I awe I am reading the messages about “trail respect” on the MTB Praat Facebook page and the way people are disrespecting each other in the discussion about this. How can you have a fair discussion about this when people don’t even listen to another anymore or being ignorant about the facts that are stated? We know there are tracks that are natural and tracks that are manmade created. We know that some tracks are having more issues without maintenance and some that do not. We know that the volunteers work very hard to keep everyone happy and we also know this is virtually impossible but unfortunately this is not only about this topic but also in daily life. People forget that in a society you cannot do only your thing but that you have to also think about others, their rules, their perspectives, their religions etc. So, if for some tracks a request is being made to avoid them because it is damaging the track don’t be ignorant and try to bend the rules so that you can still go out riding. There are many tracks you still can ride, even if this means you need to travel a bit further on your bike – that is why you have pedals in the first place on that thing!
Same applies also for the roadie vs mtb discussion, we all are sharing the same passion for the bike and who care about if you are riding a road, mountain or gravel bike. If you ride in lycra or baggy clothes or even mix them. Start to give each other respect because in the end we are all cyclists. Of course, it is fun to take a piss at another, but it is all about doing it with respect. We are not soccer hooligans that beat the crap out of each other because we don’t like the other team.
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