Mountain Biking at TA Coming Soon!
October 17, 2019
Thetford Academy is gearing up to open the town’s first fully sanctioned mountain bike trail and one of only a few high school mountain biking trails in Vermont. The new, one-mile flow track is slated to open on Saturday, Oct. 19, with a launch event on campus from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The new trail, the result of a multi-year planning effort and collaboration, will be the latest feature of TA’s Thetford Outdoor Program (TOP) and open to the public. “Thetford Academy has amazing outdoor resources that we consider our living laboratory and playground. This mountain bike trail will give our students and our community a new healthy outdoor recreation opportunity,” says Scott Ellis, TOP coordinator.
Currently, there are no designated mountain bike trails at TA and for an active, outdoor community like Thetford, this has been a missing piece. The new trail will be located across from TA’s main campus and built entirely on TA-owned property between Academy and Godfrey roads.
At its launch, the new flow trail will be one mile in length, with potential for expansion with school and community support. Pete Wakeling of OTB Trail Builders, who designed and built TA’s new trail alongside TA students, is excited by the possibilities for mountain biking at Thetford Academy.
“OTB Trail Builders will be putting in a new trail that will be a half-mile downhill flow trail with a half-mile climb. The intent is that this trail is accessible to riders at all skill levels, while providing features and terrain that allow riders to progress their skill set. This trail will stand as a good base to expand off of in future years.”
Starting with a ribbon cutting, the October 19th launch event will give riders the opportunity to test the track and give feedback in an informal setting.
The event will also feature Tait Linehan ’19, an avid mountain biker who helped map out and build the trail; Conrad Reining of the Thetford Trails Team, who is leading a larger effort to expand access to multi-use recreational trails in Thetford; and trail designer and builder Pete Wakeling of OTB Trail Builders.
Read press coverage of the event here and be sure to visit us on Facebook to let us know you’re coming!