Trails are for sharing - this is a popular motto among mountain bikers. But what if these are merely tolerated routes or paths on which increasing use threatens conflicts with other user groups?
Trails can be easily created on platforms such as Strava or Trailforks - regardless of whether they are legal or not. The digital publication makes them visible to other bikers and easy to follow. Particularly timed sections attract so-called KOM (King of the Mountain) hunters: They try to beat the best time on a segment in order to ride their way to the top of the leaderboard. The successes are shared - and motivate others to chase the time as well.
"The city dwellers come, destroy our trails and then put them online at Trailforks - that attracts even more people," complains a hobby trail builder from the Augsburg region, who wishes to remain anonymous. The problem: sensitive, unofficial trails are being targeted by critics due to high usage - and authorities are forced to take action.
It feels like mountain bikers are being pushed back into a kind of reserve. - Maxi Dickerhoff.
"Lots of bikes are being sold, but there are hardly any routes"
In Canada, authorities are said to have used platforms such as Trailforks to locate and close illegal routes.
Heiko Mittelstädt from the German Mountain Bike Initiative (DIMB) takes a differentiated view of the issue: "If you know that a trail or its use conflicts with nature conservation or ownership, you should take this into consideration when deciding whether to ride it at all." However, he sees no problem with recording legal trails: "Hiking trails are also published - why should we bikers keep quiet?" Mittelstädt even sees potential in the digital data: "You can recognise popular routes - that can help to plan official MTB routes." Legal trails are a valuable asset, but often a lengthy and costly process.
Maxi Dickerhoff from the trail platform Supertrails doesn't see trail legalisation as exclusively positive: "It feels like mountain bikers are being pushed back into a kind of reserve," says Dickerhoff.
Kathrin Baumann from Innsbruck sees other countries as a role model: "A huge number of bikes are sold, but there are hardly any routes. Why not take the same approach as in Switzerland? There are 'shared trails' in many cantons that can be used by bikers and hikers," says Baumann
Voices from the industry
I understand both sides: It's bitter for trail builders when their painstakingly built routes suffer due to high usage. On the other hand, a wide range of trails equalises the situation - the more options, the better. At Supertrails, we only record trails that are legal or not expressly prohibited. I see the legalisation not only positive - it can lead to mountain bikers being pushed into reserve-like zones. - Maxi Dickerhoff, Supertrails
If the trail is suitable for bikers and there is no obvious ban, there is nothing to be said against digital recording. For sensitive trails, you should make your own judgement as to whether recording makes sense. - Sonja Schreiter, DIMB
The locals are usually aware of this and take care not to record anything digitally - this is often done by foreign bikers who are out on the trails. - Kathrin Baumann, Innsbruck biker
For non-official trails, the motto is: No Strava! Don't run along privately either. Because even if you don't share it publicly, the data is uploaded and is visible on the so-called "heat map" - for everyone to see. Therefore: No Strava!
By the way: I think Strava is great on my road bike, as I can compare my performance visibly. For mountain bike sessions on winding trails, Strava makes no sense anyway, at least if you want to compete with others. Because Strava records far too inaccurately. That's why Strava hardly recognises short cutters. - Christian "Texi" Textor, Enduro Worldcupper, Team YT MOB
Interview with psychologist Elisabeth Strunz
Here, the psychologist reveals why many bikers like to publish their times on Strava online.
BIKE: Mrs Strunz, why are we so keen to share our exploits with others on social networks?
Elisabeth Strunz: There are many reasons for this - practical ones, such as recording training data or documenting improvements in performance. Social reasons include, for example, identification and belonging to a group or competition. Recognition and praise from this group often play an important role as extrinsic motivating factors.
Why is this so important for us humans?
This begins in infancy - we want to please mum or dad. Receiving recognition and praise shapes how we see ourselves and how we feel about our self-worth. Praise, likes and comments also activate neuronal networks. Dopamine is released - it is part of our reward system and plays a central role in controlling our motivation, but also in addictive behaviour.
The dopamine kick feels good and drives us to keep posting our times or routes. We also gain social status and move up the social ladder.
What's more, posting is basically the same as gambling: the more uncertain the outcome - i.e. how the community reacts to our posts - the more motivated we are to try again.
If nobody knows that you're the fastest on the passage, it's less fun.
However, many people now realise that such Strava trackings are very likely to attract other bikers - and thus draw attention to non-official routes, which in the worst case could be closed as a result. Why do many bikers share their trackings anyway?
I'm not sure if most bikers realise this. Or their personal need to communicate, share the KOM with their community and experience the positive consequences for them is simply greater. If nobody knows that you're the fastest on the passage, it's less fun.
Many people spend a lot of time on their Insta profile. Why do some people like to post a lot, others less?
Our individual need to present ourselves to the outside world varies. Basically, we create an image of ourselves for the outside world. You are your own marketing manager and can present yourself in the way you like best.
Everyone probably has a certain vanity - even if some people deliberately post unfiltered or less 'perfect' pictures, hardly anyone wants to show themselves in a way that they don't feel comfortable with. Some people need the (positive) response from the outside more than others and may fulfil their need for recognition and "being seen", for example, in order to feel good about themselves.
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Laurin Lehner
Editor
