Be A Good MTB Community Member

Spread the Joy: Mountain Biking for All

          Generally, the mountain bike community is a welcoming place, full of folks united by their love of bikes. It’s a special environment that includes folks of all ages, shapes, sizes, races, colors, and creeds, from the chilled out rider to the hardo. There are some parts of the culture that can be a little intense. If you’ve ever been to a bike park full of guys hopped up on testosterone chucking absolute carcass, you know what I mean. While these environments are important for progression and as an outlet for the dudes, it can also make any bike-related context intimidating for beginners, kids, or folks who don’t see themselves represented in the bike community. Being a good rider includes being a steward of the mountain bike community. Not only does this mean following trail etiquette and keeping our trail networks beautiful, it means we have to make the community a welcoming and inclusive place. The key to making mountain biking welcoming for everyone is recognizing the essence of the sport, figuring out why you ride, and trying not to take yourself too seriously.

          So, what is the essence of mountain biking? If we look at the sport like a tree, with roots, a trunk, and branches, we see that there are many moving parts to mountain biking. Our roots are our history, the hippies who rode through the woods on hard tails just for the hell of it. These folks loved the outdoors, loved to move their bodies, and were totally chilled out, my dude. Then we have the trunk, when mountain biking began to evolve into a recognized sport. Biking was an outlet for folks who loved adventure and wanted to learn something new. Contemporarily, there are so many branches! They are made up of so many different types of riders all over the world. We have our differences, but there are common threads that make us all mountain bikers, and those threads also connect us to the hippies in the woods way back when. What I call the essence, then, is the pure joy we’ve all found, one way or another, biking in the woods.

          Everyone who likes to mountain bike, whether they’re a beginner or a professional, should be in tune with their why. Why do you mountain bike? For me, I feel connected to my environment and my family when I’m biking. It’s also a way for me to get necessary exercise, be outside, and have fun all at the same time. I mountain bike because it’s challenging, it shows me that I can do hard things and overcome barriers. It requires focus, stamina, determination, and provides a rush of adrenaline. If I lose sight of my why, I lose the essence of being on a bike: joy! Even on challenging rides when nothing goes right, if you know why you ride your bike, you can still have a great time. 

          Now for the hard part: don’t take yourself too seriously. We all know that mountain biking is cool. It looks cool, it feels cool, it happens in cool places with cool people! However, your skill or status as a mountain biker doesn’t make you cool at all if you’re a dick about it. Every mountain biker, even the best of the best, is constantly learning and evolving. We all have a why, and are connected by the joy we feel on our bikes. So the next time you’re at your local bike park, and someone you’ve never seen before is trembling with fear at the top of the jump line, spread the joy! Say hi, make them feel welcome, and help them out if you can. Think about your why, maybe even politely ask them theirs. If you’re that someone, know that we all started on step one, and we’re proud of you for trying, failing, and getting back up to try again.