New England loops. A great trail to dice with your buddies and see who's got the guts to keep the right hand twisted. At the gas stop, a great display of NETRA camaraderie was seen. Riders who came to the event without a gas can were helped by those who had and the club provided some back-up gas as well. Del's Frozen Lemonade was available for all for free along with fruit, snacks, and water.
A couple sections after gas came my favorite part of the day. Pretty sure I remember it being a hare scramble loop years ago... On one side of the road we dropped into an apple orchard and just twisted it as hard as we dared on some swooping, wide trails around the perimeter of the trees on what felt like an old-school European MX track. It was only a couple minutes of riding but it was the perfect break from the classic NE terrain of the rest of the ride. We crossed the road and got more flow: uphills, descents, bermed corners, roots, rocks, whoops. When we got back to the road crossing smiles were on every single face in our group!
If you've never done a turkey run or an enduro, here's a quick synopsis of what makes them my favorite. You only cross each piece of ground once per day. In this way, these rides are totally different from other forms of riding/racing. Imagine doing more than 50 miles of trail and around every corner is something new, something awesome, something fun, something challenging!
More flowing trail sections with classic NE terrain followed and we got to the end just as most guys were getting tired: just over 60 total miles. There was one last surprise, though. The Hoots laid out a short, gnarly trials section at the end for those who dared. A couple guys cleaned the section but most made loud noises with their foot pegs, bar ends, and clutch covers. Admittedly, I just spectated this section. Kudos the the two or three guys who made it look easy!
Back at the trucks, a heaping lunch of pasta with meat sauce was ready for the hungry riders and Del's was back with more frozen lemonade! All in all, a great day in the saddle and a great example of what makes NETRA great!
If you don't have a street plate for your bike yet, get one! If you had a great time at this turkey run, you should also be doing NETRA's enduros. Same terrain with the added interest of time-keeping and friendly competition with your buddies.
See you at the next one!