Vermont Business Magazine As the 2021 mountain bike season comes to an end, the Vermont Mountain Bike Association has just announced the recipients of their annual naming grants, highlighting some of the new trails we can expect to see in 2022. One of these naming grants is going to Richmond Mountain Trails (RMT) to launch a new trail network, “The Driving Range”, located off route 2 in Bolton. The network is named for the driving range that was once at the base of the property. The grant is provided by local solar installer SunCommon, covering roughly half of the anticipated costs of the first uphill and first downhill on the property.
Summarized in the grant proposal prepared by RMT, the goals of this trail build are to anchor the new network and to set a new standard of inclusive trail building in Vermont by making the trails adaptive-cyclist friendly. While there are over 1000 miles of single track bike trails in Vermont, on the very large majority of those trails, bridges are too narrow, and trails are not wide enough or contain obstacles making them inaccessible to riders on adaptive bikes.
“We are thrilled to work with SunCommon to develop an adaptive-friendly trail network at the Driving Range,” said Berne Broudy, RMT board member. “The trails will be fun for riders used to the challenges of Perry Hill and Cochrans, but also welcoming to adaptive riders. We hope the network will be a model for other trails organizations both in Vermont and nationally.”
Richmond and Waterbury, Vermont trails have seen exponential growth in traffic in the past several years, and with the COVID-19 pandemic, trail use has again increased. By expanding the trail network to Bolton, RMT hopes to give riders more options. The new network will also be a link in the Velomont Trail, a length-of-Vermont multiuse trail that is currently under construction.
In building trails on the Driving Range, RMT will also demonstrate how trails can exist cooperatively and collaboratively with agricultural uses of the land. The Driving Range is part of a commercial sugaring operation.
Learn more at Richmond Mountain Trails’ facebook page or on Instgram @richmondmountaintrails.
About Richmond Mountain Trails
Richmond Mountain Trails is a 501-c-3 non-profit trails organization and a chapter of Vermont Mountain Bike Association. Support our efforts by joining VMBA, and choosing Richmond Mountain Trails as a one of your chapters. We also welcome direct donations.
About SunCommon
SunCommon, a division of iSun, is a market solution to climate change with a purpose beyond profit. As Vermont’s largest solar provider and a NYSERDA Quality Installer in the Hudson Valley and Capital Region of New York, we believe that everyone has the right to a healthy environment and brighter future – and renewable energy is where it starts. SunCommon is a Certified B Corp based on a rigorous third party assessment of our commitment to the triple bottom line of people, planet, and profit. Our 160 employees are passionate about our valuesled business. Our mission is to tear down barriers to clean energy and use our business as a force for good. For more information, go to www.suncommon.com and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter @suncommon
Source: Richmond, VT -- SunCommon