Vermont Sports 2021 August Issue

SUPER8’S SUPER HERO | VT’S NEWEST BIKE TRAILS | GREAT SUMMER GEAR

VERMONT

FREE AUGUST 2021

SPORTS

New England’s Outdoor Magazine SIGN UP AT VTSPORTS.COM

ELLE How a dairy farmer’s daughter became one of the fastest runners ever.

VERMONT'S OLYMPIANS

The VeLOMONT Trail Lives!

Here's where Vermont's end-to-end MTB trail will go and what you can ride this season.

Their training, their nutrition and what's next

S O U T H W E S T E R N V E R M O N T M E D I CA L C E N T E R RESTORING

ACTIVE +

LIFESTYLES

SVMC ORTHOPEDICS Don’t let joint pain or a lingering injury interfere with your daily life.

SVMC Orthopedics can help get you back to the activities you love as quickly—and painlessly—as possible.

svhealthcare.org/ortho | 802-442-6314 Sports Injuries | Fracture Care | Hand, Wrist, and Reconstructive Surgery Total Hip, Knee, and other Joint Replacements including Same-Day Surgery

SVMC Orthopedics PA R T N E R S H I P I S P O W E R F U L M E D I C I N E

TM

332 Dewey Street | Bennington, VT 375 Main Street | Williamstown , MA

VERMONT

SPORTS

NEW ENGLAND’S OUTDOOR MAGAZINE ON THE COVER Elle Purrier-St. Pierre, training before the Olympic Trials in June.

Photo by Johnny Zhang

PUBLISHER

Angelo Lynn - publisher@vtsports.com

EDITOR/CO-PUBLISHER

Lisa Lynn - editor@vtsports.com

INTERNS

Hannah Laga Abram, John Vaaler

DESIGN & PRODUCTION Shawn Braley

MEDICAL ADVISORY BOARD

Dr. Nathan Endres, Dr. David Lisle, Dr. James Slauterbeck —University of Vermont Robert Larner College of Medicine; Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation; Jamie Sheahan, M.S., R.D.

CONTRIBUTORS

Brian Mohr, Phyl Newbeck, Leath Tonino, Wilson Vickers

ADVERTISING

Lisa Lynn | (802) 388-4944 ads@vtsports.com

ADVERTISING SALES Greg Meulemans | (802) 366-0689 greg@vtsports.com

She grew up in Jericho. Now Mikaela Osler holds the Long Trail unsupported record for fastest known time for a woman. And that's not her only record. See page 7 for details.

5 The Start

10 Health

27 Featured Athlete

SUBSCRIPTIONS, PRINTING & DISTRIBUTION

There's an unprecedented amount of money being invested in Vermont's trails.

Sure, they can pack in calories but what else can we learn about nutrition from these athletes?

EDITORIAL AND PRODUCTION OFFICE

7 News

12 Feature

Meet the woman who was the first to finish the Super8's grueling 645-mile loops through Vermont's backwoods trails.

Two Vermonters set fastestknown-times on the Long Trail this summer as the GMC looks to secure its future.

How Vermont's 3 Olympians trained and got to Tokyo.

Wilkie Bushby | (646) 831-5647 wilkie@vtskiandride.com Dave Honeywell | (802) 583-4653 dave_golfhouse@madriver.com ads@vtsports.com

Vermont Sports | 58 Maple Street Middlebury, Vt. 05753 | 802-388-4944

Vermont Sports is independently owned and operated by Addison Press Inc., 58 Maple Street, Middlebury, Vt. 05753. It is published 8 times per year. Established in 1990. Vermont Sports subscriptions in the U.S.: one year $25. Canada: (US funds), please add $5 per year postage.

Email ads@addisonindependent.com

BE SOCIAL! www.facebook.com/VermontSportsMagazine Twitter: @Vermont_Sports www.instagram.com/vtsportsmag

VERMONT SPORTS IS A PROUD MEMBER OF

Investing in Our Trails

Vermonters Set Records

9

Gear Planet-Friendly Summer Gear

Concerned about plastics? Try these innovative takes on classic

Eat Like an Olympian?

Vermont's Olympians

20 Feature

Vermont's Newest MTB Trails

Velomont takes shape and around the state new trails are going in. Here's our roundup.

Super8’s Star

29 Calendar

Race & Event Guide

34 Endgame

The Rite of Passage

Hiking the Presidential Traverse is no easy feat. Especially if you are 18 and try to do it in a day.

summer gear.

26 Featured Athlete

ADVERTISERS!

The deadline for the August issue of Vermont Sports is August 18. Contact ads@vtsports.com today to reserve your space.

AUGUST 2021 | VTSPORTS.COM 3

Excellent selection of top quality new & used gear at the best prices possible.

THE OG E CHA RI TAB LE GR ANT F UND . . . BUIL D ING TR A IL S A ND OUT D OOR ACCESS IN VERM ONT S INC E 20 1 3.

Check out our latest tra il building Projects!

T he charitable grant fund h as given over $10 1,000 to local outdoor non-profits . See alm ost 10 0 projec ts we’ve funded at gearx .com / grants .

the upc oming c onstruc tion of a bike park in Burlington

building an ADA-accessib le shelter along the Mad River Path

a new 65 ft b ridge over a we tland at the north branch nature center

free bike, run and paddle clinics & demos follow @outdoorgearexchange for event de tails

w h at ’s in your pack?

|

find wh at you ne e d for adve nture at oge .

37 Church St, Burlington, V T

|

888-547-4327

|

gearx .com

THE START

INVESTING IN OUR TRAILS

VERMONT IS SEEING ONE OF THE BIGGEST INVESTMENTS IN TRAIL SYSTEMS IN HISTORY—BOTH IN MONEY AND IN PEOPLE POWER.

Volunteers from the Fellowship of the Wheel were busy this summer. Photo by Adam Morse/Fellowship of the Wheel

C

onsider this: a whopping $6 million in grants for outdoor recreation projects around the state, $4 million to help secure the future of the Long Trail, $355,000 to help fund four sections of Velomont. Those are just some of the projects we write about in this issue.

In early July, the Vermont Dept. of Forests, Parks and Recreation announced the Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative (VOREC) Community Grant Program and the Enhancement of Recreational Stewardship and Access (ERSA) Trail Grants.

These programs will distribute over $6 million in grants for outdoor recreation projects to municipalities and non-profit organizations across Vermont. Heads up: letters of interest are due by Aug. 27.

In the past two years VOREC has awarded annual totals of $100,000 and $200,000, but this year’s round of funding is looking at bigger projects with a grant ask of $50,000 or more. For more information and a list of webinars on how to apply fpr.vermont.gov/recreation/ recreation-grants.

Even before these grant programs were announced, trail groups around the state were looking at how to bolster their networks. The Long Trail’s Legacy Campaign is nearly two-thirds of the way toward its $4 million goal and hopes a “raise a dollar for every mile” campaign on Long Trail Day (Aug. 28) will help get it closer to completion. Vermont Adaptive has begun construction of its new facility at Sugarbush and has been working with trail groups in places such as Kingdom Trails and Stowe’s Cady Hill to make existing trail networks more accessible to all. And big point-to-point trail projects such as

the 465-mile end-to-end Velomont mountain biking trail and the eastern terminus of the 4,700-mile North Country hiking trail are being plotted.

Projects that once seemed like pipe dreams are becoming realities. Those are likely to accelerate as organizations around the state put in for newly available earmarks. This past spring, Senator Patrick Leahy, the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, was able to reinstate federal earmarks (those special funding mechanisms for state infrastructure). Between 2008 and 2011, Sen. Leahy helped secure $380,922,635 for Vermont—the fourth highest recipient per capita of all states.

However, much of this new funding might not have come about were it not for the on-the-ground work done by local chapters and businesses. Outdoor Gear Exchange’s Charitable Grant Fund has awarded more than $20,000 this year to local non-profits. Onion River Outdoors has played an integral role in helping build out the Montpelier area trails and provided clinics and gear to help folks explore them. This spring West Hill Shop in Putney put in a pump track and has worked with private landowners to help gain access to and help steward trail use.

But no dollar amount can be placed on the countless hours volunteers have taken to help build trails and maintain them. While Vermont’s outdoor recreation may be seeing a windfall this year, its long-term growth has been, and will always be, fueled by its greatest resource: people.

—Lisa Lynn, Editor

Are aches from an active lifestyle slowing you down?

Whether you’re an athlete or a weekend warrior, if exercise or day-to-day activities have left you aching, our Sports Medicine team is here to help with overuse injuries, fractures, acute and chronic pain, ankle instability, ruptured tendons, back injuries, and more.

Ask us about sports clearance physicals.

Call today to schedule an appointment.

Sharon: 763-8000

Sharon Health Center

giffordhealthcare.org | Caring for you... for life.

AUGUST 2021 | VTSPORTS.COM 5

your door to the outdoors

group runs

hikes

bikes boards

Take Montpelier by storm! Bike, hike, paddle and run the local trails and lakes.

Gear up and get great advice for the best spots at Onion River Outdoors

There’s More to Explore in the Woodstock Outdoors!

Orvis© Endorsed Fly-Fishing • Golf • Garden Tours Tennis • Hiking • Mountain Biking • Falconry Billings Farm • Orvis© Authorized Dealer

Discover local adventures with our Activity Center!

802-457-5530 Woodstock, VT www.woodstockinn.com 6 VTSPORTS.COM | AUGUST 2021

@onionriveroutdoors

Langdon St. Montpelier, VT • (802) 225-6736

NEWS

“M

y dad hiked in with me to the terminus and carried my bag on the approach trail,” Mikaela Osler wrote in her Long Trail Fastest Known Time (FKT) log in June. “He is a stickler about rules so he took a video of me hiking out and shouted “I’m not supporting you! I’m not supporting you!” as I hiked away.”

Over the next six days, Osler, 27, cried —“loud, ugly, embarrassing crying,” sang at the top of her lungs, drew water from puddles when there was no clear water in sight, ran through the night, heard a moose huffing in the dark, endured torrential downpours, was constantly hungry, and dealt with trenchfoot that became so painful she could barely walk.

She considered quitting multiple times. But in the end, she did what she set out to do: she set the fastest known time for an unsupported Long Trail hike for a woman. She finished in 6 days, 11 hours and 33 minutes, taking 7 minutes off Nika Meyer’s 2019 FKT. The supported FKT was set by Alyssa Godesky in 2018: 5 days, 2 hours, 37 minutes.

Osler grew up in Jericho and like Meyers, has completed the Triple Crown of trails – the Pacific Crest (2,650 miles), the Continental Divide Trail (3,100 miles) and the Appalachian Trail (2,190.) In October 2020, she also set an unsupported FKT for women on the Colorado Trail, running the 485mile high-elevation trail in 10 days, 12 hours, and 36 minutes – shaving a full four days off the record. The Stanford University grad sent three food drops to herself along the way but otherwise carried or foraged for what she ate.

VERMONTERS BREAK RECORDS

TWO VERMONTERS BROKE RECORDS FOR FASTEST KNOWN TIMES THIS SUMMER AS THE GREEN MOUNTAIN CLUB PLANS THE TRAIL'S FUTURE.

Ben Feinson crossing the Winooski on his record-breaking supported run of the Long Trail in July and Mikaela Osler at the start of her unsupported record run of the trail in June. Courtesy of Lance Pitcher/Darn Tough and Mikaela Osler

Osler’s was not the only FKT so far this summer. A few weeks later, on July 14, Ben Feinson, 29, a carpenter from Richmond, Vt. ran the same route and set a supported record of 4 days, 11 hours, 44 minutes —the fastest time ever recorded on the trail. He took an hour and two minutes off Jonathan Basham’s 2007 record. Jeff Garmire set the unsupported FKT of 5 days, 23 hours, 48 minutes in 2019. Feinson

averaged about three hours sleep a night and had a support crew meeting him with food and supplies along the way and pacing him for sections of the route.

In May, Feinson finished second in the Infinitus 100-miler in Goshen, running the trails at the Blueberry Hill Outdoor Center. Prior to that, he had posted top three finishes in three 50mile trail races.

Feinson first hiked the Long Trail just after graduating from high school and did it with a friend. He estimated it took about 20 days. “I feel like any Vermont ultrarunner kind of wants to know how fast they can do the Long Trail,” Feinson told Alex Potter of Irunfar.com.

“And it’s just one of those things that every year since 2017 I would draw a little plan for the Long Trail. This year just happened to be the right year for it.”

PLANNING FOR THE LONG TRAIL’S FUTURE

The Long Trail’s Winooski bridge. Photo by Grant Weiler

While there has been a spurt in trail running this season the Long Trail, the oldest documented long distance hiking trail in the U.S., has also seen a surge in all kinds of usage. “We’ve seen a 35 percent increase in usage since Covid-19,” says Mike Debonis, the executive director of the Green Mountain Club, which manages the Long Trail and its more than 70 shelters along the way, as well as many of the side trails. There’s also been an 80 percent increase in use of the overnight shelters and campsites.

“Before Covid, I might have said that the biggest threat to the trail was climate change,” said Debonis. “Now, I might add – though it’s a good problem to have—overuse.”

To that end, the Green Mountain Club is launching one of the largest fundraising campaigns in its history” The Long Trail Legacy Campaign hopes to raise $4 million. “There are still about 6.5 miles or so that we need to secure for the northern section of trail,” says Debonis. “Much of the central and southern portion

of the trail is on state and federal land but the northern sections cross a lot of private property. We never could have built this trail today if we had to,” Debonis adds.

The campaign will help acquire the Codding Hollow property in Johnson and Waterville, which will secure another mile of trail.

It will also go toward rebuilding the Waterbury Center campus and headquarters and add to the existing general endowment and create a new Caretaker Endowment to help protect the fragile mountain ecosystems the trail passes through.

Thanks to donations, the campaign is already 62 percent toward its goal. But to reach the rest of the way, the GMC is hosting Long Trail Appreciation Day on Aug. 28 and encouraging hikers who sign up to pledge a dollar for every mile of the trail to the campaign. One donor has pledged to match the first $30,000 raised. (see www.greenmountainclub.org/longtrailday.

AUGUST 2021 | VTSPORTS.COM 7

[ S P O R TS M E D I C I N E AT CO P L E Y H O S P I TA L ]

Just like you –

we’re enjoying the Green Mountain trails!

Just like you, members of our team enjoy the great outdoors too!

Orthopedic Surgeon Brian Aros, MD out enjoying one of the many Vermont trails.

Don’t let injuries like hand or wrist, or chronic knee, hip, shoulder, or ankle pain keep you from getting out on the trails. The experts at Mansfield Orthopaedics can help with state-of-the-art treatments designed specifically for you.

Using leading-edge technologies and procedures, we work with you and your physician to provide comprehensive treatment and rehabilitation geared just for you. Top medical care close to home – that’s why we’re here.

Our Physicians:

Nicholas Antell, MD; Brian Aros, MD; Ciara Hollister, DPM; John Macy, MD; Joseph McLaughlin, MD and Bryan Monier, MD

To make an appointment with a Mansfield Orthopaedic Specialist, call 802.888.8405

Clinic sites: 555 Washington Highway, Morrisville, VT 6 North Main Street, Waterbury, VT

www.mansfieldorthopaedics.com

GEAR

GREENER SUMMER GEAR

WORRIED ABOUT PLASTICS IN THE WASTE STREAM? TRY THESE RECYCLED— OR RECYCLABLE PRODUCTS.

Velocio Lela Rose ($179) PoppyJersey

Bivo Performance Cycling Bottles

Costa’s “Untangled” Sunglasses

Run Amok's Serrano Short

VELOCIO RECYCLES Velocio’s jerseys fit like they were painted on. Light, wicking and breathable, they feel like a second skin in a summer breeze. The high-gauge Italian knit fabric does a few other things well too, such as offer UPF 30 sun protection. Now, Velocio is also using recycled fabrics for its popular Velocio’s Lela Rose ($179) poppy jersey, available in both men’s and women’s. The jersey features a full zip for those hot summer rides as well as rear pockets that can hold all you need for a long ride. It’s not just the Lela Rose but every Velocio jersey is now made either from materials recycled from ocean plastics in Europe or natural fibers.

RUN TO BEACH SHORTS The ideal summer shorts would be something you could wear on a run to the beach or the nearest swimming hole and

that would be dry enough in time to run home. Run Amok’s Serrano short ($68) might just be that. The shorts are made of a recycled 4-way stretch polyester that dries quickly. They have an 8-inch inseam and exterior drawstring to cinch the waist. There’s a side pocket with a zipper for keeping keys or credit cards and a back pocket that also zips. Note that the shorts come with no lining.

BYE-BYE PLASTIC BOTTLES If you are tired of yellowing plastic water bottles that smell faintly of Gatorade (or worse) consider Bivo. Vermont’s newest brand (the company founders, Carina Hamel and Robby Ringer just moved to Richmond from Colorado), Bivo Performance Cycling Bottles ($39) are ones you won’t throw away. The Bivo One is made of stainless steel and wrapped in a colorful slip-proof silicone

outer that keeps the bottle from rattling in the cage (pro tip: be sure to switch out the screws on your bottle cage to the ones that come with the Bivo). The BPAfree lid features an internal straw and a sipping nipple that means you don’t need to squeeze the bottle. While you won’t want to tip it straight up to drink, the company claims you can actually drink more, faster than with a plastic bottle.

The lid twists off easily to refill it and you can buy replacements ($13). The only downsides that some have noticed after prolonged use is that the silicone outer can wear down and if you’re mountain biking, the lid can collect dust. But the company is working on that as well as on an insulated version. Stay tuned.

SUNGLASSES FOR A NET WIN Reducing the plastic waste that goes into our oceans is a good thing. Reusing

the plastic that might come out of the sea, may be even better. For 35 years Costa has been making sunglasses designed for watersports with lightweight plastic frames and polarized lenses.

Now, Costa’s “Untangled” ($199 to $226) line of sunglasses is being made from recycled fishing nets. With a fully-traceable supply chain, the brand uses NetPlus material that is 97% recycled, discarded fishing nets and 3% performance additive. The company estimates that 640,000 tons of discarded fishing materials make it into our waterways each year. The glasses come in nine frame styles for men and women with a variety of colors for the frames and lenses and options to add prescription lenses. And the lenses, of course, are all polarized—which makes them great for fishing and other watersports.

AUGUST 2021 | VTSPORTS.COM 9

NUTRITION

EAT LIKE AN OLYMPIAN?

AT THE OLYMPIC LEVEL, ATHLETES ARE BURNING HUGE AMOUNTS OF CALORIES — BUT NOT JUST ANY CALORIES. HERE’S WHAT THE RECREATIONAL ATHLETE CAN LEARN. BY JAMIE SHEAHAN, M.S., R.D.

I

magine chowing down on three fried egg sandwiches with cheese, tomatoes, fried onions and mayo.

Follow that up with a five-egg omelet, three slices of French toast, a bowl of grits and three chocolate chip pancakes. Feeling like you’ve had your fill for the day? Not so fast. That’s just breakfast. At least that’s just breakfast if you were Michael Phelps back when he was at the peak of his training for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

The staggering 12,000 calories that the world-renowned swimmer once consumed on a daily basis made headlines and fascinated athletes and non-athletes alike. Ever since, there has been a lot of interest in what and how Olympic athletes eat.

Most elite athletes know their nutrition is just as important as their training – but also that it is not one-size-fits all. Ilona Maher, of Burlington, is a registered nurse and at 5’10” and 200 lbs., lean and powerful.

Peru's Brooke Mooney is also trained in public health and at 6'2", consumes 3,000 to 5,000 calories a day.

Franklin County track phenom and American mile record holder Elle Purrier-St. Pierre studied nutrition at University of New Hampshire. The daughter of two dairy farmers and now, the wife of a third, the 5’3” runner is a devoted dairy lover and counts Cabot Creamery as one of her few sponsors.

Dairy (and working on a dairy farm) has been part of Purrier-St. Pierre’s training program since she was a highschool athlete shattering state records and as a nutrition major, she clearly understands nutrition.

GETTING PRO ADVICE But once you get to the Olympic level, nutrition professionals are usually advising athletes precisely what and how much to eat. Olympic training centers even have the convenience of on-site cafeterias that provide healthy well-rounded meals designed to meet specific needs. Sounds nice, right? Of course, for us mere mortals whose closest encounter with the Olympics is likely cheering from the stands this begs the question, should we eat like an Olympian? And if so, how?

To be clear, you do not need to consume Michael Phelps’ roughly 4,000-calorie breakfast on a daily basis and, in fact, probably shouldn’t.

However, eating a diet tailored to you

10 VTSPORTS.COM | AUGUST 2021

the Olympic rower from Peru, Vt., consumes and it isn’t hard to figure out who would be on the losing end of splitting the check at dinner.

Given the wide range of intensity and duration of Olympic sports, most athletes fall somewhere in the middle with the average calorie needs ranging from 3000-4000 calories per day.

That’s still considerably higher than the 2,000 calories needed per day by the average adult female and 2,500 for the average adult male.

Dairy has been a big part of Elle Purrier-St. Pierre's life and now, a food she's endorsing. Photo courtesy Cabot Creamery

and your activity level can make a significant difference in your health and athletic performance. Many athletes wrongly assume that if they are able to balance out what they consume with what they burn off during exercise, thereby maintaining a healthy weight, they needn’t give their diet much thought. This line of thinking is true to some extent if you’re okay with just being okay at your sport. However, why settle for being good enough when you could be great? Olympic athletes certainly didn’t get where they are by doing so.

The first step in eating like an Olympian —or any elite athlete—is to understand just how much you actually need to eat. All those calorie counts on nutrition facts labels and restaurant

menus are worthless if you don’t pay attention to how many calories your body should be consuming each day.

Calorie needs vary tremendously based on sport. Take Team USA’s Brandon Loschiavo, a male diver who spends more time climbing up to the dive platform than he does in the pool.

In diving, the competition is over in a matter of seconds and although the training involves repetitive jumps, flips and the like, it hardly necessitates a Michael Phelps’ sized meal.

Accounting for the aesthetic nature of the sport, male divers strive to maintain a lean physique and, depending on their size, typically consume around 1800 calories per day. Contrast that with the roughly 5,000 calories that Brooke Mooney,

HOW MUCH DO YOU NEED? Working with a dietitian to establish your resting metabolic rate, commonly referred to as RMR, gives a baseline for how many calories your body needs just to function. A dietitian can then account for other variables including exercise to determine approximately how many calories you should consume factoring in body composition goals.

Once a daily calorie goal has been established, the second step is to determine where those calories should come from. Or, more specifically, what one’s macronutrient distribution should be. You may be familiar with the dietary reference intakes (DRI), which recommend individuals consume 45 to 65% of their total daily calories from carbohydrates, 20 to 35% from fat and 15 to 35% from protein.

That may work for the average adult, but misses the mark for Olympic athletes. Macronutrient needs are more precisely calculated based on the demands of their sport and their body weight.

For example, Team USA’s discus thrower Valarie Allman needs approximately 3 grams of carbohydrates for every kilogram of her body weight, putting her at a target of roughly 225 grams of carbohydrates per day. Compare that to the 8 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight per day needed by Olympic marathoner Aliphine Tuliamuk and we’re talking a difference of 175 grams of carbohydrate. That’s the equivalent of almost 12 slices of bread!

Before you start tracking every morsel that enters your mouth with the sole focus on hitting your calorie and macronutrient goals, you should know Olympic athletes do more than just crunch numbers. Once they’ve determined how much they need to eat, the next consideration is how to

meet those needs with quality foods.

Foods are more than just carbohydrate, protein and fat after all.

Carbohydrates rich in dietary fiber, complete proteins that provide the essential amino acids, unsaturated fats and plentiful antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables are a must for athletes to perform at their best.

Take Chuck Aoki, a member of Team USA’s Paralympic Men’s Rugby Team. Aoki takes a “food first” approach to nutrition by choosing nutrient-dense foods to optimize health and performance instead of resorting to supplements. Why have a protein shake when you could get the same amount of protein from a piece of salmon with the added bonus of antiinflammatory omega-3 fats, B vitamins and potassium? Food science has come a long way, but there is simply no replicating the health and performance benefits of whole foods.

The next step to eating like an Olympian is to develop a meal plan.

Map out how exactly to meet your nutritional needs with whole foodbased meals and snacks in between training sessions. Team USA’s Katie Ledecky is a prime example of this.

“When mapping out a meal plan for yourself consider where you are in your current training cycle and whether your needs will change as your training volume or intensity shifts.”

Ledecky with the carbohydrates and protein needed for her body to recover after dry-land training.

As Ledecky readies herself for her second swim practice of the day she snacks on fruit for an easy-to-digest source of carbohydrate. Practice is followed up by another glass of chocolate milk and a yogurt before Ledecky finishes off her day with a dinner of chicken and rice.

Although most of us probably aren’t logging three training sessions a day, we can still take a page from Ledecky’s book. Having a meal plan that takes the guess work out of when and what we need to eat in a day allows for proper fueling and recovery. Keep in mind that meal planning for athletes looks a bit different than for most because of the constant flux of training demands.

That means an Olympic athlete’s meal plan may change drastically as they shift their focus from building endurance one week to workouts designed to improve speed and agility the next. When mapping out a meal plan for yourself consider where you are in your current training cycle and whether your needs will change as your training volume, intensity or goals shift.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if you are an Olympic athlete or a weekend warrior. If you want to maximize performance, it’s time to educate yourself about food and get to work on a sound nutrition plan. Unfortunately, that likely means foregoing the three fried egg sandwiches—unless you are an Olympian.

Ledecky starts her day off with two pieces of toast with peanut butter and a piece of fruit before she hits the pool. Immediately after practice she quickly refuels with chocolate milk, a bagel with cream cheese and fruit. A few hours later she is fueling up for her dry-land training with granola. A lunch of pasta with chicken provides

PACING YOUR DIET Olympic athletes also rely on nutrition periodization to optimize performance.

Nutrition periodization refers to a planned and strategic approach to fuel athletes in alignment with their different training cycles over the course of days, weeks, months and, in the case of Olympians, even years.

Jamie Sheahan is the Director of Nutrition at The Edge in South Burlington. Jamie holds a Master of Science in Dietetics from the University of Vermont, where she serves as an adjunct professor of sports nutrition. Jamie has run over 40 marathons in addition to several ultra marathons.

Recharge mid-adventure.

Meet our reimagined and feature-packed TechNest Hammock.

Built with 100% recycled fabric certified as bluesign® approved.

AUGUST 2021 | VTSPORTS.COM 11

A Salute To

VERMONT'S

OLYMPIANS IN TOKYO, THREE VERMONT WOMEN WERE POISED TO BRING HOME MEDALS. HERE ARE THE AMAZING STORIES OF HOW THEY GOT THERE.

BY LISA LYNN

V

ermonters have long been in contention for winter Olympic medals. Of the 244 athletes who competed in PyeongChang, in 2018, 16 came from Vermont. But summer Olympic contenders? In the last two summer Olympic Games, cross-country mountain biker Lea Davison has been the solo representative of the Green Mountain state. This year, she missed out on qualifying. However, new talents appeared, putting three Vermonters among the 613 athletes who competed for medals in Tokyo. By comparison, California sent 126, Florida sent 51 and Texas, 34.

Still, if you look at the potential these three Vermonters represent 12 VTSPORTS.COM | AUGUST 2021

(and yes, they all grew up here), it is hard not to be impressed. In the past year, Elle Purrier-St. Pierre has broken the Olympic Trials record for the 1,500 meter run, the American mile and two mile records.

Rower Brooke Mooney has broken a world record for the 2,000 meter on the RowErg. And Ilona Maher is a pro with a number of wins under her team’s belt.

While Olympic finals were still going on as we went to press, what struck us was not whether or not Brooke Mooney, Ilona Maher or Elle Purrier-St. Pierre would win a medal or not, but the immense effort and training they put in to getting there. Here are their stories.

Brooke Mooney cranking up the "engine room."

The 6'2" former Nordic ski racer from Peru, Vt. rows in the fourth seat of the Olympic scull. Photo courtesy Brooke Mooney

THE ENGINE IN THE BOAT RECORD-BREAKING POWERHOUSE BROOKE MOONEY LEARNED THE HARD WAY HOW TO PUSH PAST PAIN.

G

rowing up in Peru, Vt. Brooke Mooney’s childhood wasn’t that different from that of many other Vermonters. “Pretty much everything we did, we did outside. We were all ‘active,’

before we became ‘athletes,’” she says.

“In the winter, we’d go sledding and cross-country skiing and in the summer we’d play tennis, Ultimate Frisbee, and capture the flag with the neighborhood kids. My sister and brother and I were all pretty competitive, our parents even joined in for some games,” she recalls.

What was different though, was who those neighborhood kids were. In Peru, they happened to be the Caldwells (as in Isabel, Austin and their older sister, World Cup Nordic ski racer Sophie and their dad, SMS T2 coach Sverre) and the

Ogdens (as in U.S. Ski Team Nordic ski racers Katherine and Ben). Many in that neighborhood gang would go on to race at the highest level. “Those Capture the Flag games got pretty intense,” Brooke says with a laugh.

Brooke, her elder sister Heather and younger brother Scott were also Nordic ski racers. Their mother, Tamra, worked in the promotions department for Skiing magazine. Their father, Jim, was the headmaster at Vermont Academy at the time. The kids would ski at recess and after school.

Heather qualified for Junior Nationals four times, Junior Worlds twice and U23 Worlds in 2016. As a freshman, Brooke enrolled at Stratton Mountain School and went on to podium four times at Junior Nationals.

But in her junior year of high school, things changed for Brooke. At a training camp at Craftsbury Outdoor Center head ski coach Pepa Miloucheva (herself a sculler) threw the sisters in sculls one day.

“I was in this four with Emily Dreissigacker and John Graves and one

AUGUST 2021 | VTSPORTS.COM 13

other – I forget who,” Brooke recalls.

Dreissigacker, an Olympic biathlete, is the daughter of Concept2 founders and former Olympic rowers Dick Dreissigacker and Judy Geer. Graves, now a coach at Dartmouth, finished top 10 in the World Championships in 2013.

“I had no idea what I was doing but they helped me and I liked it,” Brooke remembers. “Pepa saw my athleticism and my strength and that I was a tall girl and I think she knew I would be a good rower,” Brooke remembers.

“I didn’t leave skiing because I didn’t like it. It was just that I wanted to try something else. Being a foot taller than everyone, if I kept on skiing who knows how I would have done,” says Brooke, who is 6’2”. “My build and my body are definitely more of a benefit in rowing than they are skiing.”

In the fall of 2013, for her senior year, Brooke transferred from Stratton Mountain School to Vermont Academy where coach and teacher Thom Collins recruited her to row. That year at VA, she played soccer and basketball but what she loved best was the feeling of the sculls moving beneath her in the quiet morning water on the Connecticut River. By the end of the year, she’d progressed to a point where she earned a spot on University of Washington’s renowned D1 team.

There, in her freshman year, she was part of the varsity 2nd eight that took third place at the NCAAs. By the time she was a junior, she was in the 8-person varsity boat that won the NCAA Nationals.

“When she started to realize her true potential, she really embraced every opportunity,” her coach Yasmin Farooq told The Seattle Times in 2018. “We told her, you can pull way harder than you think you can. You don’t think you’re holding yourself back, but you are. You have to give yourself over to this and go harder and realize you’re not only going to survive but you can keep going at this level.”

Brooke’s ascent in rowing came at the same time as she was going for a major in medical anthropology and global health with minors in environmental health and nutrition.

And it came just as she began to experience excruciating headaches.

“I’d be able to maybe get through an early morning training session but that was it,” she recalls. But the pain was so bad she often had to lie down and couldn’t go to class. A CAT scan revealed that she had a cyst in her brain, pressur-

14 VTSPORTS.COM | AUGUST 2021

Brooke Mooney set the world record for pulling over 2000 meters last spring (top). She is also a former world-class cross-country ski racer who competed at the Junior World Championships.

Photos courtesy Brooke Mooney.

ing her optic nerves. She waited until June, after her team won the NCAAs to go in for endoscopic brain surgery.

By the time Brooke graduated from U. of Washington in 2018 with a degree in public health, she had already earned a spot on the U.S. Team. And she knew how to push herself beyond pain.

In sports like cross-country skiing and rowing, races are won by all-out exertion. It’s something Sverre Caldwell helped instill in his SMS T2 Team and something that cross-country star Jessie Diggins has labeled the “Pain Cave.”

Brook’s position in the Olympic eight is in the middle of the boat, “It’s the engine room,” she says. She is part of the de facto powerhouse that propels the boat forward and how fast and how hard she can pull can mean the difference between a medal or not.

In 2019, Brooke won silver in the U.S. Rowing Indoor National Champion-

ships, a test of her against the machine.

That same year, she was part of the eight that won silver at the World Rowing Cup II and finished fourth in the four at the World Rowing Cup I. Then 2020 and Covid came along and shut down competitions. “No one has been racing. We really had no idea going into the Olympics how we would compare to other teams,” Brooke said in a phone call from Hawaii where she was training just prior to heading to Tokyo.

“Just no idea.”

What Brooke did know, though, was this: no woman in the world has ever recorded a faster time on an indoor erg for 2,000 meters.

On March 25, Brooke sat down on a Concept2 RowErg and began to pull. “I knew what the record was and in the back of my mind, I knew what I needed to do for the first half,” she says.

“The beauty of rowing on an erg is you can see the numbers and stay fixated and motivated by them.” In 2017, at the University of Washington, Mooney had already impressed her coaches by breaking the school’s erg record with a 6:35 for the 2,000.

In Dec. 2020, she had pulled a 6:29.1 for the 2,000. On that day in March, she pulled the 2,000 meters in 6:21.1 —a new world record. To even her own surprise, after she got through the first 1,000 meters she kept gaining and in her final two 500 segments pulled 1:34.4 and 1:32.2 splits. “I had really only set a goal for myself for the first half of the piece and when I got there, I wasn’t seeing the numbers I had hoped for but then in the last third of the piece something just came over me and I thought, ‘if I really go, I can do this!’” And she did.

Still, if you ask her what her hardest workout has been, Brooke will tell

you it was the Olympic selection tryouts in Princeton, where the U.S. Team had been training.

“We had about 10 days when we did pieces every single day, sometimes multiple pieces in a day – pulling your hardest, racing another boat. Then switching people out in the boats and going out again. It was go home, eat, sleep and then come back and do it again. I think we did like 20 pieces.”

Fueling for Brooke often meant trying to consume 3,000 to 5,000 calories a day. “Every morning I start with a bowl of oatmeal, peanut butter and a banana,” she says. The rest of the day is fueled with healthy snacks, protein and, whenever she can, her home-baked cookies. “I started baking cookies my senior year at U of W. Our coach was trying to get us to all log our workouts and I told my teammates if they all did that each week, I’d bake cookies.”

That sense of team spirit has carried on and when Brooke found out she was one of the finalists for the Olympic eight, she laughed, cried and hugged her teammates.

The team had fewer than eight weeks to prepare, working together in Princeton, then Hawaii, to train. But the U.S. women’s eight has won gold in the past three Olympics.

In Tokyo, the team moved up through the first two heats, winning the second heat in a back-and-forth battle with Romania, the only other nation to have three golds in the women’s eight.

The win put the U.S. women directly into the A final where they would also meet New Zealand.

Regardless of how the U.S. women’s team fared in the final on July 29, one thing was certain. When they got back home, Brooke Mooney would be baking cookies.

THE MAKING OF A CHAMPION ELLE PURRIER-ST. PIERRE’S RISE FROM DAIRY FARMER TO OLYMPIC ATHLETE CAME WITH A LOT OF HARD WORK, AND GREAT COACHING. HERE’S HOW SHE MADE IT.

Elle Purrier-St. Pierre and Heather MacLean, her good friend, New Balance teammate and fellow Olympian, training in Arizona last spring.

Photo by Johnny Zhang

I

never really thought of myself as a runner,” Elinor Purrier-St. Pierre admitted, “at least not until I got to college.” Elle, (pronounced Ellie) as she is known to all, was speaking by phone from Hawaii, just after winning the Kalakau Merrie Mile in Hawaii in 2019.

On the phone, Elle was guarded and hesitant, as if she still could not believe what a track star she had become. “I mean I always ran, but I was a basketball player and I didn’t even really like running. It was just something I did,” she

said. After school, she would sometimes run a mile and a half to the Canadian border, tag the foreign soil, and run back.

Growing up, Elle’s days started before dawn. She would help her parents Charlie and Annie, sisters and brother with the chores around the Purrier dairy farm, set on a long dirt road in Montgomery. She knew each of the 30 to 40 cows on the farm. She also had two pet pigs and raised and sold the piglets.

“Just throwing 100-lb. hay bales was hard work,” she said, bales that weighed

nearly as much as the 5’3”, 120-lb runner did. The farm had been in the family since her great-grandfather bought it in 1904. There was nothing special about this lifestyle to Elle: it was what kids in the dairy farms of Franklin County did.

She entered her cows (including her prize-winning Wilma) in 4H contests and frequently won. As a pre-teen, she also took the blue ribbon at the Lamoille County Fair skillet toss.

Her high-school sweetheart, Jamie St. Pierre, worked his parent’s dairy

farm, Pleasant Valley, just up the road in Berkshire. The pair rode a tractor to the prom together. When it came time to propose, Jamie showed up with a ring and an engagement present: a Swiss Brown calf.

Her freshman year, Elle was training for basketball when Richard Flint, an assistant with the Richford High outdoor track team saw her run a mile time trial.

He suggested she start running with the track team. She remained on the basketball team, serving as team captain

AUGUST 2021 | VTSPORTS.COM 15

PICKING UP THE PACE

HOW ELLE PURRIER-ST. PIERRE PICKED UP HER PACE. By Timothy J. Moore for three years, but began to compete in track and cross-country as well, running about 30 miles a week. As a high school freshman, in one of her first races on record, Elle ran 1,500 meters – the distance she would compete at in the Olympics – in a time of 5:08.7.

She won local races, at first. Then placed at states, then New Englands, then regionals. In high school, Elle was named Gatorade Athlete of the Year three times. At the same time, she was maintaining a 3.93 GPA, volunteering by delivering care baskets to the elderly in her area, and working on the Purrier farm. “I was just used to working hard,” Elle said with a shrug. “You have to on a farm.”

“Elle is able to push herself unlike any student-athlete I’ve ever met,” Richford High head coach Andrew Hathaway told ESPN, when Elle was named the Girls XC Runner of the Year in 2012.

“The push comes from within, whether or not there’s a watch on her.”

When it came time to choose a college, Purrier had a number of college track coaches eyeing her. Mark Coogan, at the time the coach at Dartmouth, was one of them. His buddy, University of New Hampshire coach Robert Hoppler was another.

“Hopp, came to visit me at home,” Elle remembers. “He came from a bluecollar background as well and really just seemed to get me. It was close to home and I really liked the school. It wasn’t until I got to UNH and was part of the team there that I really thought of myself as a ‘runner,’” she said.

As Coogan later told Runner’s World in 2019, ““[Her coaches], they let her grow, patiently. They could have overraced her, and they didn’t. They let her develop the right way. She’s a once-in-alifetime athlete. A different college, they would just pound the crap out of somebody. UNH didn’t do that.”

At UNH, Purrier became an 11-time All American and the most decorated athlete in the school’s history, in both running and steeplechase. Her senior year, she ran an indoor mile 4:26:55, the second fastest time of any collegiate runner in history, after Jenny Simpson.

A

fter graduating in 2018, Purrier had offers to go pro that would have taken her to race for a sportswear giant in the Pacific Northwest or to New Balance, where Coogan, a former Olympic marathoner (and the former Dartmouth

16 VTSPORTS.COM | AUGUST 2021

On Feb. 13, 2021, at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, middle distance elite runner Elle Purrier-St. Pierre, 26, smashed the American 2-mile record, bettering Jenny Simpson’s outdoor record by 8 seconds.

Purrier clocked 9:10.28 — indoors (running 4:42 and 4:28 splits with a 63-second last 400). A year ago, she ran a 4:16.85 indoor mile at the Millrose Games NYRR Wanamaker Mile, shattering the meet and American record, as well as breaking Mary Decker’s legendary 37-yearold mark. At the Olympic Trials, she posted a record-breaking time for that 1,500-meter track event, 3:58. Just behind her were New Balance teammates Cory McGee and Heather Maclean. Both MacLean, who is from Peabody, Ma., and Purrier-St. Pierre are coached by Mark Coogan.

Coogan credits much of Elle’s success to the training that has made her into an “aerobic animal.” Coogan is an Olympic Marathoner with incredible range. He is the first sub 4-minute miler in the state of Massachusetts to also complete a 2:13 marathon PR. The former head coach at Dartmouth where he guided the career of multi NCAA Champion and Rio Games competitor Abbey D’Agostino, he is now the head of the elite New Balance team in Boston.

We spoke with the coach and athlete to get the details on what Elle’s training entails and how you too can build power.

MARK COOGAN’S WORKOUT TIPS

“When runners think about improving aerobic power they tend to rely on the old standby of pumping up their weekly mileage. But there is definitely more to running fast than mega miles if you want to activate your inner beast mode as an endurance athlete,” Coogan says.

Coogan has kept Elle’s weekly mileage at a level of “high 60’s to low 70’s depending on the time of year.” That’s because research shows there does not seem to be any significant increase in VO2 max when running more than 75 to 80 miles per week. Coogan’s practical approach to training continues the theme that Elle’s college coach followed where she started off her freshman year running around 30 mile weeks. That rational philosophy in turn has given Elle massive room to grow as an athlete, and the chance to continue to mature as a runner throughout her career. With that goal in mind, Elle has gradually increased her mileage 10 miles per week each year, according to Coogan’s structured plan.

When adding volume, Coogan recommends using some creativity, such as adding more time to your warm up and cool down, and doubling up on runs during the week.

Elle’s lower training volume allowed her to perform high intensity workouts every week, which research shows are key to improvcoach), was now coaching a group of women in Boston. That team included Coogan’s own daughter, Katrina, and an up-and-coming University of Massachusetts runner named Heather MacLean from Peabody, Ma. With coaching, MacLean had managed to drop her time in the 1,500 from 4:17 to 4:05 in one year.

Elle chose New Balance. “I wanted to stay close to home,” Elle said. “Mark was friends with Hopp so he knew me, too.” She moved into a house in Boston with several of the girls on the team and became fast friends – in all senses—with MacLean.

Working with this pro team and under Coogan’s coaching Elle’s times steadily dropped like stones in her

ing VO2 max and lactate threshold, indicators of aerobic power that are critical for sustained fast running. To help lay a strong aerobic foundation for Elle, Coogan based her training scheme around three main workouts each week: “A tempo workout at threshold pace on Tuesday, a hard interval session Friday, and a long run Sunday.” Here are some details on each of these workouts as Elle does them, and some advice on running them yourself.

TEMPO RUNS

Elle’s favorite go-to session for pumping up her aerobic power is a long tempo run. “Tempo runs for Elle are usually between 20 and 30 minutes depending on the goal of the workout,” Coogan says. “Tempo work is usually done at 1/2 marathon type pace or a little faster, and we often do 1 minute efforts after tempo work.”

Lactate Threshold Tempo: Start off by running a two-mile warm up, with the initial pace being on the conservative side of your goal range. Followed by a continuous run of between 20 to 30 minutes at a strong smooth rhythm. Although, if you are finding it hard to get moving, you might want to add in a quick 45-second surge toward the end of your warm-up to get the aerobic juices flowing. Finish with a comfortable two mile cool down.

Progressive Surge Tempo: Using a similar format to the Lactate Threshold Tempo, start off with a comfortably quick rhythm and then gradually increase the intensity until you are running at a harder, more aggressive pace near the end of your workout. This type of Tempo is great for practicing how to stay as relaxed as possible as the pace quickens, an essential skill for any elite runner. Focus on the phrase “Fast is Relaxed.”

Pro Tip: During New Balance training sessions Coogan likes to teach his athletes how to use 'perceived effort' to help gauge the intensity of their tempo runs to produce the best possible results. Heart rate and mile per minute paces can fluctuate based on the time of year and shape of the athlete, sometimes holding back a runner’s workout from going past a pre-set limit.

INTERVALS

Coogan uses interval training with work periods of 3 to 5 minutes to improve Elle’s aerobic power, while giving her the unshakable confidence needed to produce optimal race efforts. As for pace and effort, Coogan says, “I base everything on how Elle is feeling and what type of shape she is in. You can’t be in 4:16 shape year round. So we do a lot of work at a 5K pace when on the track.”

Cruise Intervals One of Coogan’s favorite workouts for boosting aerobic power is a 5 x 1 mile (run in 5 minutes flat or, approximately, a 5K pace for Elle) with 3 minutes rest. “We do these intervals instead of Tempo/Threshold work, especially when the weather is intervening” says Coogan. “Elle will warm up about 3 miles and do form drills and

first year as a pro. At the 2019 Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships Elle ran the 5,000 meters in 15:17:46 earning her the bronze and a spot at the World Championships in Doha, Qatar in Octoer.

When asked about her best moments from that year, Elle didn’t hesitate. “Just knowing I was qualifying for the World Championships and knowing I was part of the U.S. Team was pretty exciting,” she said. “And then just going to the Worlds and learning so much from these other racers I’ve looked up to,” she added.

With the Worlds two weeks away, Elle decided to enter the Fifth Avenue Mile, on Sept. 7, in New York City along with her New Balance teammate Jenny Simpson, the World Champion in the

1500 meters and a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist. Simpson was by far the favorite, having won that mile road race seven times. The cameras and commentators were focused on her from the start.

Soon, Simpson broke from the pack.

But Elle was right with her. They ran neck and neck across the finish line, a photo finish at 4:17 – course records and personal bests for both. Simpson had a slight edge and took the race. Two weeks later, in early October, Simpson and Elle would room together in Doha for the Worlds.

That 4:17 was just a taste of what Elle could do. At New York’s Millrose Games in February 2020, she ran the indoor mile in a time of 4:16:85, breaking Mary Decker Slaney’s U.S. record which had

strides before starting her workout. She then follows it up with a cool down of between 2 to 3 miles on most occasions.”

Pre-Meet Confidence Builder Displaying her massive aerobic capacity, Elle completed an out of this world workout on the track while training in Arizona ahead of her newly-minted American record in the 2-mile. “The workout was to show Elle she could run the American record,” Coogan says. “It was to help her believe in herself. But we did not peak or taper at all, we just did our normal preparation for the meet.” Her “confidence builder” workout consisted of: One mile in 4:30, then a 4 x 400 in 65 seconds with three minutes rest; then one mile in 4:30.

Pro Tip: Coogan says his job also revolves around leveling out the extreme highs and lows that many other athletes experience. One of the ways he helps accomplish this goal is by “limiting the number of A+ performances in practice. I want my athletes to run B+ efforts in workouts, so we’re ready to go for the major events, like the Olympic Trials.” Whether it’s a 5K or marathon, don’t leave your best efforts in training.

Elle leads Team New Balance. Both she and Heather MacLean have been coached by Mark Coogan. Photo courtesy Cabot Creamery

LONG RUNS

Coogan’s New Balance runners put in weekly 12 to 16 mile easy long runs to improve the body’s glycogen storage capacity, as well as produce the endurance-boosting cardiovascular adaptations that come from extended efforts. The long runs also help train the mind to be better able to focus over long periods, while tuning the efficiency of a runner’s form.

“We usually just do our long runs at conversational pace,” Coogan says. “Maybe the last couple of miles they pick it up. I look at it as time on their feet, not getting too caught up in the mileage. For the most part I try to keep long runs fun and enjoyable — you need that type of environment to be successful.”

Pro Tip: While in Boulder training for the 1996 Olympic Marathon, Coogan says he would do “A two-and-a-half hour run in the morning, and follow it up with a medium run in the afternoon for close to 30 miles in a 24 hour period.”

He would also perform his intervals on Friday, and then do his long run the next day, in a technique popularized by two-time Olympic marathoner Pete Pfitzinger. Using this “stacking” format will not only help you tap into muscle fibers that you might not normally use, but also push your body to the depths of glycogen depletion in an effort to build up stamina and endurance.

Ultimately Coogan stresses that the aerobic power workouts he creates for Elle are just one part of a comprehensive system that includes other important factors such as sound nutritional practices, effective recovery techniques, and critical cross training sessions like strength work designed to keep Elle healthy and injury free. “Consistency is one of the major keys to her outstanding performances,” Coogan says.

Timothy J. Moore, Ph.D., C.S.C.S., M.C.H.E.S., is a Former Division I athlete and coach at the University of Maryland who has trained top professional athletes, collegiate All-Americans, World Champion competitors and Team USA members in multiple sports. Moore has also served on the Personal Trainer Exam Committee for the American Council on Exercise, as the Fitness and Gear Editor for Shape magazine, as well as a consultant to the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic. stood for 37 years. It was also the second fastest women’s indoor mile in history.

A year later, on Feb. 13, 2021, she would break Jenny Simpson’s indoor two-mile record, posting a time of 9:10:28, the third fastest recorded time ever for that distance.

I

n the year in between setting the mile and the two-mile record, Covid-19 put her Olympic dreams on hold, broke up the tight-knit group of training partners and sent Elle back to Franklin County.

But that was not all bad. In September 2020, in a small ceremony on her parent’s farm, Elle married Jamie St. Pierre with teammate Heather MacLean serving as one of her bridesmaids.

During the following winter months,

she did what she had always done: bundled up and ran the dirt roads that crisscross the hills and pasturelands of Franklin County and Montgomery’s seven covered bridges. When the snow melted, she often ran on the Missisquoi Valley Rail trail, her German Shepherd Maya keeping pace on the shorter runs.

For hill training, she’d run up the access road at Jay Peak, where she and Jamie skied in the winter. For her longer runs of 20 miles or more, she’d do a one-way and have her husband Jamie or dad Charlie pick her up by car.

In May 2020, she also volunteered in the Vermont Dairy Cares initiative, handing out free milk at her in-laws’’ farm to families in need.

In December 2020, Elle posted a

video on her Instagram: a truck carrying the Purrier’s herd of cows down their long dirt road, along with a heartwrenching post. “A week ago today was the day that all dairy farmers have nightmares about. It was the day that my family and I sold our cows. Dairy farming has been our passion and what my family has done together. We have followed in our ancestors’ footsteps for five generations. I’ll miss a lot of things about having cows in the barn, like drinking coffee with my dad after milking and watching the cows walk out to pasture ever day.”

Though she will eventually join St. Pierre in working his family farm, for once, the farmwork for Elle was done.

For the next six months Elle had just one

focus: train for the Olympics (to see how she trained, see "Picking Up the Pace").

On June 21, that training paid off as she recovered after being pushed off the track at the finals of the Olympic Trials. Elle not only put a wide gap betwee her and the field, she set a Trials record of 3:58 in the 1,500 meter. New Balance teammates Cory McGee and Heather MacLean finished second and third. Then it was on to Tokyo. “I’m so [expletive] excited,” Elle told the NBC cameras after the race.

The rest is now history. But history that is still in the making. Elle Purrier-St. Pierre is just getting going.

[Note: this issue went to press before the Olympic finals]

AUGUST 2021 | VTSPORTS.COM 17

Ilona Maher, right, has been playing pro rugby since 2018. This fall, she'll compete in the televised Premier Rugby Sevens League. "I hope it will start to be like women's soccer," she says. Photo

by Travis Prior

18 VTSPORTS.COM | AUGUST 2021

A FORCE TO CONTEND WITH

“NEVER TONE IT DOWN,” IS THE MOTTO THAT'S TAKEN ILONA MAHER FROM BURLINGTON HIGH SCHOOL TO THE PRO LEAGUES AND THE OLYMPICS.

“P

erhaps one of the best pieces of advice my dad ever gave me was ‘Don’t tone it down,’” says Ilona Mahar, 24, one of the seven starters in the Olympic Women’s USA Sevens rugby team. At 5’10” tall, lean, muscular and weighing close to 200 lbs, Mahar is an unapologetically powerful force to contend with.

“When I was in high school, I was a softball pitcher and we were playing a parks & recs game and one of the dads yelled out ‘Hey, slow it down,’.

My dad was like, ‘no, this is fastpitch softball, don’t slow it down.

Later, he told me ‘never tone it down for anyone.’ He taught me to never hold back.”

And that’s the motto that has taken Mahar from an all-round high school athlete who played basketball, field hockey and softball at Burlington High School to one of the world’s top rugby players and someone who will be competing in the new Premier Rugby Sevens league, to be televised on Fox Sports this fall. It is the first such series where women and men rugby players will have equal pay. “I look at it and hope for it to be something like women’s soccer,” says Maher, who has been playing professionally since

2018. Rugby only returned as an Olympic sport in 2016 and this year is only the second time U.S. women have had a chance to compete at the Games.

Though Ilona’s father, Michael Maher, had played rugby, coached it and been a referee for more than 30 years, Ilona hadn’t originally planned to play in college. “I was actually planning on going to UVM,” she says. “But then a coach at Norwich University who knows my dad saw me playing a game and said ‘You should really come to Norwich and play rugby.’” She had been at Norwich for less than a year when the coach from the rugby powerhouse Quinnipiac College, saw her play. Quinnipiac also had an excellent nursing program, an area of study that Ilona was interested in.

She transferred and during her time there, the Bobcats made it to three national championships. Ilona was named an All-American three times and earned the Sorensen Award for the top collegiate player 0f 2017.

After graduating, going pro was an easy step and she made the U.S. National Team in 2018, competing in her first international meet, the HSBC World Sevens series in Paris.

She then went on to help the team place second in the 2018-19 World Rugby Sevens series, earning them a spot at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

As a pro, Ilona has spent most of her time practicing with her teammates at their base in San Diego. But when Covid-19 hit she moved home

to Burlington with her parents, Charlie and Meineke. “I think the thing that save me then was working out with Joey Besl at the Premier Strength and Performance gym in South Burlington. Just having the camaraderie and some other serious athletes around me was motivating.”

As for working out with her team, the hardest workout she remembers was what she calls “the House of Pain.” “The coach would be blowing the whistle and have us running as fast as we could back and forth on the line with no end in sight,” she remembers. “It was tough but those are the practices that really bond you with your team.”

When she’s not training or playing, Ilona spends a lot of her free time making hilarious TikTok videos with her teammates or modeling.

Most videos are spontaneous but “I do have some comedy routines,” she admits. As of late June, she had more than 300,000 TikTok followers.

Perhaps Ilona’s greatest disappointment about the Tokyo Olympics was that her family couldn’t be there to watch. “If you ask me what my best game or moment competing has been I’d have to say that it’s anytime my family has been there cheering for me. Rugby has actually been a great way to bond with my dad. I still call him up and ask him about rules and plays. I love that I can,” she says.

And if you missed Ilona playing in Tokyo, or scoring in the match against Japan that put her team into the quarter-finals, watch for her in the Premier Rugby Sevens series that will be televised from Memphis, Tenn., on October 9.

AUGUST 2021 | VTSPORTS.COM 19

Velomont

Takes shape ONCE A PIPE DREAM FOR AN ENDTO-END MOUNTAIN BIKE TRAIL, THE VELOMONT IS BECOMING A PACKEDDIRT REALITY. THIS FALL YOU CAN RIDE THE FIRST SEGMENT AND STAY IN A HUT ALONG THE WAY.

BY KATY SAVAGE

20 VTSPORTS.COM | AUGUST 2021

I

n mid-July, Rochester trailbuilder Tom Lepesqueur was cursing the rain but he kept plugging away at what he calls the toughest trail he has built in 15 years: the first 6 ½-mile leg of a grand vision: the Velomont Trail.

The total trail could run 485 miles and cost an estimated $50-$120 million to build over about 10 years.

The project could involve hundreds of acres of state and federal land and 12 mountain bike chapters. And there are plans for 30 or more huts located along the way. Those are ambitious goals. But the trail is starting to happen.

Now, Lepesqueur, owner of Lepesqueur & Daughters LLC, hopes to have the first segment rideable in the next few weeks. The bonus: there’s already a reservation-ready hut, Chittenden Brook Cabin, situated along the way.

Lepesqueur spent 20 days just walking the woods of the steep, ledgy area this past spring and flagging where he thought the trail could go. “I’d think I had a good line laid out and then I’d run into a ledge and have to start over,” he said. “It’s a constant battle for me finding a trail to build that’s feasible but making it cool.”

“We’re trying to make this trail as accessible as possible at it goes through some pretty inaccessible terrain,” he said. Lepesqueur knew construction would be hard going into it. He started to walk the wooded area back in 2017 to get a “loosey goosey” idea of where the Velomont could go. Back then, it seemed like just a pipe dream. “It was very unrealistic to me,” he said. Now, as Lepesqueur is completing this first segment of the trail, he’s in awe. “It’s amazing and shocking,” he said.

THE FIRST MILES

The dirt is packed and the berms are in on the first segment of the Velomont trail that near Rochester. Photo by Tom Lepesqueur

Velomont began as a brainchild of Angus McCusker and Zac Freeman, founders of the Ridgeline Outdoor Collective (formerly known as RASTA) and the powers that helped shape Brandon Gap as a backcountry ski destination. McCusker remains as a volunteer in the executive director’s role while the board president is Caitrin Maloney, a partner in Sustainable Trail Works. Freeman has been busy building trails in the Randolph and Braintree areas.

“We can’t tell you exactly where the trail will go. We are still very much in the planning stages,” cautions Maloney. But for a rough idea, an interactive map on the Velomonttrail. org website traces nubs of existing networks. If you follow those, the trail heads north from the Massachusetts border on the first four sections of the existing Catamount Trail to Grout Pond, then links trail networks along

AUGUST 2021 | VTSPORTS.COM 21

the Deerfield Valley, including Hoot, Toot, and Whistle and the Southern Vermont Trails Association. “We’d love to then connect to the Merk Forest and Farmland Center and its huts, Slate Valley Trails and Pine Hill, making use of the D&H Rail Trail, too,” muses Maloney, cautioning that all of this is still in the early planning stage.

From there, the trail could head to Killington, up to Pittsfield on trails that area groups are already working on, connect to the segment Lepesqueur is working on that runs east of Route 100, up to Chittenden Brook Campground then over to Rochester. Then, the goal is to route it to Randolph and Braintree’s trails, cross Roxbury Gap to Warren, connect the Mad River Valley network to the Waterbury area trails, then, via Cottonbrook to Stowe and Morrisville.

“The next segment we will have ready will use the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail to get from Morrisville to St. Johnsbury,” Maloney says. And from there, with any luck, the trail could connect up to Kingdom Trails. “Any number of chapters have expressed an interest in creating connector trails, too,” she says.

Perhaps the biggest challenge is mapping and gaining access to private and public land. The trail could cross about 210 miles of private land and be an opportunity to conserve 84,000 acres surrounding the trail.

The trail will provide a unique insight into Vermont’s terrain and will cross into towns, potentially boosting local businesses. “It takes all the great things Vermont has and connects them,” McCusker said. According to a study by Quantified Ventures, the trail could attract 65,000 visitors annually, 26,000 stays in the huts, and generate $31 million in new spending in the state.

“It directly benefits our local communities,” said McCusker who has long realized there was a need for a trail like this. “The majority of trail networks in Vermont are loops — you can’t really travel,” he said.

McCusker grew up just over the Vermont border in Massachusetts. He came to Vermont to attend Stratton Mountain School, where he was a Nordic ski racer. “I got into mountain biking because you’ve got to do something in the summer,” he said.

McCusker rode the length of Vermont in high school, biking about 200 miles on the road from Canada to the Massachusetts border.

McCusker is part of Vermont’s 251

22 VTSPORTS.COM | AUGUST 2021

Proposed Velomont Trail & Hut Network Rutland, Windsor & Addison Counties ck co y an t f H un n o n Co w T o d i so Ad

North to Stowe, Vermont Segment 2 Tunnel Bypass Summer 2021

Green Mountain National Forest

Segment 4 Little Pico

Segment CG Loop

Existing Chittenden Brook Hut

Riley Bostwick Wildlife Management Area

To wn o Wi n d f Ro c sor h Co ester un To wn ty o Ru t l a f Pi t t nd s C o f i e ld un ty 6

Segment 7 Chittenden Brook Campground to Saddle To be built 2021/22

Segment 8 Morrill Brook Upper Trail Reconstruction To be built 2021/22

Legend NBRC Funded Velomont Segments 2, 7, 8 &9 Approved & Shovel Ready Velomont Single Track Existing Velomont Single Track Existing Velomont Double Track Velomont Road Connector

Segment 9 Morrill Brook Lower Trail Reconstruction To be built 2021/22

0

Velomont Inn

Rochester Valley Trails

Segment 5 FR45 Bypass Areas

n de en y t itt C h ou n f o dC n wn To utla R

Miles 0.5 1

Segment 3 Robinson

Green Mountain National Forest

2

Other Existing Single Track

South to Charlemont, Massachusetts

Green Mountain Trails Existing Shrek's Cabin

Sources: Esri, HERE, DeLorme, Intermap, increment P Corp., GEBCO, USGS, FAO, NPS, NRCAN, GeoBase, IGN, Kadaster NL, Ordnance Survey, Esri Japan, METI, Esri China (Hong Kong), swisstopo, MapmyIndia, © OpenStreetMap contributors, and the GIS User Community

The trail segment being completed this season (as shown on the map) will lead to Chittenden Brook Hut (top). Caitrin Maloney (bottom) also sees it connecting to networks such as Slate Valley Trails. Photo by Chuck Heifer, bottom; courtesy Vermont Huts Association, top.

Club, for those who have visited all of Vermont’s 251 towns and has also lived in the southern, northern and central parts of Vermont. “It’s handy to have that understanding of the terrain and the communities and find a way to bring that together in a way that makes sense,” McCusker said. That, combined with his experience working for the state as a GIS expert and his own mapping and trail design business, Maple Ridge Solutions, have made McCusker a uniquely qualified point person for the project.

It also helps that McCusker’s brother-in-law, Peter Fellows, is the map manager of Two Rivers Ottauquechee Regional Planning Commission, which has helped obtain grants. Fellows said McCusker has always been committed to ambitious projects. “It’s in the blood as his dad was race director of this big road race in Massachusetts for decades,” Fellows said. McCusker’s father ran the Bridge of Flowers Race in Massachusetts, which sees more than 1,000 runners each year.

“For a vision like this you have to think big,” Fellows said. “In order to get momentum and build at scale for a project like this, you need bigger federal and private grants.” The first phase of the Velomont is underway with the help of a $355,000 grant from the Northern Borders Regional Commission, which will help fund four different segments of the Velomont.

A BACKCOUNTRY GATEWAY

Mountain bikers share a collective enthusiasm for what the Velomont trail could bring to the state. “It’s a unique way for people to see and experience Vermont that has not existed before,” said Silvia Cassano, the program manager of Slate Valley Trails, one of the networks the Velomont will link up.

“It just makes me smile. People are hearing about this, they’re excited about the momentum,” said Holly Knox, the recreation program manager for the Rochester and Middlebury Ranger Districts of the Green Mountain National Forest. This first Rochester segment runs through about 15 miles of federal land of the Green Mountain National Forest.

Maloney said they want the trail to be 70% single track. “We want it to have a nice backcountry feel,” Maloney said.

“There are a lot of unknowns about how to bring the concept into reality,” she added. “It’s a very ambitious project.”

But it’s not unprecedented. The Long Trail extends 273 miles through Vermont, from the Massachusetts

The trail could attract 65,000 visitors annually, 26,000 stays in huts and generate $31 million in new spending. border to the Canadian border. It is the oldest long distance hiking trail in the United States, constructed between 1910 and 1930 by the Green Mountain Club. And the state’s 300mile Catamount Trail (the longest backcountry ski trail in North America) was completed in 2002.

Mountain bike trekking is growing in popularity along with the sport itself.

The Kokopelli Trail, called the “most visionary MTB trail in the West,” is a series of dirt roads and doubletrack extending 142 miles from Loma, Colorado to Moab, Utah, featuring huts along the way.

Nick Bennette, who has ridden the Kokopelli Trail, became the new president of the Vermont Mountain Bike Association in March, after moving to Vermont from Washington state. He said he was drawn to the role because of the Velomont.

“It’s a legacy project — that’s what really stuck with me,” he said. When he first heard of it, however, “it was awe and a little bit of shock knowing what the project is — how is this going to be tenable?” Bennette remembered thinking.

Bennette, who has ridden extensively in other states, sees the potential of bringing a project like the Velomont to Vermont and thinks it could become one of the top trails in the nation. “It could elevate [the state’s] profile,” he says.

While the Velomont is underway, RJ Thompson, the director of the Vermont Huts Association, is on a similar mission to build a network of huts throughout the state. The Vermont Huts Association was formed around five years ago and now features

10 huts along trail systems. “We started out of necessity,” Thompson said.

“There wasn’t a nonprofit in Vermont that was focused on backcountry huts.”

Thompson and McCusker quickly joined forces. “From the get-go we knew we wanted to create a partnership to make sure if there were these new trail locations popping up we could put up a hut that made sense,” Thompson said.

The plan is for 30 to 45 huts to be situated along the Velomont Trail, with more huts in other areas. A new hut similar to the one that was built at Chittenden Brook costs about $230,000 to build and the hope is to build 10 of these over the next three years—all off-grid with no plumbing.

Each would have mattresses, a propane stovetop, a kitchenette and a wood stove.

Thompson, who grew up in New Jersey, moved to Vermont after attending college at the University of Vermont. Outside of mountain biking, Thompson is a hiker and ultra runner.

For Thompson, the Velomont Trail is exciting because it’s led by people who simply like the outdoors. “That’s what’s cool, it’s not any kind of top down directive, it’s bottom up, and that’s what I think makes it one of the more compelling projects in Vermont,” he said. The extensive building of the huts will also provide job opportunities for young people.

The Vermont Youth Conservation Corps is providing some of the labor on the trails and huts. According to the Quantified Ventures study, the Velomont project could provide jobs for over 330 young people ages 15 to 26 and generate more than $1 million in wages over 2,400 weeks of work.

“Vermont is in the moment where we need to generate a pipeline of talented, trained carpenters and tradespeople,” VYCC’s Breck Knauft said. “This is a great opportunity to do two things — offer meaningful employment to young adults and provide for an economic need.”

Each segment of the trail will be unique to the town, providing the rider insight to each community. “When I think of the Velomont, the first thing I think of is the communities across the state,” McCusker said.

While it’s unclear where the Velomont Trail will start in Canada, McCusker knows where it will end in Massachusetts — at Thunder Mountain Bike Park in Charlemont, Massachusetts — where he grew up.

“It’s a very ambitious project,” McCusker admits. “But you have to start somewhere.”

Vermont's

Newest trails Blasting downhill at Bolton Valley which opened its lifts to downhill this past summer and has plans for new trails and a bike park. Photo courtesy Bolton Valley Resort

In early July, the Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative announced nearly $6 million in grants to fund new outdoor recreation projects. But even before that, thanks to unprecedented amounts of both public and private funding, trail organizations around the state were hard at work building out singletrack, connector trails and new pump tracks. Here’s a snapshot from some of the most exciting new projects around the state, south to north.

BENNINGTON AREA TRAIL ALLIANCE

The Trail Alliance recently received $5,000 in grants from Cabot Creamery and the Vermont Mountain Bike Association to create beginner trails around Southwestern Vermont Medical Center: They hope to have two new short loops, about .25-miles each, to add to the 1.5 miles of existing hospital trails done this month. Much of the work

is being done by local volunteers such as Noah Payne. Payne, a college student, has been building trails in the area since he was 14 and is now leading a volunteer group of high school students. Jared Newell, a board member, hopes the easier terrain will encourage more kids to mountain bike.

“We had this idea — more kids on bikes,” Newell said. “It’s a healthy activity.” The efforts coincide with the Catamount BMX AUGUST 2021 | VTSPORTS.COM 23

track at Willow Park — one of the state’s few BMX tracks —which reopened last year after several years of disuse. “It brought a lot of kids out of the woodwork,” Newell said.

the Agency of Transportation to help plan for trail connectivity to the Village of Poultney. The plans are still being developed.

NORTHSHIRE AREA TRAIL SYSTEM

Northshire Area Trail System currently spans about 18 miles in the Manchester area. A project to add about 4 miles of new trail is underway on Raptor Lane in Dorset and will be done by the fall. It’s part of a vision the town has for the 260 acres of land acquired near the Owls Head Town Forest in 2016. The project is funded by the town of Dorset and private donations.

Pine Hill Park in Rutland is planning the organization’s final two trails to complete the 18-mile trail system. A 1/2-mile trail, called Maximum Capacity, will run off Milk Run to the intersection of Watkins/Rembrandts. The second trail, Bone Spur, will be a 900-foot loop off Milk Run. Both trails are expected to be finished in 2022. Pine Hill received an $18,000 Recreational Trail Program grant, which covers three weeks of labor costs from the Vermont Youth Conservation Corp.

WINDHAM COUNTY TRAILS ALLIANCE

WOODSTOCK AREA MOUNTAIN BIKE ASSOCIATION

PINE HILL PARK

Windham County Trails is opening two trails, called More Gooder and Ware Loop, by the end of the summer. Each trail is about 1,500 feet. And in July, the West Hill Shop installed a pump track just behind its shop in Putney, just off Exit 4 on I-91.

The Woodstock Area Mountain Bike Association (WAMBA) hired two professional trail builders for the first time in the organization’s history to update and expand its 30-mile trail system.

Trail builders Gavin Vaughan and Graham Farrington are constructing a multi-use trail in the Woodstock Village, which will start at Deer Springs on Golf Avenue and head to the summit of Mount Peg, eliminating the need for riders to travel on Route 106 to get to the main trailhead.

WAMBA collaborated with the town of Woodstock and Billings Park Commission to raise $25,000 for the project, which will allow two-way traffic for beginners and intermediate riders. Construction is expected to finish in August. It will have a separate trailhead to avoid existing hiking trails. A pump track at the Aqueduct Trails was also completely rebuilt and expanded. It now features a jump line with three tabletop jumps that end in a bowl from which people can ride into the existing pump track. The existing pump track was also updated with smoother rollers and a larger turning radius.

Contagious, a new trail at the Aqueduct Trails, was completed at the end of last season.

It features a fast-twisting descent through a natural half pipe and ends with a jump line.

Slash Ridge, a new trail at the Aqueduct Trails, was completed in May and features views of Killington mountain, while Schist Creek, an advanced trail, was completed at the Mount Peg Trails in May.

ASCUTNEY OUTDOORS

In late July, Vermont’s Dept. of Forests, Parks and Recreation and Ascutney Outdoors announced the opening of a new multi-use 8-mile trail called Norcross. This trail has been in the works for 11 years and was funded in part by the state agency which covered the cost of nine weeks of work by the Vermont Youth Conservation Corp. The trail was also made possible thanks to grants from the Vermont Mountain Bike Association and local donations, including countless volunteer hours put in by local trail builder Jim Lyall. The trail and its three bridges connect the current trail system in the West Windsor Town Forest to the campground at Ascutney State Park and the Swoops and Loops trail. An additional 4-mile trail in the Weathersfield Town Forest is also being built this summer to double the available trail from the Swoops and Loops Trailhead at the Ascutney State Park.

LUDLOW

A new municipal trail system could be coming to Ludlow. The town is seeking $30,000 in fundraising to build new trails for hiking and biking behind the former Black River High School. The town acquired the land which has previously been used for hiking, when the high school closed last year. “It ties in really well with our Town Plan and with the large influx of second homeowners,” Town Manager Scott Murphy said.

SLATE VALLEY TRAILS

If you haven’t visited the Slate Valley Trail system, this fall is the time to do it. Slate Valley Trails and MBTVT are teaming up to put on Meeting of the Grinds, a festival for all types of cycling (gravel, road and MTB) that will take place on Sept. 18, with onsite 24 VTSPORTS.COM | AUGUST 2021

New trails around the state include the 8-mile Norcross trail in Ascutney, top, with a new bridge; the new trails built by Noah Payne (center left) in Bennington and by the Fellowship of the Wheel (center right).

The crew at Kingdom Trails (bottom) has been busy building out six new trails and making sure many of the existing trails are accessible for riders of all abilities. Photos courtesy VT FPR, BATS, Fellowship and Kingdom Trails.

camping. In addition to the 35 miles of existing purpose-built single track, a new 8 miles of trail are being added to the network through an anonymous donation and grants.

Part of the expansion, a 1.7-mile loop, is funded with a $24,000 federal grant. The loop will complete the vision for the Delaney Woods parcel, which is located in Wells and conserved by the Vermont Land Trust. A

contractor will build a mile of the trail while the rest will be hand built by volunteers. A new strider bike loop for children will also go in at the Fairgrounds Trailhead this year and a new .7-mile connector trail, called “Dog Leg,” will connect the Lake St. Catherine Country Club to the Grove’s Way trails. For future expansions, the town of Poultney received a $67,500 Better Connections grant through

MOOSALAMOO NATIONAL RECREATION AREA

When the Moosalamoo’s trail projects are complete, you will be able to ride point-topoint nearly 20 miles of singletrack across the Moosalamoo National Recreation Area from Route 125 (East Middlebury) to Route 73 (near Forestdale). The northern section of the Oak Ridge Trail was completed in spring of 2021, ending at the Moosalamoo Campground with a small pump track and fun bike loop. A trail connection from the campground to Silver Lake is in the works, allowing connection to

Recreation to encourage people to stay on the trails and not disturb a deer wintering area.

the 13-mile Chandler Ridge Trail and Leicester Hollow trails, which run from Silver Lake to the Minnie Baker Trail or out to Route 73.

STOWE TRAILS PARTNERSHIP

Stowe Trails Partnership, a 38-mile network, has opened Stowe’s first adaptive mountain bike trails. About 7 miles of existing trails that are looped together in the Cady Hill Network were widened for adaptive bikes and opened in mid-July after receiving $7,500 from a fundraising event and a grant from the Oakland Foundation, Inc. Rachel Fussell, the executive director of the trail group, said the Covid-19 pandemic prompted the organization to make mountain biking more accessible. “Access to nature should be for everyone,” Fussell said. “We wanted to make sure we were breaking down barriers to entry.”

Construction of a new 2-mile downhill trail, called “Serenity and Adrenaline,” also started in May with an $11,000 grant for bridges and consultation work. It’s projected to be completed in 2022.

RIDGELINE OUTDOOR COLLECTIVE

On July 24, the former Rochester/Randolph Sports Trails Alliance celebrated its name change. The Ridgeline Outdoor Collective, as it is now known, represents ski, bike and other trails across a number of Central Vermont networks, including the Rochester Valley and Green Mountain Trails in the Route 100 corridor, the Randolph Trail and March Brook Loop. The epicenter, the Trail Hub at The Gear Shop in Randolph has maps and signage for the trail systems and the group is working on building out new trails in the Braintree Forest. New trails built this past year include: SapSide, a 1-mile intermediate downhill trail; Willing and Abel an expert, 1-mile downhill trail; Hemlock Heaven, s two way trail, intermediate of 1.5 mile and 9lb Hammer, a advanced 1-mile downhill trail. A machinebuilt 2-mile loop at Vermont Tech’s Back 40 trail should be ready by Sept. 1/ The group is also responsible for helping to orchestrate the first stage build out of the Velomont Trail.

MAD RIVER RIDERS

There are several updates in the Mad River Riders Network, which features 60 miles of trails. A .3-mile reroute of the Eurish Pond trail is underway and planned for completion by mid-September, with $7,000 in funding coming from sponsors and the Mad River Riders. Drainage and feature enhancements on 1.75 miles through Lenord’s Loop, Tootsie Roll and Suki’s Alley at Blueberry Lake are also underway.

Goodnight Irene, an intermediate/ advanced trail with several rock features, extending 1.4 miles, will be done by the end of the summer. Irene crosses three pieces of private land and is funded by a $25,000 donation from Mehuron’s Supermarket. The trail is named in memory of Irene Mehuron.

Partial access to the trail was secured via the Mad River Valley Community Fund’s conservation of the Kingsbury Farm property.

Featherbed Connector, a .25-mile trail, which provides an alternate link to the Revolution trail from the Featherbed Inn property, is now open.

The trail was built with $5,000 in funding from the Mad River Riders to improve accessibility and sustainability. There are also new lines at the Moretown Forest Skills Park for all abilities with dirt, stone and wooden features and a new 1-mile nature trail in Moretown Forest, with future upgrades planned.

MONTPELIER AREA & CROSS VERMONT TRAIL

Last fall, the Montpelier Area Mountain Bike Association (MAMBA) added 4 miles of new trails and upgraded 2 miles of existing trail – designed for use by mountain bikes, fat-

FRANKLIN COUNTY BIKE CLUB

"Trails should be for everyone," said Stowe Trails Partnership's Rachel Fussel. The trail group widened seven miles of existing trails on Cady Hill to make sure that was the case. Photo courtesy Stowe Trails Partnership

bikers, walkers and skiers.

This summer, the Montpelier area saw another major milestone, the addition of a bridge across the Winooski river connecting the Cross Vermont Trail and the U32 School.

The larger vision is to connect the regional trail network (Montpelier Bike Path, Central Vermont Regional Path through Berlin, Barre and Barre Town, and the East Montpelier Trail) up to U-32 School and on across East Montpelier to where the Montpelier and Wells River Rail Trail begins at Route 14, where the Cross Vermont Trail continues in various forms on to the New Hampshire border.

The project is providing immediate access to the Winooski River, as well as new trailheads, parking and other amenities, along with some single track mountain bike loop trails. The bridge project was made possible by $250,000 in grants and donations. This July, a new 600-foot section of all-access trail and a 50-foot bridge was also put in on the Cross Vermont Trail to bypass a washout on the railbed.

BOLTON VALLEY RESORT

This summer Bolton Valley Resort opened its lifts again to mountain biking and jumped back into the downhill game in a big way, hosting the Easter States Maxxis Cup on its existing rough and rowdy expert trails. Gravity Logic has mapped out additional flow trails and in late June Broken Bridge, an old favorite, was reopened as an easier, flowier trail. This summer the resort has been hosting mountain bike camps and clinics. Look for more events in the fall.

FELLOWSHIP OF THE WHEEL,

The Fellowship, which manages over 100 miles of multi-use trails within eight different networks throughout Chittenden County, has two major expansion projects this year. A new expert level, .3-mile trail, called the Sith, opened in early July, featuring a rocky ravine with bermed turns and jumps. The trail is located at the Sleepy Hollow Ski and Bike Center in Huntington, where there are about 30 miles of trails. Fellowship of the Wheel members ride free, while there’s an $8 fee for nonmembers.

The second major trail project is in Hinesburg Town Forest, which has about 20 miles of intermediate and expert level terrain.

A 2.5-mile loop, called Mainer’s Meander and Stoneyard, is being built in three phases.

The first phase, Mainer’s Meander, is now open, starting at the Economou Road parking lot and connecting to the trail, Dragon’s Tail. The second phase, called Stoneyard, was slated to open in early August and connect to Homestead. The final phase will connect Mainer’s Meander to Stoneyard.

WATERBURY AREA TRAIL ALLIANCE

While there are no expansion projects this year, the organization bought a $4,000 Snowdog (an all-terrain-vehicle for the snow), to maintain trails at the Perry Hill trailhead this winter, making Perry Hill the first state parcel to actively manage trails all year.

The effort is part of a pilot program with the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and

This 13-mile trail system is open to snowshers, bird watchers and hunters. A twoyear project to add 6 miles of multi-use trails, is wrapping up this year, thanks to about $50,000 in funding coming from the Rotary Club of St. Albans, the Vermont Mountain Bike Association, the town of St. Albans and the bike club. Franklin County Mountain Bike Club President Andrew Crossman said he’s also secured permission from two private landowners this year to expand the trails, though the location has yet to be announced.

The private-land trails, which will add about 5 miles of trail, will open to the public once a safe trailhead is constructed. The bike club is also focusing on maintenance, with the help of an $80,000 grant to upgrade existing trails and make them more sustainable.

KINGDOM TRAILS ASSOCIATION

Kingdom Trails, the 100-mile plus network in East Burke, is adding six trails, spanning 5.18 miles. “Another Round,” a twisty .62-mile trail on private land, bisects “Last Call” and can be accessed in the Tiki Bar parking area. The trail opened in July after some of the trail corridor was pre-constructed by the landowner Doug Clarner and his son Luke. The rest was finished by volunteer work provided by Burke Mountain Academy students and the KT Trail Crew.

“Ozias,” another .9-mile blue connector trail, opened in early July with the help of volunteers. Ozias connects to trails in the Harp/Poundcake/Fenceline area. The other four trails, which will be 1.78 miles, .68 mile, .2 mile, and 1 mile, in length are under construction with varying projected end dates with no confirmed names yet. Trail building and maintenance throughout the system is funded by memberships, merchandise sales, grants and donations.

AUGUST 2021 | VTSPORTS.COM 25

and I realized I was facing my biggest fears. Then, when I finally got to the campsite in Eden at about two in the morning and there was this trail magic: Daniel Jordan, the Super8 founder, was there. He’d been watching my progress and he came up and said “Do you want a grilled cheese sandwich?”

The other hard part was running into a German Shepherd. I was way out in the woods on the southern loop with no cell service when this dog ran up to me barking and growling and he was seconds away from just lunging at me.

The owner of the house didn’t come out. I got off my bike and tried to keep it between us as I moved off the property.

I know he was just guarding his territory but if he had attacked me no one would have been around to help. After I got away, I stopped and just cried for about 10 minutes. It was terrifying. I now carry pepper spray with me.

FEATURED ATHLETE

SUPER8'S STAR Name: Brittni Gorman Age: 34 Profession: Film producer at Pixela Pictura Films Partner: Jon Nicolodi Sports: Backcountry skiing, climbing, bikepacking, ultra running.

Lives in: Jackson, N.H.

W

hen we caught up with Brittni Gorman by phone, she and her partner Jon Nicolodi were traveling south in her tiny home on wheels to meet up with a friend in Asheville, N.C. to do a “35- to 65-mile” adventure run. Not a race, just a route the two friends had planned and the distance would depend on “what feels right.” That’s how Gorman rolls.

While she’s an accomplished ultrarunner and all-around endurance athlete, what Brittni Gorman loves best is setting her own challenges and strategizing how to get from Point A to Point B on a creative route.

So when Gorman heard about the 2020 Super8 Grand Depart, a selfsupported endurance ride/bikepacking adventure that covers 645 miles of trails, unmaintained roads and dirt tracks around Vermont, she signed up and headed to the start in Montpelier last September.

Though she considered stopping after doing the first, upper loop of the figure-eight course, and thought about quitting several times after that, Gorman persevered. Of the 17 men and women who started, only four completed the course. To her own surprise, Gorman finished first.

Camping along the way some nights and riding straight through on others, she rode the 645 miles with 60,000 feet of vertical gain in 8 days, 10 hours and 30 minutes, finishing a full day ahead of the next finishers, Matthieu Tschiegg and Chase Duffin.

The 2021 Super8 group “grand depart” happens this Sept. 24 and this time Gorman will be there to film it as part of a one-hour documentary she’s making about the event and the people whose lives it impacts.

How did you become such an endurance athlete?

I’m originally from Massachusetts, and I grew up hiking and playing outside. I went to Endicott College to study interior design but I wasn’t really an athlete.

Then, after college, I moved to Colorado.

I lived out there for about five years

26 VTSPORTS.COM | AUGUST 2021

and started biking and climbing. I was in Breckenridge for a year and then in Boulder for about four years. Out there, I learned how to ‘play’ outside a little bit differently and started to appreciate how to move in the landscape. That led to ultrarunning and I completed my first 50k when I was 30.

What brought you back East?

I wanted to be closer to home but I enjoy being in the mountains so in 2017 I moved to the Jackson, N.H. area. I met some great people in the outdoor community there and it was very easy to start exploring the White Mountains and what they had to offer.

You raced in Last Skier Standing, the Black Mountain, N.H. endurance skimo event the past two years and finished 10th out of 82 this year, beating a lot of men.

Yes, the first year I did 13 laps – so basically skied uphill and downhill for 13 hours. This year my goal was to ski for 24 hours and I managed to ski for 28 hours. There were so many amazing women who did the event and four of the top 10 finishers were women.

What are some of your other endurance events?

I’m not necessarily interested in speed but recognizing your progress, and seeing how you can push yourself mentally and physically at the same time.

I also like finding routes I can connect.

So, a few years ago, as a fundraiser for SheJumps I mapped out this route where I could run, bike and climb.

I started at Pinkham Notch at about

"I like the strategizing that goes into bikepacking," says Brittni Gorman, above, packing up after a night camping during the 2020 Super8.

Photos courtesy Brittni Gorman

4 am and ran over Mt. Washington, then dropped down to the Cog Railway side where I had stashed a bike. Then I biked on the road over to Zealand to the trailhead, and then ran from Zealand over to Mount Lafayette, and down to Franconia. From there, friends met me and we climbed The Eaglet and descended in the dark. My friend drove me back to where my truck was parked.

I think it was a solid 24 hours from start to finish.

Tell us how you got into doing the Super8?

Some friends had done it and I’d been thinking about it so about a month before the event I decided I was going to do it.

I bought a Garmin GPS and learned how to use it, packed my Surly with panniers, drove to the Grand Depart in Montpelier and decided to give it a try.

What were some of the best and / or worst moments?

I left the Canadian border on the north end of the first loop around 9 pm and decided I was going to bike to the next camp in Eden. That meant I would be riding over Bayley Hazen Notch in the dark. I was terrified to ride in the dark and I had a lot of self-talk all day to prep myself for it. And then I ended up having a lot of fun. I put on Brandi Carlisle, turned my music up and tried not to think about the animals in the woods and the eyes that were watching me. And then I really got into the flow

How much did you sleep during the route?

The first night I slept, the second I biked through the night and the third night I was back at my truck in Montpelier.

That was a really low point and I was thinking about quitting. I didn’t realize how hard it would be. But I slept on it.

And the next morning I asked myself if I had really given this a chance. I realized then that I hadn’t given this everything I could. Honestly, it wasn’t really until Day 5 that I stopped thinking about the options to bail.

What was the terrain like?

The southern part was much harder and out of Montpelier, it was really hilly. A lot of the route is on ATV trails and some of it is so techy or steep you can’t really even ride it. I did it on my Surly Karate Monkey hardtail and the bike weighs a lot and I had panniers loaded on the back. But I also had plus size tires which made some of the roughest sections of a seven-mile long old carriage road near Bennington with large chickenhead rocks not so bad.

Were you racing to win?

I didn’t have any idea how I was doing until sometime in the southern loop when someone texted me that I was in second. Then I thought, Ok, now I guess I should really try. But what I soon realized is that what I needed to do was just go my own pace and listen to my body because you never know what’s going to be ahead. Then, I got another text that the leader had scratched.

What were the best parts?

There were mornings when it was quiet and the mist was rising and there were green hills and foliage and cows grazing in the fields. That was amazing.

community that’s formed here and how it brings people together who might not normally cross paths except for this event.

And then there were the people along the way. That was the best part, just meeting them and seeing, for the most part, how generous they were.

I think it was about Day 5 when I had been riding three hours in the rain and I had no cell service when I pulled into Pete’s Camp and had this conversation that totally changed the event for me.

Pete is this incredibly generous person who has a cabin and campsite on his land where he lets bikepackers and others traveling the back roads stay for free. He calls us all “guests of Vermont.”

I camped there that night and decided that the next morning I was going to find cell service and call someone to come pick me up.

Well, Pete showed up that next morning while I was brushing my teeth and crying and we had this incredible heart to heart. He didn’t tell me what I should do but said “What can I do to help you keep going?” It was just so sincere and that connection is what helped me get going on this project to make a film about the experience.

Tell us about your documentary film about the Super8.

This year I won’t be racing because I will be filming a feature length film about the Super8. We’ll be out there on bikes and following different riders but also talking

This fall Gorman will follow the Super8 with a camera crew, filming a documentary. Photo by Brittni Gorman

with them about how they got ready for the event. Mentally and emotionally, it’s so different for everyone. I didn’t do a lot of prep and only decided to do it a month out but some people had been

planning for six months and it’s really interesting to look into how people go about these events and why they choose to spend their 10 days or so of vacation bikepacking. Part of the story is the

What else did you take away from the experience?

Part of the game is you are constantly shifting things and continually learning what your thresholds are. There’s a lot of talking to yourself and saying, ‘ok, I’ve been here before and this too will pass but here’s what will help me to get from Point A to Point B. And it’s really about simplifying things and knowing what your needs are and how to express them and if that's something you can do on your own or that you need help with.

So much of that correlates to our lives and even our relationships. At some points on the trail, I think: Ok I’ve been here before in a relationship. Or in a relationship, I think: Ok, I’ve been here before on the trail and that familiarizes these feelings and makes them a little more approachable when you are in that situation again.

The event is not just about sharpening your skills as an athlete but as an individual and a human and how to better yourself in all aspects of your life. —L.L.

E STA B L I S H E D 1 9 7 1

WEST HILL SHOP PUTNEY • VERMONT

MTB • Gravel • e-Bikes

Exit 4 • I-91 Putney VT www.westhillshop.com 802•387•5718 gateway to the good stuff

Service • Test • Demo

On-Site Pump Track & MTB Features

AUGUST 2021 | VTSPORTS.COM 27

DONATE | VOLUNTEER

Join a nationwide community helping make active lifestyles possible by riding either a 10, 20, 50 or 100 mile course through scenic Vermont or do the Virtual RIDE!

For more information visit kellybrushfoundation.org/KellyBrushRide 28 VTSPORTS.COM | AUGUST 2021

VERMONT

SPORTS

LISTING YOUR EVENT IN THIS CALENDAR IS FREE AND EASY. VISIT VTSPORTS.COM/SUBMIT-AN-EVENT OR E-MAIL EDITOR@VTSPORTS. COM. ALL AREA CODES ARE 802.

ALL LOCATIONS ARE IN VERMONT, UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. FEATURED EVENTS, IN YELLOW, PAY A NOMINAL FEE.

RUNNING AUGUST 7 | The Point to Point, Powered by VSECU, Montpelier Pull on your running shoes for a half marathon or ride a century, half-century or 25-mile road ride, a 40-mile gravel grinder from the statehouse lawn to fight hunger in Vermont with a virtual option Thepointtopoint.org 7 |Shelburne Sugarworks 5K/10K Trail Run Hit the trail in the 3rd Annual Sugarworks Trail Run at Shelburne Sugarworks and Four Season Outdoor Center. Choose the 5K, or run the 10K (two loops of the 5K).

The course is rolling - mostly through the sugar woods , but there is also a portion around a pond and through fields surrounded by Queen Anne’s lace. There are no huge uphill runs, but it’s not totally flat. Racers can present their bib for an ice cream cone at the finish. racevermont.com 14 | The 100 on 100 Running Relay, Lebanon New Hampshire.

The event starts early on and most participants finish between 5:30 PM and 11:00 PM. The 100 on 100 Relay historically takes place along Vermont’s historic Route 100.

Due to Covid protocols, the 2021 event will take place along a new New Hampshire course starting on the Northern Rail Trail near Lebannon. 100on100relay.com 14 | Slate Valley Scramble, Poultney An 8k and half-marathon trail running race on some of VT’s newest and best single & double-track trails on Slate Valley Trails network. slatevalleytrails.org.

29 | Race To The Top Of Vermont A 4.3- mile, 2564 vertical ft hill climb up the tallest mountain in Vermont - Mt. Mansfield. The race draws as many as 800 hikers, mountain bikers, and runners. The course climbs up the historic Toll Road, is 4.3 miles in length, and climbs 2564 ft..

Rttovt.com

RACE & EVENT GUIDE

SEPTEMBER

4 | Run For Rotary, Walk for Life 5K, Fair Haven Join us this Labor Day Weekend in the Fair Haven Park at 10:00AM for a 5K run and walk to benefit Fair Haven Rotary Club Charities. active.com 11 | Charlotte Covered Bridges 5K, 10K and Half Marathon, Charlotte Beginning and ending in the field of Shelburne Orchard, you will run along a picturesque dirt/gravel road featuring scenic views of Vermont countryside and rural farmland. Run past Charlotte Beach situated on beautiful Lake Champlain just before entering the Holmes Creek Covered Bridge for the first time. The course continues on quiet, rolling hills before arriving at the turnaround. The half marathon and 10K both run through the covered bridge twice. The 5K turns around prior to that. runsignup.com/Race/VT/Shelburne/CharlotteCoveredBridge5K10KHalfMarathon 11 | Groton Forest Trail Run, Groton Offering three technical, beautiful race distances on the trails of the Groton State Forest. Join us on September 11th, 2021 at the Boulder Beach State Park in the Groton State Forest, Groton, VT. The 26.5 mile run starts at 7AM, the 15 mile run starts at 9AM and the 6.2 mile run starts at 10AM. ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=79687 12 | Mad Marathon, Mad Half and Relays, Waitsfield The Mad River Valley is the site of a weekend of races on dirt roads with tough climbs, and great views of the Green Mountains. madmarathon.com 12 | Vermont Remembers Run, Colchester A 5k and 11k walk/run and 11k Ruck to support the Fallen Heroes Memorial Fund.

Held at National Guard Road. runsignup. com/Race/VT/Colchester/VermontRemem bers?raceRefCode=l4Ocwftx

19 | TAM Trek, Middlebury There is a race for everyone at TAM Trek.

Our 19-mile Trail Around Middlebury attracts serious trail runners. We also offer a challenging 10K course for runners looking for a shorter and equally scenic race. Our 2-mile family fun run attracts families and run/walkers from around Addison County. Starts and finishes in Wright Park and celebrates at the finish line with live music, local raffle prizes, and a post-race buffet. maltvt.org/tam-trek

19 | Fall Equinox Trail Race, Shelburne Return to the fields of Charlotte for a new season. Run a 5k or 10k on trails. gmaa.run 21 | Harpoon Flannel 5k , Windsor Grab your favorite flannel and go! Race starts and finishes at the Harpoon Brewery i with fresh beer and pretzels Net proceeds benefit the Friends of Norris Cotton Cancer Center. harpoonflannel5k.com 26 | 28th Vermont 50 Ultra Run & MTB, West Windsor This 50 mile trail race lets mountain bikers and ultra runners enjoy a challenging and scenic course that is like no other. Net proceeds go to Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports. Vermont50.com

OCTOBER 1 | New Hampshire Marathon, Briston, NH A small, friendly and community oriented event that doubles as Boston qualifier. The course moves around Newfound Lake during peak foliage.

Offering a full, half, 10K and Kids race events. nhmarathon.com

2 | Fly to Pie Kingdom Marathon,

Newport One of the most challenging marathon runs in the East at the height of Fall Foliage in the Northeast Kingdom. With a 26.2 mile gravel bike race option; Run, bike, or hike, 6, 13.5, 17, and 26.2 mile options with a great pizza party at Parker Pie, West Glover at the finish. kingdomgames.co 10| Shelburne Farms 5K, Shelburne A 5K on the beautiful grounds of Shelburne Farms. Limited to only 200 racers, this race sells out each year. The course is on dirt roads, and paths through woods and fields. Run past dairy barns, Shelburne Inn, and gorgeous views of Lake Champlain. racevermont.com 11| North Face Race to the Summit, Stratton The gondola isn’t the only way to reach the summit for views of Vermont’s fall foliage.

Runners to challenge themselves in a 2.18 mile race climbing 2,003 vertical feet up southern Vermont’s highest peak for pride, prize money and awards. stratton.com 16 | Trapp Mountain Marathon, Stowe The Trapp Family Lodge has some of the smoothest, most runnable trail around, but also boasts incredible single track. This half or full marathon features steep climbs and descents and a newly updated climb to the highest point; Round Top Mountain.

The 13.1 mile loop course is approximately 2/3 double track wide trails and dirt roads, and 1/3 serpentine, rugged single track.

Full marathon racers will traverse this loop twice. This is a challenging trail race with significant elevation gain and loss.

Trappmountainmarathon.com

19 | Trapp Cabin Trail Races, Stowe Join us for this idyllic event! All races begin and end in the Trapp Family Lodge Meadow. The 5K follows Lodge Spur to Luce Hill Loop, following the single track trail back to the finish. Walkers welcome! The 10K continues on to Tap Line, follows Chris’s Run to the cabin and returns on Growler and Tap Line to the finish. The half-marathon is by far our most popular race and attracts over 60+ racers from all over New England. The course does a double-loop of the 10.5K. greenmtnadaptive.org/events/ trapp-cabin-5k-10k-and-half-marathontrail-races-2021/

AUGUST 2021 | VTSPORTS.COM 29

17 | Heady Trotter 4-Miler, Stowe The Alchemist hosts this road race, which starts and ends at the brewery and is followed by live music, lawn games, food and beer. headytrotter.com 24 | Vermont City Marathon & Relay, Burlington Marathoners and relay runners conquer 26.2 miles in a new, two-looped course that includes many of the highlights runners have loved for over 30 years. runvermont.org 26 | Vermont 50 Ultra Run & MTB, West Windsor This 50-mile trail race lets mountain bikers and ultra runners enjoy a challenging and scenic landscape.

Net proceeds go to Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports. vermont50.com 31 | The Hills Are Alive, Milton A 5k run on trails at the Arrowhead Golf Course in Milton. The course is on trails surrounding the golf course, and is not especially hilly, but definitely scenic and fun! gmaa.run

7 | Vermont Gran Fondo, Bristol Ride Vermont’s infamous four gaps in the Gran Fondo with 130 miles and 11,ooo feet of climbing or opt for an 85 or 40-miler. All will take you over heart-stopping hill climbs with breathtaking views. Vermontgranfondo.com 7 | Women’s MTB Clinic, Montpelier Join Onion River Outdoors and Christsonthy Drellos of Blue Sky MTB for a series of fun, supportive clinics for women and non-binary riders to hone your skills, learn to corner and get your wheels off the ground on the Montpelier trails.

This second session is on pumps and jumps. 9 am-1pm .

Onionriver.com 7 | The Point to Point, Powered by VSECU, Montpelier Get on your bike or pull on your running shoes and register for a century, half-century or 25-mile road ride, a 40-mile gravel grinder or a half-marathon run from the statehouse lawn to fight hunger in Vermont with a virtual option.

Thepointtopoint.org 15 | Coyote Hill End of Summer Race and BBQ, West Fairlee Coyote Hill Mountain Bike Camp hosts a race on its trail system followed by a celebratory BBQ. coyotehillcamp.com

BIKING AUGUST July 30-1 | FLOW STATE, Brownsville The trails at Ascutney Outdoors host Flow State, the Vermont Mountain Bike Festival, a three-day celebration of all things mountain biking put on by Mountain Flyer.

Flowstatemtbfestival.com.

1 | Eastern States Maxxis Cup, Bolton Valley Join in or watch the top riders in the East compete in downhill and enduro on the raw and rowdy trails at Bolton Valley Resort, the only Vermont stop on this summer’s tour. boltonvalley.com 1 | Rooted Vermont, Richmond Join Ted and Laura King for a weekend long celebration of gravel roads, community and all things VT. Race the long course (82 miles) and 8,000 feet of climbing or go your own pace and do the 48-mile short course. An epic afterparty featuring local foods and brews follows. rootedvermont.com 7 | Tour de Slate, Middletown Springs Ride a regular or metric century, 36 or 25 miles -- or ride the D&H Rail Trail. This is a great way to explore the emerging trails and quiet roads of Slate Valley. There is also a virtual option for this event. tourdeslate.org

21 | 48th Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb, Albany, NH This 7.6 mile race to the summit of the highest peak in the northeast is a fundraiser for the Tin Mountain Conservation Center. Known as the toughest hillclimb in the world with an average grade of 12%. www.mwarbh.org 29 | Vermont Overland Grand Prix, Ascutney A 50-mile dirt road bicycle race featuring 6,000 feet of climbing, seven sectors of “Vermont pavé” (unmaintained ancient public roads), two well-fortified sag stops, a magnificently scenic route and an awesome party afterwards.

Vermontoverland.com 29 | Cycle 4 CMT Shelburne Enjoy one of the largest cycling event fundraisers in VT! Cyclists enjoy a light breakfast followed by cycling either a 15, 25 or 40 mile route through beautiful/challenging areas of Shelburne, Charlotte and Hinesburg VT. After party catered lunch, live music, free beer and opportunities to bid on silent auction items. CMT (Charcot Marie Tooth) is a progressive neurological disorder affecting over 300 Vermonters and 3.0 million people worldwide.cycle4cmt.com

SEPTEMBER

Ethan Allen Biathlon Club 2021 Summer Race Series

DATES July 15, 22, 29, August 12,19, 26 TIMES 5:00 pm - Mandatory Safety Clinic 5:30 to 6:00 pm - Zeroing 6:15 pm - Race Start WHERE Ethan Allen Biathlon Club Ethan Allen Rd., Jericho, VT

Register online at SkiReg.com More Info: www.eabiathlon.org

30 VTSPORTS.COM | AUGUST 2021

3-6 | 20th Green Mountain Stage Race, Burlington GMSR comes back with 4 days of racing with stages similar to what was raced on in 2019, including the Burlington Crit. There are 10 fields including for women a P/1/2/3 and a 3/4/5. For men: a P/1, Cat 2, Cat 3, Cat 4/5 (open and masters), 40+, 50+ and Junior fields. Gmsr.info 6 | Richard Tom Foundation Kid’s Crit, Burlington A FREE non-competitive opportunity for youngsters (ages 7-11) to ride a portion of the Green Mountain Stage Race (GMSR) Burlington Criterium circuit. Cyclists ride up to 4 laps on a short course on roads closed to traffic. Two fields with separate start times. Awards for all riders. bikereg. com/the-green-mountain-stage-race0 4 | Vermont Youth Cycling League, Poultney The first of four races in a fall youth mountain biking series for riders in Grades 5-12. Independent racers and teams are welcome. vtyouthcycling.org

11 | Kelly Brush Ride, Middlebury The 15th annual edition of this fundraising ride takes riders through various courses from 25 miles to 100 miles in scenic Addison County. Kellybrushfoundation.org 18 | Tour de Farms, Vergennes a 30-mile route and a more relaxed, family-friendly 10-mile distance pass through the beautiful pastoral landscape of the Champlain Valley. Cisit three to seven farms depending on your distance. Each farm stop will host additional food and beverage producers. Riders sample everything from maple iced coffee and farm-fresh salads to maple-glazed ham and Vermont’s famous cheeses! acornvt.org/ tourdefarms 18 | Meeting of the Grinds, Poultney Slate Valley Trails and MTBVT host the first annual Meeting of the Grinds, an all-day cycling festival to benefit Slate Valley Trails. Regardless of your suspension status, tire size, or how tight your shorts are, this festival is for you with guided group rides for all bikes and all abilities. Presented by Zero Gravity and Halyard.

Slatevalleytrails.org 18 | Vermont Youth Cycling League, Rochester/ Randolph (TBD) The second of four races in a fall youth mountain biking series for riders in Grades 5-12. Independent racers and teams are welcome. vtyouthcycling.org 24 | Super8 Grand Depart, Montpelier Get ready to ride a self-supported bikepacking adventure on 280-, 360 -or 640- mile loops. Start where you want or join the group start in Montpelier. vermontbikepackers.org 26 |West Hill Gravel Grinder, Putney A gravel road adventure exploration of Putney, Dummerston, Brookline, Athens, Westminster and Brattleboro.

Windham county offers some of the finest gravel riding in the East and raises funds for local trails. westhillshop.com

OCTOBER 24 | Dam Wrightsville Cyclocross, Middlesex Join Onion River Outdoors for the sixth annual race at the Wrightsville Reservoir Beach. Bunny-hop-able barriers, water, sand, singletrack, gravel, and a Spiral of Death: yeah, we’ll have it all. enjoy a unique Vermont CX experience in an idyllic location. onionriver.com

MULTI-SPORT /WATERSPORT ADVENTURE/OBSTACLE RACES AUGUST 1 | New England Championships, Canoe, Kayak, SUP Races, Brattleboro Enjoy a 12 mile flatwater race on the Connecticut River or a 5 mile recreational race. Neckra.org 7 | Missisquoi Paddle-Pedal, Richford This family-friendly event combines 6.5 miles of paddling down a designated Wild & Scenic section of the Missisquoi River and 5 miles of cycling on the adjacent Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail. northernforestcanoetrail.org 12 | Ethan Allen Biathlon Club Summer Race Series, Jericho Open to anyone 14 or older, beginnger or experts.Rifle use is available for novice as well as safety training. Come to the mandatory 5 pm safety clining and then races start at 6:15.

Repeats Aug. 17 and 26. eabiathlong.org

14 | The Bitter Pill, Craftsbury, A 12-hour adventure race in quintessential Vermont. Come join us for 16th running of this event, featuring trekking, paddling, and mountain biking. You’ll end up in rarely visited places, seeing things you’d otherwise never see, and generating countless stories. gmara.org 15 | Vermont Sun & Lake Dunmore Triathlons, Salisbury Swim 0.9 miles, bike 28 miles, and run 6.2 miles. You can also just do the Aqua Bike option with just the swim and the bike or the Lake Dunmore Triathlon (600 yard swim, 14-mile bike, 3.1 mile run). The classic, pristine course starts and finishes at Branbury State Park. vermontsuntriathlonseries.com 19, 26| Ethan Allen Biathlon Club Summer Race Series, Jericho Open to anyone 14 or older, beginnger or experts. Come do our summer training series. Rifle use is available for novice as well as safety training. Come to the mandatory 5 pm safety clining and then races start at 6:15. Repeats on Aug. 26 eabiathlong.org

SEPTEMBER

19 | Josh Billings Triathlon, Great Barrington, MA A 27-mile bike / 5-mile canoe/kayak/SUP / 6-mile run in the beautiful Berkshires of western Ma. 44 Categories for Teams & Ironpersons-separate divisions for canoes, kayaks & SUPs. Bikers race 27 miles on backcountry rolling hills thru 5 towns in the Berkshires, paddle 5 miles around Stockbridge Bowl, finish with a 6 mile run around the lake to Tanglewood then celebrate at the Josh ‘Bash’ with awards, food, live band, vendors and a free Kid’s Fun Run. Josh ‘matchmaker’ will help find teammates. joshbillings.com 11-12 | Spartan Ultra & Beast Races, Killington Spartan Ultra is a 50 km, 60 obstacle race built to break your limits over the world’s most difficult terrain There will also be a shorter Beast 21K, a sprint and a kid’s race.” killington.com 23-26 | Obstacle Course Racing World Championships, Stratton Drawing more than 5,000 athletes from 70 nations, the OCR World Championships features both professional and amateur age-group competitions. The three-day event offers five different races to accommodate all types of athletes. The flagship 3K and 15K distance races are only open to qualified age-group and professional athletes. stratton.com

DAM RELEASES West River Dam Release, Jamaica, Vt. Sept. 24-26Celebrate two seasonal dam releases at the Ball Mountain Dam at Jamaica State Park. Shuttle service is provided for those who run the Class II-Class IV stretches of the West River.

Vtstateparks.com Fife Brook | North Adams, Mass.

The Deerfield’s Fife Book section ranges from 700 cfs to 2000 cfs, at which point it becomes class III-IV. Scheduled releases are: Aug. 1, 5-8, 12-15, 19-22, 26-29; Sept. 1-5, 8-12, 15-19; Oct. 1-3, 6-10, 13-17. Releases start between 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m and are a minimum of 3 hours. https://amcbostonpaddlers. org/documents/river-releases/ Deerfield River | #5 Station Dam, Monroe, Mass.

Releases are scheduled for Aug. 1, 6-8, 14, 21-22, 27-28; Sept.

4-5, 11-12, 19; Oct. 2, 10. https://amcbostonpaddlers.org/ documents/river-releases/

4 | Alpha Win Lake George Triathlon, Lake George, NY You will have breathtaking views all throughout the courses for these Sprint, Olympic, and Half distances triathlons. A great way to spend the weekend with the family. alpha.win/ event/lake-george-ny/

www.earlsbikes.com AUGUST 2021 | VTSPORTS.COM 31

IKE SHOPS

91

89 7

2

100

3 14

16

19

15 12 21

15

6

Burlington

22

BATTENKILL BICYCLES

99 Bonnet St., Manchester Ctr, VT 802-362-2734 | battenkillbicycles. com Manchester's bicycle shop since 1972, Battenkill Bicycles is a Trek and Specialized Bicycle dealer offering advice and sales to meet all your cycling needs. The service department offers tune-ups and repairs for all brands of bikes. Come to the shop to rent a bike or get information about local group rides or advice on where to ride your bike in the Northshire. Battenkill Bicycles is the number one e-bike seller in Southern Vermont and is an authorized Bosch e-bike systems service center.

2

BERKSHIRE OUTFITTERS

RR 8, 169 Grove St., Adams, MA 413-743-5900 | berkout@bcn.net We are a full-service bike shop at the base of the Mt. Greylock State Reservation. We also border a beautiful 12-mile paved rail trail. We carry Jamis, Rocky Mountain and G.T. We offer sales, repairs and hybrid bike rentals for the rail trail.

3

BOOTLEGGER BIKES

60 Main Street Jeffersonnville, VT 802-644-8370 | bootleggerbikes.com A full-service shop near Smugglers' Notch. We offer new, used and custom bikes as well as custom-built wheel builds for mountain, road, gravel, fat bikes, bikepacking and touring. Rentals offered at our Cambridge Junction shop on the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail. Bikes are a passion here.

32 VTSPORTS.COM | AUGUST 2021

4

CHUCK’S BIKES

45 Bridge St. Morrisville, VT 802-888-7642 | chucksbikes802. com Putting smiles on people's faces for over 35 years. Bikes by Jamis, Transition, Norco, KHS, Davinci, Raleigh, Marin and Diamondback. Hours: Mon - Wed & Fri 10-5, Sat & Thurs 10-2. Be well by being smart.

6

EARL’S CYCLERY & FITNESS

2069 Williston Rd., South Burlington, 802-864-9197 | earlsbikes.com Earl’s Cyclery has been serving Vermont's cycling and fitness needs for more than 65 years. With over 12,000 square feet at the new location, Earl’s has the largest selection of bikes from Trek, Giant, Scott, Bianchi, Electra, Haro, and more. The service center at Earl’s has professionally trained technicians who are certified to work on all makes and models of bicycles, not just the ones we sell. Whether you need a flat tire fix or a suspension rebuild, the service staff is ready to help.

Estimates are always free! Stop by our new location at 2069 Williston Rd, South Burlington, or call us.

9

Montpelier 302

23 91

13

8

9

9 89

125

10

73 7

5

11

100

17

2012 Depot St. Manchester Center, VT 05255 802-367-3118 | bradleysproski.com

5

93

2

100

BRADLEY’S PRO SHOP SKI & SPORT

The premier bike shop in Southern Vermont, located in Manchester Center.

Known as your go-to ski shop we are now your go-to bike shop. We have one of the best bike mechanics in Vermont on staff, Dan Rhodes — many of you know of his reputation as a master bike mechanic. We carry the full lineup of Cannondale and GT bikes—mountain bikes, gravel, e-bikes, BMX and hybrids. We are a full-service operation with sales, service, accessories and rentals including e-bikes. We always offer a great bike tune-up price so be sure to bring your ride in. As always: THINK DIRT!

2

18

2

4

Rutland

4

24 103

24 7

103

1

Manchester Center 4

91 100

27 27

5

9

9 100

2

7

EAST BURKE SPORTS

439 Route 114 East Burke VT 802-626-3215 eastburkesports.com We are the original home to Kingdom Trails, located in the heart of East Burke.

We pride ourselves in expert knowledge and friendly customer service to help get you outside to have fun! Come get your bike fixed at our full-service repair shop, rent from our fleet of Santa Cruz, Juliana and Trek mountain bikes (with direct access to Kingdom Trails), and shop for clothing, parts and accessories in our retail shop. Open 9-6 every day.

8

25

15

26

89

7

125

1

5

20

AROUND THE REGION advertising section

7

5

FROG HOLLOW

74 Main St., Middlebury, VT 802-388-6666 | froghollow bikes.com Take advantage of the most advanced and courteous service in our region, with quick turn-around time in our service shop downstairs. Upstairs in the sales room, we offer the best in new and used road, mountain, lifestyle, and children’s bikes and new gear. We carry brands that offer superior products that balance innovation and performance with reliability and value. Hours: Mon. - Sat. 9:30 - 5:30, Sun. 11 – 4.

THE GEAR HOUSE

16 Pleasant St., Randolph, VT 802-565-8139 gearhouse.com The Gear House brings fresh energy and excitement to the state's cycling scene.

Located in the center of Vermont, we offer Rocky Mountain, Bianchi, Yamaha e-bikes, a rotating inventory of consigned bikes and gear, and a full service repair shop. Randolph has newly revived mtb trails that combine classic old-school singletrack with machine built zones. Start the 12/12a loop from the shop for 38 miles of well maintained road miles, or map out a day ride entirely on the gravel. The shop is also home to RASTA's outdoor trail hub which features topographical and printed maps. Stop by and plan your next adventure!

10

GREEN MOUNTAIN BIKES

105 N. Main St. Rochester VT 800-767-7882 | greenmountainbikes. com

Located in the center of Vermont, in the heart of the Green Mountains, we are surrounded by terrain that calls to mountain and road bikers alike. Whether you ride twisting trails or back to back gaps, we service, sell, and rent all styles of bicycles, featuring Kona, Jamis, Juliana, Raleigh, Santa Cruz, Transition, and Hinderyckx bikes hand crafted by our own Rochester boy Zak Hinderyckx. So STOP READING and RIDE YOUR BIKE! Hours: 7 days a week, 10 – 6.

HANOVER

11 HANOVER ADVENTURE ADVENTURE TOURS TOURS 713 US 5 N., Norwich, VT | 802-359-2921 | hanoveradventuretours.com

More than a full-service bike store, we are a full-service adventure center. With an expertise in electric bicycles, we live and breathe outdoor exploration through our offering of e-bike rentals, sales, and tours including doorstep delivery and a full-service shop (all bikes welcome). Over 100 electric bicycle rentals, demos, and tours available for individuals and large groups, short and long-term. Open year round with seasonal options. Explore one of the largest selections of e-bikes with Yamaha, iZip, and Magnum.

12

16

HITCHHIKER

331 North Winooski Ave., Burlington, VT 802-863-4475 | oldspokeshome.com

394 Mountain Road Ste. 6, Stowe, VT | 802-585-3344 hitchhikerbikes.com

Hitchhiker Bike Shop is Stowe's newest shop.

We carry bikes from Rocky Mountain, Cervelo, Otso Cycles, Chromag, Open Cycle, and Gazelle E-bikes. If you are looking for a tuneup we offer service for just about every type of bike and budget.

Service appointments are encouraged, but not necessary. You'll also find great clothing, parts, and accessories in our shop that is pedaling distance from the Cady Hill trails. See our website for more up to date information on the shop, services, and pricing or stop by and check us out next time you're in Stowe!

13

HIGH PEAKS CYCLERY

2733 Main St., Lake Placid, NY 518-523-3764 | highpeaks cyclery.com The Adirondacks' source for bicycling and outdoor gear since 1983! Sales, service, rentals and tours. Bikes by Salsa, Giant and Yeti. Your advenutre center for mountain biking, gravel and road riding adventures.

Dirt, gravel, road and e-bike tours, Basecamp Lodge and dirt camps.. Hours: Mon – Fri 9 – 6, Sun 9 – 5.

14

MALLETTS BAY BICYCLE & SKI

794 W. Lakeshore Dr. Colchester, VT 802-863-2453 | Malletts Bay mbbicyle.com es�� ����

Bicycle & Ski Service, rentals and sales. Located on the shores of beautiful Malletts Bay, our shop offers expert repairs, top quality rentals, a fine complement of accessories and new bicycles from KHS, SWIX, Free Agent and Manhattan.

Rent a bike and ride from the shop via the town rec path to the famed Colchester Causeway, the "Jewel of the Island Line Trail".

15

OLD SPOKES HOME

MOUNTAINOPS

4081 Mountain Road, Stowe, VT 802-253-4531 mountainopsvt. com

We offer bike sales along with fast, friendly service. Dealers of Niner, Scott, Devinci and Jamis, we carry a large assortment of mountain and gravel bikes including a 60 bike Demo Fleet. Our techs have years of experience and our local trail knowledge is second to none. Our converted 1893 barnturned-bike-shop houses a huge selection of bike and lifestyle clothing along with parts and accessories. Looking for a more mellow ride? Rent one of our cruisers for a trip down the legendary Stowe Rec Path right from our parking lot!

Vermont’s best selection of professionally refurbished used bikes and new bikes for touring, bike packing, commuting, fat biking, and simply getting around town. Named one of the country’s best bike shops for it’s “plain-talk advice and no-nonsense service.” A nonprofit as of January 2015, Old Spokes Home uses 100% of its revenue to run programs creating access to bikes in the community.

And don’t miss their famous antique bicycle museum! Hours: Mon. – Sat. 10 - 6, Sun.

17

OMER & BOB’S

20 Hanover St. Lebanon, NH 603-448-3522 | omerandbobs.com The Upper Valley's bike shop since 1964.

Offering mountain bikes, gravel and road bikes, hybrid bikes, e-bikes, and kids bikes from Specialized, Trek, and Electra.

Featuring a full service department, bike fitting, mountain and e-bike demos, and a kids trade-in, trade-up program. Hours: Mon.-Friday, 9am-5:30pm, Sat., 9am-5pm

ONION RIVER OUTDOORS

18

20 Langdon St. Montpelier, VT 802-225-6736 | onionriver.com ORO is Central Vermont's premier bike, car rack, and outdoor gear shop. Friendly and knowledgeable sales and service. We carry Specialized, Niner, Rocky Mountain, Salsa, Surly, and Yuba, and a large variety of clothing and accessories, including Giro, Smith, Club Ride, Patagonia, and more.

19

OUTDOOR GEAR EXCHANGE

37 Church St., Burlington, VT 802-860-0190 | gearx.com Voted this year's MTBVT Best Bike Shop, OGE is a premier bike shop with knowledgeable, friendly and honest staff. We have affordable commuters from Batch Bicycles, gravel grinders from Marin, BMC and Niner, mountain bikes from Marin, Niner, Pivot, Rocky Mountain, Transition and Yeti. We also offer a wide consignment selection as well as a demo fleet so you can try it before you buy it. Our service department is capable of everything from tuning your vintage road bike to servicing your new mountain bike, and offers full Fox shock service. Come see us on Church St! Hours: Mon-Thurs 10-8, Fri-Sat 10-9, Sun 10-6

20

POWERPLAY SPORTS

35 Portland St. Morrisville, VT 802-888-6557 powerplaysports.com North Central Vermont's Trek and Giant Dealer nestled in the heart of bike country.

Selling new and used bikes for every budget and every type of rider from beginner to expert. We service all manner of bike and sell tons of accessories and apparel. Bike rentals for the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail just 200 yards down the road.

21

RANCH CAMP

311 Mountain Road, Stowe, VT 802-253-2753 | ranchcampvt.com Ranch Camp is Stowe’s mountain bike base lodge and your hub for bikes, gear, and culture! Ranch Camp offers a full-service mountain bike shop, tap room, and fresh-casual eatery, featuring sales and demo bike from Specialized, Ibis, Yeti, Evil, Revel, and Fatback. Looking for top of the line mountain bikes and components? Got ‘em. How about local brews from new England’s finest purveyors of craft libations? You bet. And if you need a thoughtfully crafted grab-and-go meal for your ride, or a place to sit down and refuel afterwards, Ranch Camp has you covered. Best of all, Ranch Camp is situation trailside with its very own public access entrance into Stowe’s iconic Cady Hill trail network.

22

SKIRACK

85 Main St. Burlington 802-6583313 skirack.com Locally owned since 1969, Skirack provides gear, clothing, expert fitting and accessories for all cyclists, with full service tuning and repairs...plus complete bike suspension service on most forks and rear shocks.

Designated one of America’s Best Bike Shops, Skirack is blocks from Lake Champlain. Open 10-6, Mon.- Sat. and 10-5 on Sun., for service, racks and rentals.

23

STARK MOUNTAIN

9 RTE 17, unit b Waitsfield, VT 802-496-4800 Find us on Facebook

Located at the lowest spot in the Mad River Valley so you can coast in when you break your bike on a ride! 21 years of advise,directions and fixing anything that pedals. Thinking about a Yeti? Come ride one of ours,we have been selling Yeti since 2006! Hours: Tues-Fri 9-6*, Sat 9-4, and Sunday 10-2. *Close at 5 on Thursdays for the Shop Ride.

24 TYGART

57 Pond St. STE 1, Ludlow, VT (802) 228-5440 Info@tygartmountainsports.com, Tygartmountainsports.com

We are a full service bicycle sales and service center. We carry a wide selection of Scott and Kona bikes and a variety of accessories from Scott, Giro, Louis Garneau, Blackburn, Park Tools and others. We offer service and repairs on all makes and models including in-house suspension service, wheel building, and full bike build-outs.

VILLAGE SPORT

25 SHOP

511 Broad St. Lyndonville, VT 802-626-8448| villagesport shop.com

Family owned and passion driven since 1978 we are a 4 season shop with 2 convenient locations. Focused on making everyday your best day with full service bike shops, rentals from Specialized, Transition, Pivot, LIV, Salsa and Giant, and bikes for every type of rider,. Looking for a new ride, new gear, replacement parts or a quick snack we got you there too. Ride in and out of our Trailside shop (2099 Darling Hill Rd) or stop in to our town store (511 Broad Street) on your way through we look forward to seeing you! We are #CovidConscious

26

WATERBURY SPORTS

46 South Main Street, Waterbury, VT

802-882-8595 | waterburysportsvt.com A full service bike shop selling Trek and Giant bikes in one of Vermont's most convenient locations. Nestled in downtown Waterbury a short distance from the Perry Hill MTB trails, WBS services all bikes and can handle any repair you might have. We also have a fleet of demo bikes and and an excellent selection of parts and accessories.

Open 7 days a week!

27

WEST HILL SHOP

49 Brickyard Lane, Putney, 802-387-5718

westhillshop com West Hill Shop turns 50 this season, and welcomes Amy and Zach Caldwell as the third round of owners since the shop was founded in 1971. Some things are changing.

Most things are staying the same. And Covid makes the rules for this year, like last year. Visit us to see what's happening and check out our lines of all types of bikes from Cannondale, Giant, Mondraker and more.

We have e-bikes in stock.

AUGUST 2021 | VTSPORTS.COM 33

ENDGAME

THE RITE OF PASSAGE

HIKING THE PRESIDENTIAL TRAVERSE IS NO EASY FEAT. ESPECIALLY IF YOU TRY TO DO IT AT AGE 18... IN ONE DAY. BY LEATH TONINO

The Presidential Traverse covers 20.4 miles and has more than 8,211 feet of elevation gain. The reward? Views like this of Lake of the Clouds on Mt. Monroe. Photo: Adobe Stock.

T

hough we were Vermonters by birth and upbringing, the Presidential Traverse, in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, had been calling for years.

By the age of 18, my friend Craig and I were ready. Our years of preparation required considerable discomfort (blisters, mosquitoes, nights camped in the rain). And not just ready: we were stoked, so frigging eager to thrash ourselves silly attempting New England’s premier backcountry endurance route— what Laura and Guy Waterman, in their classic Forest and Crag: A History of Hiking, Trail Blazing, and Adventure in the Northeast Mountains, describe as “a major test piece for ambitious hikers from the late nineteenth century to the present day.”

They were there for us: Seven summits taller than 4,000 feet, including Mount Washington (6,288 feet). Twentyish miles and 9,000 feet of vertical gain Craig and I had put in plenty of big slogs together in the Green Mountains, but those involved a lot of deep forest and slippery black muck, whereas this objective promised something different, something unique: an entire lofty range, a continuous alpine ridge wending back and forth through the sky.

Some folks take it easy, chip away at the traverse over three or four days, relax in Appalachian Mountain Club huts (the route skirts three of them) where hot meals and a dry bunk can be purchased.

Sounds nice—for them. Our plan was to begin before sunrise and end before sunset, to trudge and trudge. We’d travel above treeline, in the haywire footing of eternal talus and infinite ankle-busting schist! for hours and hours, totally exposed: a new and exciting prospect.

34 VTSPORTS.COM | AUGUST 2021

The goal wasn’t bragging rights or machismo, but increased selfconfidence. Having recently received our high school diplomas, this burly riteof-passage hike represented a parallel graduation ceremony—the culmination of four years spent rambling the woods, learning the wilderness and the art of moving around in it by trial and error.

However, there was a hurdle separating us from our initiation into mountain manhood: the pesky car shuttle. We’d leave Craig’s old Nissan at Crawford Notch, the southern terminus, but who would give us a lift to the northern tip of the range? I turned to my trusted logistical supervisor. Can you drop us at the Valley Way trailhead at, like, 4 a.m. next Tuesday? Please?

We’ll do, like, yard work or whatever in exchange.

My mother, sweet lady, said "Sure."

S

urface winds clocked at 231 mph: check. Temperatures plunging to almost 50 below zero: check. More than 150 deaths (tourists, veteran mountaineers, the gamut) since recordkeeping commenced in 1849: check.

Mount Washington—“home of the world’s worst weather,” according to meteorologists at the Mount Washington Observatory—is sketchy and then some, and its neighboring presidents (Madison, Adams, Jefferson, Monroe, Eisenhower, Pierce) comparably severe.

But there are synonyms for sketchy and severe that the thesaurus omits, such as raw, elemental, enlivening, awesome. Despite the hardships and dangers, or rather because of them, hordes of adventurers have been drawn to the Whites over centuries. I seriously doubt that Craig and I were the only boymen whose bid for glory in the “Great

Range” benefited from parental support.

That “Great Range” toponym was common parlance in September of 1882, when Eugene Cook and George Sargent claimed the first-ever blast-it-off-in-aday traverse of the Presi (pronounced Prez-zee) ridgeline. Starting from the village of Randolph, their route spanned 24 miles and ascended 10,000 feet— impressive without Vibram soles and Camelbaks. But get this: After supper at the White Mountain House in Crawford Notch (presumably chased with a few hard ciders), the duo set out again, returning 18.5 miles to Randolph by road. For math dummies, that’s a casual 42-mile stroll, keep the change.

The Watermans label these fanatical pioneers and others of their kind “superhikers.” Indeed. By 1904, Herschel Parker and Warren Symonds had duplicated the traverse, tacking on an extra two peaks in the south, both of them trail-less: 22 hours, unimaginable krummholz bushwhacking. Not long afterward, the indefatigable Symonds executed a (brilliant? harebrained?) double traverse: the whole beast by lunch, u-turn, the whole beast in reverse by midnight.

These arduous origin stories reinforce a certain image of the Yankee wilderness buff: quiet, stoic, tough as nails, thrives on crappy conditions, adores soggy flannel and rotten wool. It’s an image that may be an overblown cliché, an accurate depiction, or a bit of each—an image that, regardless of its foundation (or lack thereof) in reality, sparks a fire in adolescent minds. The minds of two Vermont teens, in particular.

A

groggy stumble. A black bear lumbering in soft pink light. A 4,000-foot climb—four miles, straight

Stairmaster—to wash down a fistful-ofgorp breakfast. Dazed with fatigue by 10 a.m., mesmerized by the moonscape of lichen-splotched rock, Craig and I stupidly veered east at the saddle between Adams and Jefferson. Realizing too late that we were contouring around the desired summit, we opted to handover-hand a nasty pitch of jumbled blocks to regain the ridge, the aptly named Great Gulf (largest cirque in the range) nipping at our heels. Oh, what’s another 600 vert when you’ve got 6,000 yet to march? At least the sky was blue.

Since that fine outing fifteen years ago, I’ve orienteered and scrambled in Colorado, California, Wyoming, and British Columbia, and I’ve tagged peaks in New Zealand, Scotland, even a dinky bump (16,000 feet) in Nepal.

The Presidential Traverse remains oddly vivid inside of me, though—it hasn’t been overshadowed or eclipsed. The reason, I suspect, is that the bulk of what I do in the mountains rests on it as a foundation. It taught me to respect and revere the alpine zone. It inspired me to ditch mapped trails and trace ridgelines instead. It showed me the potential of effort and the possibility of far.

Yes: far.

When, finally, we reached Craig’s old Nissan my shuttle-driving mom was long gone, a faint memory displaced by the thought of beer. Thanks to a generous, lawless sibling, we underage teens had a sixer of microbrew stashed in the trunk.

Leaning against the hood, too tired to talk, perhaps unconvinced that there was anything in need of saying, we gazed at the inky trees, the pale washes of gray stone, the topography that had bruised the 104 bones (cumulative) in our poor, pathetic, ultimately proud feet.

Really, what could we say? Nothing had happened.

Something had happened. The Presidential Traverse is absurd, a bridge to nowhere, a bridge to everywhere.

Right of passage.

Mom… beer.

It would be a lie to claim that a spine of earth wending through the sky had transformed us into men, had in one fell swoop initiated us into mountain manhood, but it would be equally untrue to imply that polishing off the first round, raising a toast with the second, we were still boys.

Vermont writer Leath Tonino is the author of two essay collections, most recently The West Will Swallow You (Trinity University Press, 2019).

A version originally appeared in Adventure Journal.

VERMONT

SPORTS

ENTER NOW TO WIN Send us photos of your best canine buddy for our annual Vermont Sports Adventure Dog Contest. Winners will be featured in a fall issue and entered to win prizes from Pet Food Warehouse and more.

PHOTOS STORIES ACTION ADVENTURES

ENTER AT VTSPORTS.COM/DOGS2021 BY AUG. 22