haighd2, this is for you.
Short version: you’re a massive pillock EDIT: that was perhaps not so well thought out; ‘deluded moron’ is probably a more accurate phrase.
Long version: at the start of your post I thought “ah, now here’s a writer worth reading – someone who’s actually doing some diggin’ and putting in some love!”
Then a few little phrases crept out, as has been mentioned, along the lines of:
bad/ xc cyclists … other riders … shit weekend warriors … weekend warrior city boy xc cyclist
and I realised that you’re the sort of rider who thinks they’re a white knight in shining body armour, championing biker access and promoting the building of better trails whereas you’re actually one of those “elitist morons” (to borrow the perfect phrase) who turns up on the hills, unloads their bike and completely snubs every other rider out there. In fact, though it probably wasn’t you, it was certainly a group of your ilk who snubbed my cheery hello as I rode through one of the carparks round there last week.
As an aside, I say hi to everyone I pass on the hills (ooh, get me, what an unusual thing to do): walkers, horseriders, families and especially other bikers. Elderly hikers are cautious, parents bring their children close when bikers ride by, but almost everyone smiles when greeted – that acknoledgement that we’re all out on the hills for fresh air, lovely views and, well, fun. Can you guess which group of hill-users is most likely to ignore a hail from someone on a rigid bike with no kneepads and who looks as if he’s perhaps not taking riding around in the mud quite seriously enough…? The answer may have been alluded to above.
I may have veered from the subject slightly; I actually wanted to make a point that anyone who thinks trails like Barry Knows Best are a bad thing, because they attract more riders to the hills, cannot possibly have the best interests of the wider mountain biking society at heart.
haighd2, I appreciate your trail building craft: it’s likely that sanctioned trails would never have come to pass without years of cheeky trails before them, but your attitude to other riders will only win you support from the likes of Dango & Ewan up there. Everyone else (or “numpties” as we’re apparently known) will see you for what you are and conclude that we don’t want you on our ‘side’ as you’ll never actually give a damn about anyone other than your particular clique.
As for the ‘trail centre’ idea: is it actually all that bad? From the ones I’ve been to it seems what you get is jolly well-built trails that resist erosion and, more importantly, are graded so that everyone knows what sort of level to expect. Mums and dads with their kids pootle along on the green and blue trails, numpty weekend warriors cruise around on the red trails (whilst contemplating the blacks) and the “real” riders (I’m talking about you, haighd2, baby) have orange areas to hone their skills.
Is that really so bad?
