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Maple Run/Mansfield Touring Center/Trapps

JD

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Dec 5, 2004
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So the new connector trail from trapp hill to the high school has been completed. This makes a big loop I like to do way better because you drop out of the trapps touring center to the lodge, then hit really nice, tech, highspeed singletrack out to the highschool where as before you would loose a bunch of elevation on the road and ride a few miles of pavement. This Ride started a 1 in the afternoon in the first real heat of Summer we've had all year. Climbing Tony's I was feeling OK. A few quick rides this week had me sore in the lower back, but soon the sweat was pouring, my mind had wander far enough away that the pain was distant. I zipped thru the only realy tech spot, a rooty wash, without much thought. Instead I was allready focusing on the real crux coming up on the next trail and visualizing smooth, well grounded pedal strokes laying down power up the wet cobbles like a painter's brush. Out of the woods and down the dirt road past modest homes by Stowe standards and past a spectacular view of brownsville past the barn. The smell of shit was heavy in the air like sharp cheddar in a warm room. Cars past and dust kicked up, after a mile, I ducked back into the left and hit the first rooty climbs and settled in. Up to the pasture, through the 3 sections of armour that are tough to make smooth and have foiled my attempts on the long climb before. Clean. Now I close in on the real test. A wet rock garden for several feet, then a sharp turn and 5 hard pedal strokes up thru a rocky choke. Dry as a bone today, stayed wide on the turn. Clean. The rest of tammarack unreeled in front of my tire and I was to the road again. Hot on the road. Make the left on maple run....grind up. Climbing for 20 mintues now....30....40...and top out on maple run, flow into billings road, which is also the catamount trail. Its a stellar piece of thin, high, well worn single track thru high maples and birches with some tech spots which I navigated today with steady intent. finally the turn onto peek a view and the fun starts in ernest. Climbing now for most of an hour, a seires of steep pitches send your heart rate spiking. Gasping to recover at every flat section of trail, the higher you get, the more tech the climbing becomes, culminating in a few ledges requiring real aggressive charging on the 1 speed. I have made every section....not all on the same ride with no stops. Today I did. Then an absolute blistering descent down awesome singletrack pretty much the whole way with some nice bridge work a few kickers, it ends at the confluence of the notch brook and ranch brooks 20 minutes later. (swim) Then a long climb up well buffed class 4 roads thru the trapps and Mansfield touring centers, thru ranch camp, a few hard pitches all makeable, then you hit Hardy Averys new trail from trapps down to the highchool. Ripping fun, teck, Imba style trail, all bench cut sidehill fast tight, airs, berms. Super fun. Then in behind the highschool and cut thru to pop out behind Iride. (beer) Short vid of the last ledge which I have only ever made a handful of time....and the payoff...Summer rocks.
 

kingdom-tele

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Joined
Mar 23, 2006
Messages
618
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Location
Newport Center, VT
I always find it amazing the difference in Aug/Sept riding legs compared to May/June legs, those trails look well taken of, I need get down that way
 

BigJay

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Joined
Mar 9, 2006
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487
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Location
Jay Peak, VT
Great stuff!

Now i hope Hardy gets to work a bit up north... He was here a couple weeks ago for some scouting... I really hope it works!

I'm in need of a Stowe ride... shortly... but have no free time to do so...
 
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