PedalTrout

Wow. I had a great time in the Valley on the weekend of the 5th and 6th of November. Epic radness. It all started when a few of us city folk decided to carpool up to the corn maze ride at Noggin's Farm. Parked at a parking lot by the river, and were soon joined by a few fellas from the Valley. Colin, Andy and some others who I'm sorry to report who's names have slipped my mind. Anywho, we rode in the dark along the dyke until we came to the Noggin's trails. Those were pretty darned sweet looking, even in the dark, and were a blast to ride. This brought us to the maze good and proper.

Now, I had no idea what to expect, but I'll admit is wasn't super high on the anticipation rating. Seriously, I thought, "What is so great about riding around in a cornfield?"  But, I like riding bikes, so I was open to anything. Man oh man! What a riot! We ended up playing leapfrog, where the leader pulls you around a TIGHT maze course. It's fast, twisty singletrack, bordered by tall corn that is ready to drag you in and off your bike if you catch it too hard. And the odd ear on the trail can get you squirrely as well. The basic premise was to follow until the leader got into a dead end, or wiped out, at which point he fell back to the rear and the next person in line took a turn. Haven't had that much fun on a bike with a bunch of other fellas since I was a kid. Way more challenging than you think, with fast, sweeping turns, tight, acute hairpins, wicked straights and, um, "cheater" lines, which involved trying to ride through short sections of corn. Yeah, you try it. Lots of sprinting, and a great way to practice mad-crazy bike handling skills. Rode for a couple hours, including the ride back out the trails, along the dyke to the cars. This was followed by refreshments at Paddy's afterwards, where we talked bikes. Just made for a truly amazing evening. Perfect weather, clear skies and even saw a flock of geese in the headlights.

The following day saw us up in the Valley again, but this time it was off to the Links/Burgess Mountain/Woodville Trails for the Enduro. What a lot of effort here! A cafe tent, Ground Search and Rescue, some loaner bikes, a portable skinny/skinnies. Even a rent-a-loo! Would have been nice to see more of an entrant turn out, but seeing as it was on a rain date instead of the original planned date, and Cyclesmith has 'Cross on the go right now, it wasn't bad. Had a raffle and an auction on some great stuff. The course itself showcased the finest trails in the area, some of which I got to see really well a few times as the layout changed every lap. I, however, managed to get lost while watching the trail with freshly melted frost grease due to very worn out tires. Still, I had a good time, the trails dried up before our very eyes/tires, and I found my way back to fresh tracks and the course layout. These guys know how to put on a show! Great to see Barry, Ryan, and his new trail mate, and all the rest of the guys and girls from up there. 

So, keep an eye out for events in the Valley. It's a beautiful place full of awesome people and amazing trails. It's worth the drive up to make some new friends and some great memories. And when you support AVMBA, you support the trails and the people who build, maintain, support, promote and protect them. Win win situation, in my books.

See you on the trail, and thanks guys!

Aaron 

The Nova Scotia Mountain Bike Trails Association held it's first official International Trails Day event at Fitzpatrick Mountain today. A crew of 10. armed with leaf rakes, loppers, shovels and Pulaskis, headed onto the trail to fix trouble spots and prep the course for the upcoming Fitz of Fury Provincial Mountain Bike Championship Race.

What do you get when you cross 10 avid mountain bikers with a trail that needs some love? Well, for one thing, you get dirty. With the first swing of my Pulaski, I not only coated myself in goopy swamp mud, but I think I served a helping to most of the others who were helping me drain a horribly wet section of trail, as well. Nobody complained, even jokingly - everyone was far too intent on solving the problem of water that had nowhere to go.

Manual labour aimed at improving something you love doesn't seem difficult at all. While shoveling snow from a driveway is a task from hell, scooping muck from the earth with your bare hands and digging mildewy, mossy rocks from long-buried piles is almost zen-like. As we worked on draining and armouring that trail very little was said but everyone seemed content. There was no question or argument about how to proceed - we just latched onto some tools and made it happen.

After almost 3 hours of work, our group reunited with those who had gone to rake. Although rain had started to fall, the trail was mostly dry and it was time to ride.

The true test of repairs on the trail comes when rock meets rubber. Our major fix passed with flying colours and despite increasing amounts of wet stuff falling from the sky we made it to the top of the mountain and back down again in one piece, tired, but still smiling.

The day ended with beer (and food) at a Pictou pub. As we sat and ingested, discussing matters bicycle-related and not, it occured to me that of all the sports and interest groups I've known, mountain biking is unique. It's the only one where a group of strangers, united only by a common interest, can agree upon a task, complete it, socialize willingly afterwards, and do so without a single argument, dispute or mean-spirited competetive bribe.

To everyone who came out today, thanks! What a sincere and wonderful group of people you are. To everyone who missed out, I hope you'll have a chance to experience a day like this sometime soon.

Every time I volunteer for something a voice in the back of my head asks me "What the hell are you doing? You know you're going to regret this." Today's work session proved that voice wrong and I'm pretty certain that with fine folks like these throwing themselves into the mix, the Nova Scotia Mountain Bike Trails Association is going to be a force to be reckoned with.

If you spend any amount of time on PedalTrout and particularly if you're a mountain biker, Barbara Pietersma is likely a familiar name. The Google Nova Scotia Mountain Bike Trails map that features front and center on our Trails page is the end result of Barb's combined passions - cartography and mountain biking.

How Barb became destined to make maps is a mystery, but it's fair to say her Dutch background pre-disposed her to cycling from the very start. An avid mountain biker, Barb recognized the need for an easy-to-use and informative provincial trail map and pounced on the opportunity. As a graduating student of the Center of Geographic Science's Cartography Program Barbara's final project tasked her with making a map to serve the needs of a client. Barbara approached PedalTrout with the idea of creating a mountain bike trail map for Nova Scotia and we jumped at the idea. Barbara's Google Earth maps earned her an award at graduation for "Best Thematic Map"  - not surprising as she graduated with top marks in her class!

If you get a chance to ride with Barbara you're guaranteed a good time - she laughs off crashes like nobody's business, has a keen eye for "nurkey necks" in the trail, and loves to cut corners unless you firmly plant a hay bale in her path. In her non-bike time she definitely keeps busy with a range of interests that includes everything from baking and making jewelery to snowshoeing, horseback riding, and spending quality time with friends and family.  Oh, and as if she didn't have enough on her plate already, Barbara is also in the throes of planning a wedding this year. Hopefully that won't take away from her bike time!

Congratulations on all your accomplishments, Barb and once again, thanks from PedalTrout for our most excellent trail maps. You're an obvious choice for Propeller Brewing's Rider of the Month.

Photo by Doug Smith

Randy Gray, or Tossed Salad, as he is known to most, has been a fixture in Nova Scotia’s mountain bike scene for pretty much as long as mountain bikes have existed. There is no aspect of the sport that hasn’t been touched in some way by Randy’s dedication and if you haven’t crossed paths with him on the trail you may very well have butted heads with him at a meeting or had your butt kicked by him at a race.

The cycling scene in Nova Scotia has truly benefitted from Randy’s drive and determination for many years. His CV includes working tirelessly on behalf of Bicycle Nova Scotia for years on end, creating and publishing a detailed guide to the trails in the province, and submitting a Mountain Biking Management Plan to the Long Lake Park Association's Management Plan Committee after about 6 years of consultation and work with the organization. Randy has done more than his share of trail building and maintenance in the HRM and nobody has been more dedicated to advocating on behalf of mountain bikers.

All of the above are great achievements, but Randy’s love of cycling doesn’t end there.  He probably has the most inclusive collection of bicycles and cycling related nostalgia stashed away at home of anyone in this region. Undoubtedly his placement as one of Cyclesmith’s best known employees helps that collection. To boot, he is known for appreciating the finer liquid things in life, which is why we are sure that he will enjoy his prize from the Propeller Brewing Company.

Thanks for all you do Randy. Mountain biking in Nova Scotia would be a different beast without your relentless dedication. See you on the trail.

 

 

 

The beginning of the NSMTBTA as captured by Sue Earle's laptop

Twenty passionate people gathered in Truro on December 5th to discuss the state of mountain bike trails in Nova Scotia. The public forum led by Garnet McLaughlin of the Cobequid Eco-Trails Society and Sherry Huybers started as an information and idea session and ended with the committment to organize a non-profit association with the mandate of advocating for mountain bike trails across the province.

Along with providing useful information on everything from land access to funding to cooperating with other user groups, Garnet made a very poignant observation - that mountain bikers in this province have lost out time and time again when trail use is discussed between builders and governments. The problem is that we've never had an organization to represent us, therefore we're frequently overlooked.

The Nova Scotia Mountain Bike Trails Association (NSMTBTA)will be the answer to that problem. As soon as the association is registered we will hold our first AGM to elect directors, establish a plan of attack and begin our work of securing land and developing trails that mountain bikers in Nova Scotia will be able to ride for decades to come.

If the positive energy present at yesterday's meeting was any indication, great things are about to happen. Want to get involved or be kept up to date? Send an email to NSMTBTA@gmail.com and we'll add you to our mailing list. Things are looking up for mountain bikers in Nova Scotia.

What is a mountain bike to do when the trails are wet?

Become a roadie?

Sit on the couch and eat chips and become a sloth?

Sell the mountain bike and take up knitting?

For those that don't know I live in Moncton New Brunswick and we have not seen a dry trail since late May.  And our trail systems are suffering because of all the rain.

 I have not ridden the U de M trail system since Canada day because I was so disappointed in the conditions.  I have ridden the Hillsborough trails but I am very careful to stick to old trails that stay solid regardless of the weather.  (fyi..when I do come to a very muddy section of trail I get off the bike, find higher ground and walk around it).

This summer a couple of friends helped me find an answer for the wet weather blues with out having to resort to any of the solutions listed above.  We started riding woods road and it has been suprisingly fun.

Today 3 of us set out for a ride that took us along an old railway which led us to some woods roads, throw in a little pavement riding here and there to connect other woods roads and you have a great loop.  Todays loop also featured some killer climbs and we had to come back through the Hillsborough trail system on our way back through so we threw in a little single track as well.  When we arrived back to out starting point we had done 33.5km.  We even managed a top speed of almost 50km/hr on a couple of the descents.

We have had some nicer weather the last week and our trails are starting to dry, but I do not see myself stopping these woods road rides.

How come its totally unacceptable to ride a wet trail...


...but ok for 50+ people to race on it?

Information submitted by Sue Earle
Photo by Troy Turple

Nearby Town:Halifax, NS
Distance:19 km +/-
Duration:40 min.-3 hours
Skill Level:Beginner-Expert
Traffic Volume:Medium

Summary:An extensive system of technical singletrack offering challenging riding for all levels. Best experience with someone who knows the trails - they are convoluted and can be confusing. Expect drops!

Description:
Looking for the ultimate "Something for everyone" mountain bike experience? Whopper Drop is all that and a bag of Powergels. This trail system offers everything from gently demanding to hair-raising hella-fun in a network of trails that can lead you on a quick 40 minute romp or a 2-3 hour burnfest. You choose the intensity and the pace and Whopper is set to deliver. Mountain bike newbies can cut their teeth on the main trail in Whopper- a granite path with small ledges and obstacles. Following this trail takes you to the powerlines which are not overly technical but offer some power climbs and serious yeehaw descending, a great place to get the feel for your bike. More experienced riders can venture onto one of the side loops- Shawshank, Suzie-Q ad Labrador Pass being some of the faves. These mainly singletrack trails offer everything from flowy speed to drops large and small. They are better discovered and experienced with someone who knows Whopper well.

Directions:
Head into Bayer's Lake Business Park and locate the Burger King and Value Village on Chain Lake Drive. If you're facing these establishments a road to their left will take you to a gravel parking area where the trailhead begins. Cars parked here sometimes suffer smash-and-grabs so you may want to park close to the businesses where your vehicle is in plain site.

Users:
These trails are mainly used by mountain bikers although the odd hiker or trail runner may appear out of nowhere.

Type of Ride:
Many interconnected loops.

Singletrack: 70%
Doubletrack: 30%
Fire Road: 0%