This video contains all the usual mountain bike cliches – slo-mo action of tyres kicking up stones, unfeasible wrestling of bars from side to side on climbs, ‘casual’ standing around gazing at views… you get the idea. But what’s a breath of fresh air in this video is that the makers have allowed Manon’s personal interests away from mountain biking to shine through. It’s great to see a different side to her personality as gets her geek on over all the geology, geothermal power, and flora and fauna of Iceland – perhaps not surprising given that she’s studying Geology at university.
“We were privileged enough to ride in some incredible locations and with that comes responsibility. Often trails are closed to allow the rehabilitation of vegetation, which hugely is important. The landscape was rugged and the weather was wild, and we went away feeling like Iceland truly is a unique place – a place that highlights and harnesses the power and beauty of the land we live on. And that bikes really do make exploring new places even better” – Manon Carpenter
Scott-Sports Mountain bike ambassador Monet Adams joined Manon for the trip: “After seeing photos of the incredible mountains and trails, I knew immediately I wanted to explore Iceland by bike. I wanted to learn how their landscape influences them, how they are using it but also the extent to which they go to preserve it. The riding was like being on a different film set or planet every day, one day we rode through fields of flowers the next down the side of shaley candy-coloured mountains.”
Of course, it all looks lovely and will likely have you wanting to ride there. Also refreshingly, the riding you see looks attainable by us mortals, they’re appreciating their surroundings and there’s a nice gentle paced holiday feel to the film. Perhaps that’s helped by the degree of respect that is given to the environment – they’re thinking about what they’re riding through, rather than just tearing it up.
Nice one.
