The Cape Cod NEMBA chapter was formed in the late 90's by a group of enthusiastic local mountain bikers who wanted to do more than just get together and ride the trails. Cape Cod has been a mountain bike Mecca for over twenty years with hundreds of miles of epic singletrack from the canal to Provincetown. By the mid 90's more and more riders from all over were coming down to ride year-round, and the more riders there are, the more erosion takes place. The trails were getting pretty beat up so some of the regulars decided they wanted to repair the old trails and build some new ones to accommodate the ever increasing number of riders. Weekly group rides were formed to attract new riders and something special was happening - a vision! The group realized that to do trail work legally, they would need to join something larger, better and established, THEY JOINED NEMBA! The vision to ride, preserve, and create the trails we love and to be advocates of the sport of mountain biking is what NEMBA is all about!

The Cape is covered with miles of trails in state parks, conservation areas, and watersheds in almost all of the 15 towns in Barnstable County. TRAIL OF TEARS in Barnstable encompasses over 1,200 acres of town conservation land. What was originally a 9 mile Enduro motocross loop back in the 70's is now a meticulously maintained marked 20 mile singletrack loop. Fire roads and fields add to the diversity. In the early 80's a couple of local legends, Doug Jordan and Art Hastings grabbed their Univega Alpha Unos and attempted those motorcycle trails which were straight-up-and-down-over-the-bars-rear-tire-skidding steep. At the end of 9 miles with tears in their eyes and many bruises, they called the area TRAIL OF TEARS! The trails have changed a lot and thanx to Cape NEMBA members and their hard work, the trails are a pleasant challenge. Although there many areas to ride on the Cape, TRAIL OF TEARS is the only legal area to ride, hike, ride horseback and do trail work with the approval of Barnstable's conservation department. All of our work has to be submitted for approval to the town first.

Rides, rides and more rides. There are NEMBA group rides for all levels on weekends and mid-week all year long, as long as the snow stays away. Most organized rides are held at TRAIL OF TEARS, however there are many other areas that we ride. Biannual meetings are held to discuss trail maintenance and other activities. A Toys for Tots ride has been very popular during the holidays. We have also held annual mountain bike festivals and adventure rides with marked loops for all abilities. And, of course, we hold trail work and trash pickup events.

COME JOIN IN ON THE FUN!

Roger Wharton, Cape Cod NEMBA Board Member