The Mad River Riders installed two benches donated by Cabot Creamery Cooperative at the American Flatbread Revolution trailhead this week. The benches are the result of a collaboration between the Vermont Mountain Bike Association, Mad River Riders, Cabot, the Vermont Wood Works Council, Vermont Fresh Network and Lareau Farm/American Flatbread in recognition of the partners' work to steward and grow the Mad River Riders' 50-plus-mile multi-use trail system in the Mad River Valley and of Cabot's 100-year anniversary of family farming and cheese production. Designed and built by Timo Bradley from Timber Homes, the stone and wood benches grace the backyard play field and trailhead areas for use by all visitors to Lareau Farm, American Flatbread and the Revolution trailhead.
The Mad River Riders earned a $25,000 Cabot Centennial grant in 2019 in support of their work to enhance four-season recreation in the Mad River Valley. Based on trail counter data, the Mad River Riders logs about 80,000 visits to their trail network annually and contribute some $4 million to the local economy.
In 2019, the Mad River Riders built and opened Swell Hill, a new 1.2-mile intermediate route to better connect the Lincoln Peak and Eurich Pond areas to the core network in Chase Brook Town Forest, Marble Hill Farm and Camel's Hump State Forest. The new and nearly complete 2-mile Evolution II trail further improves these connections with a fully intermediate route from the Camel's Hump State Forest trailhead on Tucker Hill Road all the way down to the Revolution trailhead at American Flatbread.
The Mad River Riders is the founding chapter of the Vermont Mountain Bike Association, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to building fun, sustainable, multiuse trails for all abilities. For trail maps and information visit madriverriders.com and vmba.org.
