2012 Vermont Mountain Biking Summer Extravaganza

Pure ecstasy.  Adrenaline-pumping, goose-bumping, perma-smile inducing, unadulterated joy.  I had the mountain biking summer of my life and without hesitating, I would tell you and anyone else who would listen that Vermont mountain biking is the holy grail of New England riding.  The end-all-be-all.

Mooove to VT and ride bikes!

It all started with learning that Bryan Gareau would be getting hitched to April Warren on September 22nd.  That was some fantastic news.  Made better when I learned Bryan selected me (yes, me) to be his best man and that the wedding would be in Stowe, VT.  I can't begin to tell you how much it meant to me that Bryan asked me to stand by him as he promised the rest of his life to April.  I can tell you what it meant for me and mountain biking in VT, however.  It meant three separate trips to Vermont in which we rode some of the best terrain around.

Back in August we took our first trip up to VT and staying a couple of nights in the Smuggler's Notch State Park Campground.  Apparently to take care of some wedding odds and ends in Stowe.  When I look back, I think most of those wedding odds and ends were stopping for a drink at the places the wedding weekend would hit.  I super like wedding odds and ends, as it turns out.

Then there was Part Deux of the Gareau bachelor party.  Which doubled as a Oktoberfest.  This trip led me through three rides in three days.

The final trip was the wedding weekend itself, where Bry and I managed to tie together some sweet single track up at Trapp's before he tied the knot with April. 

I hope to, over the next week, put together some of the highlights of my summer forays into Vermont and the mountain biking that ensued. 

Stay tuned...