Shenandoah Mountain Touring - Bicycle Virginia

Virginia Mountain Bike Trail - day 1

2011-12-19T11:30:00.000-05:00

If you can see the hot line, you HAVE to come ride this route with us!

From Virginia Mountain Bike Trail - Day 1 (of 14)

You have to be able to handle about 1 hour of this a day.

From Virginia Mountain Bike Trail - Day 1 (of 14)

If you can handle the hike a bikes - you will be rewarded! Adventure awaits!

From Virginia Mountain Bike Trail - Day 1 (of 14)

Its an amazing experience riding the length of this amazing state of Virginia. Thanks to those public servants and private citizens who had the forsight to protect this land and make it available to us to experiece as we travel under our own power using bicycles. Freedom!

Virginia Mountain Bike Trail - it is THE adventure!

2011-11-10T18:50:00.004-05:00

Virginia Mountain Bike Trail produced by Scott Wootten on Vimeo. Trail video by Chris Scott. Pictures by Matt Smith, Chris Scott, and Mike Boyes.

In the fall of 2011 Cyclists pioneered The Virginia Mountain Bike Trail, an off-road connector route spanning the length of Virginia's Allegheny & Blue Ridge Mountain Ranges. These riders returned to the commonwealth's early american frontier, in search of recreational resources. Their purpose was to connect public lands in Virginia's mountainous border region. The group embarked on a mission with the intent to establish a permanent long distance backcountry trail that rivals the infamous Arizona or Colorado trails. What they discovered was a world class back-country expedition; as they linked 8 major trail systems in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. Their route, consisting of primarily single track trails, covered 480 miles and climbed 65,000 feet over the course of 12 days. Beginning just west of Strasburg, the explorers began their journey on the County Line Trail. They rolled southward along rocky ridge lines, challenging climbs and fast descents and after two full weeks, the riders finished their final descent down the Iron Mountain Trail to Damascus.

Its been years of research, riding, rinse and repeat.... getting the vision complete. A decade of exploring and preparing the best sections of trail to link together. Thanks to the great motivation from IMBA's Dan Hudson and Rich Edwards we kept pushing forward with the idea.

Darrell "Dirty D" Prillamen invited us down in 2009 for the Trans Iron that ends in Damascus. He had it dialed in with his henchmen from Boone, NC. The Trans Iron starts on the New River Trail before heading up into the mountains on the Highlands Horse Trail. After a long day on the HHT it shares the Iron Mountain Trail for a bit before it takes the full pull of the Iron Mountain Trail concluding the final sector of the Virginia Mountain Bike trail ending in Damacus. It is good! His boys Drew, YT, J Grimes, and Kelly T. have this hooked up!

We got Jeremiah Bishop, Andy Johnston and Cory Rimmer out on a few days bike packing on the northernmost section in 2010. We had such a great time, we knew we had to roll the full monty in 2011.

In the summer of 2011 Chris Scott made the last few reconnaissance trips south of Covington. We finally had enough beta to give it a try. Chris Scott and Matt Smith loaded up the Shenandoah Mountain Touring gear with Dan Oates taking captain support for the first half and Tyler Spurlock taking the reigns for the second half. A great group of folks joined in for sections of the ride including, Jason Mattis, Kurt Rosenberger, Mike Boyes, Jennifer Wolfson, Nate Shearer, Misty Tilson, Jake Brown, Lucas Brown, Scott Dwyer, Kirby Walke, Graham Snyder, Katy Smith, and Sam Lindblom.

The vision of the Virginia Mountain Bike Trail, complete with a hut to hut system running it's full length, accessible by singletack riders, dirt road explorers and those touring the paved roads will take some time and dedicated volunteers. After doing the entire route the vision is so clear it seems like it could be completed overnight. If you are interested in lending a hand, get in touch and email us!

Small sections have huge dedicated heros already. Mike Capraro and Susan Musante have been keeping open County Line Trail, Mill Mountain Trail, Long Mountain Trail, and most of the Lee Districts North Mountain Trail for the past few years (along with many other great trails on the Lee District) Huge efforts have been done on the Carr Mountain Trail (another gallery HERE) by SVBC, SMT, PATC and the Back Country Horseman, and we still have a long way to go for the trail to be finished to USFS specifications. We (SMT) have been keeping open Shenandoah Mountain Trail. The Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition has kept the momentum moving by fostering the Recreational Trails Grant recieved from Virginia's Department of Conservation and Recreation. This grant funded the restoration of Chestnut Ridge from Little Bald Knob.

As of the inaugural ride, Fore Mountain Trail into Covington needs a heck of a lot of work to be free from huge blow downs, the brush needs to be cut back and some tread needs to be rehabilitated from being used while it has been in bad shape. Broad Run and Patterson Mountain Trails north of New Castle are in dire need of clearing too.

We started small with super cool backcountry loops like Stokesville Douthat Stokesville. The experience we have gained from this has been carried forward. We know given the expanse of the terrain and the challenge to access the remote trails, maintenance of the route seems to be an insurmountable task. It took us five of the eight years riding SDS to get "some" control of the 150 mile route. A surprise can always be expected on some portion of the route. An example would be the massive gypsy moth devastation on Little Mare Mountain Trail leaving the trail with towering tinker toys that fall in every gust and underbrush bursting towards they sky and choking out the trail and then itself. This leaves a decade long task clearing the trail as the canopy rebuilds. The USFS is so shackled by budget cuts they can do little more then encourage and support our passion. Now we are trying to take a leading roll in maintaining this 480 mile route. Sign your club up to be involved in your Virginia Mountain Bike Trail! It needs your help to be a reality!

October SMT Friday Hookie Tour!!!

2011-11-03T15:16:00.001-04:00

Russ and Liz had a great time with Matt on the Southern Traverse hookie ride! What an amazing excuse to dip out from the routine and escape deep into the George Washington National Forest for a singletrack bicycle ride. Shenandoah Mountain Touring is always here to take you deep into the backcountry for some much needed FREEDOM!

10-25-11 Trail Work on the Southern Traverse - Tour Friday!

2011-10-26T10:41:00.002-04:00

Matt and Tyler spent the day chainsawing and clearing the Southern Traverse section of the Shenandoah Mountain Trail. This trail is so smooth to begin with but now with no trees down it has returned to its DREAM CONDITION!! We are leading a Friday Hookie Tour of the Southern Traverse this friday and you don't want to miss out, it will be as IMBA proclaims, "EPIC!"

click here to sign up!

Matt Smith saves his back by loading up our BoB Trailer with all of the gear! A great way to get supplies into the woods!

Pictures updated from the VA MTB Trail!

2011-10-19T13:30:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures from day 11 of the Virginia Mountain Bike Trail tour in Pandapas Pond park near Blacksburg VA.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.166405016782949.39596.100002403544367&type=1&l=a814d01688

VMBT - day 12 - Crossing New River, onto Bike Route 76 and New River Trail. Rollin'!

2011-10-17T11:44:00.001-04:00

Next and last 2 days to follow are on Highlands Horse Trail and Iron Mountain Trail. What a journey bicycling along, across, over and around the length of Virginia on a backcountry Singletrack based route on National Forest trails.

VAMT Day 6 - it is peak color on Little Mare Mountain Trail.

2011-10-11T12:53:00.001-04:00

Virginia Mountain Bike Trail - day 6 - Matt Smith stretches it out rolling through Blue Grass Hollow on lead into Little Mare.

2011-10-11T11:28:00.001-04:00

Lunch stop ahead at Trappers Lodge. Shenandoah Mountain Trail was amazing yesterday on day 5.

Day #2 on the Virginia Mountain Bike Trail. Feeling good and lovin the trail!

2011-10-05T15:21:00.000-04:00

Can't wait to see everyone as you join us over the next few days!

Shenandoah Mountain Touring

Virginia Mountain Bike Trail, day 2 on North Mountain is sooooo nice!

2011-10-05T14:36:00.000-04:00

What a great back country bicycling experience!

The Virginia Mountain Bike Trail Tour is under way!!

2011-10-05T13:59:00.000-04:00

Chris, Matt, and Jason said goodbye to the real world yesterday, and set out on the first sector of the Virginia Mountain Bike Trail. Make sure to check out our webpage for the tour and maybe you can join up with us along the way!! Here are a few pictures of the start, stay tuned for more updates soon!

SMT October Newsletter

2011-10-04T14:57:00.000-04:00

SMT October 2011 Newsletter

From Massanutten Full Pull

Dear Friends of Shenandoah Mountain Touring,

We hope you are having a great start to the fall season and would like to give
you an update as to what's happening the world of SMT!

This coming weekend is the Shenandoah Mountain Bike Festival put on by the Shenandoah
Valley Bicycle Coalition. Your chance to come back to Stokesville and ride
some of the super fun trails from the Shenandoah Mountain 100 and a whole lot
more. REGISTER!!!!

The HEAT was on this year at the Shenandoah Mountain 100! While most were sweating
it out on course ALL DAY, cool Christian Tanguy was getting his 2nd SM100 win
and first NUE Series win!! It was a battle up front between Jeff and Christian.
We hope you had a great time on your ride! Cyclingnews.com has provided an in-depth
story on the event and can be found here: SM100 Story In case you haven't seen any pictures from the event, our photographers shots are here: Bob Popovich , and our pictures can be found here: SMT photos . Make sure you are friends with us at our facebook page in order to stay up-to-date with all of our events and press!

We also wanted to mention a local Harrisonburg Cyclocross event coming up on
Oct. 16th put on by Ken Bell of Gripped Films.

On October 16th, Harrisonburg will host the first Rocktown Cyclocross Festival.
With $1500 in cash as well as prizes up for grabs, The Rocktown Cyclocross Festival
will feature a full day of racing for beginners to pros. Bring your friends
and family to enjoy the many free side events including a corn hole tournament
with $100 cash prize, kids races, bicycle maintenance, kids helmet giveaway
and more.
- You can register online here (and save on late fees): REGISTER

We have just headed out on our Virginia Mountain Bike Trail ride and we are super psyched!!

we will be sending out updates to the SMT blog almost daily
-- here are some videos of last years ride that Jeremiah Bishop did on a section
of the route, make plans for next year:
-Shenandoah Mountain Sector -Big Schloss Sector

We had to reschedule our Spruce Knob North Fork IMBA Epic tour for Sat Sun Oct 29th-30th weekend. West Virginiawas hit with a super cold blast that brought snowshoe mountain 9 inchces of
snow! That will make it an amazing 3 day weekend if you are able to combine
the weekend ride with our Friday hookie ride on the Southern Traverse

GET HERE, GET ON YOUR BIKE, and ENJOY WHAT THIS AWESOME FALL SEASON HAS TO
OFFER!!!!!

Thanks so much,

Chris, Matt, Tyler, and the rest of the SMT Family

2011 Harvest Moon Festival Century & Metric Rides

2011-09-29T16:31:00.001-04:00

The Harvest Moon Festival held in Bath County, VA was host to a Century and Metric ride put on by Shenandoah Mountain Touring. The rides were also and the riding in Bath County couldn't have been better!! Big thanks to the Bath County Department of Tourism and all the great volunteers that made this event possible! Check out some photos of the rides and of beautiful Bath County:

Harvest Moon Festival Century is looking GREAT!

2011-09-22T14:02:00.000-04:00

Come out on Saturday September 24th, 2011 for the first annual Bath County Harvest Moon Festival Century and Metric Century bicycle ride. It will be an amazing experience bicycling along beautiful roads in and around scenic western Virginia mountains. You can sign up on Bikereg,.com or onsite Friday evening from 6-8 pm in the Holstein Room of the Dairy Barn. Or bright and early at the Bath County High School in Hot Springs, Virginia where the start and finish is located from 6:30 to 8:00 am.

From Harvest Moon Festival Century & Metric Ride

Bicycling in the George Washington National Forest

2011-09-10T13:08:00.001-04:00

What better way to go deep into the backwoods and explore the wonders
of Virginia's George Washington National Forest then by bicycle.

Whether it is gliding along on singletrack, riding the dirt road
overtop the scenic mountain or ascending a paved road climb to your
favorite mountain top sunset picnic spot. Waterfalls are always a
treasure.

Visiting Bear Draft Trail - it is looking very good.
Caught up with some friends for the SVBC friday meeting at Flag Pole
Had a chance to ride with our IMBA guys, Rich Edwards AND Frank
Maguire, that was pretty cool!

IMBA is pushing forward a great plan to improve the Blue Ridge Parkway
Roanoke connection. Alternative "C" Check www.imba.com if you 4
minutes to comment and make a difference for everyone. Alternatve C
will keep the Roanoke Greenway from being blocked!! This trail has
vastly improved the quality of life for those in Roanoke. Residents
and visitors now have a safe place to walk, ride, and run. This
connection has become a great commuter route too giving residents a
GREAT opportunity to live a healthier lifestyle.
- tangent!!

Great day in the woods it was!
A dip in that waterfall brings back some AMAZING memories of simpler times!

Cheers

These pictures were sent with Picasa, from Google.
Try it out here: http://picasa.google.com/

2011 Shenandoah Mountain 100 results are HERE!!

2011-09-07T17:21:00.000-04:00

Check out the results from this year's Shenandoah Mountain 100!

RESULTS

Open Men's Podium: 1st- Christian Tanguy (Team CF) 2nd- Jeff Schalk (Trek) 3rd- Sam Koerber (Trek 29er Crew)

Shenandoah Mountain 100 - 2011 - A tiny bit of the post event goodness!

2011-09-06T12:55:00.002-04:00

WOW, super FUN! Thanks everyone! Volunteers, Sponsors, and PARTICIPANTS!
HERE is a link to an .xls preliminary result file. We hope your system is able to allow it to be opened!
Please EMAIL us if you see any corrections that should be made.

For those of you that are super pumped to improve your time in the ride next year Coach Chris Eatough has a special for participants from the 2011 Shenandoah Mountain 100. We can't publish the deal here for others to see, but you can EMAIL us to inquire about the special on either or both of the - 20 week Winter Training plan or the Shenandoah Mountain 100 training plan.

Shenandoah Mountain 100 brief photo set HERE or below

From Shenandoah Mountain 100 - 2011

Rich Edwards - getting it done on Shenandoah Mountain 100 course, thanks IMBA!

2011-09-01T08:25:00.001-04:00

Huge thanks to Brock Lowery, Rich Edwards, Marshall Hammond, Thomas Jenkins, SVBC, IMBA, USFS, Bridgewater College and SMT for all the contributions to the Shenandoah Mountain 100 trails!!

SM 100 course is getting dialed in. Thanks Ironwood Outdoors, IMBA, SVBC and USFS!

2011-09-01T08:01:00.001-04:00

Shaffer Hollow trail is looking sooo much better for the SHENANDOAH MOUNTAIN 100. BOB trailer is the best way to get to the work site to do finish work!

Shenandoah Mountain 100 - Soooo close! Schalk and Tanguy battle to the end for the NUE Series - Schalk to retire after event!

2011-09-01T05:30:00.000-04:00

Its going to be amazing. Jeff Schalks last race before he retires. Will he win the NUE Series again.

It all comes down to the final event in Virginia at the Shenandoah Mountain 100 in the George Washington National Forest.

This could be Christian Tanguy last NUE event as well as he prepares to take a job over seas.

SOOOO EXCITING!!

--
Shenandoah Mountain Touring, LLC.
P.O. Box 1423
Harrisonburg, VA 22803

(540) 434-2087
www.mountaintouring.com
http://shenandoahmountaintouring.blogspot.com/
http://twitter.com/ShenMtnTouring

http://www.facebook.com/ShenandoahMountainTouring

Stokesville Campground grounds the white whale with a double pinch flat. Longer day ahead!

2011-08-29T14:25:00.001-04:00

The 4 bee stings to the neck and face are a bit inconsequential now!

Shenandoah Mountain 100 Trail Work Mission - Chestnut Ridge

2011-08-19T13:59:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, Tyler and Matt headed up to Little Bald Knob then cruised down Chestnut Ridge while clearing loose sketchy rocks, lopping thorny face-slappers, and weedeating the hay-quality grass. What was once a test to get through now is a dream to descend! Check out some pictures from the day:

Super-wide corridors!!

Shenandoah Mountain 100 Trail Work Mission- Wolf Ridge/ Lynn Trail

2011-08-17T14:24:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, Matt and Tyler went out to Wolf Ridge and Lynn Trail to clear some trees, cut grass, and throw loose rocks off the trail. This trail is now super clear and smooth, some may be getting the sonic BOOM during the race. Here are some pictures from the mission:

Big thanks to the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition for getting volunteers to come out and fix a nasty spring that popped up on Wolf.

Our BoB trailer helped get the chainsaw, chainsaw tools, and the weed eater up and down the mountain on this mission.

Guide Trip - Southern Traverse 8/5/2011

2011-08-17T14:00:00.000-04:00

SMT Guide Matt Smith took out Keith Esham and friends from Hagerstown, MD for a trip on the Southern Traverse! Everyone was in a state of euphoria while riding the 17 miles of continuous singletrack!! Contact SMT to book your very own guided trip on the Southern Traverse!

Great view from the South Sister Knob Overlook.

Trail Improvement Project in the GW - Moving Forward! - Thanks USFS, SVBC, SMT, IMBA and Ironwood Outdoors

2011-08-16T10:47:00.002-04:00

The North River Ranger District of the George Washington National Forest has partnered with Ironwood Outdoors to rehabilitate a portion of the Wild Oak National Recreation Trail, Bear Draft Trail and Shaffer Hollow Trail. District Ranger Elwood Burge is leveraging limited trail maintance funding that will end up quadrupling its value before the project is done. By the time the project is completed the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition, Shenandoah Mountain Touring, the International Mountain Bicycling Association and other trail volunteer groups will contribute volunteer hours and provide financial assistance helping Ironwood Outdoors more the project forward.

The trail project is in Augusta County on Lookout Mountain which over looks the North River watershed in the George Washington National Forest. Stabilizing the soil on these mountain trails will improve water quality and provide a better recreational experience for all the non motorized trail visitors which consists of equestrians, bicyclists, hikers and trail runners. National Forest Trail Specialist Christian Canary said, "we are really excited to give the bicyclists' this opportunity to improve these system trails that they enjoy so much. Everyone will benefit from this collaboration"

Shaffer Hollow Trail and portions of the Wild Oak Trail are used in the upcoming Shenandoah Mountain 100 Backcountry Bicycle Event held on Sunday September 4th. The annual event is held the Sunday of Labor Day weekend. 2011 will mark the 13 edition of the event. The event is operated under a special event permit with the George Washington National Forest. The event brings over 2000 visitors to the Forest each year contributing over $500,000 annually to the local economy while leveraging hundreds of volunteer trail improvement hours associated with the event.

Shenandoah Mountain Touring, LLC

http://www.mountaintouring.com/

Shenandoah Mountain 100 Trail Work Mission- Dowell's Draft

2011-08-12T17:11:00.001-04:00

Trail work comes often here at SMT, especially the month before the 100! Our second mission of the week sent us to Dowell's Draft to clear grown in trail and loose rocks on the entire trail! A little bit of love to this trail and it is world class! Matt towed our new BoB Trailer and it was a great help getting our tools to the top, not to mention was a dream on the way back down! Here are some pictures from the day:

<--- Outlook at the top of Dowell's Draft

Matt setting out with the BoB trailer

Using a rolling system to move this log off the trail

Shenandoah Mountain 100 Trail Work Mission- Bridge Hollow/Braley Pond

2011-08-12T16:58:00.001-04:00

Matt and Tyler set out early Tuesday morning to clear up some grown in trail as well as remove downed trees on Bridge Hollow, Braley Pond Trail, and Johnson Draft Trail. What does this all mean?? The last section of trail heading into aid station 4 is ROLLIN'!!!! Here's some pictures from the mission:

2 new VA MTB Trail Videos with Jeremiah Bishop and others!

2011-08-04T14:26:00.001-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/user/smtvidnstuff#p/a/u/1/ZmBSVPLBWQo

http://www.youtube.com/user/smtvidnstuff#p/a/u/0/E6gIDivnq84

Wilderness 101 - Results - Pictures - Videos

2011-08-02T07:54:00.000-04:00

We had a super fun time with our friends in Coburn / State College, PA during the Wilderness 101. Thanks sooooo much for the support - Elk Creek Cafe + Aleworks, Freeze Thaw Cycles, The Bicycle Shop State College, Nittany Mountain Bike Association, Purple Lizard Maps, Rothrock Outfitters, Alpine Rental, and Stan's NoTubes.

Results are HERE

Longberger was ROLLING - thanks Nittany Mountain Bike Association! Singletrack starts about 3 minutes in and it gets really fast and flowy at 5:20 minutes in with Three Bridges coming at the end.

Croyle Run was freshy brushed back and looking GREAT! Thanks Nittany Mountain Bike Assocation!

Beautiful Trail is such a technical delight! Thanks Friends of Coopers Gap!

We have a lot more great video to post of Noname Trail, Little Shingletown, and the lead group of 30+ rolling out at after Mountain Church on Decker Valley Road. We will update soon and will be putting together a feature video too!

From Wilderness 101 - 2011

Mike Simonson comes in third!! 2011 Wilderness 101

2011-07-30T13:56:00.001-04:00

--
Shenandoah Mountain Touring, LLC.
P.O. Box 1423
Harrisonburg, VA 22803

(540) 434-2087
www.mountaintouring.com
http://shenandoahmountaintouring.blogspot.com/
http://twitter.com/ShenMtnTouring

http://www.facebook.com/ShenandoahMountainTouring

Christian Tanguy takes second! 2011 Wilderness 101

2011-07-30T13:49:00.001-04:00

Jeff Schalk takes it!! 2011 Wilderness 101

2011-07-30T13:47:00.001-04:00

Wilderness 101 registration has begun!

2011-07-29T17:26:00.001-04:00

Coburn is buzzing with anticipation for tomorrow's Wilderness 101! This year's shirts are also creating a buzz, thanks to all of our sponsors!! Rollin' along Penn's Creek towards singletrack at 7AM in the morning!

Shenandoah Mountain 100 Training Camp begins in a few hours. @chriseatough will be riding with us Saturday and Sunday. EXCITING!

2011-07-22T10:50:00.001-04:00

So excited to get out with a fun group and log some time on the Shenandoah Mountain 100 Course this weekend!!

Its always a pleasure to ride with 6 time 24 Hour World Champion and NUE Champion Chris Eatough!

I can't wait to see his cutting edge Trek equipment. He always has some neat new Bontrager equipment he is testing

Wilderness 101 course prep with Nittany Mountain Bike Association and PA DCNR Forrester and Staff

2011-07-12T06:57:00.001-04:00

Iron Mountain Trail Work- Jefferson National Forest

2011-07-01T17:26:00.000-04:00

This past Wednesday, SMT drove down to Damascus where they met up with David Witt, the brains behind the Iron Mountain 100k ride, to do some trail work in the Jefferson National Forest. We placed in some grade dips and water diversions on Chestnut Ridge Trail to help preserve the trail and stop the water runoff from washing away all the good dirt. We then cleared the trail of 7 downed-tree areas, so Chestnut Ridge Trail is now clear and ready to ROLL!! Saw Mill Trail had some nasty culverts that we checked out to fix before the race. Lastly, we went down Mock Hollow Trail, the final descent, and made sure that was ready. Things are shaping up for this year's Iron Mountain 100k ride, you don't want to miss it!! Check out the pictures from our trip:

Sal came down to get in a HUGE climbing day, Leadville simulation training, what a beautiful day!

2011-06-29T18:09:00.001-04:00

It was a great day of climbing. Up the long Union Springs climb with a bonus hot lap into Dunkle Hollow. It was amazing up on Shenandoah Mountain, the AC'ish cool breeze was blowing all day and the ferns were floating with a cool mixed light infused glow.
Nice work Sal Ruibal!
Thanks for training with SMT!

SVBC Wolf Ridge / Wild Oak Trail Work Day

2011-06-27T15:38:00.000-04:00

Tyler Spulock using SMT's BOB trailer to transport some the hand tools needed for today's project

Thomas Jenkins and his big pile of rocks

Newly armored section of Wolf Ridge Trail

Brushing crew getting ready deep in the GW National Forest

Kyle Lawrence brushing

Wild Oak Trail - Lookout Mountain - a better layout is coming!!

2011-06-22T10:53:00.000-04:00

We are sooooo excited to make some changes to the steep and scary sections of trail coming down Lookout Mountain Check out the action that the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coaliton is moving forward with again!!

From Lookout Mountain Trail Layout - SVBC RTP Grant #2

Stoopid 50 Results are up!!

2011-06-13T15:27:00.001-04:00

Super stoked about how great the Stoopid 50 was this year! The weather was perfect, with a little rain shower, and the new course was fast! Check out the results to find out just how fast! Bob Popovich took some great pictures again. You can buy the prints from his site if you want a hi res hard copy.

The Stoopid 50 Race Brief - 2011

2011-06-11T15:28:00.002-04:00

Stoopid 50 2011 Race Brief

There are some exciting course modifications for the 2011 event. The course looks tobe a singlespeeders dream. Three of the big hit singletrack headwalls areabsent from the 2011 route. The only section that has two-way traffic is thebig mountain pass over Thickhead Mountain on a wide grassydirt access road. The course has been enhanced to take advantage of the spring weather. We might make more improvements if we get any last minute storms likewe did last year.

While on the course we are asking that you ride on the rock causeways and narrowbridges and not in the bogs that are around them on Indian Trail after yourfirst passing of the Aid Station. If you have to stop and get off your bike towalk the bridge, please do so. These are ecologically significant and verysensitive areas. This will really help insure we maintain access to this amazing trail for this event.

The Pro men's race is going to be super HOT. Chris Beck (Team CF) is coming back tothe Rothrock for vindication after his melt down in the TSE. He got his firstbig pro win at this event in the early Penn/Roosevelt rendition and has thefitness to bring the title back to Baltimoreagain. His teammate Brandon Draugelis (Team CF) is poised to be his dreamcrusher. Brandonis on fire after his 3rd place ride in last weekends NUE Series –Mohican 100. Here is your list of other notables destined for part of thepodium. Mike Keefer (29er Crew/Gettysburg Bicycle / Hammer Nutrition)representing for the Harrisburg PA area, Pete Schildt (KeswickCycles) Ed Bush (Club Wissahickon/Engin Cycles) and Les Leach (from the Phillyregion, Dave Weaver (ALAN N. America Cycling Team) of Maryland MichaelTabasko (DCMTB) and Jed Prentice (Bike Doctor RacingTeam) of the Washington DC area and finally the State College PA Locals gunning for glory are James Kelly (NMBA) Chip Kogelmann(NMBA/Alpine/FreezeThaw). Justin Pokrivka (Pro Bikes/Cohen & Associates)might have some legs left at the Big Bear 2/12.

Women Pro are coming on strong for this one. Vicki Barclay (Freeze Thaw/Stan's NoTubes) is coming off of a 3rd place Transavania Epic. She pulledthat off with injured ribs, so this 50 should be a breeze. Cheryl Sornson (TeamCF) put in the great miles this winter to get ready for the Cape Epic StageRace. Her form is really coming on as she showed last weekend when she won theMohican 100. Her teammate, Carolyn Popovic (Team CF) has been representingtheir team nationally and is riding very well. They will have some talentedchasers such as Emily McDonald (VeloWorks-Spokes, Etc.), Misty Tilson(Shenandoah Mountain Touring) and Niki Thiemann (TeamCF)

The Master class is looking hot. Jay Dodge has been moving out this season. ScottRoot (DH/Nimmo Chiro/Highlands Training) has always been super fast, will he beon race day? Local Jim Matthews (MBR) is ready for the challenge on his localtrails.

The"SingleSpeed SHOWDOWN" part hoedown is going to be off the HOOK! Matt Ferrari(FreezeThaw/Hubcap Cycles) will be leading the charge. The locals are hoping hewill be their man again. This year's course could even see him challenge Beckand Draugelis for the overall. Topher Valenti (BikeSport) is coming out for acameo. Zack Morrey(VaporGenie.com/Rogue's Racing/Maxxis) will be coming off the Big Bear 2/12 theday before. But that shouldn't slow him down. Montana Miller (Wilderness Voyageurs/ I9 /Niner) is coming on, Dan Atkins(Trek 29er Crew) is representing for Marylandand The Bat Man - Batbayar Batchuluun is DC's great hope with a darn goodchance for the podium. Bernie Shiao (Kelly BenefitStrategies) has good fitness for this ride, lets see how the rocks treat him.Aaron Hofelt (Rothrock All-Stars/NMBA) isthe"Elf'n" like good guy aiming to have the most fun, watch our for that! Whoknows what kind of heat Chris Ruhl (Freeze Thaw Cycles), TravisColdsmith (Indy Fab/ Cupcake) and Robert Lochner (IronCity Bikes) will be bringing, but it could be a lot!
For those arriving Saturday (today) at Aiken's Cabins – Park in the gravel lot andset up your camp in the grass. If you are arriving Sunday just for the ride,park in the gravel portion of the Tussey Ski area lot on the left just beforeAikens Cabins which is located on the right side of the road.
Aid Station Drops –
Toss your bag in a bin at the aid station when you are done with it, so you can getit back quicker. If you want to access your bag for the 2nd pass,toss it to the other side of the triangle for the next pass – then the bin whenyou are done. We will have enough food and water out there for you, so you donot need anything of that nature in your bag. We have a small stock of waterbottles pre-filled so you can grab one and leave your empty behind. We alsohave jugs to quick fill bladders.
Final Details –
We have a shower set up behind the first cabin.
Food will not be served until 2 pm post event – 1 serving until all racers are finished
Huge thanks to the Rothrock State Forestand Nittany Mountain Bike Association for hosting us all on these very fun trails.
Hope you are looking forward to your Stoopid 50 pint glass, Clem's BBQ, and Elk Creek Café and Aleworks at the finish line!

Cheers -

SMT and Local Partners –

Freeze Thaw Cycles- running the event aid station
The Bicycle Shop State College- Serving your post-race meal
Nittany Mountain Bike Association- keepin' it real and making it all work out! Supporting the trails and logistics

Sponsors–
Stan'sNo Tubes – they make every ride better!
PurpleLizard Maps – they can map your dream trails!
Heed/ Hammer Gel – your nutrition for sustained power!

--
Shenandoah Mountain Touring, LLC.
P.O. Box 1423
Harrisonburg, VA 22803

(540) 434-2087
www.mountaintouring.com
http://shenandoahmountaintouring.blogspot.com/
http://twitter.com/ShenMtnTouring

http://www.facebook.com/ShenandoahMountainTouring

Virginia Mountain Bike Festival is ready to roll!!

2011-05-24T17:15:00.000-04:00

Matt and Tyler went out today to clear the Bridge/Braleys trail as well as the Trimble Mtn. loop! The rest of the trails are super smooth right now too so it's shaping up to be an awesome weekend!! Head out to Stokesville this weekend to ride all these sweet trails!

Here are some pictures of the work done today:

Bath County has amazing road side beauties. Pre riding Harvest Moon Century for Sept. 24

2011-05-24T15:38:00.001-04:00

What a great century route in the mountains. It runs along scenic mountain streams and twists and turns around some huge mountains!

SDS 3 Day Tour was AWESOME!!

2011-05-23T16:53:00.003-04:00

Everyone had a great time on the Stokesville Douthat Stokesville 3 Day tour this year! Check out the slideshow below or some of the great videos of the super fun remote singletrack. A great group of committed riders from all over the mid Atlantic including State College, PA, Washington DC, Roanoke, and from just down the road here in Bridgewater. Thanks to the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition for clearing the trails, they were SWEET! If you are liking what you see, come out to the Virginia Mountain Bike Festival this weekend, just outside of Harrisonburg, where you can ride many of the trails featured in the SDS route.

Slideshow

Tony Vachino on Brushy Ridge Trail

You can view this same video here on FACEBOOK

Dave Tompkins leaving Douthat behind on Fore Mountain Trail

Watch this video here on FACEBOOK

This is a great compilation from the three amazing days of riding

Watch this video here on FACEBOOK

Peter Fraker enjoys his time on the trail near Elliot Knob

Huge props to guides Matt Smith, Joe Therrell, and Tyler Spurlock

SDS 2 Day Recap!

2011-05-12T10:33:00.000-04:00

We had an awesome time on the Stokesville-Douthat-Stokesville 2 Day tour this past weekend! The trails were beautiful and big thanks to Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition for clearing the way on those trails! Dowells Draft was pristine and had a great flow as usual, look for yourself --> VIDEO. There were great views along Shenandoah Mountain Trail. Thin shale barren singletrack bursting with spring blooms as you drop into the swinging bridge over the cowpasture river after riding along the super scenic Beards Mountain Trail VIDEO. Fore Mountain Trial and Brushy Ridge trail were riding better then they ever have. Check out VIDEO of lower Fore - the sound has been removed on this clip. The long rock gardens after Elliott’s Knob were pushing us to the limit and the sticky green moss to the wide open trail of the lower flanks towards Crawford made us feel like we were on a landspeeder for a looong time.

Here are some amazing pictures of the experience from Pat Miller.

Huge thanks to everyone involved for making it a great weekend! Looking forward to the 3 day version this weekend!!!

2011 Virginia Mountain Bike Festival fast approaching - Sign up NOW!!

2011-05-04T11:57:00.000-04:00

Virginia Mountain Bike Festival 2011
Stokesville Campground, VA

Memorial Day Weekend 2011 - May 27-30th

From Virginia Mountain Bike Festival 2010

Just wanted to send out a quick reminder that the Virginia Mountain Bike Festival is a few weeks out. We have a great bunch of folks already registered, don't wait to join them! The Virginia Mountain Bike Festival is an event celebrating mountain bicycling in Jefferson and George Washington National Forests. Come out and enjoy the atmosphere, the riding, and social gathering that is the Virginia Mountain Bike Festival. Please encourage your riding friends to participate in this volunteer driven festival. Thank you for attending in the past, we hope you can make it again this year.

Register here - Online registration for $80 per adult and $20 per child closes on Wednesday, May 25th at 5PM- on site registration is $100

Your registration covers camping for 3 nights, and 4 days of great backcountry riding. Friday night the kitchen is open in the pavilion for your use (Grill and Burners). Saturday night we provide pasta and sauce. You provide your favorite side or dessert. Sunday night we provide a deluxe full on burrito dinner. Since this is a fundraiser for Virginia Mountain Biking there are no refunds. If you cannot attend, you will able to deduct the whole amount as a donation on your taxes.

The festival will feature rides for all, fun events, and great company on a glorious weekend at a private campground nestled against the George Washington National Forest. This fun-filled event is brought to you by Shenandoah Mountain Touring, LLC.

Not really into Mountain Biking? GREAT HIKING right from the Campground on the Wild Oak Trail or bring your ROAD BIKE and enjoy the wonderful road riding the Shenandoah Valley has to offer - we will have county road maps for your use. Bring your family for a fun weekend!

Hope to see you there,
Chris, Matt and Tyler

Special thanks to our sponsors for coming out to Stokesville for the weekend! There will be a few 2011 demo bikes from KONA BIKES. Richmond ASR will be in town as well helping run registration so that everyone can get out and RIDE!!
Also, a huge thanks to our local sponsor Shenandoah Bicycle Company and Trek Bikes for provided the weekend's beverages!!

Alpine Loop - Bicycling The Choice Dirt Mountain Roads

2011-04-25T09:01:00.002-04:00

Abe and Nick rolling towards the questionable weather

Ryan Fawley having a REAL good time rolling down Rt. 33 west with JB right on his tail

Fultz Gap is super steep but sooo amazingly cool

Heading back over to Moreland Gap

Nick Waite gave the pro tour acceleration into Sugar Grove, it was impressive

Chris Scott enjoying a huge day in the mountains with these all-stars

Sugar Grove is where the climb up the backside of Reddish begins

Rolling down Rt. 924 from Briery Branch Gap (Reddish Knob area)

A quick hit into WV for the Alpine Loop
It really is sooooo good, but SUPER HARD!
Pedaling squares, rectangles, triangles.... every shape I could think of
Just to get back over the backside of Reddish Knob
Shenandoah Mountain is a doooozie
Nick Waite, Johnnnnny Youngdahl, Jeremiah Bishop, Abe Shearer, Ryan
Fawley, and I went over to the dark side (WV) for the big burley
loop. GOOD TIMES!

George Washington National Forest - Spring Trail Clearing

2011-04-21T22:59:00.000-04:00

Holy cow, there is always an opportunity to get out and clear some trail in the George Washington National Forest. Just don't forget to do all the right things first - volunteer agreement, prior approval of specific projects and use proper safety gear with required certifications.

Some quality work on Shenandoah Mountain - 4 work days in already and I haven't even ridden from Rt. 250 to Scotchtown Draft since last year.

A collaborative project on Carr Mountain - what a cool connector!

Stribbling Springs is not looking soooo good - will add picture link soon

Dowell's Draft is tight - thanks Matt, Katy and Jennifer!

Beards and Little Mare for SDS - thanks Matt, Mike and Tyler!

Lots more to do, Eliotts in the am!

From Elliotts Crawford Chimney Hollow

Yes, it could be this cold up there again!

From Elliotts Crawford Chimney Hollow

It will surely be this sweet up there again, even with some rain!

From Elliotts Crawford Chimney Hollow

Dragon's Tale 2011

2011-04-08T21:55:00.003-04:00

Early spring is a great time for bicycling on the dry ridgetops of the George Washington and the Jefferson National Forest's. North Mountain Trail is home to a great network of shared use trail in the Jefferson National Forest west of Roanoke, VA. These trails are cleared in Feb and March for use in the annual Dragon's Tale bicycle event.

Check out some of the amazing video's and photos below of the Dragon's Tale backcountry bicycle event.
Results from 2011 are HERE
A photo gallery is on FACEBOOK - higher res images are in our Picasa gallery below.
Lots of great video clips of the riding below too.

Sue Haywood is a smooth rider. Check out her confident riding along Broad Mountain and down into Ferrier Trail.

Sue gave another nice ride on the final roll in on Ferrier Trail. She is soooo smooth in the corners!

We got to follow Laura Hamm down Deer Trail too. She is fast and smooth. Her front brake stopped working early in the event so she was a little cautious on the switchbacks. She has solid backcountry ethics and wasn't going to skid around the corner just because her brake wasn't working. So she took it easy and walked it around the bend. Thanks Laura!

Doc George covered our backs yet again and made a great video to share with us all. Thanks DOC!

Here is a great slideshow from the event in the SMT Picasa Gallery

Kirby was a huge help with the course and logistics. Sorry about the flats Bro!

From Dragon's Tale 2011

Also huge thanks to Ben and the Brown family with the Moonstompers, the Tilson's, Suzanna, Doctor George, Joe Therrell, Gramham, the USFS and the community of New Castle, VA

Temperance Bell, GA goodness part 3

2011-03-20T08:17:00.000-04:00

Oliver into the hurt locker
Had to protect him in the group for a WHILE!
And the loop d loop began
A quick hot lap at the moto park
Some chunky piste roads on the way around
And Oliver reawakens and sneaks away for the last one!

Temperance Bell super silky GA road day part 1

2011-03-20T08:05:00.000-04:00

Super sweet southern rolling today
Got out early
Stayed out late
111 miles of the goods

After the Oconee Fire loop we rolled back on some choice silky sections into Athen's

2011-03-20T07:44:00.000-04:00

Super nice silky dirt roads in the later afternoon
Visited the Kelly memorial in downtown Athen's
Memorial status already and the blood isn't even a day old yet
Mad Moon Rising over GA!

Rolling the loamy dirt roads of GA in the Oconee National Forest - on Fire!

2011-03-20T07:37:00.000-04:00

SDS Trailwork on the Southern Traverse

2011-03-15T10:02:00.001-04:00

The "Southern Traverse" is open and rolling. Two days of clearing and cutting deadfall.

Dragon's Tale is a month out

2011-03-07T15:44:00.001-05:00

SMT's first event is just a few weeks away on April 3rd just west of Roanoke, Virginia in New Castle on Craigs Creek. It's a delightful time to ride your bike in the Jefferson National Forest. The route is very challenging singletrack once you roll up Rt. 311 for the nuetral start and dash threw a few creek crossings on the fireroad as you climb towards the narrow singletrack. Register HERE and VOLUNTEER NOW!

We have some cool videos from last years ride you must check out

Check out the video as Chris jumps in behind Sam Koerber (Gary Fisher 29 Crew) on the last bit of ridge on Ferrier Trail just before he flats allowing Tim Mosher (Champion Systems/Cannondale) to pass 1:30 into the video! Chris rolls the last of the ridge with Tim and 5 minutes in, the clip starts rocking as Tim rolls a sweet downhill section and David Wood latches on and challenges for the lead!

After hitting the downhill with Tim, Chris catches up with second place David Wood (Gary Fisher 29 Crew) heading up the last short climb before rocking the last fast downhill before the short road section to the finish. Check out David's solid climb HERE!

With the last climb over, the excitement continues as David Wood obliterates the downhill with his smooth, flowing, action! It took Chris 40 some seconds to catch onto David so be patient or jump ahead to the good stuff!

Now in third place, and not wanting to give in after his flat, Sam Koerber really turns it on and puts in a HUGE effort on the last section of road leading to the finish. Chris jumps in to film all the action, speeding his way to the finish with Sam. See Sam's all out effort below.

Come down and camp with SMT and enjoy a great early spring mountain bike weekend in the Jefferson National Forest.

Oliver brought the boys out for a quick rally session at Massanutten

2011-03-04T09:33:00.002-05:00

Gotta get back to the top for another sweet drop on the other way on the Ravine Trail!

Rowdy trail ride at Massanutten Resort - pass holder priviledge!
Yep, time to get your pass now from SVBC
The Ravine Trail - traction is king!
Oliver Quinn gave us a preview of what spring training will be like
We like what we saw, it was sweet!
Carp, Thomas and Ollie were railing the hardtail's
Matt and I were rolling the 29er trek dualies
good stuff!

3 hrs of relaxing in the parking lot waiting for my front skewer to arrive. Not a bad place to be, gotta love the mountains!

2011-02-27T11:36:00.000-05:00

Big Schloss Tour stage day will be only be a 3 hr ride today
Everyone else may get 7-8 hrs
The 3 should be fine after the fast 3 wrecked me yesterday
It brutal to try and sit in on Jeremiah Bishops SVBC points ride
Carpenter kept the pace high when the fools weren't attacking
There was a lot of tomfoolish trickery going up the road and any given moment
Hope I get a chance to try again next week!

Mike Capraro, Susan Musante and Sue George are chainsawing and clearing the Long Mountain Trail today
The LMT is a great drop in to Trout Pond
This trail has been used in many bicycle events and group rides in the Lee Ranger District of the George Washington National Forest
It is also a trail used to get to some great camping facilities if you are riding through on the Virginia Mountain Bicycling Trail
What a ride!

Dragon's Tale is 6 weeks out - clearing trail today with Winston! and others!

2011-02-18T11:38:00.001-05:00

A new trail sign at the bottom of Ferrier Trail
Thanks USFS!
Winston and Chris Hoy are doing recon on Ferrier
Matt Smith has Kirby, Sue, Chase and Jake on the ridge
What a day for it
April 3rd is the event just west of Roanoke in New Castle, VA
There are some great videos of last years event on youtube
Search for it or check out our channel
Smtvidnstuff

Spring like road riding in Feb in Virginia

2011-02-17T10:07:00.001-05:00

Amazing evening ride in the Shenandoah Valley last night
The moon is about full
The air remained warm after the sun set
Looks like a few more days of this
YEA!!

Sierra La Laguna - Baja Bicycle Crossing

2011-02-08T11:52:00.001-05:00

The crossing was super hard. There were some nice singletrack moments
when we weren't shouldering our bicycles up super steep sections of
trail.

Baja bicycle crossing of the Sierra La Laguna - what an adventure!

2011-02-08T11:45:00.001-05:00

The Baja crossing did happen. It took Todd and I 8 hrs to get to the
singletrack downhill to Todo Santos. BRUTAL!

Vela Baja - The winter trip to paradise!

2011-01-13T22:31:00.004-05:00

The Vela Windsurf Resort in Los Barriles, Mexico on the East Cape of Baja is the place to go and relax (train) to get ready for a new year. SMT is heading back down to ride with Todd Simmler and hang out with the Vela Baja staff again.

SMT will be escaping the cold from Jan 30 to Feb 6 in the dreamy and rehabilitating dry Baja heat to tour with long time guide and friend Todd Simmler at the Vela Windsurf Baja camp. Todd started his illustrious guide career here on the east-coast back in the 1990's. Yes, that means he has SKILLS! They have created an amazing trail system on the East Cape. These mountain trails are sure to challenge and delight as you climb up into the 5,000 ft. mountain range right from the coast.

After a solid days ride up in the mountains you can enjoy some fish tacos. You will be tempted by thoughts of a siesta but it's impossible to miss out on the warm relaxing sunshine. With the full package deal you can use the windsurfing gear (if you do that sorta thing) or sea-kayaks, stand up paddle boards, snorkeling gear and bicycles to cruise the coastline.

Check out the pictures. If you are real curious about the good times check out the video's below of snorkeling and mountain biking too.

Here are a few picture's

Check out this video of the snorkeling - fast forward to :35 is you have a short attention span

This clip has some nice rocky trail that grooves back and forth

This video is of a thin hard trail that wasn't quite finished yet

Gotta drop in towards the daily dose of fresh taco's!

Last week of 2010 - Wonderful!

2010-12-31T18:43:00.001-05:00

What a week!
Hiking in 3 feet snow drifts on Monday
In Hungry Mother State Park to Mollies Knob
Biking the Shenandoah Valley roads on Tuesday
Skiing super deep backcountry powder at Whitegrass on Wednesday
Rolled a quick road ride on Thursday just before dark
Friday's road ride was sooooo warm and refreshing
Happy New Year!

Amazing snow ride on Great North Mountain Trail in Virginia's George Washington National Forest

2010-12-06T13:43:00.000-05:00

Good times in the GW on the old "Dante's Inferno" loop
Winter is here!
Judge Rye Road up onto Devils Hole Mountain
Drop in on Long Mountain Trail
into and back up and out of Trout Pond Campground
Super fun technical ridge on Great North Mountain Trail
to the tight and fun switchbacks on Stack Rock Trail
Laurel Run Road back down to the parking lot.
Good times!
The road bed that is listed as a trail needs a lot of drainage work on the slopes above Trout Pond Campground - a job for the Lee District Sweco!
Everything else is wonderful!!
Thanks PATC and the Equestrian's (Diane) from the Old Dominion 100 for keeping Great North Mountain Trail cut back, those briars can be brutal in the summer!!

Narrowback has amazing views out into the larger watersheds to the west!

2010-10-28T16:38:00.000-04:00

Virginia's George Washington National Forest is amazing. Black powder season is a few days off.

Lynn Trail switchback is reconstructed in the George Washington National Forest

2010-10-25T10:29:00.003-04:00

First assess the worksite and make it a safe area to work
Make a plan that can be completed successfully
Start digging the foundation for the rock crib wall
After cutting the backslope
Spread the soil on the trail tread
Tamp the ground to compact the soil
Take a moment to appreciate your hard work that will last forever

Lynn Trail is the 2nd climb in the Shenandoah Mountain 100 bicycle route. It is one heck of a challenging trail to climb. The Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition just reconstructed the rocky steep and very difficult to ride switchback about half way up the trail. Thanks to Ed Sutton of Trail Dynamics for coming out and volunteering with our local bicycle club. Trail Dynamics just finish the work on lower Wolf Ridge Trail which is the descent that bicycles use after the climb on Lynn Trail in the Shenandoah Mountain 100. The Wolf Ridge trail project was funded by a Recreational Trails Program (RTP) grant that the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition was awarded. The grant is administered through Virginia's Department of Conservation and Recreation and funded by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The funds are from the estimated tax from fuel that is not used on our highways.

Jeremiah leads Cory and Andy on day 3 - Shenandoah Mountain Trail a remote trail in the George Washington National Forest

2010-10-22T12:14:00.002-04:00

Another beautiful day of backcountry bike packing along the Great Eastern Trail. Most of the proposed Great Eastern Trail is shared use and open to bicycles in the George Washington National Forest. Where the trail alignment goes towards single use trails like the AT in Southern Virginia and parts of West Virginia the bicycle route will takes its own direction towards Damascus, Virginia. This bicycle route will be taking the name Virginia Mountain Bike Trail to represent the route best for bicyclists.

Jeremiah Bishop on day 1 of his bike packing trip pioneering the Virginia Mountain Bike Trail

2010-10-20T22:50:00.004-04:00

What a day it was! Andy Johnston and Cory Rimmer are having such a good time exploring the wilds of Virginia with Jeremiah in the George Washington National Forest.

North Fork Mountain Trail - IMBA Wild Ride Sunday Oct. 17th - 10am Redman Run Trailhead

2010-10-15T14:47:00.004-04:00

Dan Fudala enjoying the solitude as he rides his bicycle deep into the wilderness along North Fork Mountain Trail in the Monongahela National Forest.

The North Fork Mountain Trail is in the Spruce Knob/Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area. Call your representative in Washington, DC and ask them to oppose the pending Wilderness Bill and request to have them recommend that the National Recreation Area have stronger legislation that will protect this area from threats such as new road building, wind power, mining, horizontal drilling and timber management. The pending Wilderness bill will only fragment this trail system by making the northern end closed to bicycles and very hard to maintain because chainsaws will no longer be permitted for trail clearing or brushing. Stronger NRA language will also protect the amazing riding in Seneca Creek just below Spruce Knob, an area where bicycle access has been threatened in the past. There is a better tool for the job. Stronger NRA language that treats all non-motorized recreationalists fairly over the restrictive Wilderness designation which hurts everyones access to this amazing wild place.

Here is more info about the North Fork Mountain Trail
http://savenorthfork.blogspot.com/

Check out some amazing pictures from these IMBA Epic rides

North Fork Mountain Trail - 3 great pictures shows below
http://picasaweb.google.com/shenandoah.mountain.touring/JimmyMcNorthFork#
http://picasaweb.google.com/shenandoah.mountain.touring/NorthForkMountainTrailIMBAEpicRide#
http://picasaweb.google.com/chrisscottistan/NorthForkMountainTrailIMBAEpicWestVirginia#

Spruce Knob/ Seneca Creek
http://picasaweb.google.com/shenandoah.mountain.touring/SpruceKnobSenecaCreekBackcountry#

DCR Grant trail work in progress!

2010-09-29T15:52:00.004-04:00

First, clear the corridor and clear out the organic soil

Get down to the mineral soil, the foundation for the trail

Hand work for some finishing touches...

Lots of finishing touches to clean it up...

....and admire!

DCR Grant trail work in the North River district of the George Washington National Forest is in full swing. The Trail Dynamics has been working this week on the Wolf Ridge trail #378 reroute towards the bottom of Wolf Ridge. The finished product looks amazing and will be ready for use very soon!

Massanutten Mountain Full Monty - all day bicycle ride on trail has begun

2010-09-15T07:20:00.001-04:00

For me its about over
And its been amazing
I have to be back in Harrisonburg by 8:00am

For the others its barely just begun
At 5:30am the gang departed Harrisonburg
Pedaling through the dark streets out into the county

Massanutten Mountain from south to north in a day
Its no easy feat
Over 12 hrs of bicycle riding on VERY technical trail

George Washington National Forest - Lee Ranger District
Access via our SVBC Massanutten Resort trail pass
The balance of trail is USFS ending at Buzzard Rocks near Front Royal

Stokesville swimming hole is looking nice, still doing cleanup at the campground, relaxing just being out here!

2010-09-10T13:12:00.000-04:00

Time for a swim and a bike ride!