Mountain Biking.

The birthplace of modern mountain biking is generally regarded to be the western USA. However, riding off-road on hilly or mountainous terrain and fields was part and parcel of riding a bike in the late 1800s and early 1900s elsewhere in the world.

Before the widespread use of motor vehicles, there were very few, if any, paved roads like the ones we have today. Instead, cyclists had to cross grassy fields, forest and mountain trails, and chunky gravel roads to get where they needed to go<br><br>.

One of the first recorded examples of bikes used for offroad-specific riding was within the United States army in 1897. Lieutenant James A. Moss led a group of soldiers 1900 miles from Fort Missoula, Montana, to St. Louis, Missouri, on safety bicycles modified for backcountry terrain. It’s difficult to pin down the first bicycle that may be considered a ‘mountain’ bike. The first mountain bikes were crude compared to their modern-day counterparts. They looked similar to urban bikes but with wider tires, thicker steel tubing, and slightly different geometry.

Meanwhile, in Europe in the early 1900s, road racing cyclists started the early iterations of cyclocross riding and racing, which involved riding across muddy farms and grassy fields between towns to maintain fitness in the off-season. Races of this type spread across Europe in the following decades before the sport was officially recognized in 1940 by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) was founded in Paris in April 1900 by the Belgian, French, Italian, Swiss and United States National Federations. They sponsored international road races until the mid-1960’s when the UCI became the coordinating body for the International Amateur Cycling Federation (FIAC) and the International Professional Cycling Federation (FICP) in Rome and Brussels.

The organisation has controlled the evolution of new disciplines in urban racing, gravel track racing and BMX, which became and Olympic competition in 2021. Cyclocross (CX) is an unusual sport. It involves drop-bar racing bikes, mud, snow, sand, and some obstacles riders need to jump or run over while carrying the bike. This unique and exciting mix makes for an entertaining display of athleticism. The exact origins of cyclocross are unclear. However, in the late 1800s to early 1900s, road cyclists are understood to have practiced CX-style races to maintain fitness through the winter season and improve their bike handling abilities.

Off-road cycling for its own sake was also beginning to take off among a small but dedicated band of enthusiasts, and Britain was at the forefront. As long ago as 1890, the CTC Gazette (the magazine of the Cyclists’ Touring Club, now known as Cycling UK) recorded how a rider by the name of Amos Sugden had taken his bicycle, weighing 50lb, over the 1,600ft Sty Head Pass in the Lake District. A key figure in bringing the “rough stuff” to the popular attention was Walter McGregor Robinson, better known as Wayfarer. Together with fellow members of the Anfield Bicycle Club (ABC), Wayfarer rode (and pushed) his heavy bike (fixed gear, of course) across the Berwyn mountains of North Wales on a snowy March weekend in 1919.

Few people can reach the dizzy heights of fitness and skill to take on the sorts of courses used by the likes of Tom Pidock at the Paris Olympics. The arrival of powerful batteries to support electric motors to aid average riders has opened up more possibilities; e-mountain bikes can increase the accessibility of the outdoors for riders who would otherwise be socially or physically excluded.

They are not without their critics, and they have led to an intense debate between cyclists, horse riders and walkers about what constitutes acceptable levels of speed, noise and erosion from this new technology. Older participants have said purchasing an e-bike has led to vast improvements in their physical and mental well-being. On the other hand, there have been instances where e-mountain bike riders had gone too far into the wilderness, run out of battery, and needed to call the air ambulance. While a lot of fears and complaints may well be valid, most are based on anecdotal evidence rather than any actual research.