The UK’s trails are officially harder than the rest of Europe’s, according to the first ever State of Our Trails Report… and we want more

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I love Swinley’s swoopy trails, they make the most from a pretty titchy hill… but they’re not techie despite the red-grading on some

50 shades of black

Like many statistics this needs to be taken with a huge handful of salt though, UKTP points out this data is indicative rather than absolute, as it’s user generated via Trail Forks. Besides, a black trail in the Alps is almost certainly going to be more technically challenging than your average UK severe trail. That inconsistency applies in the UK just as accurately too: Swinley has a brilliant red-graded track I’m happy to let my six-year-old on, but the red AC DC trail at BikePark Wales is another matter.

There’s a serious point to the data though, because it shows the UK is really well catered for when it comes to variety in trails. It lets riders pick the trails they ride based on their ability, fitness and desire on the day, UKTP says, and allows for progression as kids and new riders step up.

It’s not fully understood why the UK is so well endowed with severe graded trails, although UKTP’s analysis is that harder trails demand less maintenance and were therefore built out of expediency.

There’s another question thrown up by the State of Our Trails Report too, are there really enough easy-graded trails in the UK? We’ve long understood from destinations like BikePark Wales and Cwmcarn that blue and green trails get most of the traffic and best represent the abilities of most riders. If that’s true then most riders are actually under-represented by the current trail stock in the UK.

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Publish date : 2024-11-12 16:00:00

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