Reframing Sheffield organiser, Henry Norman, has called for a greater emphasis on diversity within mountain biking.
Ride Sheffield hosted its second mountain biking community event today, in an attempt to tackle the major issues currently facing the sport.
Mr Norman, the event organiser, says: “There is definitely a lot of work to do, but we are aiming to include more people of colour”
“Mountain biking is one of those groups that is relatively white and male, but we are looking to create a best practice to make sure that what we are doing can be more inclusive.”
Henry believes that many are “nervous of where to begin because they do not want to do the wrong thing.
“With inclusion, there are a lot of difficult questions that need to be asked and I believe that the media needs to be more representative and not just cover the male stereotype of biking. One of the workshops we are going to be doing is talking about barriers and routes available, and how difficult it is to get into the sport.”
The Reframing event is taking place across two days, with a conference today at The Edge Student Village, Endcliffe, and a trail ride in Parkwood Springs from 10AM tomorrow.
The conference event is a collection of speakers aiming to tackle the major issues facing mountain biking, followed by workshops which will put this into practice.
Catherine Myers, 38, who was attending March 1st’s event, believes that inclusion is “desperately needed”.
“As a collective, we need to be trying to help others and come together to support others, no matter who they are.
“When out on trails, I often find myself in groups of exclusively white people, which is really sad to see.”
Miss Myers has been riding bikes across the country since she was 14.
She said: “Being a women in cycling can be hard, especially with how biking is presented.
“The representation of a macho-man is always associated with the sport and it is time that it changes to be realistic.”
To book attendance for day two of the Reframing Sheffield trail ride, click here.