Vermont’s Velomont Trail Pushes for Adaptive Accessibility

The nonprofit-led Velomont project aims to create a 485-mile, multi-use trail that links 27 Vermont communities. As construction ramps up, organizers are conducting “adaptive assessments” of existing trail segments that were never designed for adaptive bikes. Trail director Angus McCusker explains that the team is “scalloping out a bit of material on the outside of that corner” to let wider, heavier adaptive rigs navigate tight turns without altering the overall ride feel. These adjustments are documented with photos and notes to guide future builds.

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Contractors are adding an ADA-accessible hostel in downtown Randolph and retrofitting two remote huts with locked sheds that house off-road wheelchairs. At the Chittenden Brook Hut, a new ramp and wider driveway enable riders to roll directly to a transfer chair, then continue to the fireplace, privy, and kitchen. Adaptive athlete Louis Arevalo, who uses a hand-powered electric recumbent three-wheeler, described his first hut-to-hut camping trip as “refreshing” and highlighted the ease of navigating the newly built facilities.

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Key figures include Angus McCusker, trail director for the nonprofit Vermont Huts and Trails; Nick Bennette, executive director of the Vermont Mountain Bike Association; Jeff Alexander, director of strategic partnerships at Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports; and Louis Arevalo, an adaptive rider from Essex Junction. Each organization contributes expertise, funding, or on-the-ground testing to ensure the trail serves the adaptive community.

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McCusker emphasized that “it’s not a huge lift to just be mindful when we’re trying to build trail…to think about the adaptive rider.” Bennette noted that modest material adjustments can “allow adaptive bikes to make that corner without really changing the way the trail rides.” Alexander stressed that the adaptive community “has money, they travel, they want to travel and they want to play with everybody,” adding that the goal is to “level the playing field so that everyone can play together.”

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• “For us, it's not a huge lift to just be mindful when we're trying to build trail or improve trail to think about the adaptive rider,” — Angus McCusker, Trail Director, Vermont Huts and Trails

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• “is we're connecting to existing trail networks that were never intended for adaptive bikes. So, where we can, we're trying to do adaptive assessments.” — Angus McCusker

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• “Once you realize what these bikes are capable (of) or this equipment actually opens up, it kind of blows your mind,” — Louis Arevalo, Adaptive Rider

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• “Just scalloping out a bit of material on the outside of that corner,” — Nick Bennette, Executive Director, Vermont Mountain Bike Association

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• “We just need to level the playing field so that everyone can play together.” — Jeff Alexander, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports

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