The Singletrack Reader Awards are voted for by you, so thank you to everyone who cast their vote in the name of mountain bike democracy. Congratulations to all the finalists and winners, and thank you all for your contribution to the mountain bike world. Let’s crack on and reveal the results…
Most Desirable Mountain Bike: Atherton AM 150
Is it the dream of being as fast as one of the Atherton siblings, or the hand built in the UK titanium and carbon combination that turns your head? Whatever it is, it all comes together into being the bike you desire. Will you just keep dreaming, or maybe get your name down and buy one?
Most Innovative Mountain Bike Product: Lal Bikes Supre Drive
We’ve already seen the demise of the front derailleur, and if this innovation takes off it could spell the end of the rear one as we know it. Keeping all the dangle away from the trail hazards, this design has already caught the eye of some mainstream brands. Look out for it coming to a trail near you?
The Forest of Dean is one of the busiest trail centres you’ll encounter, which means its dig team has its work cut out keeping everything in good shape and even building new trails. With so many of you being the beneficiaries of their work, it’s no wonder you made them your winner.
Trash Free Trails has made big strides for such a new movement, bringing changes to our behaviours out on the trail. Picking up trail litter as you go is becoming the new normal. It’s launched the ‘TFT Approved’ scheme for event organisers, and with Red Bull and the EWS already adopting it for some events we can see it becoming an expected standard for events to meet. And they’ve launched the Trash Mob Academy, which aims to reconnect children to their environment through mountain biking and other outdoor activities. Their summit in summer 2022 brought together trail access advocates and land managers in a way that few have managed. Through focussing on the tangible goal of reducing single use plastic rubbish in our environment, they’re bringing people together and getting them talking about wider issues. Check them out and consider joining in one of their citizen science projects!
Showing that even a relatively small company can make a difference, Cotic Bikes has helped out a wide range of voluntary organisations and projects. In doing so they’ve supported trail building and helped get more people out enjoying mountain biking. It’s corporate social responsibility done right, and probably part of why the brand has such a strong fanbase.
Once again Pete Scullion grabs this award. It’s well deserved – there’s a lot of effort and mountain craft that goes into getting many of his pictures. Being there for that moment with that light on that spot takes knowledge, research, and a lot of climbing. If you’re lucky you might still be able to bag one of his calendars – bike free landscape shots, so they’re perfect for outdoors enthusiasts of all types. To find out more about how he captures the moment, read his ‘Art of the Photograph‘ feature.
Huge congratulations to Nils for winning with this inspirational tale. You don’t have to be facing a life changing illness to appreciate the sentiments of his words, and he’s sure to get you off the sofa and out on your bike. To see more of Nils’ work and to support his Rider Resilience project, please do take a moment to check out the Rider Resilience website.
RIDER RESILIENCE is a registered not-for-profit community interest company set up to draw on the strength and camaraderie of the bicycle community, to enable anyone in the face of adversity to ride through their hardship.
By encouraging the use of any bicycle as a platform to find resilience, the movement pulls together cyclists to support each other, paying forward the joy derived from riding and in turn making the world a better place.
There’s a good reason so many pros have moved there, and that the rest of us head there in hoards at the weekend. There are trails for every skill level and discipline, self guided and shuttle options plus the classic trails centre colour coded routes. A host of bike friendly businesses in town keep us fed and watered – and maybe occupied should we hug one tree too many and need a rest day. Our thanks go to all the businesses and volunteers that have helped shape this corner of Scotland into the best place to ride in the UK.
Look at the time! It’s our final award for this year. ‘The Voice Of Downhill’ will certainly be missed at next year’s World Cup races. It’s been a year of some uncertainty, and we’re all wondering what Rob Warner will do next. Given you’ve just voted him Mountain Bike Personality of the Year, it seems you’re hoping he’ll stick around.
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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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