Mountain biking has become the new go-to, outdoors adventure sport for New Zealand families, says the company backing the Kiwi world championship team for the next two years.
Simon West, CEO of Torpedo7 – the naming sponsor for the Kiwi UCI mountain bike world championship for the next two years – says a recent Torpedo7 survey showed that one in four New Zealand households now own a mountain bike, swelling to more than one in three for the 35-54-year-old age groups.
"What that shows us is mountain biking has grown fast and is still on a steep upwards path," says West. "That's not just at the elite end of the sport which we are backing but we also cater for the beginners and everyday enthusiasts of a pastime which has become quintessentially Kiwi – getting out in the outdoors, giving things a blast and enjoying the social side."
The 2021 World MTB National Championship will be held in Vale di Sole, Italy, on August 25-29, the first time new world champions will be crowned in six disciplines*. Torpedo7 were naming sponsor for the national championship held in Christchurch earlier this year – and backing the New Zealand World Championship team was a natural progression for the brand, the leading provider of outdoor adventure gear, bikes and bike gear.
However, the company's interest in mountain biking was also spurred by the way ordinary Kiwis had embraced it, he says: "One in four households have a mountain bike? That's getting towards 500,000 Kiwi households – and our research shows us that about 55 per cent of mountain bikers are open to taking part in an event in the future, with 19 per cent having already done so.
"But, apart from events, it's hard to think of another sport or pastime which so regularly and effectively transports such numbers of Kiwis into their natural environment. New Zealand is fortunate to have some epic mountain biking trails and it's great to see the sport continue to grow in popularity every year and see more and more people out there."
The Torpedo7 research shows that most mountain biking households have one bike – but 46 per cent have two or more. Nearly half enjoy mountain biking at least once a week – and it tends to be a highly social undertaking, with over 66 per cent biking with friends and over 50 per cent with family.
It's also difficult, West says, to think of a sport so boosted by Covid-19. The research shows that one in three mountain bikers biked more often during lockdowns – with the majority saying they increased their mountain biking activity after lockdowns ended.
"I think that period of our recent history really awakened Kiwis' interest in the great outdoors," he says. "It's the old story – we don't realise what we've got until we lose it and the pandemic really woke up a lot of people to that.
"We at Torpedo7 have known about it for years and now we see more and more people believing in riding up hills and going flat out down snow-capped mountains, one step closer to nature, closer to yourself and to others. Sharing moments with others outside is an adventure multiplied and relationships fortified – and people get 'out there' to get closer to they are and not just to a pin on a map."
*An official short-track race has been added to the programme along with cross-country, team relay, downhill, four-cross and E-Mountain Bike. Team Relay opens the world championships programme on August 25, followed by the junior cross country and the new short track specialty on August 26. E-mountain bike and four-cross are scheduled on Friday, August 27, ahead of the elite and under-23 cross-country competitions on August 28. As usual, the grand finale will be staged with the downhill races on the legendary Black Snake course.
For more information: bit.ly/Torpedo7_MTB_Elite