Cortland Standard .net

By COLLEEN SIUZDAK
Staff Reporter
csiuzdak@cortlandstandard.net
VIRGIL — Mountain bike enthusiasts can now dive down one of the two new mountain bike trails at Greek Peak Mountain Resort, an option for bikers in Cortland County as of July 4.
The downhill mountain biking has kicked off on the blue and green courses at the mountain in Virgil, open to riders on Saturdays. Riders and their bikes are ferried to the top of the mountain by lift and the mountain also features a “Family Friendly” trail.
Megan-Mack Nicholson, manager of operations at the outdoor Adventure Center, said Friday that an expert trail is expected to be open Saturday. Four more trails are planned, depending on the cost and time it takes to build them.
State forests in and outside of Cortland County also offer mountain biking trails for bikers who want to experience the challenges of outdoor rough riding. Those areas include Tuller Hill State Forest in Virgil, Bear Swamp State Forest in Cayuga County, and Hammond Hill State Forest in Tompkins County.
Ezra Belknap, 15, of Homer, has been mountain biking with his dad, Matt Belknap, his whole life, Ezra said July 3 in his family’s shop, Action Sports on Main Street in Cortland, noting the sport is becoming more popular.
Belknap, who said he grew up in the shop, has a Camber bike with 29-inch wheels, which he said is a good-size for going cross-country, his favorite type of biking.
“It’s really fun going as fast as you can down a single track,” Ezra Belknap said, noting a single track is designed for the bikes so four-wheelers cannot use the trails. “It’s just so cool ... going around crazy corners ... fast. I love it.”
Matt Belknap said the mountain biking “craze” was more in the ‘90s and he is glad to see the sport is making a comeback. Belknap and his wife, Lisa Belknap, also said mountain biking is becoming a trend. He thinks the trails offered at Greek Peak will make people more aware of the sport.
Ezra Belknap added he is thinking about trying the trails at Greek Peak, although he likes his usual trails and groups he usually rides with at Hammond Hill State Forest.
“I have friends who try to talk me into it,” Belknap said. “I might try it.”
The mountain bike trails at Greek Peak are open Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m, with the possibility of the trails being opened on Sundays later in the summer.
——— Staff Reporter Amy Gernon contributed to this report.