The age-old trail debate is a huge conversation for mountain bikers and one we tend to shy away from while we bury our full faces in the sand. This podcast serves as a great starting point if it’s not something you’ve ever thought of.
Sam is the head honcho at the famous Rogate Bike Park. Having honed my craft at Progate since about age eight, launching down the sketchy mass of lines mentioned in the pod’, I have seen the changes happen and, while I look back on the mayhem with rose-tinted spectacles, everything Sam is saying is spot on. The sport has changed and we should adapt as well.
I think what it ultimately comes down to is that we, as mountain bikers, should think more. If you’re barreling down a bridleway recording your next-level GoPro edit, bear in mind how you look to the 70-year-old couple walking their dogs up the same muddy path. If you’re in full MTB pyjamas, try to think what a horse thinks you are (I actually can’t imagine?). And if you fancy building a sick new loam trail that crosses four footpaths so you can make your highly important Instagram edit, then have a think about what the landowner will think when 30 people turn up there next weekend.
Let’s all come together, have a little think and prove what an awesome community mountain biking is.
– HG
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