The SoPo Loop offers everything from a short ride to an all out tour of South Portland and Cape Elizabeth, but you need to know where to make the links to other trails. The crazy pace of development in that area has created so many changes to the routes over just the last few years that it's impossible to keep up with here. I can only recommend that you join the group for a ride there if you want to learn it.

This is one of the favorite Rage rides, mixing trails with streets throughout Portland. The usual starting place is Payson Park in Portland. From there it winds through Baxter Woods, Evergreen Cemetary, Fore River Sanctuary and then over the Western Prom and through the Old Port, finally returning to Payson Park.

Here is a map of the loop.

The local rag even wrote an article about it.

This trail is a scenic wonder as it follows the river with tight, winding singletrack and a number of outrageously steep descents. Be careful on some parts of the trail as you could easily fall into the river!

This is not a beginner's ride. Some of the sections, particularly on the north side of the river, are downright dangerous.

There are a few ways to access the trail, but the easiest is to start from Auburn St (Rt 26/100 ). Just before you cross the Presumpscot River, hit the trail on the right hand side. Bear right at the bottom and that's about all you have to know. The trail follows the river to the dam, but it truly ends slightly before the dam. There are a number of trails breaking off on the right that will take you up and down the ridgelines and out into various streets in the area.

The trail is also extended on the north side of the presumpscot and is for the advanced rider only. In addition, new trails exist directly across the river in the new Falmouth Preserve. These can be accessed from behind the Hannaford plaza on route 100.

Words of caution: poison ivy abounds here!

2007 marked the first year of the 12 Hours of Bradbury, a race that will hopefully become an annual part of the Maine mountain biking scene. Rage was very well represented at the the initial race as you can see by checking the results.

As long time riders have known, the park offers oodles of singletrack with strenuous climbs and fast descents. The east side of the park offers the best trail system with miles of well cared for singletrack. The west side contains the long steep climbs and downhills and the occasional hiker that needs to be avoided.

The park rangers are very friendly to mountain bikers and have gone way past the call of duty to help build and maintain these trails. Be sure to pay your fee at the gate. It's all for a good cause!

The Prides area was once the hub of Portland area mountain biking, but due to the extensive damage done by 4 wheelers, development and horrendous cutting over the years, it has changed considerably. Unfortunately, regional mountain bikers have abandoned this area which is a real tragedy considering the potential that still exists. The Pride's Corner woods contain a load of wonderfully hilly terrain through semi-mature woods just waiting for some maintenance. As the 4 wheeler craze has settled down, it may be possible to rebuild the grandpappy of mountain biking "parks".

To get there: Drive out 302 (Forest Ave) and take a left on to Pride Street. About a half mile down, there is a church on the left. Park on the far side of the lot away from the church. The trailhead is directly across the road.

Shortly after crossing the road, bear right and proceed down the powerlines for about a half mile where a jeep trail bears to the left. Follow that until you come back out on to the power lines, bear left and then turn left again after about 100 yards. This will take you down the hill where you will cross Mill Stream. Once on the other side bear to the right and follow the stream. This will eventually bring you back out on to the power lines. Do not cross the road that you come to, but follow the gas pipeline until you cross 302 and then cross Duck Pond Road. Once across Duck Pond Rd, continue up the powerline (gnarly loose rocks and a lonnng climb). Once at the top, turn right and follow the trail until you come out and cross a rural road. The trail continues until you come out behind the Pride's Corner Bingo Hall. From there cross over 302, going slightly uphill and you will see the jeep trail which will take you back to the original powerlines. Once you intersect, bear left and this will take you back to the church parking lot.

There are a number of other side trails all over this loop, so feel free to venture down other trails as you see them.

Clifford Park is one of those hidden mountain biking jewels, tucked away in one of the neighborhoods of one of Maine's classic mill towns, Biddeford.

The actual acreage isn't much, but the trails make good use of limited space, and are tighly packed into the geography and geology. Clifford is what you'd call a classic New England rock garden. The site was once a quarry, evidenced by the worked granite throughout. What's left is some sweet singletrack that climbs, drops, and traverses across the bedrock granite that is the dominate feature of the park.

Key skills through much of the trails include being able to loft your tire to handle small ridges and bedrock shelfs, the ability to dodge your bike through rock-populated track at a good speed to float over the stones and confidence to hit quick (sometimes steep) downhills without braking into an endo. Roots weren't a huge issue - if you haven't picked up on this yet, when you think Clifford, think ROCKS.

That said, there are some well-built, well-established but very hairy sections of trail, including drops, bridges, ramps, etc. One drop, in particular, is called "smack this." It's a steep downhill that's complicated by roots. For that reason, riders should take a low-key run to familiarize themselves with terrain, surprises, etc., before hitting the trails at fullspeed - do an assessment of your skill level and abilities and then hit the trails.

We rode a loop set up for the annual Clifford Park race, about a 4+ mile run. The highly technical terrain led to some bottlenecks, so leave some space between riders to maintain flow and mojomentum. On the topic of flow - there were also some nice sections of singletrack that were mostly rockfree, and we really seemed to fly after picking our way through rock gardens. - Matt W.

How to get there.

Official trailmap.