Mid Summer Rides Recap

The weather this month has been a bit of a mixed bag...  100+ degrees with humidity, big thunderstorms, and some glorious sunny days. We rode through it all and lived to tell the tale. Let's highlight some of the top rides from July!

FRIDAY NIGHT GROUP RIDES

Electric Fridays have been a hit! We've been mixing up the routes to keep things interesting! Some nights we rally as many of Ride NOCO's trails as possible and respectfully slap berms. Other nights we've tagged a hurricane lap and then embarked on some adventures across the Black Cap Connector towards Redstone. With the help of eMTBs, the groups have been averaging approximately 15 miles and 3000-4000ft of climbing and descent. There's no better way to cap off a long week of work! Reach out to us to reserve a rental if you're interested in joining and don't have an eMtb of your own. Follow us on instagram to stay up to date on start times! We're currently rolling out of the shop at 5:30 pm, but may adjust as the days get shorter.

WHITEHORSE -> CATHEDRAL

One of the best link ups in the valley in our opinion. We started from our car parked at the bottom of Cathedral and pedaled through the woods near Echo Lake and over to Samuel Hale Drive. Continued up this street to Moat Lane, then Boulder Ridge, and eventually to Overlook Drive. On the left side of the street we ducked into a trail that connects right to Stony Ridge. We pedaled hard and slow all the way up Stony Ridge to the top of Whitehorse. From here, we took Red Ridge Link down to fireroad 379 and traversed to Cathedral Ledge Rd. We climbed a few hundred feet to the scenic Cathedral Ledge and then dropped in and ripped down Half Day right to our car. A quickish ride with two really fun descents and some engaging climbing at the start! It was hot so we took a dip in the river at first bridge after.

NORTH MOAT

Perhaps the crown jewel of tech; smack dab in the middle of the valley. During a stretch of 90+ degree days and humidity visible to the naked eye, we made sure to get an early start. Starting from Diana's Bath we stayed on Moat Mountain Trail all the way to the summit. This one makes you earn it! After pedaling a mile or two with little elevation gain, it gets right to the point and goes straight up the mountain. Right about 3000 feet of climbing all said and done. Bountiful blueberries kept spirits high and prolonged our climb, but sometimes it's worth it to stop and smell the roses on a beautiful day (we needed the breaks anyway). Once at the top, we took a few minutes to take in the 360 view and get ready for the good part. I like to think of the steep climb as paying the toll for a ridiculously good descent. 3000 feet of slab, chunk, loam, and some quite technical maneuvers makes for lots of hootin and hollerin! After we got down we took a few minutes to relish in the day at Diana's Bath with a little soak. I think we earned it!

POTASH

A really fun and lesser known hike-a-bike, Potash Mountain. Leaving from the Downes Brook trailhead off the Kancamagus Highway, Potash Mountain Trail splits diverges from the Downes Brook Trail about a quarter mile in. After one quick river crossing, the trail cuts to the chase and climbs rather quickly to the summit without being aggressively steep. About halfway up there is a gorgeous lookout offering dreamy views of Mount Passaconaway. This descent does have one tough little boulder field that we haven't quite pieced together yet, but its pretty short and doesn't take away from the ride. Otherwise the trail holds tons of slab, roots, and some slithery little rock gardens. The bottom section turns to some choice loam with some fun corners. If you've been itching for an adventure with about 1500 ft of gain/descent, put this on your list!

We were blessed with a cute summit dog

As always, #ridethewhites