Q2 2012 - Merrimack Valley Trail Riders

MVTR.ORG
May 2012
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2012 MVTR Event Schedule
New England Classic Volunteer Sign Up
Will be done at the June 6th MVTR meeting beginning at 8:00 Freedom Cycle.
Please attend our organizers need your help!
New England Classic
June 9-10
Trail Boss Saturday
JD Mott
[email protected]
603 765 8094
Trail Boss Sunday
Chip Fredette
[email protected]
(603) 848-1461
Chip Lamphere
[email protected]
919-279-7719
Rupert Dance
[email protected]
603-225-2779
Big Bike Rally
June 9-10
Dave Mott
[email protected]
603-3326039
Kid’s Classic
June 9-10
Matt Belanger
[email protected]
603-235-3315
Jay Lees
[email protected]
603-432-1600
Rocky Mountain H/S
July 28 -29
Trail Boss Pee Wee Scramble
Jeff & Tami Preve
[email protected].
603-798-5052.
Trail Boss Jr. Enduro
Andy & Lynne Anthony [email protected]
603-887-3296
Trail Boss Hare Scramble
Shawn Levesque
[email protected],
603-339-1260
Family Day Trail Ride
22nd
Lebanon Maine
Mike and Karen Harrison
July
207-475-2184
Family Day Alton August 18
Sarah Dynia
[email protected]
Mountain View Turkey Run
Oct. 7
Luis Colom
[email protected]
603-247-2711
Landry MVTR Fall Challenge
Nov.
Ice Box
Jan. 1
Mark Stock
Club Ride Wednesday Night
5:00 @ Hop/Ev Starting June 6th . On the 1st
Wednesday of the (meeting night) the Club ride
is at Freedom Cycle, Concord NH
Hop/EV Work Party
May 19
Meeting in the parking lot at 9:00
Family Day Trail Ride
Trail Boss: Mike & Karen Harrison
Sanctioned By: New England Trail Riders Association (NETRA)
When: Sunday, July 22nd.
(Rain date in August)
Cost & Fees: $20 per rider, non-rider $5, (campers please call)
Time: Riding starts anytime after 9 am. Lunch @ Noon.
Ride for a short time or ride all day.
Saturday Camping spaces available.
At:
8 Prospect Hill Road, Lebanon, ME 04027
207-475-2184
Use www.Mapquest.com for detailed directions w/map.
Arrowed from Exit 17 on Route 16 ( Spaulding Tpk.)
(Caution GPS users - do NOT use Orrill’s Hill road – washed out)
Riding opportunities:
 Two&OneHalf mile arrowed trail on property which connects to an additional 3 mile river loop
trail with sand pit at end of trail. Lots of great single track on this loop, lap after lap…
 Small practice track near house for ‘kids’ of all ages who like to stay close by with an audience.
Take as many laps as you can!
 Non-Riders or tired riders are welcome to enjoy the foliage views, be a spectator, or simply relax
for the day.
Food: Lunch break from 12:00 to 1:00 under the BIG Tent!
Meats and Main courses provided.
Sides, drinks and desserts will be a Potluck, bring what you can to help make lunch a huge success.
Event Schedule
Signup starts at 7:30 am
Riding groups & classes assigned by 8:45 am. @ Riders Meeting.
Riding begins at 9:00 am
There are two riding areas planned for this day; Practice Track & Enduro trail.
1. The practice track and its short woods course is close to the house and parking. This track is just
over a quarter mile in length.
2. The Enduro trail is 2.5 miles in length and can beLunch
combined
with
the
River Trail to provide a total
break
for
everyone!
Course
Schedule
of 5 miles.
9 – 10 am.
Practice Track - Beginners & small bikes
Enduro Trail – Experienced riders & big bikes
10 – 11 am.
Practice Track – Experienced riders & big bikes
Enduro Trail – Beginners & small bikes
11 – 12 noon.
Practice Track - Beginners & small bikes
Enduro Trail – Experienced riders & big bikes
1 – 2 pm.
Practice Track - Beginners & small bikes
Enduro Trail – Experienced riders & big bikes
2 – 3 pm.
Practice Track – Experienced riders & big bikes
Enduro Trail – Beginners & small bikes
3 – 4 pm.
Practice Track - Beginners & small bikes
Enduro Trail – Experienced riders & big bikes
Drink ‘Mo’ Wine Get Dry Feet ?????
When I once complained to some of my riding buddies that I was sick of wet boots, they kind of
looked at me funny and asked ‘you don’t know about boot dryers’? Wow! What will they think up
next? Those clever Asians anticipating our leisure lifestyle needs. Seemed like a good idea until I
ventured into my nearest big box sporting goods store and found out that I was in for yet another
expensive accessory. Oh! But they don’t know that I am a prodigious drinker of ‘boxed wine’ a
beverage noted for it’s creative hallucinogens and that I was not going to put up with this exploitive
tyranny! So there! I made my stand! Now what?
My retail foray pretty well described the form and content of the desired solution: a fan outputting
into a manifold (pretty much a box) which supported two vertical tubes for the distribution of the air
flow into the boot innards. Surveying my basement empire I soon found equivalents for these
components. An unemployed equipment fan (a discarded hair dryer has been used), a left over 4
foot section of 2" id. pvc. pipe, and of course, an empty
wine box. The accompanying illustrations show the design
intent, the fan is let into and secured to the box top by any
number of means (I used pop rivets) so that the fan output
is into the box. The 2" id. pvc. pipe was cut into (2) 20"
lengths (as measured to fit the riding boots) and then a
multitude of air passage openings were drilled to transfer
the airflow from the enclosed manifold box to the boot
discharge area. Determination of the number and size of
the transfer holes was an empirical effort pretty much
determined by the availability of a sharp 5/8" dia. drill in my
possession; I just tried to maximize the number possible
within the box volume and then replicating the same orifice
openings within the boot discharge area. I discounted the
terminal discharge pipe opening because it seemed to be
substantially blocked by the resting boot insole. The
discharge tubes were inserted through the box top and
secured to the box bottom with a screw upwards into a
wood plug secured to the tube base. Of course all wiring
was strictly to code; luckily not much is required for a dinky
little fan, I crimped the connections and taped them making
sure the cord was secured to the manifold base. As a safety
precaution a screen was hot glued over the fan
intake. All miscellaneous joints and openings were
similarly sealed with my trusty hot glue gun.
Because the card board box is somewhat irregular, I
provided a furniture glide at each corner to isolate
support points.
There you have it, a simple, effective and CHEAP
device that dries even the most waterlogged boots
over-night with nothing but focused air movement.
While it may seem obvious, this drying scheme
cannot support any type of heat generating
apparatus, no light bulbs or heat coils that could
present a fire hazard.
Who says that no good can come from ‘wine time’,
again proving expert recommendation that
relaxation is good for us. So if we can’t be riding,
stay thirsty my friends and perhaps you can come
up what to do with the box bladder which turns out
to be entirely reusable. Send your suggestions to:
[email protected]
Kirk Wilkerson
March Meeting Report
Tom began the meeting with a brief wrap up of the
NETRA Meeting.
This years 2011 NETRA Bren Moran Award went to
Jack Hemingway. (A DISTINGUISHED AWARD
FOR THE UNCOMPROMISING DEDICATION TO
THE PERPETUATION OF OFF-ROAD
MOTORCYCLING).
For those of you don’t know Jack, He’s been around
bikes as long as God. On both the local and national
level Jack as earned top rankings. Working with
young riders and youth programs. Giving young
riders an opportunity to get involved in dirt bikes. He
would give you the spark plug out of his own bike if
Jack (r) receives The NETRA Bren Moren Award
it helped you finish a race. Jack was unable to
at the March MVTR meeting.
attend the NETRA banquet to receive the award.
He did attend our meeting were the MVTR
members could give Jack his award and a gift. THANKS JACK, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.
The Rocky Mountain Mini and Jr. Enduro was voted Best NETRA event for 2011. Chelsea Hery
received a $1,000 Netra scholarship. The NETRA budget committee has a few new members that
should bring new ideas and direction. Al said the Rule Book is on line and the rules will be
enforced. If there are rules members are not happy with the December meeting is the place to try to
make changes.
The Ice Box raised $1,500 for Warner fire rescue that they will be using to purchase a Heart Monitor.
Cluff Park is open for now but will be shut down when the state determines the beginning of mud
season. Once closed the park will not open again until May 23.
If you are riding at the park the 4 corners seem to be the most patrolled area. So watch your speed
in that area and have OHRV stickers on the bike and registration and license with you.
Tami stated the Epson Police would be applying for state grant to patrol the Classic. The state sets
aside money each year for towns to use to patrol OHRV trails. We will have to wait and see if this
has any effect, good or bad, for the Classic
Jason WOODFORD has the lead role in NHOHVA and Colin Dodd has volunteered to manage the
IT department. Jason has accomplished more in two months then organization did in five years.
There a few items up for state action. A 82 db sound limit for motorcycles, four wheelers with snow
tracks having to register as snowmobile, reciprocity with Main and Vermont which allows them to
ride in our state but we can’t ride in theirs. Jason said NHOHVA is sending out an E-newsletter to
all MVTR members. NHOHVA is also looking for someone to fill the secretary position and any one
interested in helping. If you’re not on the NHOHVA mailing list contact www.nhohva.org
Andy left the long studs on Lynn’s bike which made for a difficult day for her and cold
Snow Run
night for Andy. Rick Claxson was having a great ride until almost at the finish line his chain broke
and took out the swing arm. Rick was having success using the short studs. Scoring for the event
was AMA rules. The AMA National Rules are easy on time keeping and better for C riders. These
rules may help increase rider participation in Enduro’s.
March 28th The Classic committee will have a meeting at Freedom Cycle. After the meeting we will
have or Classic Phone Bank from 6:00 to 7:45. We use the phones at Freedom to contact previous
participants of the upcoming Classic and remind them the Classic is a fundraiser for CF
Luis is planning a turkey run in the Winnipesaukee area in October. He will have more information
as event develops.
New KTM do come with a parts catalog. If want the catalog find your delivery certificate and call the
KTM switchboard ask fro Brian or Mike. Give them the VIN # and they’ll give you the information
you need to download the manuals from the KTM web site.
Zack told the members that Freedom would stock Sure Eye batteries. The Sure Eye lithium ion
battery weighs just 1.7 pounds as opposed to the 5 + pound of a conventional battery and will cost
$130 to $170
Ron S
April Meeting Report
The floor was given to Lisa before the start of the meeting. She wanted us to know that MVTR is
just $137,000 short of raising $2,000,000 thru the Classic over the last thirty-one years. With a good
turn out it is possible to reach the two million dollar mark this year. Because of fund raising and
research most of the CF drugs in use today were developed in the last twenty years. This year a
drug was released that will for the first time treat the cause of CF in 4% of it’s victims. Lisa
interdicted us to a young family for Merrimack whose young daughter suffers from CF. Leeann (the
Mom) addressed the membership
Hi,
I’d like to take this opportunity to speak to you about Cystic Fibrosis
Our daughter, Hannah, is 5 ½ and has CF… we found out when she was 2 weeks old.
Timing was key for us…Hannah was born 5/8/2006 and it had become mandatory on 5/1/06
to include CF screening in the newborn screening. Cystic Fibrosis, as you may know, is a
life threatening genetic disease that affects the lungs and pancreas. We did not know when
we were told Hannah had it. We were blind-sided by the news and were now at a very
scary time in our lives. Instead of burying our heads in the sand, we decided to arm
ourselves with education and the mind set to do whatever is necessary to keep our
daughter healthy.
To keep her healthy, we follow a regime of constant hand washing/sanitizing, keeping her
well away from cigarette smoke, daily doses of enzymes (16-24 a day), which are taken
with anything she eats or drinks that has fat or protein since her body can not digest it on it’s
own, a CF multi-vitamin, along with an inhaler treatment, nebulizer treatment and chest PT
with her jiggly vest. The Inhaler, nebulizer and jiggly are typically done 1 to 2 times a day
and up to 4 times when she has a cold. The vest takes 20 minutes each time and the
nebulizer roughly 10 minutes. We also check in with CF Clinic at CHaD every three months
to keep track of her growth and lung function,(which we like to see stay at 80 to 120%.
Yearly blood work to monitor vitamin levels and we just found out, that since she will be 6 at
her next visit have to include diabetes into the mix. We have been blessed with her early
detection and all the preventative measures we take, some families are not so lucky and
deal with scenarios that we hope to never face. Numerous hospitalizations, lung infections,
lung transplants, ect. The average age of survival is only 37 years old…a number we hope
to see go as we can not imagine EVER doing the unthinkable, burying our child.
Again thank you for this opportunity to tell you about CF…as we are the key to curing it
since it is considered an orphan disease and receives NO FEDERAL FUNDING. There
only 30,000 people in the United States with CF, and we have 200 families alone in NH. So
the daunting task of finding a cure falls on the patients, their family, friends, the wonderful
people at the CF Foundation and people like you! So thank you from the bottom of our for
your 32 years of support in helping us find a cure for Hannah.
Now I’d like to introduce you to our neighbor and MVTR member, Glenn Harvey, whom we
have been neighbors with for almost 8 years and never knew we had a CF connection! The
connection came one summer evening when Hannah was terribly injured and I had to call
911….Glenn happened to see the commotion and came over to see if he could help. In the
middle of all the chaos another neighbor happened to ask what I needed from the house to
bring to the hospital and I said “Her CF medicine in the cabinet”. It was then that Glenn had
his light bulb moment and now a face to put to this disease that he had been helping all
along! We could not be more honored to have him as our neighbor. Thank You
First I’d like to thank LeeAnn, Darrin, Julia and Hannah for coming to our meeting and sharing their story with
Glenn address to the membership
First I’d like to thank LeeAnn, Darrin, Julia and Hannah for coming to our meeting and sharing their story with
MVTR. This was something that Lisa had suggested a couple of months ago, and I thought that it sounded
like a great idea to have them meet all of you, and vice versa…so thank you guys for coming.
I’d just like to take a couple of minutes to elaborate a little bit on what LeeAnn described as my light bulb
moment.
In the 4 years or so that we were neighbors prior to the summer of 2009, I hadn’t really gotten to know Darrin
and LeeAnn all that much beyond the fact that they were your typical good neighbors, raising two young
daughters, always there with a wave hello and a smile, occasionally seeing each other while we were out
doing yard work and such (which Darrin is definitely a lot better at than I am…sorry about the leaves dude).
In fact, the day that Hannah had her accident was probably the first time I had ever just walked into their yard,
and I did so without giving it a second thought. It was obvious at that time that LeeAnn needed help, and
while I wasn’t sure what I could do, I just felt like I needed to be there to offer whatever I could. Thankfully,
there were some other neighbors and a soon to arrive medical crew who were well equipped to help, and
sprung into action quickly.
In the end, after the commotion had settled down, and Hannah was taken off to the hospital, I went home, sat
at the kitchen table, and just sort of tried to take the whole thing in. There were two things that really worked
on my mind for the next week or so. First was my concern for the immediate well being of Hannah, and
hoping she would be OK from her accident. Second was the echo of hearing LeeAnn say that she needed to
bring Hannah’s CF meds to the hospital. I had no idea she had CF.
Well, I’m happy to say that I was able to breathe a sigh of relief when I saw that Hannah had come home and
was on the mend from her injury, but that didn’t stop my concern regarding her CF.
It was at that time that I came to the realization (light bulb moment) that I had the perfect opportunity right in
front of me to actually make a difference in helping her and others like her who struggle with this disease.
It was by pure coincidence that 2009 happened to be the same year that I decided to re-join MVTR after a 15
year absence. I had ridden The Classic a number of times during those 15 years, but I really viewed it
primarily as a great NH Turkey Run that happened to raise money for a cause that I knew very little about. I
paid my entry fee, rode the ride, fixed all the broken bike and body parts, and went on to the next ride, never
thinking much more about it.
Starting with the 2010 Classic, I decided that I was going to try and do a little more, and it was that year that I
signed up for a fundraising web page with the CFF. This decision was based 100% on the fact that I now had
a face to put with the cause…Hannah’s.
I began by sending emails to friends and family, and I successfully used facebook as a tool to reach out to
even more people.
Last year I decided to let Darrin and LeeAnn know that I was doing this, and they gladly helped out by passing
along the link to my fundraising page to the many people that they know who are also passionate about this
cause. One of the actual benefits of modern social networking is that this sort of sharing can spread
exponentially to a lot of people in a pretty short time…It’s like the old shampoo commercial where they told two
friends, who told two friends, and so on, and so on…but now it’s more like they told 200 friends, who told 200
friends, and so on and so on…I may be dating myself a little bit with that one.
Since I started collecting donations for the Classic, I have been very pleasantly surprised at how generous
people can be, and how just a little effort really can make a big difference. I received more donations in 2011
than I did in 2010, and I am hoping to do even better in 2012, but even if I don’t, it feels great just knowing that
the donations I’ve been able to collect in just my first two years amount to more than I would have contributed
on my own through 17 years of simply paying the entry fee alone. And that’s assuming I would even be able
to participate every year…I’m not getting any younger after all.
There’s no denying that there are a lot of very important causes out there these days, and a lot of people who
rely on the funds raised by them to improve their quality of life, but the way I see it, this one is ours. For over
30 years MVTR and the CFF have shared a relationship that does great things for both organizations. When
The Classic has a good year, it’s good for MVTR, it’s good for the sport of off-road motorcycling, and most
importantly it’s good for people like Hannah and her family who are the ultimate beneficiaries of what we do,
which is raise money to find a cure.
Thanks for allowing me this time to share my experience with all of you, and hopefully, if any of you have been
thinking about participating more in the fundraising aspects of this event, this story will help you find some of
the same inspiration that I found by meeting one of the many families that are counting on our support. They
really are closer to you than you might think.
Thanks again, and enjoy the ride.
Tom opened the meeting informing us the Iron Man Award will be presented at June meeting.
Art posted the Fund Raising letter for the Classic last year and will put it up again this year. Lisa thanked the
Phone Bank volunteers. Each member was given a list of past Classic participants to call and remind them
about the event. Tuck finished in just 45 minutes, someone asked if that was just one call
Chip is scouting the Southern Loop and there may be some rerouting done which would exclude
Pawtuckaway Park. JD will do a little rerouting on the Northern Loop. Jay said the Kids Classic enrolment is
low. It seams the kid’s are growing up fast and new group is needed. Dave Mott said the Big Bike Rally will
be on Saturday but they will have lunch with the trail riders. In years past the Rally bikes had there lunch
served at a separate location.
Jason’s NHOHVA Report
New Hampshire Legislator is considering maximum sound levels for road bikes, HB 1442 would require
motorcycles to fall within the following standards
 For all motorcycles, 92 decibels while the engine is operating at idle speed; or
 For motorcycles with less than 3 or more than 4 cylinders, 96 decibels while the engine is operating at
2,000 revolutions per minute or 75 percent of maximum engine speed, whichever is less; or

For 3 and 4 cylinder motorcycles, 100 decibels while the engine is operating at 5,000 revolutions per
minute or 75 percent of maximum engine speed, whichever is less.
NHOHVA is supporting a bill that would require an Atv fitted with snow tracks to register as a snowmobile.
But it does not support SD0366-fn, which would allow OHRV registered in Main and Vermont to use NH trails
without a recuperating agreement. The bill would help north country businesses but the increased use of the
trail system without the out of state revenue would hurt all of us.
The state is also looking into SB250. When the rules to developed the intent was to allow a trail to pas a well
no closer then 400 feet. When the law was passed the 400-foot rule somehow became 4,000 and it has
stayed that way. The SB may change it back to 400’, which would help with the development of new trails.
Vermont has legislation that would NH bikes on their trails but you have to pay for a trail pass and have
insurance.
Hop/Ev
The Grant and Aid applications are ready to go in
Classic
Tuck had the sign up sheets for teck inspection and sweeps, John O’Conner is looking for
people to help with parking Friday night and Saturday mourning.
Ron S.
2 May 2012
May MVTR Meeting
The May MVTR meeting began promptly after the pizza was distributed and most members were
thereby quieted. A command decision was made to hold discussion of all things Classic until after other
business was complete.
OHRVs, RSA 215:39, stickers, etc.
Tom presented a brief history of where we are and how we got here. To summarize (as best I can),
back in 1984 legislation was passed which allowed an OHRV registered trailbike with a Certificate of Origin
and the MVTR “conversion” form (or equivalent) to be registered for road (not interstate) use. This was
intended principally to connect trail sections by road as the most likely bikes to be ‘converted’ were considered
at best less than desirable as ‘street bikes’. Because of this it was not deemed necessary to require the
addition of all the equipment required on a ‘street bike’. Consequently, if you are riding a bike on the road
(public way) and it does NOT have an OHRV sticker, it is required to have full DOT required equipment,
high/low headlight, legal size tail light, directional signals, i.e everything that ‘normal’ street bikes come with.
Conversely, there is no provision in the statute for converting a street bike into a trailbike by removing the DOT
equipment. We were also reminded that in NH we are required to display an OHRV sticker anytime we are
operating off a public way on property other than our own.
Fortunately, if you are registered in an event (the Classic as an example) for which the organizers
have obtained a NH F&G Rally Permit, the OHRV sticker is not required.
Youth Training
The snowmobile clubs have been active in running youth OHRV training but recent years have found
the wheeled community less active in this regard. NH F&G is looking to the NHATV assn. to host more
opportunities. MVTR did have a number of course instructors among the membership, how many remain?
Rumor Control
Having been ‘out of town’ I apparently missed it but there appears to have been a rumor circulating
that MVTR and NETRA have been working against ATVs. While we are primarily a bike club that rumor is
absolutely false. It seems to have begun with an ATV club planning to hold an outing in Devil’s Den on 9 June
2012. It so happens that is the (only) day that the Classic would be routing several hundred bikes through that
area. I have not heard whom it was that suggested that they might want to choose a different date but that
suggestion was the seed from which the rumor grew.
As mentioned we are predominately a bike club (with members riding any and everything from 3 and 4
wheelers to snowmobiles and jet skis) but in the not so distant past MVTR hosted a couple of winter ‘enduros’
in Bear Brook which included bikes, snowmobiles and ATVs … on the same course, at the same time. It was
before “my time” and I don’t want to even think about the logistics of making that work but it does help illustrate
that we are supportive of trail riding in any flavor.
40 Years!
th
This is MVTR’s 40 year as a club (hmm, I was just a teenager then). Tuck did a pretty good job of
pretending not to notice when Tom suggested that perhaps we should have a club historian to try and get
some information collected (while it is still available). A display of memorabilia may be in our future, definitely
some logistics to be worked out.
Recent Rides
The Concrete Highway trail ride was described as much improved though shorter at 43 miles, some
‘found’ a few more miles to better fill the day. When 375 riders showed up for the J-Day race sign-ups didn’t
run quite as smoothly as in the past. Success has it’s price! The short course was said to be dusty. Tonight’s
pre-meeting ride was judged to be a success, getting in about 20 miles with no one lost, drowned or arrested.
Hop-Ev
The trails in the Hop-Ev Flood Control Area will not be opening early. The area is managed by the NH
rd
Bureau of Trails but owned by the federal government, by contract the trails open on or after the 23 of May
each year.
The Classic
The Trail Bosses present offered up progress reports: Chip said that the Southern Loop will be pretty
much unchanged up to the Lunch Stop. He is looking at substantial alteration to the afternoon route but does
not have it ‘pinned down’ quite yet. The Rally Permit application is turned in. JD told us that most of the
Northern Loop has been ridden other than Devil’s Den. He plans to be out on the trails every Sunday from
Mother’s Day on and is looking for Pre and Sweep riders to get out with him to learn the route. According to
Matt the sign-up is off to a slow start for the Kid’s Classic with only 6 so far (just a few years back this would
th
‘sell out’, what has changed?). There will be a Pre and Sweep rider ‘pre-ride on the 20 from Bergeron’s. As
always, additional ‘adult’ riders are welcome to chaperone the event.
Doesn’t Fit Elsewhere
Jean-Marie is hosting a benefit enduro to raise $$$ for breast cancer in New Brunswick in June. With some
luck I will get the flyer attached to this summary.
Anyone who has found out that the soles of their Alpinestar boots wore out long before the boots
might want to know that Sidi soles can be sewn on by United Shoe (Main St. in Concord).
Bruce
Did you know New Hampshire has three extinct volcanoes, and this year MVTR may ride
through all of them? New Hampshire was a far different place in the past, when the White Mountains
and the whole Appalachian Range rivaled today's Rockies in size and height. Over millions of years
the great mountains have eroded away leaving the hard volcanic base.
The smallest crater, the Pawtuckaway
volcano was active 100-130 million years
ago. The southern loop of The Classic
passes through Pawtuckaway State Park,
where the mountains form a ring
approximately 1-1/2 miles in diameter
outlining the crater with its central peak.
The northern loop of The Classic passes
by the next largest volcanic crater, the
Belknap Range in Gilford and Gilmanton.
The Belknap volcano was active
approximately 100 million years ago.
Today's mountains form a semicircle
approximately 7-1/2 miles in diameter
around the crater. The northern half of the
crater is now under the central portion of
Lake Winnipesoggy.
This fall the route Luis is laying out for the
Mountain View Turkey Run may run
through the largest volcanic feature, the
Ossipee Caldera. This feature is world
famous amongst geologists. 200 million
years ago the volcano exploded with an
estimated force 10 times that of the 1980
Mount Ste. Helens explosion; H-bomb
force. With the top of the volcano blown
off, the magna chamber collapsed into a
hemispherical crater called a caldera.
Today the crater is surrounded with a
perfect circle of mountains 20 miles in
diameter. It is so big it isn't obvious to
most observers that it is a volcanic crater.
The Sandwich Range is the northern part
of the ring, the Ossipees are the east,
Plymouth in the west, and the Squam
Range to the south.
New Hampshire has a diverse wealth of
geology. Gems have been, and still are
mined commercially. The Ammonoosic
River is panned for gold. Keep your eyes
open during your next faceplant. John
Mesick
TRAIL ADMINISTRTERS REPORT
2012 MVTR Projects at Hop-Ev
MVTR has several projects planned for the 2012 Hop-Ev maintenance season.
The Hop-Ev projects planned for 2012 are…
Install railings on River Loop Trail “Bridge Too Far” to complete its reconstruction.
 Railings on the Stark Pond Trail “Long Bridge” need repair.
 Stark Pond Trail has a swill hole that needs repair.
 Hang Glider Hill Trail has a section that needs resurfacing.
 Hang Glider Hill Trail has a trail that needs some railings installed.
 Sugar Hill Trail has some gullies on uphill sections that need filling.
 Maintenance of signage is a task that never ends.
A work party is scheduled for Saturday May 19th to prepare for the season opening on May 23rd.
The Bureau of Trails (BOT) usually performs some maintenance on the trails where quads
are permitted; and gives us a “to do” list for what remains. Tasks include clearing debris from
some trail section and clearing any downed trees on the single track trails.
 The main purpose of the work party is to maintain the River Loop and BT trails; typically

clearing face-slappers and down trees.
We are in the process of obtaining a permission letter from BOT to use the club 4-wheeler

and volunteer’s trail bikes as necessary for the work party. Riders need to have the chops to
ride the River Loop
BOT may need the names of the people bringing trail bikes in advance. If you plan on

bringing a trail bike contact John Mesick at [email protected]. Per the Bureau of Trails,
this cannot be a trail ride for the purpose of inspecting the trails. All volunteers must be
working on trail clearing and repairs, not just riding.
We will be working in teams of two: One carrying a chain saw, the other loppers. For our
safety, the Bureau of Trails wants our chain saw operators to have a buddy, chain saw
chaps, and eye protection; which will be provided by
MVTR.
This spring we would also like to have a trash pickup day –
Date to be determined, watch the MVTR Facebook page.
Usually this is in the fall, but we didn’t get to it last year.
Hi guys,
Lawn rakes are most efficient for the parking lot.
Jean
Breautrash
is a Canadian
MVTR
Hebring
helps
 Marie
Roadside
is best picked
upmember.
by hand –
out withgloves.
the Classic, brings friends to ride the Rocky and
SeaCoast
winter
events,
is part
of the
New England
Rough
 Tucker
has
graciously
again
accepted
the task
of
Rider
Colorado
500
crew.
Jean
is
involved
with
Breast
bringing trash to the dump. John Mesick/ Brian Harjula
Cancer
Fundraiser Survival Enduro.
BrianHarjula
He and his wife Suzanne, the Tuckers, Murrays and
Levesuqes have gone to several ISDEs together. they're
great folks. The Canadian events that MVTR had attended
in years past were a lot of fun. Let's help Jean and give us
Yankees something new to consider.
The enduro will be held on June 30th in Portage Vale NB
Contact
J-M Breau 506-389-2010
[email protected]
www.dualsport.ca
th
75 Anniversary of the Sandy Lane Enduro
So we decided sitting around one late Friday night, “Wow wouldn’t it be great to go down and check
out the Sandy Lane!” Hmmmmm what would it be like? I have heard that the trees are so close your
knuckles bleed from the bars hitting them. Being winter, or a so called winter, we both looked at
each other and said “Let’s do it!!”
Sand, and no rocks… a piece of cake… right? This won’t
be bad, but they don’t call it an “Enduro” for nothing.
Racing through the woods for 80 of miles in pursuit of
checkpoints and that elusive free beer at the finish line.
What a great way to end a Famous ride.
The weekend marked the 75th running of the 79-year-old
Meteor Motorcycle Club’s “Sandy Lane” Enduro and the
Meteor Motorcycle Club had three generations worth of
motorcycle history on display to accompany their
anniversary ride through Wharton State Forest.
“It’s challenging on all fronts. Having the physical fitness to
finish and the dexterity for five and-a-half, six hours of
riding,” said Jeff Fitzpatrick, Meteor Motorcycle Club
president, “of attempting, let alone completing, an Enduro”.
So it started out… First I must change the winter tires
(Friction Spikes Trellis) on Sarah's bike and mine. Four of
these babies should be a nice work out to get ready for the
race. Next is changing the jetting on the 2-stroke KTM. I
changed it from winter jetting to spring Jetting. Those
mice sure liked the new air box on the 2012 200 XCW.
Next, get the time keeping watches and equipment
mounted and make sure both bikes will pass the sound
Sarah and Bruce continued their
ridged training program right up to
the start of the race
test. New packing on the 4 stroke and
installed an Enduro Engineering spark
arrester end cap on the 200 XCW.
We have not been to New Jersey before for
a vacation, so it just seemed odd that we
were going to do an Enduro. All that I have
ever experienced about New Jersey is
seeing all the huge gas tanks, corporate
offices, and various sights that can be seen
from the highway driving to Pennsylvania.
So we arrived at the ride early on Saturday
so we could check out the 75th year
celebration. John Penton was present and
Enduro time keeping made easy over the years.
signing autographs, and the club had 75
years worth of motorcycle Enduro history on
display.
Historical displays, vintage motorcycles, photographs from past to present and other key items
pertaining to the sport. The Meteor guys really went out of their way to make sure this was an
event that any who attended, would not forget. I just could not get over how nice they were.
Two Meteor members on separate occasions approached us out of the blue. “Just wanted to
make sure your weekend is fun. And thank you for celebrating the 75th with us!” Said Meteor
members. We knew how happy they were for all there to be celebrating this ride with them.
Of course when we told them that it was our first trip and Sarah’s first Enduro, man did they
get excited. You could just feel the love for this event hanging around all those vintage race
machines. Just seeing the bikes and time keeping gear really put a perspective on how far the
sport has come.
Meteor MC was founded in 1928 and ran its first Enduro in 1934. The layout of the Lane has
changed but the pine trees and cranberry bogs have borne witness to it all, less some years
during World War II when they had to cancel, but it is still alive today and well! The trees were
very tight and at times, I just could not believe how long some of the special test sections were.
It was like being inside a giant video game… what a blast!
What a great weekend and a super ride. After
reading many posts online about how Enduro and
time keeping is dead? What? The event attracted
535 riders. All that I talked with, just love the time
keeping. I think the Meteor’s did a great job with
the time keeping. Enduro is not dead and I think
the time keeping format is alive and well. The
tradition is just way too fun to simply pass it on to
a hare Scramble format (Known Controls). Sarah
did her first adult Enduro and finished second. She
just did basic time keeping and followed the route
sheet, not too bad for her first race. We also found
out what a small world it is. I had been talking
with Ed on NEDB (New England Dirt bikes) about
the ride with a few questions. We went back and
forth etc…. When parking we learned that Ed Fetz
and crew from New York parked next to us. Wow,
what a small world. Congratulations Ed on your
fine ride in the pines and nice trophy too! These
fine folks did the ICE BOX ride this year and were
proud to represent MVTR down in New Jersey. It
was nice to see Mike Suriani riding in his old
stomping ground and some great pictures on
NETRA Photo’s. We also passed Art Pepin and Jeff Daigle when arriving at the Howard Johnson’s
on Saturday night.
Ed Fetz and Sarah show off their reward
for hard days work.
Can’t wait until next years 76th Sandy Lane Enduro!!
Bruce Starer
More Help Needed
Thanks to the members who contributed to the newsletter. I am looking forward to see what other members send in and
please don’t let facts get in the way of a good story. Any riding story, bike repair tale or hints, equipment review or
suggestion, whatever you can share will benefit all of the members. Please keep the stories coming. Mail or e-mail your
newsletter contribution to me:
Ron Sousa
[email protected]
14 Herrrick Circle
Pelham NH 03076
MVTR President:
Tom Levesque
[email protected]
The Hery girls had a great day at
the NETRA Banquet. Chelsea
(above) winning a $1,000
scholarship and Stacey (below)
with her Hare Scramble Mini Girls
Champions Trophy.
The Rocky also
did well at the
banquet. Tami
Previ with the
Best Pee Wee
Event and
Lynne
Anthony
holding the
award for the
Best Junior
Enduro.
2012 NETRA HARE SCARMBLE PIT PERSON AWARD
(The following submittal was personally presented to the NETRA Competition Committee
for consideration and again presented at the NETRA Annual Awards Banquet.)
By Ms. Stacey Hery
I am writing to nominate this person for the Pit Person
Award for 2011.
I think he should get this award because he helps everyone
no matter if he knows them or not. He may not always be
right in the pit area but he is always somewhere on the trail
to help out riders in the tough spots. He walks the whole
course of every race and if he comes across someone stuck,
hurt, broken down, or just discouraged, he helps and
supports them to get back out there to finish the race or
even a lap.
He is also at every Pee Wee event helping with whatever is
needed, and if they don’t need him he will walk the track
and find a tough spot to help the kids get through.
He has been a AA rider for the past few years and yet he is always at youth events for support for the
kids and clubs. He races the AA on Sunday, but he camps over almost every race on Friday to be there
for the Pee Wee races and Junior Enduro events. He’s always there to lend a helping hand. I nominated
this person for the Pit Person Award and the Competition Committee voted to accept this person:
Shawn Levesque please come forward!
(Editor’s note: Ms Hery is a youth competitor in the NETRA Jr. Enduro and Hare Scramble Series. )
Following The Dream
A few years ago I decided I was going to work toward the goal of racing the
Dakar rally. This is what got me into trail riding and enduros all as a way to
build the skills I would need to get me to the Dakar. What I still needed was
some experience with racing in the desert and with an event that was in a rally
format like the Dakar. Last December I heard that the Mexican 1000, a race
that had previously been limited to vintage pre-1985 vehicles, was going to
open up to modern bikes this year.
The organizers of the race have two objectives, relive some of the old glory
days of the Baja 1000 (which was originally named the Mexican 1000) and start
an FIM style cross-country stage rally in North America. The rally is run very
similar to international cross-country rallies such as the Dakar. Each day is
broken up into special stages (the racing part) and transit stages (just get from
point A to B on public roads within a specified amount of time). While they do
provide a GPS track of the course they also provide a Dakar style road book for
navigation.
MVTR member
Doug Chapman
The race starts in Mexicali at the northern end of the Baja peninsula and finishes
4 days and around 1200 miles later in San Jose Del Cabo on the southern tip of Baja. We will be riding just
under 400 miles on each of the first two days, 300 on day 3, and finish up with a short day of around 160 miles
on day 4. The terrain varies from very fast dry lake beds, to rocky mountain passes.
My goals for this race are simple. Get some experience riding in the desert, get some practice navigating by
the roadbook, finish the race and avoid time penalties (which mostly means do not miss any checkpoints or
check into a stage start too early or too late). If I can manage that I will not be last. If I manage to actually be
faster than other guys that is a bonus.
The race starts on April 29th and finishes on May 2nd. I hope to be able to
post some updates during the race on facebook and on my blog:
http://www.dakardream.net/. I will be carrying a “Spot” tracker which will
allow you to see where I am in near real-time. The link to the Spot page
will be posted on the blog closer to race time.
I will be riding a 2004 DRZ400. It may not be the lightest or the fastest, but
it is cheap and reliable. I have been doing some extensive customization to
the bike to turn it into more of a proper “rally bike” including a frame
mounted front
subframe that mounts
my lights and
navigation gear as
well as a custom
fiberglass faring.
Other upgrades
include a Scotts
steering damper,
suspension rebuild
and re-valved by
Factory Connection and 4 gallon IMS tank which will
be critical for some of the longer stages. As far as
performance I have left the bike mostly stock except for
installing an FMF exhaust and re-jetting the carb. I
have plans to do more performance upgrades in the
future however I want to leave it stock and reliable for
this race
The race starts on April 29th and finishes on May 2nd. I
hope to be able to post some updates during the race on
facebook and on my blog: http://www.dakardream.net/. I will be carrying a “Spot” tracker which will allow
you to see where I am in near real-time. The link to the Spot page will be posted on the blog closer to race
time.
Doug Chapman
Fabricating the GPS and
light tower
US Senate votes to preserve Recreational Trails Program (RTP)
The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) reports that the Senate had voted on March 14th
to continue funding the program with $6 million through 30 September 2013. In December of
2011 a Senate subcommittee voted unanimously to kill the program. The AMA initiated a drive
to save the program where members could download a form letter to mail their senators.
The federal government collects a fuel tax of $0.184 on each gallon of gasoline, and $0.244/
gallon of diesel. Most of the money is spent of roads and bridges. Motorized off-road vehicles
pay this fuel tax without the benefit of using these roads and bridges.
RTP money is spent of both motorized and non-motorized trails. Last year MVTR received no
RTP funds to help maintain the Hopkinton-Everett Riding Area; but over the past several years
it has received in excess of $10,000. John Mesick
The Merrimack Valley Trail Rider
“Dedicated to the Safe and Responsible Enjoyment of the Sport”
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
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Donation to NH OHRV Legal Defense Fund
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Mail completed application and dues to:
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.
MVTR
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Londonderry, NH
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