|
|
Dirt Rag Articles
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
So here it is, more than two months past my own deadline for this article, and I’m still sitting here with a blank. It’s not that Pedro’s Fest wasn’t fun, and it’s not that there wasn’t plenty of inspiration there to provide material for an article, it’s just that my alarm ate my dog… I mean, my virus got a computer… wait, Zapatistas stole my first draft…
Pedro’s Mountain Bike Festival
Date: August 8–10
Location: Lanesboro, MA
Website: www.pedrosfest.com
Type of event:If you’ve never been to a mountain bike festival, this is an excellent place to start. Challenging, technical trails for every level of rider, save for the most advanced. A smattering of bike companies and vendors make their way to whichever field the Pedro’s family (the family that helped start Pedro’s Lube company has sold the lube and stuck with the festival) has deemed worthy. This year’s venue was moved a mile or so from last year’s and drew a larger crowd despite the rain showers.
During our stay we met many a rider, including Josh Bolton from Hadley, MA. When Joel, Carol and I rolled up to the venue, Josh was there to greet us. We ended up camping near him and we later found out this was the Poetry graduate student’s first mountain bike festival. After a very rainy evening, Josh came over to ask us if anyone knew how to jimmy into a locked car. After partially destroying the door on his truck, he found someone else with a little more skill to help him. A few hours later, Josh stopped by the booth to tell us he would be on his way. Weeks later, I received Josh’s Instructions and Notes from Pedro’s Fest, which appeared in Dirt Rag #103, in Readings.
For those who missed it, here it is:
Instructions and Notes from Pedro’s Fest
By Josh Bolton
Get a tent and sleep outdoors.
There is the uneven
ground beneath you and the middle
of the night rainstorm
with its rhythm that brings
the camp to a stunned silence.
After a day of energy bars and bagels
I hold the record: number of consecutive
Unsuccessful trips to the porta-john—
many upon many.
You have to be up before five-thirty
to watch the clouds come in—
before the whole mountain scene is just
a haze. You will wait three
hours for all this to burn
off the hillside. Get oriented:
pick at some mud on your leg.
As for the Pedro’s Fest itself, next year is the 10th Anniversary, which should one spectacular event. And if you’re not into paying the full price for entry, check out the volunteer opportunities. The Pedro’s Festival people have been more than happy to accommodate a number of people with more passion than money.
We’ll see you there. –Michael Browne
|
|
 |
