Tag: gravel biking

Biking and skiing adventures await at Vermont’s Madbush Falls

You’ll be riding high.

Avid and aspiring mountain bikers will be stoked to hear about Madbush Falls, a new bike and ski-centered basecamp that opened this summer in Vermont’s Green Mountains. The 20-acre property has all a mountain or gravel biker needs, with a world-class trail network, 75-seat restaurant, bar, bike and ski shop, guiding center, and 20-room lodge. Oh, and a waterfall and swimming hole. Come winter, biking gives way to skiing. You might never want to leave.

Madbush is the brainchild of long-time Vermonter Jonny Adler, who dreamed of starting a Vermont biking hub. He wanted to share Vermont’s loamy dirt, warm pastures, ridgelines, gravel roads, and cool shaded woods with other enthusiasts. In November 2021, he closed a deal on the old Madbush Alpine Chalet. While the 1950s-era motel had been vacant for 20 years, the property had potential with a river running through it and a 30-foot waterfall. And it’s only about 40 miles from Burlington.

Aerial view of a biking resort surrounded by forest.
Photo courtesy of Madbush Falls

The finished basecamp is a truly Vermont collaboration. The property’s woodwork, metalwork, landscaping, art, and interior design feature Vermont materials and are crafted by Vermonters. The bike trails are community-built and maintained by Mad River Riders, a founding chapter of the Vermont Mountain Bike Association.

A biker biking through a forest.
Photo courtesy of Madbush Falls

Guests can bring their own bikes or rent one from the bike shop. Certified guide-instructors from Stowe Mountain Bike Academy can recommend routes ranging from 2.5 to 5.5 hours. Intermediate and advanced riders will find jumps and technical challenges. If you want more variety in your vacation, the Blueberry Lake route lets you combine a ride with a swim, picnic, and SUP.

People swimming and jumping in a pond near a waterfall.
Photo courtesy of Madbush Falls

“Here at Madbush Falls, we’ve thought through everything you need to power your riding adventure,” Adler explains in a welcoming message on Madbush’s website. “Above all else, Madbush Falls is a magical place,” he says. “Its energy is real.”

A hotel room with an orange and white bed, wood accents, and a loft with a blue fence railing.
Photo courtesy of Madbush Falls

Nonbinary cyclist Abi Robins helps change the world of gravel biking

Cycling for all.

Abi Robins is a pioneer in the gravel biking world. They were the first person to race in the nonbinary category of Unbound Gravel, a Kansas-based bike event. Robins also founded Queer Gravel, an organization helping to make the gravel biking world friendlier to queer and trans people through meetups, clinics, group rides, advocacy, and mutual aid.

In 2021, Unbound created its nonbinary category in response to anti-trans legislation throughout the United States. That year, Robins was the only one to show up for it. In 2022, 17 nonbinary riders competed. As biking events move toward inclusivity, Robins hopes more queer cyclists will feel welcomed.

A person from the knees down posed on a blue bike.

Feeling safe in the gravel biking world

“As a non-binary person, I want to show up at events where I feel safe and welcomed and like I can show up as my full self,” Robins said in an interview with Yuri Hauswald, GU Energy Labs’s elite athlete manager.

For event planners, building an inclusive space means having resources like gender-neutral porta-potties and trans-friendly medical care nearby. Robins appreciates that event producers like Life Time are working to include more athletes but stresses that welcoming attitudes must start earlier in an athlete’s path. 

“I feel like at this point, it’s time for the rest of the industry to step up and start pulling their weight when it comes to trans and non-binary inclusion in cycling,” Robins said. “There are so many other touch points that a cyclist has to go through before they’re ready for an event, especially an event as large and intimidating as Unbound.” This includes feeling safe enough at their local cycling shop to get involved in the sport in the first place.

While event organizers are trying to welcome diverse audiences, some cyclists remain leery of racing in certain states. “These major events, they’re happening in states that politically lean in a way that can be really hostile towards these marginalized groups,” Robins said. “And these events happen on back roads even in what we might call quote unquote safe states. You get out into rural areas and generally those lean more red politically and again, I try not to overgeneralize, but those are areas that are generally more hostile to trans folks and to people of color. I know that’s not always the case, but it’s the case often enough and that it can make it scary.”

Changing the world

Despite the challenges, Robins believes gravel riding can help change the world. “I’ve experienced firsthand the power of spending time on a bike with someone you don’t know and how equalizing and connective it can be,” they said. “I try not to overstate it, but I do really feel like Gravel is one of the places where we have the ability to make a powerful and positive social impact that’s not just about cycling, but is about the country and the world.”