Book provides lots of details on bike trails

I’m not much for sitting down and reading a book. My attention span must be short or something. Besides, I usually wind up dozing off after a few minutes. My reading preference is for the lively and/or informative, or the how-to or where-to.

“Mountain Bike! Maine, A Guide to the Classic Trails” (Menasha Ridge Press, 700 So. 28th St., Suite 206, Birmingham, Ala. 35233) by Sarah Hale and David Gibbs falls into the later category, and it appeared one day in my mailbox. I put it aside until the other day, thinking I’d save it for cooler weather when I stood a better chance of staying awake long enough to look at the highlights.

Not a good idea! If you’re a bike rider who’s always looking for a new and different ride, but are afraid you might be trespassing on someone else’s property, get a copy of this book pronto!

There are 76 off-road rides researched and detailed by the authors. Each of the rides, which range from southern-most Maine to northern-most, is detailed with a brief description, a map, and specifics on elevation change, the best time to ride it, services available, and hazards. It also includes its rescue index, where to obtain other maps, where to find the trail and specific notes on the trail. There is liberal use of black and white photos taken on some of the rides.

It’s written from the perspective of someone who has ridden each trail and who then tells you all you need to find it and ride it safely. The book is divided into regions: southern Maine (13 rides), western mountains and lakes (25), Kennebec Valley (10 rides), midcoast (seven, including one on Isle au Haut), Penobscot Valley (11), Down East (seven) and Aroostook County (three).

You’ll get a brief history of each region and then the guide takes you into each of the 76 rides. For instance, in the Bangor area there are several better-known trails such as Kenduskeag Stream Park Trail, Caribou Bog, Penobscot Experimental Forest and the University of Maine Woods.

In the description of the University of Maine Woods, for example, a 10-mile loop is mapped out. Aerobic difficulty is the choice of the rider’s aggressiveness. Technical difficulty is moderate with narrow trails which require quick reflexes and good bike handling skills. The scenery is described as an evergreen forest surrounded by playing fields, dairy barns, a paved bike path and agricultural fields.

You then get a one-page description of the trail’s highlights, including the former Civil Defense bunker. The guide tells you the location, that there is “generally little elevation change save for several short, steep climbs and descents,” that the trails sould be dry enough to ride by mid-May, and they tend to be rooty, rocky and muddy. It also says that services, including bike repair, are available in Orono and Old Town, and gives the page number of a detailed map in DeLorme’s Maine Atlas and Gazeteer.

Next you get a map of the route and then information on how to find the trail: take Exit 51 off I-95 and follow the signs to the Unversity of Maine (get a parking permit from Public Safety on College Avenue). There are two sources listed for more information (Rose Bicycle Shop in Orono and the Maine Outing Club at the University’s Memorial Union) and then specific notes on access to the trial.

Based on the local trails I’ve ridden and what I see in this guide the authors have done a good job of telling it like it is.

And the beauty of the book is that you can take it along wherever you go in the state and find a ride to take. If you’re going to an area where you’ll find one of these rides, you could save some weight by photocopying the specific pages you’ll need and put them in your map case or pocket rather than drag along the whole book.

The authors explain in the preface they spent a year researching this guide. They have lived in the state a combined 30 years, traveling by bike, canoe and kayak, as well as by foot.

“The rides we have selected for this guidebook represent a wide range of geographic regions and provide access to some of the most beautiful areas of the Maine landscape. It is our hope that they will give both visitors and `Maineacs’ alike a starting point from which to further explore and experience the state of Maine.”

If you ride, or are always looking for another place to explore, this $15.95 book would be a valuable addition to your adventure library. You could put it right beside your DeLorme so the next time you have the desire to strap your bikes on the rack you’ll have a reliable guide to someplace new.

Here’s a couple of biking events coming up on Sunday. The first is the Tour de Dump sponsored by Pat’s Bike Shop in Brewer. It is a multi-age, multi-event race offering prizes of cash and merchandise.

Courses vary in length and difficulty depending on age and ability of the various classes. Courses begin at one mile for the youngest riders (ages 4-6) and extend to a 24-mile technical single track circuit for the most advanced riders.

Registration is $25. To get to the race site, take the Hogan Road exit (Exit 49) from I-95 and drive past the Bangor Mall entrance to the lights at the intersection with Stillwater Avenue. Go straight across Stillwater on Kittridge Road and follow it to the end.

For more information contact Pat’s Bike Shop at 989-2900.

The other event, also on Sunday, is one for road riders. It’s the fourth annual Tour of Oxford Hills, sponsored by the Western Foothills Land Trust. There are two routes – one 20 miles, the other 50 – through moderately hilly terrain offering “spectacular views of the surrounding land and lakes.”

The longer route, for the more serious road bike rider, is on paved roads. The shorter one is designed for the more casual family rider and includes some hard-packed dirt roads.

There will be support vans equipped for minor repair, first aid and water. The Trust promotes the conservation and protection of natural resources in the Oxford Hills area.

The ride begins at 9 a.m. at Oxford Fair Grounds. Registration will run from 8:30-9 a.m. and the $10 ($25 for families) goes to benefit the Trust. If you get there early you can eat at the Kiwanis pancake breakfast which is part of the Oxford Hills Family Festival.

Jeff Strout’s column is published Tuesday and Thursday. He can be reached at 990-8202.