Singletrack Reader Awards 2021 – All The Finalists Revealed!

Thanks to all of you who submitted nominations to this year’s Singletrack Reader Awards, sponsored by Kona Bicycles. It’s been heartwarming to read all the nominations for all the projects and people who have made your mountain bike world a bit better this year, and it’s been fantastic to receive so many nominations and stories.

This year we had a whole new set of categories for you to nominate to, and it feels to us like you like the shift of emphasis from tech to people. Thanks to Kona Bicycles for joining us for the ride, and to their man Scott Belshaw for joining us on the podcasts and discussions in whittling down the many nominees to this list of finalists.

Voting will open on 18th October. We’re revealing all the finalists today, so you can send them your love and help them enjoy the glory of making it this far. Over the next few days you’ll be able to read a selection of stories and listen to podcasts with some of the finalists. Hopefully you enjoy these and come to appreciate why we’ve picked these people and projects as your finalists as much as we’ve enjoyed learning about their many contributions to our mountain biking world. And then, it’ll be time for you to vote. The overall winners are down to you, so make sure you have your free Singletrack login at the ready so you can access the voting page.

And now, drumroll, without further ado, your finalists are:

Best UK Trail Stewardship Initiative

Dean Trail Volunteers
Tame Valley Mountain Bike Association
Tweed Valley Trails

Best UK Environmental Initiative

Cargodale
Lakes Litter Tribe
Trash Free Trails

Best UK Community Initiative

School of Rocks
TotalMTB
Ride Sheffield – Be Nice Say Hi

Best Brand Initiative

Santa Cruz – Paydirt
Specialized – Soil Search
Trek – All In

Best Use of Lockdown

Rob Belsom – The STW Zwift guy
Silverstrange Sessions
TiRED – The STW Covid guy, aka Daren Austin OBE

Best STW image

135 Cover – Pete Scullion’s selfie
136 Cover – Birthday illustration by Isaac Orloff
139 Cover – Pete Scullion’s yellow mountains

Best STW Article

Wrongpacking, by Amanda
Kiwi Beervet, by Tony Hutcheson
Be Nice Say Hi Ask Why, by Hannah

Most Outstanding Human

Aneela McKenna
Lachlan Morton
Rosie Holdsworth

We hope you agree that’s a deserving collection of people and projects. Come learn a little more about them over the next few days, and then give your favourites your vote. It’s all down to you who wins!

Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

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