[Images by Steve Thomas]
Life is full of contradictory and often bemusing, unnecessary, inappropriate, and frustrating divisions. Unwritten dividing lines that were laid down all too often by the wrong people for the wrong reasons – and, I guess, many of us encounter these ever-increasing societal lines in recent times in everyday life.
- Stop focusing on gnar… just enjoy riding your damn bike
- Forget gravel bikes, cross-country MTBs are better
- When cycling becomes your job
Sadly, I guess much of this is down to human nature, both in the drawing, or rather stirring up, of these needless divisive lines in the first place, and then in the sheep-like following of them. This theme certainly runs true in cycling, especially when it comes to riding bikes of different kinds, although, as ever, some will blindly deny this and very vocally so, often from their staunch side of the line rather than the hazy middle ground.
Old lines
Having ridden and raced just about every kind of bike and discipline since the days of Choppers and the Bay City Rollers, I was introduced to these agitative lines from a young age. Back then, there were no mountain bikes, the only true off-roaders were strange, bearded folk who pushed their touring bikes over wild moors and mountains – aka the Rough Stuff Fellowship, a fringe band of cyclists of the then uncool kind, who are ironically now considered the rad ole grandads of off-road riding.
Back then, the main divisions in UK cycling lay between roadmen (road racers), time trialists (testers), and tourers. Time-trailing was huge in the UK, and those who specialised in chasing the clock alone were often seen as very different characters to roadmen. The tourers were simply not deemed cool, with their Kendal Mint Cake and jam butties; Irony strikes, once again, given that bikepacking, beards, and sleeping in hedgerows have become the stuff of modern dreams for many.
When mountain biking came a knocking
Way back in the late 1980s to mid-90s, when mountain biking first started to take off in the UK, many who initially took to the sport were from outside of cycling, and the early pioneers brought their own approach and fun ideals to the sport. They were also branded as oddballs by mainstream dropped bar cyclists and were not to be taken too seriously.
This suited many of the new flat bar crew, who didn’t want their sport to get too serious, and when drop bar stars David Baker and Tim Gould showed up to give this new sport a crack, many of the old crew left the arena, tossing their dayglo Bula hats in despair.
As someone who came from the road into MTB in those early days, the divisions were glaringly bold. To original mountain bikers, you were simply an old roadie, and although you’d been riding mountain bikes for as long as them, acceptance was hard-earned, and those lines were indeed battened down by a core, often media-led.
The irony was that many pure road riders then considered us cohorts to be mountain bikers, burning our roadie cred. Unfortunately, there are still many on the dropped bar side of cycling who still consider off-road riding to be a heretic fad, one that will pass. These include many in the media and the blazer-covered seats of cycling organisations.
When the cracks were widened within mountain biking
Back in those early days of mountain bikers rode everything: downhill, uphill, cross country, trials, be it simply for fun, or with serious intent.
During the early 90s, unwarranted virtual identity badges were forged within mountain biking, too, fuelled by certain cycling media. You were either a downhiller or a cross-country/roadie “type.” Either cool or bland. It sold magazines, created a faux rivalry, one that never went away or truly existed before. Strangely enough, there was never the same level of media stirring of this in many other countries.
The completive separation of the disciplines was inevitable; it’s what happens when things get serious, as we now see with gravel racing.
Full circle ideals?
Watching the coverage of the Leadville 100 MTB, it’s great to see top road riders thrashing full suspension flat bar rigs, mountain bike aces icing it on dropped bars, and everyone having an absolute ball in racing for belt buckles and the sheer hell of it – just how it should and could be.
Whenever asked whether I’m a mountain biker or a roadie? I reply: “I’m a cyclist.” I ride bikes of all kinds. A bit like Tom Pidcock, only much slower…
Many who once stood loud and proud on the mountain biker, gravity-led side in the 90s have since come out in Lycra and on dropped bars, and boy do I feel kinda smug witnessing this and rubbing it in.
