No future without young talent. This also applies to the sport of MTB. Young talents need targeted support and encouragement for a career in sport. In international comparison, however, Germany is lagging behind. We take a look at the promotion of young talent in mountain biking.
Mountain biking is booming. Trails are getting fuller, bike parks bigger, e-MTBs are ubiquitous in Germany. At the same time, many clubs and associations are struggling with a problem that is much less visible: the lack of young talent in organised sport. While recreational riders populate the mountains, there is a lack of structured programmes for children and young people in many places. Yet it is precisely this basis that will determine how mountain biking develops in Germany in the long term. Competitive sport rarely starts at World Cup level. It starts in the school playground, on club rides or on improvised technical courses behind the gym. This is exactly where the talents of tomorrow emerge - provided they find the right structures.
Organisation of the MTB sport
Organised junior mountain bike sport in Germany is primarily supported by clubs and regional associations. German Cycling, formerly the German Cyclists' Federation (BDR), coordinates scouting races, training concepts and support programmes, while clubs carry out the actual groundwork. According to German Cycling, one of the central tasks of the organisation is to recruit young talent and promote talent. Regional race series such as the Central German XCO Bike Cup or the Black Forest Mountain Bike Cup are particularly important. Here, children and young people gain their first competitive experience without being directly exposed to the pressure of international races. The formats combine sporting competition with riding technique, community and low-threshold entry opportunities.
But successful work with young talent means much more than just racing. Many clubs now rely on broad-based concepts with riding technique training, athletics, school co-operations and joint trail projects. The Dresdner SC sports club, for example, describes its support as a long-term development programme "from talent identification to performance training". At the same time, many clubs deliberately offer uncomplicated trial training sessions, often even with rental bikes for beginners.
Too few training areas
In mountain biking in particular, access is crucial. Unlike football, in many places there are no freely available training areas. Trails have to be authorised, maintained and secured. Bike parks cost money, trainers need training, insurance and club work take up time. This infrastructure cannot function without volunteers. This is increasingly becoming a problem. Many clubs are reporting a lack of instructors, increasing organisational requirements and difficulties in recruiting young talent. At the same time, the leisure behaviour of young riders is changing. Social media, gravity content and the strong individualisation of the sport mean that traditional club models are often losing their appeal. Discussions in the community also show that some young riders do not feel sufficiently addressed by traditional club structures.
There are also political and social challenges. The discussions about trail use, nature conservation and legal restrictions show how important organised interest groups have become. Without legal training opportunities, it will hardly be possible to train young talent. Associations such as the German Mountain Bike Initiative (DIMB) are therefore increasingly involved not only in sport, but also politically in the preservation and expansion of legal MTB infrastructure.
The international comparison
International comparisons have long shown how successful sustainable promotion can be. Nations such as France, Switzerland and the UK have been investing heavily in regional training centres, school programmes and modern club structures for years. Germany, on the other hand, still relies on the commitment of individual volunteers in many places. Nevertheless, there are also positive developments. More and more clubs are opening up to new formats: Girls' camps, riding technique courses for beginners, school-based MTB clubs and cross-club youth projects are becoming increasingly important. The German Cycling Youth is also continuously expanding its young talent programmes and school sport championships.
The crucial question is therefore not whether mountain biking inspires young people. The sport has been doing that for a long time. Rather, the decisive factor is whether it is possible to create long-term structures from this enthusiasm. Talents do not grow by chance. They need coaches, tracks, clubs and people who invest time. The future of mountain biking is therefore not only decided on World Cup podiums - but above all where children come back from the forest with dirty tyres for the first time.
Conclusion
As a social pedagogue and educationalist, I have accompanied many MTB youth projects myself. Sometimes it is downright frightening how few resources are available in this field. Other countries have long since shown what promoting young mountain bikers can look like. Success on the world stage of sport needs a basis which, in my opinion, cannot be based solely on voluntary work. - Jan Timmermann, BIKE editor
Jan Timmermann
Editor
