COOL THINGS
ANDREW MARTIN; INSET: LAMOILLE VALLEY BIKE TOURS
RAIL TRAIL Yva and Jim Rose get ready to roll on their e-bikes. Inset: A family enjoys an outing on the new trail.
PEDAL POWER E-bikes help everyone get out on trail STORY
/ ANDREW MARTIN Bicycling is popular on the newly opened Lamoille Valley Rail Trail, but a 17-mile ride might be a bit much for some. Now there’s another option: Riding an electric bike. Lamoille Valley Bike Tours, operated by Jim and Yva Rose of Johnson, rents electric bikes that make the ride a whole lot easier. “We want to help people get off the beaten path,” Yva said. The couple opened their mobile business, which features seven regular e-bikes and two cargo bikes, last summer. They travel to towns along the trail and set up shop for the day. E-bikes have been a big hit. “I’d say we’ve had 100-percent satisfaction,” Jim said. “Everyone comes back with an ‘e-bike smile.’ That’s just awesome to see.” Each bike has a detachable battery and electric motor, but e-bikes don’t just push you along. Bikers still have to pedal and do some of the work; the electric motors augment that pedaling. Depending on what gear’s being used, a biker could be pedaling fairly slowly and still be cruising along at 15 mph. An e-bike is the great equalizer, Jim said. Almost anyone can take one of the bikes out for a spin, and lots of older people have taken advantage of the E-motion. Jim himself has used the e-bike. He’s an avid biker, but is still nursing an injured shoulder from a spill earlier this year. The e-bike is his solution.
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The Roses also get quite a number of couples as customers. A biking enthusiast might bring his or her significant other for a rail trail ride, and if the other is not as much an rider, then the e-bike evens things up. Eventually, the rail trail will stretch for about 93 miles across the top of Vermont, from St. Johnsbury to Swanton, running through 18 towns in five counties. The local portion stretches between Morrisville and Cambridge Junction. When complete, it will be the longest rail trail in New England. n ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ESSENTIALS: lvrt.org/trail-maps, lamoillevalley biketours.com.