After the New England Mountain Bike Association takes its “big kahuna” to Northern Vermont next weekend, NEMBA’s Mountain Bike Adventure Series will make three stops in Central Massachusetts this summer.
The adventure series comes to Wendell State Forest on July 20, Great Brook Farm State Park in Carlisle on Sept. 14 and Leominster State Forest on Sept. 21.
NEMBAfest, the premier event in the Kona Bicycles Mountain Bike Adventure Series presented by NEMBA, will be held June 20-22 at Kingdom Trails in East Burke, Vermont, considered by many to be one of the best mountain biking areas in the country.
Unlike the other one-day events in the adventure series, NEMBAfest is a three-day festival with a full schedule of events, including mountain biking, exhibitions, contests, camping and music.
Kingdom Trails, located north of St. Johnsbury in an area known as the Northeast Kingdom, includes about 110 miles of trails, mostly singletrack with some doubletrack and wide-open trails. The trails near the summit of Burke Mountain are technical but become smoother as they stretch away from the mountain.
There are not a lot of rocks and roots in the Kingdom Trails, and the trails are fast and flowing. Bike Magazine voted Kingdom Trails the best mountain bike trail network in North America.
In addition to all the great mountain biking at Kingdom Trails, NEMBAfest will feature 50-percent discounted lift passes to Burke Mountain Bike Park (a gravity downhill trail system), shuttles to town, discounts at local businesses, led bike rides, a trials show by Giant rider Jeff Lenosky, live music on Saturday night, camping, food, bike demonstrations, expo area and a trail pass for the weekend at Kingdom Trails.
The cost of the weekend for full access is $129, children 8-15 are $99, and kids 7 and under are free. Day passes are available at the gate for $39.
NEMBA held its first festival in 1997 with a big bash at Lynn Woods. The event was called NEMBAFest and has since been folded into the Mountain Bike Adventure Series lineup.
In 2012, NEMBA partnered with Kingdom Trails Association and Burke Mountain to hold NEMBAfest in the mountain bike mecca of the Northeast Kingdom. It has been held there since.
The trails association was formed in 1994 and includes about 55 property owners. About 50,000 people visit Kingdom Trails every summer, and East Burke is dominated by mountain bikers, according to association officials.
The Mountain Bike Adventure Series is entering its 14th season this year. The one-day events give mountain bikers a chance to ride new trails, meet other cyclists and get something to eat after the ride. Each venue offers marked courses for riders of all levels, riding in groups large or small, as well as rides with leaders. Each event raises money for a charity.
The series moves to Wendell State Forest, which once hosted the NORBA racing series with such greats as John Tomac and Ned Overend, on July 20. The state forest is located on Montague Road in Wendell, south of the Millers River not far off Route 2 in northern Central Massachusetts.
The area has dozens of miles of singletrack maintained by the Pioneer Valley NEMBA chapter.
On Sept. 14, Great Brook Farm State Park will host the adventure series. Great Brook is located on Lowell Street in Carlisle. The park is a great area for family mountain biking.
Many of the trails are wide doubletrack suitable for all levels of mountain biking, but there are some challenging trails as well.
Leominster State Forest offers some of the best mountain biking in Central Massachusetts. The series event will be held here on Sept. 21.
At more than 4,300 acres, Leominster has it all, from smooth, fast, big-ring terrain to tight, twisting singletrack along high ridges.
The forest straddles five towns — Westminster, Princeton, Leominster, Fitchburg and Sterling — and is located off Route 31, not far from Route 2.
Other events in the series lineup include Bluff Point in Groton, Conn., on Aug. 17 and Bear Brook State Park in Allentown, N.H., on Oct. 5.
The series finale will be the Wicked Ride of the East on Oct. 26 at Harold Parker State Forest in North Andover.
This final gathering of the season, usually held on Halloween weekend, is always a popular event.
Registration for most events will be held from 8:30 or 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. The rides start about 9 a.m. and continue to about midafternoon.
The cost for most of the events is $10 for NEMBA members and $25 for nonmembers; the events are free for anyone who joins NEMBA on the day of the event.
Calendar
June 15 — Pat’s Peak Mountain Bike Race, Pat’s Peak, Henniker, N.H. Root 66 Northeast XC Race Series. Information: www.root66raceseries.com.
June 22 — Hodges Village Dam Mountain Bike Race, Hodges Village Dam, Oxford. The Massachusetts State Championship. Root 66 Northeast XC Race Series. Information: www.root66raceseries.com.
10 a.m. June 22 — Seven Hills Wheelmen 24-mile road ride. Meet at Dudley District Court, Route 197 and Lyons Road, Dudley. Information: (508) 831-0301, www.sevenhillswheelmen.org.
6 p.m. June 22 — Beginner mountain bike ride, Blackstone Valley Chapter of New England Mountain Bike Association, at Grafton Conservation Land, Grafton. Information:www.bvnemba.org.
6 p.m. June 26 — Intermediate mountain bike ride, Blackstone Valley Chapter of New England Mountain Bike Association, at Upton State Forest, Upton. Information:www.bvnemba.org.
June 27-29 — Longsjo Classic. Leominster Twilight Criterium on June 27, Leominster. Worcester Twilight Criterium on June 28, Worcester. Fitchburg Classic Criterium on June 29 in Fitchburg. Information: www.longsjo.com.
10 a.m. June 29 — Seven Hills Wheelmen 24-mile road ride. Meet at Dudley District Court, Route 197 and Lyons Road, Dudley. Information: (508) 831-0301, www.sevenhillswheelmen.org.
6 p.m. July 1 — Beginner mountain bike ride, Blackstone Valley Chapter of New England Mountain Bike Association, at Plummers Corner, Northbridge. Information:www.bvnemba.org.
July 6 — Bikes for Bovines Mountain Bike Race, Stonewall Farm, Keene, N.H. Root 66 Northeast XC Race Series. Information: www.root66raceseries.com.
July 13 — The Barn Burner Mountain Bike Race, Adams Farm, Walpole. New England Regional Championship/AMBC. Root 66 Northeast XC Race Series. Information: www.root66raceseries.com.
July 20 — Climb to the Clouds, a century ride to Mount Wachusett in Princeton. Ride options of 100, 90 and 80 miles start at Lincoln-Sudbury High School in Sudbury; ride options of 60 and 48 miles start at Nashoba Regional High School in Bolton. Presented by the Charles River Wheelmen. Information: www.crw.org.
July 20 — The Horror at Harding Hill Mountain Bike Race, Webb’s Forest, Sunapee, N.H. Eastern Fat Tire Association New England Championship Series. Information: www.efta.org.
July 27 — All Out in Moody Park Mountain Bike Race, Claremont, N.H. Eastern Fat Tire Association New England Championship Series. Information: www.efta.org.
6 p.m. every Monday — Seven Hills Wheelmen 15-mile road ride. Meet at at Barney’s Bicycle, 582 Park Ave., Worcester. Information: (508) 831-0301, www.sevenhillswheelmen.org.
6 p.m. every Monday — Seven Hills Wheelmen 18-mile road ride. Meet at Southbridge Bicycles, 100 Central St., Southbridge. Information: (508) 831-0301, www.sevenhillswheelmen.org.
Selected Saturdays or Sundays — Seven Hills Wheelmen Easy C Rider road rides. Moderately paced bicycle rides, typically 15 to 35 miles, on relatively gentle terrain, on selected Saturdays and Sundays in the Worcester area. Starting times and locations are posted each week at www.easycrider.com. RSVP to DickGoodman at leader@easycrider.com
6 p.m. every Wednesday — Seven Hills Wheelmen “Show ‘n’ Go” road ride. Meet at the Old Stone Church, Route 12 and Beaman Street, West Boylston. Information: (508) 831-0301, www.sevenhillswheelmen.org.
6 p.m. every Friday — Seven Hills Wheelmen 30-mile road ride. Meet at Southbridge Bicycles, 100 Central St., Southbridge. Information: (508) 831-0301, www.sevenhillswheelmen.org.
9 a.m. every Saturday — Southbridge Bicycles road ride. Meet at Southbridge Bicycles, 100 Central St., Southbridge. Information: (508) 764-3657, www.southbridgebicycles.net.
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