GBNEMBA 2012 Wednesday Night PYT Ride Series

Starts April 18th. Ends September 12th.

What is the Fells Wednesday Night PYT Ride?
What is a "PYT" ride??? PYT stands for Practice Your Technique. It is a ride where we go out and practice our technique or skills. It will usually start with a short talk about what we know and what we want to learn and then go for bit of a warmup ride and then we'll find a couple places to try skills such as skinnies or log rolls/hops and practice them until we are more comfortable. This ride is great for beginner mountain bikers or even experienced riders, and meets every Wednesday (you don’t say!) night starting in April at the Fells and continues through the season, usually into October. Come out and learn something new or get better at something you are rusty on - and maybe meet some fellow riders to ride with in the future.

What happened to the Fells Wednesday Night Womens Specific PYT Ride?
We are not doing this format this year (2012). All the Wednesday Night PYT rides are coed. However, we did start a women-only ride series: RIDE LIKE A GIRL! This series runs monthly until September and is being taught by three awesome women riders & racers: Karen Eagan, Alexis Wruble and Kate Walton. More info here

When and Where?
We meet at the Flynn Rink parking lot and ride at 6:00pm. Keep an eye on our website - www.gbnemba.org - we update the homepage regularly with the ride times if they change (sometimes a little later in the middle of summer). Also, in case of threatening weather we may cancel and that will be on the homepage. Directions to the Flynn Rink – this will get you real close (just go another 100 yards north on Woodland Road and turn left throught the median into the parking lot): DIRECTIONS

Who can go?
These rides are open to anyone who is interested in a fun evening ride, as well as current and prospective NEMBA members. All riders must be fit enough to handle strenuous activity for about 1.5-2 hours. Riders should bring a serviceable mountain bike, be over 18, have water and must wear a helmet. Remember that mountain biking may be an exhilarating sport, but it is also dangerous. Know your limits and don't take unnecessary chances. NEMBA assumes no liability...

So what's the ride like?
What you will first notice is our volunteer Ride Guides, who break off with small groups of riders with similar skills and pace and lead a fun and appropriate ride through the woods. We always need more Ride Guides, so if you know your way around the Fells and would like to volunteer, let Tim know.

We also use sweepers who are generally used to riding with certain leaders and know their routes. We always need sweepers, too, so if you would like to volunteer, let Tim know. It is the teamwork between these two folks that keeps a group together and having fun.

Some ride leaders also use a clever method to keep a group together and moving at the same time. It is a technique borrowed from the good folks at VORBA and entails having the first rider behind the leader stop at a trail intersection to wave the rest of the riders through until he or she sees the sweeper and is only then able to resume riding.

The ride itself depends on the ride leader, but typical terrain in the Fells is rocky, gravelly and rooty. There are hills, but mostly short and usually somewhat steep. There are no long grinding climbs. Most of the terrain is suitable to novice and intermediate riders. Expert riders will only be challenged by distance and pace.

About the Fells
Riding in the Fells is becoming more of an issue to all users and park managers. It is a privilege we do not want to abuse, so please be sensitive to the issues, such as soil/trail preservation, park hours, and the tranquility and safety of fellow users and park regulations.

Best practices include:

Thanks for keeping it cool.

Rain Policy
If it is cloudy, threatening, misty, sprinkling - we ride. If it is pouring down rain - we cancel...but check the website to be sure! We’ll try to post on the NEMBA Forum as well.

See you out there!