A comprehensive exploration of the social, cultural, and political dimensions of mountain biking in contemporary societies

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Christoph Wagner
Université Gustave Eiffel


Jim Cherrington (ed.)
Mountain Biking, Culture and Society
248 pages, hardcover, ill
Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge 2024 (Routledge Research in Sport, Culture and Society)
ISBN 978-1-032-42191-9

Every sport has its own culture and codes: while professional footballers show off their tattoos and flashy cars, mountain bikers often wear bike parts as necklaces or bracelets; either way, sports and their athletes are most often easily identifiable by their habits and outfits.

As is the case with all recent sports, research into their history and the (sub)culture is still being explored. This book, Mountain Biking, Culture and Society, examines the sport from an academic perspective. It takes us on a tour through mountain biking culture and the enclosed subjects that this sport touches upon and which are, according to Cherrington, “some of the most important planetary issues of our catastrophic times” (p. 5), such as habitat destruction, climate change, colonisation, the ecological, social, political and cultural impacts of tourism, land enclosure, social inequalities, the commodification of sport, the technologisation and datafication of outdoor spaces and sports. This brings with it a big responsibility for the mountain bikers. Too often they stand accused of being anti-social, harmful to nature and only aim to record faster times on Strava (p. 5). However, this collection aims to emphasise some of the positive characteristics of mountain biking, i.e., inspiring public debate regarding moral virtue and public good (p. 6). The book is structured in four parts: (1) identities, (2) bodies, (3) ecologies and (4) the politics of contemporary mountain biking cultures. It hopes to address a lack of critical and interpretative thinking in this academic field.

Just like the motorcycle gangs Hunter S. Thompson reported on as outsiders, the early adherents to this new sport were also seen as, and considered themselves to be, outsiders.

Besides the culture and codes, every sports has also its own image. Mountain biking developed in the United States in a climate of anti-establishment sentiment in the early 1970s. Just like the motorcycle gangs Hunter S. Thompson reported on as outsiders, the early adherents to this new sport were also seen as, and considered themselves to be, outsiders. Between becoming established as a mainstream sport and maintaining some of its rebelliousness, lies the vast field of those who engage in this sport for their own leisure: for travelling, commuting, relaxing and being active in the outdoors. One of the developments going to either side of these extremes is surely the professional version of MTB which experienced a major boost in the 1990s in the wake of the inclusion into the realm of Olympic Sports for the Atlanta Olympics (p. 18). This has led to an increase in the number of coaches within the sport but also created a need to educate coaches in the first place. This is the topic of chapter one. And while MTB still carries a sense of resistance to governance and formalisation (p. 18), it is nonetheless vital that coaching becomes more regulated: funding and international recognition depend on it.

An ethnography of MTB riders is thus one of the main chapters of this book. This is the content of chapter two in which McEwan et al. distinguish between Athletes, Recreationalists, Risk Competitors and Competitors (p. 35-48). All engage in various forms of MTB, such as downhill, All-Mountain, Trails, Dirt Jumping, among others, and each have their own niche within the MTB community. The authors conclude that each group and their respective subgroups show different levels of competitiveness, and the conclusion is that riders downhill and cross country are more competitive riders than those who engage in freestyle or trail riding.

In addition it has to be said that MTB is still a largely male domain due to several facts that are highlighted in chapter 11. Traditional gender roles and images play into this situation: women tend to be no risk-takers and are more often than men occupied with child care and household duties. Further, women are seen as sexualised objects (p. 184) for a male-dominated sport, thus perpetuating gender stereotypes.

(Shutterstock/Real Sports Photos)

Another more recent trend is what could be called “the Red Bullization” of sports. This means that the Austrian drinks manufacturer not only promotes and broadcasts several sporting events but is also a content creator by offering ‘POV audiovisual experiences’ (p. 116). Moreover, this is only possible with wearable technology, in this case, GoPro cameras which the athletes wear on their helmets. This ‘GoPro gaze’ as Vannini and Stewart have called this (p. 118) offers the view of the athlete and thus a whole new perspective for spectators. In other words, these wearable cameras are the selfie sticks for the MTB athletes at such events.

However, such content is carefully curated and aimed to give a shiny image of the sport, yet this is not always possible as chapters four and five highlight. In fact, pleasure and pain are not too far away from each other and in fact are regular features, though hardly reported on in formats promoted by Red Bull, for instance. The former chapter details pain and misfortune from an eye witness account and in the latter the author goes through the details of a crash in which he was seriously injured.

Mountain biking and its impact on nature have been debated hotly between stakeholders on either side of the divide. Athletes need the best trails and courses, while other members of the public prefer to enjoy nature without disturbance and preservationists cry out in alarm over the damage done. With the increasing popularity of the sports and a growing awareness of its impact, it is clear that this is one of the biggest topics, not only for MTB but any outdoor sports, which touches upon an increasingly fragile nature. Despite its image, MTB is in fact very much working to preserve fragile nature. This is no longer just the aim of the riders and some local clubs – by now even the big brands of MTB have understood their responsibility and have established foundations in order to set up funding to restore previously damaged areas and to prevent further damage being done. This does not stop at nature but also includes the cancellation of events due to tragic incidents within native communities as is revealed in chapter 14.

In conclusion Mountain Biking, Culture and Society is a comprehensive exploration of the social, cultural, and political dimensions of mountain biking in contemporary societies. The book highlights the diversity and complexity of mountain biking cultures, delving into the issues and problems MTB is facing and is acitvely tackling. However, there are points that need addressing such as the status of women within the wider MTB community which is a reflection of society in general. The book addresses key topics such as the embodied experiences of riders, including sensations of pain and thrill, as well as the socio-technical relationships between bikers, their equipment, and the landscapes they traverse.

Copyright © Christoph Wagner 2024

Table of Content

Introduction: mountain bike culture as a ‘structure of feeling’
Jim Cherrington

PART I: Mountain biking identities

      1. Exploring mountain bike coaches’ perceptions towards learning to coach through story completion: coaching happily ever after?
        Thomas M. Leeder & Lee C. Beaumont
      2. Evaluating competitiveness as a personality trait among a sample of mountain bikers
        Kieren McEwan, Neil Weston & Paul Gorczynski
      3. The motivations, identities, and environmental sensibilities of contemporary e-mountain bike users: the people behind the power
        Lesley Ingram-Sills

PART II: Mountain biking bodies

      1. A sociology of how things go wrong in mountain biking: falling into place
        Mike Lloyd
      2. An exploration into the sensory experience of pain in mountain biking
        Benjamin Moreland
      3. Encounters with mountain bike trail centre spaces: experience landscapes
        David Gibbs & Lewis Holloway

PART III: Mountain biking environments

      1. Downhill MTB, digital media, and DIY urbanism: riding with Red Bull
        Jacob J. Bustad & Oliver J. C. Rick
      2. Sustainable mountain bike trails: towards a holistic approach
        Tom Campbell
      3. No dig, no ride: repairing and caring for DIY-designed mountain bike and BMX trails
        Liam Healy
      4. Air pollution as ‘slow violence’ during multi-day mountain bike trips
        Clare Nattress

PART IV: The cultural politics of mountain biking

      1. Women and barriers to participation in mountain biking: the impossible climb
        Louise Bordelon
      2. Hegemonic masculinity and sexualisation in mountain bike trail naming practices: what’s in a name?
        Benjamin Moreland, Alice Lemkes, Jenni Myers & Jack Reed
      3. Portrayals of ideals of authenticity in mountain biking multimedia: escaping to find yourself
        Jeff R. Warren & John Reid-Hresko
      4. Reflections on trails, mountain biking, and indigenous-settler relations in British Columbia: ride, (re)connect, and (re)build
        Tavis Smith, Patrick Lucas, Tom Eustache & Thomas Schoen

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