News - Rides/Hikes/Events

Ascutney Trails main network (a few years ago - many more miles since) When’ve I gotta drive To arrive at 5:45? Leaving at beer-thirty Would get me there too early If I left at 4:20 I’d get there With time aplenty But I’m not holding any And, why should I care? If it’s 5 o’clock somewhere I should be on a bar stool Or my comfy armchair Well, it’s not Thirsty Thursday Or TGI Friday It may be Wine o’clock But it’s the Tuesday Night Ride day So why did we decide That ‘stead of

6/30/2026 One bit of wisdom I heard from my mother She’d say, “One good turn deserves another” Don’t know what her term “turn” may stand for - The spins and the dips that she did on the dance floor? What other turns did she deserve? Being quite ladylike, She was never on skis, and she didn’t ever mountain bike As for us, this week, we’ll earn turns with ease Spinning our wheels as we dance through the trees We’ll be riding Mt. Peg, from 1489 South Rd. (Route 106, Woodstock).

Who's a good boy? 6/27/2026 For nearly seven years He was a very good boy He was a very good boy with us on the trails Rarely bothered our bikes When we’d ride Tuesday Nights Wherever we rolled When he was eight years old Now he’s nine years old And still a very good boy Still a very good boy, but not on long rides When too hot or too fast Gets too tired, can’t last Sad, so soon, but it’s clear He’s had some very good years Benny and I will meet with you all at the WW Town Fo

6/16/2026 Had a bad day? This never fails: Dismiss the dismay Get out on the trails I know what you like Don’t try to hide it Hop on your bike Then ride it Don’t know where, when, Or, what to do? Come join us, then - The TNR crew Roll Tuesday at six From AOC Come get your fix Try it, you’ll see AOC is the Ascutney Outdoors Center at 449 Ski Tow Rd., Brownsville, VT. We gather at 5:45, roll out at 6:00 in groups. Subscribe to TNR to receive weekly emails: tuesday-night-ride-

6/9/2026 Leaves are all out Flowers are pretty That’s stuff you’ve heard about So it’s really a pity With no news in the forest For me to talk about All I’ve left to explore is This week’s ride or walk-about Which I would gladly do But therein’s the rub I’ve no details for you Unless you’re in the club As a favor to our host When we ride private trails Location’s not n the post It’s sent in member emails Or become a member of the Ascutney Trails Association chapter of Vermont

6/2/2025 It’s been a hard Tuesday night And I’ve been biking with my dog It’s been a hard ride night And I just tumbled o’er a log But when I think of the joy That biking brings to this boy You know I feel alright You know I work all day To make the money to buy some wheels And it’s worth it just because of the way That mountain biking makes me feel So why on earth should I wail? ‘Cause when I’m out on the trail, You know, I feel okay When I bike Everything seems to be right

Tuesday Night Ride 5/26/26 I have no need to search for greener pastures My field’s blades sport a brighter shade of jade And it looks pretty green as I pedal past yours Emerald glow in the sun, barely fades in the shade And the leaves aren’t really that far behind Many hues are on view in the trees Plus blossoms (and pollens) of every kind (Which is nothing, at which to sneeze) And the dandelions, abuzz with busy bees So let’s see what may be beneath these trees, As we ride

5/19/2026 When your final destination Was your point of embarkation Mountain biking is not Transportation Dispense with the notion That this mode of motion Is Transit It’s transcendental transformation Bikes ascend and descend It’s not a means to an end The means, itself, is really the meaning You can ask anyone But, when all’s said and done, Getting there is ALL of the fun Back to the mountain! Meet Tuesday at AOC trailhead (449 Ski Tow Rd.) at 5:45. We roll out at 6:00. Do

5/12/2026 TNR Who wants to go for a ride on the trails? Me! Me! Me! Who’s gonna pay to maintain all those trails? He! They! She! No way that only they should pay for us to play. Who will lose, if we refuse to pay our dues? We! We! We! This Tuesday is a members-only, off-mountain ride on private trails. Dues-paying ATA members will receive an email Monday with details about the ride. Not too late to join: https://vmba.org/join/ Be sure to select Ascutney Trails A

5/5/2026 We’re getting together to ride our forest course Touted by many as a great “tour de force” (Which sounds either Jedi or one to avoid) No, this is a tour that we have often enjoyed We’ll meet in the lot at the end of Coaching Lane Discuss routes for A’s and B’s, explain the terrain Each group will ride off in one of those directions Making sure the ones behind don’t miss the intersections We’ll roam the home loam and roll Ascutney’s rocks Fast and slow, bumps and flow

4/28/2026 We are ready for some trails Are they ready for us? Are any raked and cleaned And more than just "alright?" Can we get to them without a train or plane or on a bus? Yes, the best is ready and it’s right here for us So let’s ride upon those trails this very Tuesday night. Meet at the Ascutney Outdoors Center trailhead at 5:45. By six we’ll have split into groups according to ability and intensity, and head out on a ride of about 2 hours.

We’ve had as much winter as we can bear It had almost worn out my soul Now, we have spring - in our step and in the air We are ready and rarin’ to roll! (And by “roll”, I don’t mean to bowl Though, here’s something that’s just up your alley:) Tuesday’s the first TNR Of the two thousand twenty-six edition A well-worn route which we all will follow On a gravel ride, as is the tradition From the tavern that is in Skunk Hollow We’ll ride till we’re tired We’ll ride till it hurts

12/02/2025 See ya next spring.

11/25/2025 Couldn’t decide Just where to ride, So, I took it to a higher authority I decided to solicit A famous mystic A strange thing to do, most assuredly Trying to make a call Stuck behind the eight ball I asked, “Tell me, would this ride be best?” After shaking a bald head All that it said Was this message: “Signs point to yes” Concerned with the cost Of getting totally lost I went to another authority The guy was a Wiz But, his advice was just this, In toto: “Don’t foll

Sweet Ride & Post-Ride 11/18/2025 I won’t sugar coat it, Not all trails are a piece of cake Some are in mint condition Some unraked and half-baked Could be a rocky road Could be smooth as butter Trails come in all flavors, Not just plain-vanilla, cookie-cutter They could be delicious, vicious Crumby, yummy, or sweet! This week’s should be a picnic You are in for a treat Check the weather for Tuesday See what’s on our plate Bitter cold, moist, or crisp? We can surely acclimate

11/11/2025 Tuesday’s eleven eleven Sounds like a lucky one We’ll be rollin’ on the mountain Riding there and having fun It’s my intention, here, to mention This weekend, Ascutney’s done Closed down then for deer huntin’ But, we’ve had a decent run Better count on getting out on Mountain trails for this last one Next week, if you’re around then We’ll go elsewhere for our fun Meet at 5:45 at the AOC, 449 Ski Tow Rd.

Last Tuesday 5:45 (before return to Standard Time) 11/4/2025 Once upon a night ride, Tuesday, as the group was ‘bout to lose me Group of fellow mountain bikers, whom I rode with, times before Thought I, as the trail turned muddy, very rocky, rooty, rutty, “Best I shred this tread quite lightly, lest I exit, bruised and sore" Bounced and jounced, I lost my grip on handlebars, I tumbled o’er Landing on the forest floor While bumps and jumps will surely pump me, next I know, a s

10/28/2025 Every week Gets a little colder Old Man Winter’s Tapping on your shoulder Do it, do it now, don’t let it slide Gotta get up Get out Get it going ‘Fore you know it, It’s gonna be snowing Only gonna be a few more Tuesday Rides Got lights charged Your bike is on the rack It’s ready — lubed and pumped Even brought a snack Just gotta head out for the mountainside Great! So we’ll see you at AOC trailhead at 5:45.

TNR on leaf-blown trails 10/21/2025 Lovely leaves adorned the trees With brilliant colors so spectacular If they’d stayed right there, I’d needn’t swear But on bike trails, in particular I have often rudely spewed the crude vernacular When near-defoliation Precedes precipitation The leaves get wet And we’re beset With riding Turned to sliding That threatens my annihilation It’s my belief We’ve found relief And need not fault The fallen leaf For fomenting so much of our frustr

10/14/2025 Are trails too leaf-hidden to be safely ridden? Funny, that you should ask. Drought, freeze and a breeze left them littered...