Our pledge is to develop vibrant communities emboldened by outdoor recreation and natural environments connected to all Mountain Bikers not defined by a stereotype or riding ability.
In 2020, VMBA is seeking to answer – how do we invite the world to participate? In doing so, we are highlighting individuals from all over the state of Vermont who love to mountain bike. Why? Because we are excited to celebrate riding our bikes, not stereotypes, riding ability, or bike choice. Together, we are building a community that invites and inspires everyone to participate in the sport that we all love.
So, how do we invite the world to participate? Our What does a rider look like? campaign meets up with various individuals from across the state to understand how and why they love mountain biking.
Meet VMBA Member, VMBA Board Member, and founder of Pride Rides VT, Kristopher Hunt.
Name: Kristopher Hunt (he/him)
Home Chapter: Millstone Trails Association (MTA)
Favorite Trail: Gnome man’s land – Angry Gnome, Screamin’ Demon, Rollercoaster
What do you ride?: Orbea Occam 27.5+ trail bike
Favorite thing about riding in Vermont:
My favorite thing about riding in Vermont is that there are a ton of different trail options to ride on any given day. We have park, flow, rocks and roots, big climbs, technical, even fast and flat-ish options. It’s easy to just point at the type of riding you feel like doing that day and go for it.
What is your favorite riding event:
My favorite riding event is the monthly rides I lead for Pride Rides VT! I started leading rides for LGBTQIA folks last summer and look forward to post covid times when we can all ride together again.
How did you get introduced to riding?
I got introduced to mountain biking as a sport by a friend of mine. We worked in a restaurant together in Waterbury and he showed me some DH edits from the world cup and told me to get a bike and ride Perry Hill with him. I got a bike from Earl’s, rode with my friend at Perry and then soon after I moved back to Graniteville started riding Millstone Trails like every day.
What is the most important piece of advice that someone new to riding should know?
Ride for fun. Ride at the level that feels good, whether that’s pushing your boundaries on tight and tough single track or riding flowy greens, it could be different every time. It’s more fun if you aren’t trying to ride where/what/how you “think” you should be riding. There’s no one way to ride and mountain biking as a sport has a lot of niches. Try all the different places to ride. Try different group rides and find folks that you enjoy riding with. Riding is even better when you ride with friends!
Thank you Kris for being a part of the riding community!
Learn more about Pride Rides VT here:
Want to learn more about our Diversity Initiative, check it out here: