By Evan Johnson Dry weather meant fast times for mountain bikers competing in the Beast of the East Pro Mountain Bike Gravity Tour (Pro GRT) at the Killington Bike Park. Competitors battled it out Thursday, July 27 through Sunday, July 30 on the brand new Goat Skull trail at Ramshead Mountain. The race also served…

By Matt Baatz Six-Hour Challenge The first wave of intrepid racers lined up on the top of Tweed. Downpours in the wee hours of the morning were enough to make the course, henceforth known as the “gnarled albatross” for the route’s peculiar resemblance to a seabird, not just techy and hilly but downright treacherous. Fourteen-year-old…

By: Matt Baatz I remember what hooked a lot of us into mountain biking in the early 90s. The sense of freedom of riding a bike, multiplied by mastering daunting terrain in beautiful natural settings, yielded exponential results. The payoff was nothing short of the liberation of mind, body and spirit. The side benefit of…

PITTSFIELD—The Green Mountain Trails (GMT) will host two mountain bike races this Sunday: GMT Gnarly Adventure and the 6-hour Challenge. Both races take place on Sunday, Sept. 18, on the Green Mountain Trails in Pittsfield and include a barbecue free for registered racers ($15 for guests). Registration includes a t-shirt for competitors and awards for…

By: Matt Baatz Your mom just handed you your first box of crayons. I’m betting one of the first things you draw is a big yellow sun with a smiley face benevolently spreading warmth over your world. Then you spend the next 15 to 20 years in school dispelling your naiveté. Nature doesn’t care at…

By Ariel Kent In this day and age mountain bikes come in all shapes and sizes. There’s fatbikes, plus bikes, 650B, 29ers, and the good old 26-inch. One is definitely not better than the other, and up until 5-10 years ago there wasn’t such a variety of options. Everybody has their thing. Some love 29ers…

By Matt Baatz Scouting Scan the terrain when the vegetation is waning. Bushwack. Get lost. Find the chunks of terrain that make your heart skip a beat—a rideable ledge, a swoopy piece of old road that you can modify, a rocky chute, a bermable turn. Marking Start flagging a rough path. Make the markings as…

By Matt Baatz A small tree upended and took out a chunk of Rabbit Hole, an unmapped and lightly-signed trail, but popular nevertheless. It’s a pretty freakin’ rippin’ ride down, so the day I was backfilling the damage it was a curious sight to see a guy walking his bike up it. He had some…

By Ariel Kent No trail net work is free. This idea was ignited in my mind this past week by trail steward Matt Baatz of Green Mountain Trails. No trail network is free and here’s why: trail networks that are open to the public (without an entrance fee) have to be maintained. Maintained by someone…

By Matt Baatz PITTSFIELD—I did not build the Green Mountain Trails. For the longest time I wanted to go on public record with that statement dispelling this absurd rumor. I’m not sure when or how it started, but I know it’s out there and I’m starting a campaign to end it. As any trailbuilder knows,…

By Ariel Kent KILLINGTON—A trail builder is someone who has dedicated his or her time to creating a network of mountain bike trails that he or she can enjoy but, more importantly, that others can enjoy. The hard work of a trail builder often goes unnoticed, many not even realizing the hard work and time…

By Ariel Kent An exciting and fast-paced weekend is ahead of us in our little mountain town. This weekend we welcome a ProGRT Downhill Race to Killington. Here professional downhill mountain bikers take to the newly created downhill track on Ramshead to battle it out for the fastest time down the mountain.  Often times big…

KILLINGTON—This summer the USA Cycling Pro Gravity Tour will be stopping at the Killington Bike Park for an exciting downhill event. Come out to watch some of the sport’s top riders compete in this three day race series taking place on Thursday, July 28 through Sunday, July 31. Competitors will battle it out on the…

Ariel Kent It’s 7 a.m. It’s cool, dark and calm and the only sounds to be heard are the chirping birds and the steady breathing as I pedal uphill. Waking up at the crack of dawn is how I get saddle time in. Waking up early, before lifts are spinning and before people are really…

Courtesy of Killington Resort A woman takes to the trails of Killington Bike Park in a full-face helmet and goggles. KILLINGTON — Killington Bike Park will be starting a new event just for women riders. Every other Friday night, ladies are invited to a group mountain bike ride, aptly named Dirt Diva Fridays. The bi-weekly event…