I can’t exactly remember when I first came across the idea that cycling might be the new golf. Executives swapping their drivers for top end bikes, fashionable kit, and ridiculously expensive accessories. I wasn’t so sure that this was such a good thing.

Golf runs in my family. My auntie was a British women’s champ, but after taking part in the 1975 competition none of the women were allowed in the clubhouse. Rules are rules and women were not allowed.

I would like to think mountain biking is a bit different, that it welcomes everybody right from the off. But after Mick’s article blaming new riders and e-bikers for the sport’s ills, I’m not so sure. To me it screamed from the roof tops… ‘do it my way, or get off my trails’.

As far as I’m concerned, all the issues raised are as old as mountain biking itself.

More trail erosion

Yep… We all create it, we are all responsible. More riders on trails does mean more erosion. We all need to work with trail associations on rider education.

But the media industry is a part of this and contributes to damage more than most. Magazines, influencers and brands are all shooting content on unauthorised trails.

They promote and financially benefit from the ‘ride anywhere’ narrative that uses our wild places to generate profit. What I see from most media is no more than a token gesture towards the support of trail groups.

Too many techno nerds

Criticising mountain bikers for their enthusiastic interest in numbers seems wildly hypocritical given the preoccupation by mountain biking magazines for various granular metrics that are purported to make our experiences better.

If you spend your days writing about geometry numbers, e-bike watts, motor torques, and espousing the benefits of a tyre knob that’s 1mm different from the next, you’re probably not best positioned to make this argument.

New breed of hooligan riders with vapes and speakers

To me this is an attack on the young. Sure, young people might seem an alien species to the old boys, but surely all this swagger on the trails is still better than loitering aimlessly in shopping centres, or worse scrolling TikTok alone in their rooms.

Youth mental health is in a critical state, exercise and time in nature has proven to be hugely positive and (even if the music isn’t to your liking) is it really too much to tolerate once in a while?

I agree that we should be concerned with some of the more damaging elements of riding. Trail erosion, responsible access and land stewardship are all things that concern me. But simply passing the buck, blaming and shaming those new to the sport is not right and will not work.

What is going on under the surface

While this article was aimed squarely at e-bikes it also specifically targeted new riders. For me there’s a lot going on just beneath the surface. There is a power dynamic at play. An influential media outlet using class-based stereotypes and elitism to make people feel targeted and unwelcome.

Anyone new to the scene could read these pot shots and wonder if they are the target now, or if they might be next.

My view is that professional writers have a responsibility to consider the wider implications of their work – language is important. For a journalist words are their product, and the value is in the care and attention they put into them.

An understanding of how they are going to affect all potential readers (not just their mates) should be part of the job.

The article exposes blind spots and biases, creating a cultural tone that feels like a call to certain groups to “get off my trails”. It ridicules, alienates and attempts to ‘other’ people entering the sport that are not like them.

Why we need change

The most important reason for me is that everyone should feel welcome to take part. Those of us who have been mountain biking for decades and benefited from its positive impacts ought to be leading this change.

It’s an antidote to modern life. It’s about playtime, fresh air, friendships and a good dose of nature connectedness. It’s positive health outcomes mentally, physically and emotionally. Gatekeeping this value so it’s only accessible to an elite few is deeply unfair.

We need the media to take a proactive lead. When it’s only the dominant demographic writing the words, creating and featuring in the content it makes other people feel like this is not a space for them.

When products are only reviewed by the same type of people they are only assessed on this basis. Whether it’s clothing for women, helmets for people with voluminous hair or getting people of different shapes and sizes involved in bike reviews, the media needs to find creative ways to make this happen.

Don’t think we need change? Here’s a game for you to play to help you see the tip of the iceberg… Count how many YouTube thumbnails, or social posts you have to s

croll past on the biggest MTB media accounts before you find representation of anyone who is not a white male. Now go do the same on ‘Golf Digest’,

Tell me what you see… And if this doesn’t bother you, you’re probably part of the problem.

Furthermore, as someone who has always made a living in the industry the economic health of businesses is a real concern. Following the cataclysmic post Covid industry slump welcoming new riders = broader, deeper and more diverse demand.

Even if the ethics of exclusion is not a bother for some, surely we can agree that for our businesses to survive we should all be running towards bringing new people in at 100 miles an hour?

Whether it’s new customers in our shops, on our hire bikes, reading our mags or engaging with new products, we need to make sure that these new peoples’ needs are catered for and experiences reflected at each stage of their journey.

Tipping point

Momentum is building in grassroots mountain biking and there’s real potential for change in this expensive, exclusive hobby.

Volunteer led riding groups are building thriving communities around social rides and events by being intentionally inclusive to drive diverse participation.

Charities like Trash Free Trails who take action through education and research are working with riders to re-connect them with their environment, encouraging responsible stewardship across many different user groups, ages and abilities.

Trail associations like Ride Bristol are not just repairing trails but also actively seeking out and welcoming new people, supporting social connections that lead to greater engagement in their work and ultimately better facilities for all rider abilities.

Tool kits to build inclusive communities are being produced off the back of academic research like this one from the FIAS (Fostering Inclusive Action Sport) project. Add link (https://express-licences.bristol.ac.uk/product/fias-toolkit)

There are certainly a lot of really positive things going on.

But I’m concerned that there’s an old guard holding things back and that a key stranglehold on progress comes from the media. Research by Dr Spotswood at the University of Bristol backs this up showing that mountain bike media can be oblivious, unprepared and in places uninterested in the doing the work needed to diversify the voices, faces, writers and consumers of the media.

It could be a deliberate lack of willingness and motivation to let others in. Or it could be because they operate in an echo chamber dominated by one gender, one class, and a similar set of lived experiences. Either way, will they just keep churning out the same old stuff because it works for them?

There seems to be an assumption that the volunteer economy will bear the responsibility for progress and with this we see those new riders from marginalised communities doing most of the work. I’d like to see more of this financial and time burden taken on board by those who are already in positions of power, influence and control.

What can we do as consumers

So, is mountain biking the new golf? We all get to play our part in the future of the sport, some definitely have a lot more control than others – I hope they are taking note. Here’s a few things that I see people doing that seem to me to be supportive of positive change.

Vote with your attention

Support media that represents the community you want to see on the trail. As trivial as it may seem, follows, likes, subscribes matter, if you can pay for the good stuff when it’s not free do that too. For brands this is social proof that they are doing the right (or the wrong) thing.

Vote with your cash

Support brands that align with values of inclusion. There are some fantastic businesses out there doing amazing things. Buy from them! Definitely don’t buy from brands who are going backwards, and if you can, let them know why.

Support the volunteer economy

If you are joining a free group ride that supports inclusion, find a way to contribute if you can. If you don’t have money, can you offer time or another resource? The people who run these groups are doing amazing work but ultimately to be sustainable every organisation needs continued support.

If you are wondering what happened at my aunties golf club… In 2018 (yes, I said 2018) they finally recognised Male and Female Club Captains as ‘Equal’…

Come on MTB we can do better than this!