Issue link: http://trailridermagazine.uberflip.com/i/1139140
8 Trail Rider www.TrailRider.com Merrimack Valley Trail Riders New England Classic Charity Trail Ride For Cystic Fibrosis By Kurt Flachbart Those who've ridden the 'Classic over the years know all too well the challenges faced regarding weather. Held the first weekend of "Bike Week" in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire, history has shown there's a pre y strong chance it's gonna rain and rain hard! Well, I'm happy to report even though the region had seen a fair amount of moisture in the days leading up to the 'Classic, the weather gods treated us to one epic weekend of riding with bright blue skies, warm days and cool nights. In fact, the condi ons couldn't have been be er and I'll do my best to relate the story. For those unfamiliar with the 'Classic, it's based out of the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, NH. The vast majority of the entrants camp out and enjoy the camaraderie with their peers. Now pushing 40 years, this event draws riders from far and wide. Over the years, I've met quite a few good friends at the 'Classic, many who I'll see only once at this event during the riding season. This year our friends at MVTR changed it up a bit by flip-flopping the routes, running the southern loop on Saturday and the northern loop on Sun- day. With over 600 riders milling about at the rid- ers' mee ng, Lisa O'Connor, execu ve director for the Northern New England Cys c Fibrosis Founda- on, had some incredibly exci ng news to share with her fellow trail riders. Number one to date, the NE Classic has raised over 2 million! The funds have gone directly to research and developing new drugs, helping those with this horrible dis- ease lead rela vely normal lives. The fact that we trail riders have done so much to help this great cause is something to be proud of. The fact that so many landowners allow us trail riders on their pris ne proper es shows that we're a respected group — certainly something to be proud of.