NE DIrt

On this episode of New England Dirt, I'm joined by Seth Page and Stuart Horner of Gigantic Hawk Racing, 2 of the 4 event organizers responsible for bringing Single Speed New England to life. I'm also joined by Taylor Clark and Paul Martin, members of the Clark Brothers' Racing team who came out in force for the first annual New England Single Speed event.   This episode is recorded live at the eve...

Welcome to another episode of "Why We Ride" on New England Dirt, the show that brings you the joys of riding bikes on dirt here in New England. As always, I'm your host MTB Ben! In this episode I'm joined by Noelle Battle, Executive Director of Bikepacking Roots, a Not for profit organization dedicated to supporting, advancing, and diversifying the bikepacking community, the access to lands for bi...

Over the years I've learned that even some of your closest friends have some of the greatest stories to tell and lessons to teach. I've had the pleasure of recording many episodes with various friends since I launched this pod back in 2018. But in this episode, you'll hear from one of my best friends, Pat Engleman, who is a lifelong cyclist, event and race organizer, NICA Coach, and all around goo...

Thanks for tuning in to another episode of New England Dirt, the show that brings you the joys of riding bikes on dirt here in New England. As always, I'm your host MTB Ben! In this episode of New England Dirt, I'm joined by Brian Gilman and Eric Corum, local riders who, along with their partners Seth Page and Stuart Horner of Gigantic Hawk Racing have teamed up to create Single Speed New England....

New England Dirt is back for another season with a new series, "Why We Ride" which focuses on the reason behind the ride for MTB Ben, his friends, and those who inspire him.  MTB Ben gives a very personal look into his past few months, beaten down by depression and self-doubt he struggled to not only find inspiration to record new episodes for NE DIrt, but to also just go out and ride.  After a cl...

In this episode, inspired by a recent bikepacking trip in Vermont, MTB Ben talks with Greg Western, Executive Director of the Cross Vermont Trail Association.  This past Labor Day Weekend, Ben and his buddy Kris Ivers (who you might remember from Adventures in Bikepacking Ep 2) and I rode the Rivers, Ridges, and Rails bikepacking route through North East Vermont.  This 75 mile, overnight route sta...

MTB Ben is joined by longtime friend and accomplished bike pack racer Maggie Livelsberger in this episode of New England Dirt.   In 2023 Maggie has competed in, won, and recorded an FKT in three major Bikepacking races, The DOOM in Ozark, AK, The Coast to Coast in Michigan, and the GRUSK in West Virginia – all on a single speed Otso Fenrir.     The duo catches up on old times before Maggie talks a...

When I originally started this podcast back in 2018 my goal was to shed a light on the amazing mountain biking we have here in New England. I wanted to highlight the trails, groups, brands, shops, and community that makes this region of the world what it is. If you missed any of my original shows which were featured as part of the Mountain Bike Radio Network, go check out the link on NE Dirt.com f...

Part 2 of the Great Belgium Randonnee get's us back into the mix with MTB Ben and Aidan. They continue their adventure where we left them at the tiny trailer. Aidan has to start the day with a 7km round trip ride into Malmady to get some money to pay for the trailer the boys slept in, and then they're off again on the Ardennes Abralete.  After another great day on the bike - with some more substan...

In Part 1 of this 2 part episdoe, MTB Ben and his son Aidan take you on their journey riding the Ardennes Arbalete in Belgium. After a day full of traveling, they explore the city of Brussels by bike visiting beer gardens, the EU Parliment, and some local cafes for tasty food. Day 1 of the ride, Ben and Aidan hop a train to Liege and begin their ride on the Arbalete route. After learning that ever...

MTB Ben gets ready for a big bikepacking adventure with his oldest son Aidan by going out for a shakedown ride on his new 2023 Surly Krampus.  Listen to Ben's adventure on Connecticut's Air Line State Park trail. Ben gets in just over 50 miles over the course of two days, fully loaded, and testing out his new bike, and a few new pieces of gear he picked up in preparation for his adventure in April...

For this episode MTB Ben is joined by one of his regular riding buddies, Josh Fleming. Josh and Ben discuss their shared love for finding features out on the trail to session and build up their skills, helping them progress as riders. Josh shares his theory of mastering the 2-Cs, Control and Confidence and how only through practicing those is he ready to concure more difficult terrain. They also d...

MTB Ben is joined by his new bikepacking partner Kris Ivers on this episode, part 2 of Adventures in Bikepacking.  Kris and Ben discuss their rides together and how they met eating tacos with Kris' partner in a classic tale of "You like bikes? I like bikes! Let's ride bikes". Kris shares a bit about his background and traveling around the US and being inspired to start bikepacking while living out...

MTB Ben takes some time with his youngest son August to discuss their year in bikes. They discuss August's bike fleet, the trips they went on, his overall progression riding at Highland, and the various trail rides and riding partners this year.  To follow August and all his adventures, plus to see videos capturing his progression this season follow him on Instagram at @august.rides   Interested i...

MTB Ben has found new love in the form of strapping a whole bunch of gear to his bike, and riding in what he calls "snail mode" for a few days.  Ben gives a brief overview of his love for the outdoors and maybe get's a bit philosphical about the joys of spending multiple nights - at least a full 24 hrs - outdoors. He then provides an indepth overview of his bikepacking setup from his beloved bike...

It's been a minute, but MTB Ben is finally back at it. This episode is a "getting caught up with Ben" episode. What's been going on since we last heard from him on New England Dirt - well for one, there is a slightly updated name - NE Dirt, and for two, the overall effort of NE Dirt has grown. Listen now for updates on both what's in store for NE Dirt, the rides Ben's done this year, the events, a...