The ski season ends with sunshine and tailgate parties, but the mountain biking season ends quietly, with empty trails, low sun angle and long shadows through the woods. So it did on Friday, when the Mad River Riders’ trail network closed for hunting season, and Madbush Falls and the Riders Outpost finished up our first full season here in the Mad River Valley. What a season it was!
The improvements to our already expansive network from the small but mighty Mad River Riders trail crew are just unbelievable! Madbush Falls is officially connected into the network from singletrack right out our door and a buttery new climbing trail (“Butter Up” that takes us right into the heart of the network. Combined with the improvements to Goodnight Irene, this year Madbush Falls became as good of a trailhead for biking as any other Vermont has to offer.
Only 2 years ago, a dilapidated old motel was hidden by overgrown grass and knotweed and isolated from the valley around it with no trail within 2 miles.
The improvements to how the network rides make it one of the best places to ride your bike anywhere. The addition of Lil Sumpin’ created a continuous freeride descent of over 1400 vertical feet from the top of Pusherman to the bottom of Plum Line that combines every challenge imaginable. The 2-way follow from the new trailhead at the Hub over the 200-foot bridge gives 3 different trailhead options to loop up rides. Our network is so special, with something for everyone from smooth flow riding to the gnarliest stuff around.
It was inspiring to see such a huge number of people rent bikes, book tours, and/or head out on their own to try their hand at riding. Riders Outpost enabled over 400 riding days from 278 rentals. What a resource Blueberry Lake is for all of us–accessible singletrack, fun features, gorgeous views and a lake to jump in right afterward!
The Mad River Riders had 2 super fun and fruitful fundraising events–Cranko De Mayo right from Madbush Falls and the annual favorite Grateful Grave up at Sugarbush. Thank you to everyone for their support!
If we were to pick one moment where the magic truly happened, one moment that captured all of the vibes of why we are all doing this thing together, it was the Mad River Rippers summer camp crew cruising down our brand new singletrack over the new boardwalk to their after-ride swim and picnic lunch in the yard. Over 2 dozen kids from age 7 to 13 challenged themselves over 2 weeks, while the parents and counselors set up shuttles and aid stations to maximize the fun.
Despite an incredibly rainy summer, the network was almost always open and riding well. Even when the technical stuff was greasy, the flowy trails were tacky. Then this fall was as close to perfect as it can get, with enough moisture to keep the dirt just right, but perfect dry conditions almost every day.
It was pretty special to see bikes lined up on our racks and along our stone walls while apres celebrations happened on the deck. Dozens of overnight guests actually arrived and left Madbush on their bikes on various bike packing routes, with the most popular being the Green Mountain Gravel Growler, an ingenious route that combines up the best breweries and gravel routes in northern VT.
For every rider celebrating apres at Madbush Falls this summer, we probably served 5 (or 10?) guests who didn’t come to ride. While that’s not a surprise, it was pretty awesome to see those guests checking out our mtb and gravel routes and even occasionally renting bikes on a whim. Part of our goal with Madbush Falls was to celebrate Vermont’s amazing, community lead bike culture. Next year, hopefully we can take that up a notch with more group rides and, honestly, sending more money to the Mad River Riders and Mad River Path. Between the $1-per-beer program with Frost Beer Works and our direct donations, we donated over $2500 to the Mad River Riders and Mad River Path. While we’re proud to be significant supporters of both organizations, to make this valley the bike-friendly mecca it deserves to be, much more work remains to be done–and also lots more fun will be had along the way.
Thank you to all of you who came to Madbush Falls this season, whether you rode your bikes or not. We can’t wait for next summer!
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