Stephane Mortier
Pedal Montclair: What do you ride?
Stephane: As I started riding, it was whatever I could throw my leg over but preferably a 29 full sus. Recently, Lou introduced me to a ride that matches my style and our local trails: Revel Rascal. It has “only” 130 mm of travel in the rear and 140mm up front, but it takes all the drops, rock gardens and obstacles our local trails can throw at me, and sticks to the ground like a Velcro!
Pedal Montclair: Favorite places to ride? Why?
Stephane: -1- MilltopERs and the Land of Wotopia for sure (Mills, Hilltop, Eagle Rock, Wotopia, and Cedar Grove in between) Because it is there and I have tools stashed here and there, to better the trails, fix them and add features -2- Blue Mountain in New York - For the huge rock rollers sprinkled around excellent MTB trails.
Pedal Montclair: Where would you go on your ultimate biking trip?
Stephane: Around the world! The ultimate biking trip never ends… The Great Divide would be a nice appetizer though!
Pedal Montclair: Advice to any newcomers?
Stephane: If you are new to the area, we have great trails and a great biking community. Join us and we’ll show you around (Join fellow local crazies on the Strava club Milltopers) If you are new to MTB, you are just like us… a few years back. We’ll teach you, we’ll wait for you (but only at the end of a good segment!) And soon, you will be teaching us some of your tricks: none of us are perfect riders, we are all in a constant state of progress, with different achievements. You’ll fit right in!
Pedal Montclair: Who's your favorite rider?
Stephane: There are too many to list, and I would forget someone! But here is the profile of my favorite rider: They can be Democrat, or Republican, they can have n+1 bikes or only one, they can be young or OG, they can be fast or slow, male or female or anything in between, AS LONG AS THEY LOVE MOUNTAIN BIKING! And they stop to help even unknown riders by sharing their tools, skills and spares to get them riding again. They are in a perpetual quest to ride better. They motivate other riders to be better. Over 90F, single digits, in the snow or on wet leaves, it’s always the perfect weather to ride. They make the trails better for everyone, by removing branches in the way or twigs that can kill a derailleur. They do trail maintenance when no one is watching, or spend a few of their riding hours having fun in a group moving rocks and dirt in a problem area. They respect other trail users. You have one of those traits? Join us, we’ll help you to develop more, you’ll help us stay humble, and we’ll have great fun together!