Ten Years After

IMBA Trail News
Volume 14, Number 2
Early Summer 2001

A couple months ago, a Spanish magazine asked me to pen a few thoughts about mountain biking in the year 2010. This was a fun assignment; thought-provoking, too.

A decade from now, we'll no doubt ride lighter bikes. Suspension technology will improve, making technical riding more comfortable and fun than it is now.

In 2010, cross-country riding on trails and dirt roads will continue to be the most popular brand of mountain biking. This type of riding is available almost everywhere and requires minimal fitness and experience to attempt, assuring its broad appeal.

It's hard to gauge the future of elite mountain bike racing, which doesn't seem to be growing much. Adventure riding and recreational racing (especially 24-hour events) are gaining popularity and this should continue. The reasons? Their low-key atmosphere and emphasis on fun fit well with the spirit of our sport

Thanks to suspension technology, downhill riding will continue to develop, but the numbers won't be huge. In an aging society, fitness, skill and nerve will preclude most people from actively participating. Ski areas and private mountain bike parks will step up to provide more downhill trail facilities.

Speaking of facilities, it will be fascinating to see what becomes of elevated stunt riding, which is currently a buzz. Today, land managers generally see stunts as unauthorized facilities with environmental, liability and safety concerns. This perspective could change if stunts are planned and approved by government officials. But the future of stunt riding also seems to be in special use areas and at ski resorts and mountain bike parks (see pp. 8-9). The fact that stunts can't easily be walked by hikers or horses will limit, though not eliminate, their construction on public trails.

Freeriding - no trails, no rules - will continue in remote regions and in sacrifice areas such as old landfills and mines, but will be otherwise be severely restricted. In places where the ground is alive, freeriding is environmentally unacceptable and should be curtailed.

By 2010, trail access for mountain biking should be better than it is today. More riders will consider responsible riding, volunteer trailwork and occasional political action to be essential elements of what it means to be a mountain biker. The basic spirit of the sport - its fun, thrills, adventure and camaraderie - will remain intact.

In a world of more people and less open space, developing singletrack riding opportunities in and around crowded cities will continue to be our biggest challenge. Single-use, technical, one-way trails will increasingly be developed to provide a solution.

In 2010, natural, dirt-surface trails will be revered as a balance to technology, steel and concrete. Safe community trails will be constructed to encourage kids to get off the couch and on to their bikes--just as most of us did when we were young. Schools will actively promote bicycling.

Mountain bikers will be almost universally respected. Bicycling will be recognized, completely and comprehensively, as one of the best activities on earth.

In sum, it all sounds pretty good, doesn't it? With your continuing support, IMBA will continue to play a leadership role in making it happen.

- Tim Blumenthal