Green Mountain Gravel
When I began riding in 1990, Vermont was at the heart of my rapidly growing love affair with the sport. From my family’s modest vacation home in Peru, weekends were spent as often as possible exploring the roads that connect the villages of Dorset and Manchester with Pawlet, Poultney, Wells and Danby; Grafton, Chester and Bellows Falls; and the covered bridges near Arlington. The north/south roads snaked their way through the valleys, while the east-west routes, far less traveled, humped their way over the southern mountains. Rupert, Terrible, Wallingford, Equinox to name a few that became regular climbs of my training ground. Fast forward to the late 90’s and there was the steep grade of the Brandon Pass up north and the twisting back roads of the Saab Road Race that went from Clarendon through East Wallingford before hitting the edge of Tyson Lake and the infamous back side of the Killington access road as part of the brutal 3-day Killington Stage Race. But as my cycling endeavors changed, the joy of Vermont began to wane- no longer were my weekends spent riding with my father and family friends- life took its toll on both- I began to take a different look at the neighborhoods that were too familiar in order to reinvigorate my riding and keep that love affair alive. Read More
