Part 4/4 of Q&A with Dave and Ted
IMBA and STC Leaders Provide Deep Insight
When I wrote Mountain Biking is a Political Act, the first installment of my monthly Fully Rigid column, I never imagined it would fly like the great space coaster across the interwebs and land on the desks of Dave Wiens and Ted Stroll. Then came phone calls with them and I followed up by asking them about doing a quarterly Question and Answer series here on MTBeer. Both immediately and enthusiastically said “yes.”
Thank you, Dave and Ted, for sharing your thoughts and visions with the MTBeer community. More importantly, thank you for the work you do in providing/seeking access to trails for mountain bikers.
To MTBeer readers: go to the IMBA and STC websites and support their work, if you’d like to do so.
http://www.sustainabletrailscoalition.org/
Now, to part 4/4 of the Q&A with Dave and Ted …
In the USA, we like to believe that people have the power. How much power do mountain bikers have with regard to the power dynamics that exist with/between mountain bikers, the mountain biking industry and public lands managers?
Mountain biking is an incredible activity that has broad appeal and can be pursued in more places all of the time as new trail development is on the uptick. It essentially only requires two things: great bikes and great trails. The mountain bikes that the industry is producing right now are nothing short of amazing and, thanks to trail advocacy, trail champions and the professional trail building industry, trails have never been better or more plentiful. Mountain biking has seen a surge in rider numbers in the past 18 months and our activity of choice has never been more accessible to more people of all ages and from all walks of life.
While neither the bicycle industry nor the trail building industry is content, and continued expansion and innovation are certain, in most places in the US we share trails with other trail users, generally hikers and trail runners, but equestrians and motorized users are certainly in the mix in places, too. And just like mountain biking, these activities have also surged during the pandemic, further crowding trails that were already busy. So it stands to reason that each user group has additional power and if we each stay in our own silos using this new power to protect and expand only our own experiences, we run the risk of missing what could be collaborative and positive conversations that can advance trails for everyone.
The power I see is in the combined force that is: trails users, the outdoor industry - including the mountain biking and trail building industry - land managers and other stakeholders, all working together for win-win solutions. Imagine trails systems that include highly functional multi-use/bi-directional trails but also top-shelf trails where hikers, runners, mountain bikers, equestrians and motos each get to pursue their passion in a low-stress, high-quality manner on trails that are planned and designed to raise the experience for users while at the same time, reducing the opportunity for conflict. For example, foot traffic only trails in some places as well as directional, mountain bike only and mountain bike optimized trails in other places. And, yes, all within the same system. Examples of this are becoming more common and at IMBA, our planning and design teams are on the leading edge of this movement to innovate trails and trail systems.
To these innovative, cutting-edge trail systems for all users, add user kindness, empathy and trail knowledge, aka, trail etiquette, as well as an emphasis on making trails welcoming and safe for all people, particularly for the BIPOC community, and you have a new movement called Trails are Common Ground. Visit the website for more information about this movement positioned to improve everyone's experience on trails while at the same time, reducing the opportunity for conflict. Now that is powerful!
2022 is the super-duper fun downhill ahead after a long climb in the heat with bugs flying in and out of your nose/mouth/ears for the past year, or two for that matter. What's your proverbial mountain biking downhill for 2022? Any big plans, as a mountain biker?
The older I get, the more I appreciate riding and the more I make sure I get out and pedal, one way or another. I've been fortunate to have had fantastic riding seasons these past two years, lots of close to home riding on our local Gunnison/Crested Butte trails; plenty of new backcountry rides within a days drive; and even a handful of races this past summer and fall.
For 2022, I'm looking forward to more of the same and I'd like to work a few bikepacking trips into the mix, too. Exploring old school backcountry trails is at the top of my list and whether via day trip or extended days with a loaded bike, I'll be out there every chance I get. However, we are blessed with some of the best winter fat biking anywhere and that season is right upon us, so my first rides of 2022 most likely will be on snowpacked trails rocking 4.8s pumped up to 3-5 psi.
In the USA, we like to believe that people have the power. How much power do mountain bikers have with regard to the power dynamics that exist with/between mountain bikers, the mountain biking industry and public lands managers?
I believe mountain bikers have little power vis-à-vis the mountain biking industry, except, of course, that as consumers, mountain bikers ultimately dictate everything.
If this seems paradoxical, let me explain.
If mountain bikers collectively don’t buy, the industry has no choice but to offer alternatives and/or abandon or scale back what it’s trying to market. I don’t see many belt drives out there. Or grip-shifts. (I rather miss grip-shifting.) Or bar ends.
When it comes to controversies, though, the mountain biking industry seems to pay little attention to community grumbles. The most obvious case is e-bikes. Plenty of mountain bikers disdained them from the outset and a number still do. (I am not one of those people, though I don’t own an e-bike. Let a hundred flowers bloom.) The e-bike industry ignored the critics and charged (no pun intended) ahead, maneuvering to get access legislation passed in a number of states; it is now seeking the same thing federally. It turned out to be a great commercial success.
With regard to Sustainable Trails Coalition specifically, when we launched STC we asked major mountain biking companies for funding. Not only did Big Bike say no, but it sometimes responded to us frostily or even hostilely. For whatever reason—it could be staff attitudes against restoring Wilderness access, fear of offending retail outlets like REI, or other factors—we got nowhere. More recently, we asked to join the Trails Are Common Ground endeavor, which even embraces motorized dirt bikes. We haven’t heard a word back. Trails Are Common Ground claims to be an “inclusive national community of passionate trail users woven together by our love for trails and respect for one another,” but inclusivity evidently stops short of us.
Plainly, we continue to make some uncomfortable, with our four bills in Congress, tens of thousands of followers, and nationwide press coverage. People generally loathe change and people generally don’t want to rock the boat. It’s no different with mountain biking.
We do appreciate that IMBA has stopped opposing the STC-backed legislation and that smaller bicycle or component manufacturers have generously supported us. We have many allies, including in the mountain biking industry.
When we eventually prevail, our detractors will come around. J.B.S. Haldane, the enormously influential British scientist and all-around character for the ages, once said, and we think it will be true here too:
“I suppose the process of acceptance will pass through the usual four stages: i) this is worthless nonsense; ii) this is an interesting, but perverse, point of view; iii) this is true, but quite unimportant; iv) I always said so.”
As for land managers, with some exceptions like the East Bay Regional Park District and Marin Municipal Water District here in the access-deprived Bay Area, I perceive that they embrace mountain biking ever more with each passing year. It could hardly be better. Last year the Forest Service and Department of the Interior publicly endorsed restoring mountain biking to Wilderness. They’ve since retreated, but we hope and trust that that is their true attitude, though there will be resistance within the bureaucracies.
2022 is the super-duper fun downhill ahead after a long climb in the heat with bugs flying in and out of your nose/mouth/ears for the past year, or two for that matter. What's your proverbial mountain biking downhill for 2022? Any big plans, as a mountain biker?
A few weeks ago I descended two long downhills off of the Tahoe Rim Trail south of Spooner Summit, which is above Carson City, Nev. Both the Sierra Canyon Trail and the Clear Creek Trail were marvelous. They ran for miles and miles, down to the Carson Valley floor. I can hardly wait to do them again. E-bikes currently are not allowed on this part of the TRT or either of the downhills, so people will have to work to climb up from Spooner Summit to the Sierra Canyon Trail junction. The southern approach from Daggett Pass is said to be even harder.
I wanted to go to Revelstoke, B.C., late this summer to descend the Revelstoke Mountain Resort’s lift-served 5620 trail route that drops that many feet. Alas, between forest fires that ruined the air quality in British Columbia’s interior and emergency oral surgery (sorry, TMI), I couldn’t go. I hope to do so next year.
Finally, some of the descents at the lift-served Steamboat Springs (Colorado) Ski Resort are thrilling. I’d like to get back there too.
Note from James: Dave and Ted provided commentary on Trails are Common Ground. I did not mention anything to them about it and neither of them knew/saw the other’s responses until now, when I published this.