For most, the act of riding a bike can be dropped into one of a few pigeon-holes, depending on perspective; a means for getting around, something to do along a canal path on the weekend, or the scourge of motorists the world over. However, as a competitive sport, it is something that Britain is more than a little handy at – across the various disciplines of cycling, UK riders currently hold no fewer than nine world championship titles, as well as winning numerous medals in top level competition – we are, as a country, pretty damned good on two wheels.
This success goes right down to a grass-roots level, especially in Scotland, where mountain biking is worth £9 million, as one part of a growing adventure sports industry, which pumps £187 million a year into the Scottish economy. While projects like the 7 Stanes, a series of EU-backed trail centres in Scotland, continue to thrive on the growth of the sport, there has also been a huge growth in the sharp end of the biking stick – downhill.
To the uninitiated, the idea may seem more than slightly unhinged – riders compete on tracks that wind their way down steep hillsides, across rocks, roots, large jumps and drops, against the clock. In the dry, it can be a difficult sport – with the inherently dire weather that the country frequently basks in, steep, muddy trails can make it incredibly demanding for riders, to put it lightly. On top of all of this, the best in the world do it at speeds you’d get a ticket for in town.
Scotland has played host to downhill mountain biking for years, but the country now finds itself as one of the top venues for the sport in the world – this year alone, one international, three national, and at least six regional-level events will take place across the country, with all these races likely to run at the absolute limit of capacity – there is certainly the demand for more races, with riders at the moment essentially competing to compete; events are selling out within 30 minutes of entries opening. At present, the popularity of the sport is effectively capped by the lack of other race series in the country that can handle the surplus; the demand for these events is astonishing.
Regardless, for the spectator, the sport is a cracker – all regional and national events are free to attend; you can stand trackside; shout encouragement (or mock wildly if you know the rider in question); cringe as riders endure testicle-endangering crashes (if that happens to float your boat); and take all the photos you like – as long as you refrain from stuffing a flash into the face of a rider.
Website: Chris Watt. All articles remain copyright of individual contributors. Views expressed are not necessarily those of the editors or anyone at the University of Glasgow
While the age group of riders frequently on the cusp of success is roughly the same as that of a fresher (Ruaridh Cunningham, a Scottish rider, won the Junior World Championships as an 18 year old), Glasgow University lacks an enthusiasm for the sport. At present, there is no cycling club on campus, and nobody represented the institution at the BUSA mountain bike championships this year, in any category.
The quality of riding in Scotland, and indeed the UK, is rising relentlessly; the issue, at least the one that should be discussed on campus, is whether anyone at Glasgow is able, or even willing, to rise this challenge.
By James Porteous
