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Is the mountain bike media to blame for our trail access issues?
An interesting and thought provoking piece on singletracks.com.
Lots of long-term access is being lost in the US, arguably because of dominant trail user groups such as horse-riders and hikers simply not liking mountain bikes because they're "not like us" rather than because of any evidence-based reasoning. And our experience here has been much the same.
Could the promotion of things like the Red Bull Rampage and videos showing riders schralping berms and getting big air (which the vast majority of us never do on public trails) be contributing to a bad image among land managers and giving fuel to the blue rinse set nagging them to keep us out?
http://www.singletracks.com/blog/trail-advocacy/...
What do you think?
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Risks splitting riders and setting advocacy back a decade or more.
As always focus and teach people to judge the environmental impact not the activity.
Don't fall into the NIMBY trap of argument about the activity and what is appropriate.
Pretend environmentalists take this line and if you show them a picture of an XC rider, and an armoured DHer they will at best say the DH shouldn't be in the bush. Even when the photos were taken on the same track in the same place but from opposite directions left to right across the track. The track has the same impact.
Quite often they will want the mtber built illegal track closed to riders but retained for walkers. A few in Sydney are now used for walking tours.
Impacts can be managed and maintenance goes a long way. Even shredding a berm sending dirt flying has no net impact if water isn't washing the dirt away on a well design track. Shovel it back into place.
Agree with Simon. Divide and concur at it's best. The reason a lot of riders feel let down and under represented by IMBA and associated groups and go back to building illegal trails. It's easier, less time consuming and you get the trail you want
We have had the chance to let land managers know the needs and wants of riders. Unfortunately at times our advocacy groups have sold the conservative approach to riding on the basis of "Getting a foot in the door" Even though that door has been opened numerous over the last 30 years.
Often we've pushed trails that suit riders of all levels and thus dumbed trails down somewhat, instead of pushing different trails for different level of rider.
Which tracks are those, Simon? Useful information.
There were plenty of people out walking the OMV Mtb trails this morning... Clearly marked as Mtb only... I must admit of the people riding there today, most seemed to just shrug it off, said "good morning and be careful, there's plenty of bikes out this morning". It was quite gentlemanly. I can't imagine it being so if it was the other way around.
Today as well?
Yesterday I came across a group of 4 walking the wrong way down lava flow - luckily it was the uphill switchback section so I was going fairly slowly but imagine the potential for carnage if they were a few hundred metres further along in the downhill section with the partially blind corners...
I was polite but told them quite firmly that this wasn't a walking trail and suggested they were risking injury by being there. They seemed genuinely surprised and then asked for directions on the quickest way out
I think a lot of the media issues can be addressed with land managers by making the point that mountain bike videos are a lot like surfing videos.
Elite athletes getting towed in and threading the needle in massive Teahupoo swells like fast moving blocks of flats sells lots of vids, but .01% of riders have the skill and fitness to survive in conditions like that, let alone surf it with flair and panache. That's why people buy those vids. They get the adrenalin hit without being out there and soiling their pants fearing for their lives. Most of the time what people ride is between knee and shoulder high.
Similarly, not every rider wants to spray dirt everywhere, even if they shovel it back afterwards (I have to wonder though how often that really happens though). Even the DJ and DH guys I've seen in person and on locally produced vids or even World Cup races almost never shred berms like that - it's the slow way around the corner.
All I want is epic contour flow trails winding around the slopes above Cowan, Coal and Candle Creek, and the other valleys on the southern slopes of Pittwater. The spectacular scenery would draw riders from all over the world. Think Skyline trail at Stromlo, but 40-60 kilometres of it.
Think we can get a business case up for that and get it in before I'm too old to ride?