Hello..
I was thinking about what the 2 boys were saying today and the lack of info for non members of Clubs and the do and don'ts.
Well I thought I would explain a couple of things.
First of all..
this is The Forum of EPICmtb, with over 100 Licenced members, we are the largest MTB Club in The British isles, and one of the biggest cycling Clubs in Ireland.
It is a club forum remember, we all know each other, most of us are mates..some of us have known each other for 20 years.
Technically MTBing in Ireland is an Outlaw sport, we're not allowed to ride anywhere, you've seen the signs.
They are a result of an accident between a Coillte jeep and a MTBer. After the courts were involved those signs went up. That may have been as early as 1994, it was around that time anyway.
So we've been building trails under the radar since the late 80's hoping to be taken seriously and allowed to continue.
in the past tracks have been blocked and scumbag MXers have wrecked others.
Mountainbikers have been their own worst enemies, abusing walkers and leaving litter all over the place.
The trails that you see in 3 rock, Djouce and the leadmines have all been built by a very small amount of people, over years and are labours of love, all we ask is for them to be respected.
It might seem to people only new to the game that we are insular and tribal, thats true to an extent, but not in a bad way. We can't just ride our bikes anywhere we like and we have to be discreet ( to an extent, sometimes I just like to display 50 riders to the National Park people, but as I'm not entirely well balanced, they'll just have to get over that)
but what I'm saying is, we want people to enjoy mountainbiking as much as we do.
But you have to respect the people who've put in the effort before you. I don't have that problem as there actually wasn't anybody before me.
Not in Ireland anyway.
Ballinastoe has exploded the sport and there are people riding the place to death knowing there are other spots, and are searching them out,I know, i've seen some peculiar sights around the place.
Just bear in mind that the folks who do all the work bringing you outlaw trail, races and events have spent all their times fighting to bring you these these.
i certainly don't want to put people off going mountainbiking but if you want to put something back in and discover other places to ride, you'll have to join a club and do it that way, you do not know what you are missing.
Richie
I was thinking about what the 2 boys were saying today and the lack of info for non members of Clubs and the do and don'ts.
Well I thought I would explain a couple of things.
First of all..
this is The Forum of EPICmtb, with over 100 Licenced members, we are the largest MTB Club in The British isles, and one of the biggest cycling Clubs in Ireland.
It is a club forum remember, we all know each other, most of us are mates..some of us have known each other for 20 years.
Technically MTBing in Ireland is an Outlaw sport, we're not allowed to ride anywhere, you've seen the signs.
They are a result of an accident between a Coillte jeep and a MTBer. After the courts were involved those signs went up. That may have been as early as 1994, it was around that time anyway.
So we've been building trails under the radar since the late 80's hoping to be taken seriously and allowed to continue.
in the past tracks have been blocked and scumbag MXers have wrecked others.
Mountainbikers have been their own worst enemies, abusing walkers and leaving litter all over the place.
The trails that you see in 3 rock, Djouce and the leadmines have all been built by a very small amount of people, over years and are labours of love, all we ask is for them to be respected.
It might seem to people only new to the game that we are insular and tribal, thats true to an extent, but not in a bad way. We can't just ride our bikes anywhere we like and we have to be discreet ( to an extent, sometimes I just like to display 50 riders to the National Park people, but as I'm not entirely well balanced, they'll just have to get over that)
but what I'm saying is, we want people to enjoy mountainbiking as much as we do.
But you have to respect the people who've put in the effort before you. I don't have that problem as there actually wasn't anybody before me.
Not in Ireland anyway.
Ballinastoe has exploded the sport and there are people riding the place to death knowing there are other spots, and are searching them out,I know, i've seen some peculiar sights around the place.
Just bear in mind that the folks who do all the work bringing you outlaw trail, races and events have spent all their times fighting to bring you these these.
i certainly don't want to put people off going mountainbiking but if you want to put something back in and discover other places to ride, you'll have to join a club and do it that way, you do not know what you are missing.
Richie