some trail areas and create berms where needed.
The pump track is one of the latest additions to the reservoir trails created by WAMBA. The series of closely placed bumps (rollers) allow the bikers to learn to move their bodies to use the momentum of the down hills to get through the bumps without pedaling on a safe, smooth track.
“You end up learning how to manipulate your body like on a trail,” WAMBA member Todd Uva says of the pump track.
“The nice thing about having that property is that there are so many resources available for people,” Woodstock Aqueduct Vice President Eric Wegner says. He notes that the Aqueduct Company is happy to have WAMBA creating new trails and encouraging healthy ways to use the property.
“It’s a group of dedicated volunteers who will help maintain it,” he said. “The whole connection to nature is important,” Wegner said, noting the Aqueduct Company has a wildlife management plan for the property and encourages recreational use that respects the property such as hiking, biking, horseback riding, snowshoeing and snowmobiling. “The more people appreciate and use the property, the more they will respect it.”
This focus works out well for the WAMBA which created a new milelong easy trail for new riders this summer, including building a bridge with wood donated from Bethel Mills and Goodro Lumber and labor donated by builder Ben Halley.
Riders wait for their turn on the pump track. (Rick Russell Photo)
“I’d like to really make this a top-notch trail system for our community,” WAMBA president Seth Westbrook said noting there is room for more trails beyond the nine miles of trails currently at the site. Their goal is to potentially add three more miles of trails next summer and they have applied for a grant through the Vermont Mountain Biking Association to help make that happen.
While Sunday’s event brought a lot of people to the trails in a single day, the goal of the one-year-old WAMBA is to have people riding trails on a regular basis. They conduct a weekly ride at the Reservoir 5:30 p.m. each Thursday until the snow flies (they use headlamps) and coordinate rides at other trails such as those in Pittsfield, Ascutney, Killington and Pine Hill Park in Rutland.
Their members also ride the new trails created on Mt. Peg by the Woodstock Inn, exchanging some volunteer trail labor for trail passes.
“We’re an organization of people in the community who really care about riding, getting outdoors, and living healthy, active lifestyles,” Westbrook says.
In addition to activities for adults, they are encouraging mountain bike riding for kids and teens. Uva has run a mountain biking camp through the Woodstock Union High School and Middle School Summer Soak program for the past three summers. Each year he has had 25-35 kids with many of the same kids participating each summer. Last summer he even had an all-female session— the Spin Sisters camp, with six girls participating.
Seeing the interest, Uva plans to approach the Woodstock Union High School-Middle School Board seeking to create a mountain biking club. “I want them (students) to see that this is an amazing sport with physical and emotional benefits. It’s a lifelong pursuit,” he says.
For now, he offers to lead rides for kids at the reservoir and other local areas. “I want to keep it rolling,” he says of the momentum created from the summer biking programs.
WAMBA plans to host a movie event sometime in the near future as well as regular rides and trail cleaning events as the weather permits. For more information on events or membership, check out their website: mtbwoodstock.com.
Asher Emery gets some air. (Rick Russell Photo)
This article first appeared in the November 3, 2016 edition of the Vermont Standard newspaper.