Years in the past, snowboarding was fully unknown to most individuals on the earth. Origionally banned from ski resorts and regarded down upon by conventional skiers, snowboarders pressed on and fought onerous to get their sport accepted by these throughout the snow business.
As we speak, snowboarding is extra fashionable amongst younger powderhounds than snowboarding and the snowboard business has carved out a distinct segment for itself that’s greater, extra worthwhile and has made extra of an impression on youth tradition than any of its unique founders may ever have imagined attainable.
The query then is that this: Might such a factor ever occur within the bicycle touring world? Might younger riders reinvent the game, construct a way of life behind bicycle journey, and switch bicycle touring into an exercise that’s greater and higher than any of us can at present think about?
What’s vital to notice is that:
1) Snowboarding was origionally carried out by only a few individuals (usually of a youthful technology).
2) Conventional skiers regarded down on snowboarding and frowned upon the presence of snowboards at their resorts (some resorts nonetheless limit snowboard entry).
3) The media performed an vital and influential function in propelling the game of snowboarding to new heights.
A Time For Change Has Come
So how does all of this relate to bicycle touring? And why precisely must you care?
It pertains to bicycle touring as a result of, as each myself and numerous BicycleTouringPro.com readers have identified, bicycle touring is an exercise that has didn’t evolve since its peak within the 1970’s. Whereas different sports activities and actions have continued to develop, increase, and evolve, bicycle touring has turn into an exercise of the previous – a sport that’s largely carried out by individuals over the age of fifty.
For years I’ve been listening to these within the bicycle touring world discuss the necessity to deliver bicycle touring to a brand new technology of riders.
Being a youthful rider myself, I used to be at first impressed by the speak of newer, youthful riders becoming a member of the bicycle touring revolution. However as time went on, I started to imagine that the normal bicycle touring world (whereas they’ve good intentions) are usually not solely failing to draw new riders at an appropriate charge, however are literally repelling new riders by holding on to the normal bicycle touring methods of the previous.
Now this isn’t meant as a diss in opposition to the established bicycle touring organizations, individuals over the age of fifty, or anybody who desires to maintain bicycle touring the way in which it’s… however I imagine that bicycle touring not solely deserves an replace, however desperately calls for one!
We’re at some extent in historical past the place total industries (take the newspaper and auto industries for instance) are being worn out and requested to reinvent themselves to accommodate to the wants and calls for of our ever altering world. The individuals, organizations, and companies who’re succeeding proper now are those who’re keen to vary and adapt to their market, whereas those that are struggling and dying are those who’re combating to take care of the established order.
Whereas some individuals within the bicycle touring world appear to be combating to take care of the methods of the previous… and whereas bicycle touring might possible by no means turn into as large, as worthwhile or as fashionable as snowboarding has turn into, I don’t suppose there’s something flawed with reinventing what we at present do and turning the act of bicycle journey into an exercise that appeals to a youthful technology.
Might Bicycle Touring Be The New Snowboarding?
As many readers identified in my newest article on Land Rover and the necessity for an overhaul within the picture of bicycle vacationers, there are various within the bicycle touring world that don’t need bicycle journey to turn into the large, fashionable big that snowboarding has turn into. I too will admit that if bicycle touring have been ever as fashionable as snowboarding, it in all probability wouldn’t be an exercise that may enchantment to me.
That being mentioned, I do really feel that bicycle touring may use a makeover and that slightly bolstering to the picture of bicycle vacationers may actually go a good distance.
To ensure that change to occur although, I believe we’ve received to begin with slightly self-reflection. We present bicycle vacationers must look within the mirror, take note of the way in which we’re perceived by these round us, resolve for ourselves how we need to be perceived sooner or later, after which start working to make this new imaginative and prescient for the longer term a actuality.
Advancing The Sport Of Bicycle Journey
For only a minute I would like you to think about that you just desperately need to deliver bicycle touring to a brand new technology of riders. Forgetting what everybody has carried out prior to now, what do you suppose could possibly be carried out sooner or later to:
1) Deliver bicycle touring to a more recent, youthful technology?
2) Get conventional bicycle vacationers to understand that change is an effective factor and that sustaining the established order is stopping the game from evolving into one thing greater and higher?
3) And eventually, get the media so enthusiastic about bicycle journey that they assist to unfold the phrase about our thrilling and life-altering sport?
In case you have any concepts, remarks, or options on any of the matters mentioned on this article, please depart a remark under. I look ahead to listening to your responses and I hope to proceed this dialogue in a future article.