Life of a mountain biker is always full of enjoyment and adventure. Especially out in the middle of nowhere or on a hillside, with no one around but you and your bike.
But sharing your route with horse riders, ramblers and general walkers can make life on the trails very irritating!
Mountain bikers got a lot of flack for their general disregard for the country side and tearing up the trails with the bikes. That's all changed now, "I hope" I just wish our respect for each other would change as-well!
The way people speak or don't speak really gets under my skin! Sometimes all it takes is a simple hello, thank you or sorry. But instead you get some high & mighty horse rider say to her horse, "it's OK, it's only a cyclist with mud in his face!". As she passes me and my stationary bike! Arr, if another person comes along with a comment like that I'll,,, With that another person approaches on horse back.
I stop to allow the horse and rider pass as I do not want to spook the horse, it's only a narrow trail and those animals are so big! As the horse and rider pass, the rider looks at me and said, "Ooh, that looks like hard work!". So with a bee in my bonnet I reply, "it wouldn't be if I didn't have to stop and start all the bloody time!".
Why are people like that? Is it because they think that money gives them the right to look down on people less fortunate than them? Or is it because they're just 'stuck up old money twits', for want of a better phrase!
Whatever the reason may be, horse riders are no better than the rest of us who use the trails. At least I can safely say that my bike bike won't leave shit everywhere!
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Post a Comment
Comments Policy
Skipratt's mountain bike blog seeks to encourage readers to leave their comments and allows a link back to sites that participate.
However, due to high levels of spam all comments are subject to moderation and comments will not be published that are:
* off topic
* inappropriate, abusive, promotes hate of any kind
* blatantly spam
* purely promotional in nature
Post a Comment
Comments Policy
Skipratt's mountain bike blog seeks to encourage readers to leave their comments and allows a link back to sites that participate.
However, due to high levels of spam all comments are subject to moderation and comments will not be published that are:
* off topic
* inappropriate, abusive, promotes hate of any kind
* blatantly spam
* purely promotional in nature
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About me
This blog is all about my life… my life of mountain biking and ideas I’ve acquired through the years. As an average everyday mountain biker, the learning doesn’t stop. I try to feed my mind in my own little way by writing and promoting this blog. I would like to share what I have learned through this blog with you. Let this blog be an additional resource for your mountain bike needs, and maybe you'll find some much needed ideas you may not have given much thought to before.
My name is Paul Walton, an engineer slave and spare time mountain biker/blogger. Blogging about mountain bikes has become and undying passion, spending most weekends and afternoons on the internet blogging. As well as riding bikes, writing about it also is what I love to do.
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1 Response to "Clash of the 'Classes'"
I can just imagine this. Our trails here in the Philippines are shared with locals (single tracks are usually local community footpaths), cows owned/cared for by the locals (making the trails seem like a mine field with their dung, hehe!), and sometimes by dogs.
Wider tracks are shared with children.
But I have still yet to experience hostility towards bikers. I don't know who started it but when I started biking (just last year) everyone kept on greeting everyone else with "Good morning!" especially the kids! Bikers greeting locals, locals greeting bikers, bikers greeting fellow bikers. When we ride in the afternoon we even get a LOT of "Good MORNINGS!" Hahaha!
All positivity. With your experience that would also make my blood boil. (spook the horse next time ;) haha!)