{"id":11847,"date":"2026-07-21T04:22:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T10:22:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sbbch.org\/?p=11847"},"modified":"2026-07-21T04:22:02","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T10:22:02","slug":"public-lands-vermont-is-creating-a-statewide-trail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sbbch.org\/?p=11847","title":{"rendered":"Public Lands &#8211; Vermont is creating a statewide Trail"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/07\/09\/nx-s1-5879435\/outdoor-access-for-disabled-in-vermont\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11848\" src=\"https:\/\/sbbch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-21-041542.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"732\" height=\"835\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sbbch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-21-041542.jpg 732w, https:\/\/sbbch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-21-041542-263x300.jpg 263w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 732px) 100vw, 732px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Mountain bike enthusiasts have been working for years on an ambitious 485-mile, multi-use trail called\u00a0<em>The Velomont<\/em>\u00a0that will span the length of the state.<\/p>\n<p>When finished, the collaborative project will knit together existing trail networks, connect 27 communities and include huts and hostels for overnight stays.<\/p>\n<p>New trail construction is finally ramping up after years spent on permits, plans and public input. And organizers say they want to make it as user-friendly as possible.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;For us, it&#8217;s not a huge lift to just be mindful when we&#8217;re trying to build trail or improve trail to think about the adaptive rider,&#8221; said Angus McCusker, the Velomont trail director with the nonprofit Vermont Huts and Trails.<\/p>\n<aside id=\"ad-backstage-wrap\" class=\"ad-wrap backstage\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<div class=\"ad-footer \">McCusker is referring to the growing number of disabled athletes who mountain bike with specially designed equipment.<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>&#8220;The challenge,&#8221; said McCusker, &#8220;is we&#8217;re connecting to existing trail networks that were never intended for adaptive bikes. So, where we can, we&#8217;re trying to do adaptive assessments.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Louis Arevalo of Essex Junction is one of several adaptive athletes helping with that, most recently on some slightly overgrown single track trails in Randolph, a central Vermont town nestled along the eastern edge of the Green Mountains.<\/p>\n<p>Arevalo pedals with his hands. He rides an electric powered recumbent-style three-wheeler that sits low to the ground. His service dog Azul chases along nearby.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Once you realize what these bikes are capable (of) or this equipment actually opens up, it kind of blows your mind,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Arevalo was paralyzed in a skiing accident six years ago. Being able to get back on the trails has been a game changer, he said smiling.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s a reason we live in the Green Mountain state. It&#8217;s because we like to get outside\u2026you know, seeing the squirrels and chipmunks and birds\u2026 I mean, it&#8217;s life.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/sbbch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-21-041836.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11849\" src=\"https:\/\/sbbch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-21-041836.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"976\" height=\"627\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sbbch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-21-041836.jpg 976w, https:\/\/sbbch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-21-041836-300x193.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sbbch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-21-041836-768x493.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 976px) 100vw, 976px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>But adaptive rigs like Arevalo&#8217;s are wider and heavier than regular mountain bikes, and not all trails are user-friendly.<\/p>\n<aside id=\"ad-secondary-wrap\" class=\"ad-wrap secondary\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<div class=\"ad-footer \">Nick Bennette, who was testing a different type of adaptive bike, got hung up on several tight turns.<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s helpful to have different kinds of adaptive bikes on these tests because they all handle a little differently,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Bennette is executive director of the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/vmba.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vermont Mountain Bike Association<\/a>, another nonprofit spearheading efforts around the Velomont. He and others involved in the assessment are taking detailed photos and notes on ways to make the trails more accessible.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Just scalloping out a bit of material on the outside of that corner,&#8221; said Bennette, pointing to the area the bike got caught. &#8220;That will allow adaptive bikes to make that corner without really changing the way the trail rides.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>But adaptive rigs like Arevalo&#8217;s are wider and heavier than regular mountain bikes, and not all trails are user-friendly.<\/p>\n<aside id=\"ad-secondary-wrap\" class=\"ad-wrap secondary\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<div class=\"ad-footer \">Nick Bennette, who was testing a different type of adaptive bike, got hung up on several tight turns.<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s helpful to have different kinds of adaptive bikes on these tests because they all handle a little differently,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Bennette is executive director of the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/vmba.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vermont Mountain Bike Association<\/a>, another nonprofit spearheading efforts around the Velomont. He and others involved in the assessment are taking detailed photos and notes on ways to make the trails more accessible.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Just scalloping out a bit of material on the outside of that corner,&#8221; said Bennette, pointing to the area the bike got caught. &#8220;That will allow adaptive bikes to make that corner without really changing the way the trail rides.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Jeff Alexander is counting on it. He&#8217;s director of strategic partnerships with\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vermontadaptive.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports<\/a>, a nonprofit that helps people with disabilities access outdoor recreation.<\/p>\n<aside id=\"ad-third-wrap\" class=\"ad-wrap third\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<div class=\"ad-footer \">An <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vermontadaptive.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Vermont-Adaptive-Report-1-27-2026.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">economic impact analysis<\/a>\u00a0the group commissioned estimates their programming generated more than $10 million last year.<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>&#8220;So the adaptive community has money, they travel, they want to travel and they want to play with everybody,&#8221; Alexander said. &#8220;We just need to level the playing field so that everyone can play together.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mountain bike enthusiasts have been working for years on an ambitious 485-mile, multi-use trail called\u00a0The Velomont\u00a0that will span the length of the state. When finished, the collaborative project will knit together existing trail networks, connect 27 communities and include huts and hostels for overnight stays. New trail construction is finally ramping up after years spent [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11847","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-events"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbbch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11847","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbbch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbbch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbbch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbbch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11847"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sbbch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11847\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11850,"href":"https:\/\/sbbch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11847\/revisions\/11850"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbbch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbbch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11847"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbbch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}