Mountain Biking and Climate Change
Climate change is everywhere in the media and most now accept it as fact, but how will it affect our beloved sport of mountain biking?
Even though mountain biking plays almost no role in releasing greenhouse gases, we still have to bear the consequences of changes in temperature and climate. I say ‘almost’ because aluminium production is a major source of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and tyres are by-products of oil refining. However, cycling itself adds no extra CO2 to the atmosphere. Blame aside, what are the changes and what should we be doing to respond and adapt? You have seen the news reports; Australia in 50 years will be hotter, drier and subject to more frequent freak weather events such as storms and flooding rains. Sea levels are also forecast to rise, submerging low-lying areas. ‘Fifty years is a long way away’, I hear you moan. Climate change is happening now, even if the changes are incremental.
The proof of climate change lies in the persistent rise in temperature, increases in ocean temperature and the decreasing rainfall in many places around the world. So if Australia is going to be hotter and drier, what does this mean for our sport? With more days over 40 degrees, mid-summer riding will become unviable through larger areas of Australia. Sure some will thrive 
in the heat, but it’s a health risk not to mention uncomfortable. Areas now marginal for summer riding, especially those offering little or no shade will be totally off-limits in the future. The Simpson Desert Challenge and other events crossing arid areas will be hotter, harder and more dangerous. People who don’t respond and adapt will be left to shrivel and burn. Mountain bikers will undoubtedly adapt to the conditions. We’ll probably see future bike attire that is designed for extreme heat dissipation and sun protection. Just as hydration backpacks answered the need for lots of water on long rides, future hydration technology will have to deliver more water faster and cooler. We may see more night riding; especially as light and battery technology improves. The impact on our sport will vary from place to place, but opening a mountain bike shop in Tibooburra or Oodnadatta may not be a wise long-term investment!
in the heat, but it’s a health risk not to mention uncomfortable. Areas now marginal for summer riding, especially those offering little or no shade will be totally off-limits in the future. The Simpson Desert Challenge and other events crossing arid areas will be hotter, harder and more dangerous. People who don’t respond and adapt will be left to shrivel and burn. Mountain bikers will undoubtedly adapt to the conditions. We’ll probably see future bike attire that is designed for extreme heat dissipation and sun protection. Just as hydration backpacks answered the need for lots of water on long rides, future hydration technology will have to deliver more water faster and cooler. We may see more night riding; especially as light and battery technology improves. The impact on our sport will vary from place to place, but opening a mountain bike shop in Tibooburra or Oodnadatta may not be a wise long-term investment!Trails at Risk
The heat, changes in rainfall and freak weather events will have an even greater impact on the trails themselves. In this respect we are completely reliant on the environment as without rideable trails our sport becomes rather pointless. Constructing indoor mountain bike venues might be one response to climate change—as ridiculous as it sounds, we may have no choice. Combining climate change with population growth and the ever increasing urban sprawl will make riding opportunities on the urban fringe rarer and more remote from the population of riders. This may make inner city indoor venues attractive and practical, even if they seem unrealistic now.
For those who still want the outdoors, the trails will be very different. For one, coastal inundation, greater rates of erosion and more frequent storm events will wipe out many coastal trails. Trails will have to be constructed to withstand greater rates of water flow from bigger storm events, and climate change will affect vegetation and soil chemistry making trails more prone to erosion. They will also have to withstand more riders because of population growth and to accommodate riders forced from other areas. As conservation reserves come under greater pressure, we may also find mountain bikes being locked out of the remaining bushland.
These conditions will combine to make sustainable trail building all the more critical. For land managers and trail teams, selecting the right location, route and alignment for the trails is crucial. Trail surfaces, slopes, erosion controls and water diversion measures should be factored into the design from the outset and trails need to cater for the challenging conditions that lie ahead. Maintenance also needs to be planned for from the very beginning. Today’s approach of fixing up old poorly designed trails will become history.
This is where mountain bike parks like Stromlo and pro-recreational tenures like State Forest will become critical, because the trails can be readily adapted to suit the conditions. Unfortunately national parks don’t offer the same flexibility—they tend to spend their time performing band-aid repairs on unsustainable trail designs. This is a shame, as we will only see more national parks created as natural areas become rarer and competition for outdoor recreation grows.
