CLASS OF 2021

Why does the Tweed Valley churn out successful racers at such a prolific rate? We head north to find out

- Finlay Anderson

In case you haven’t noticed, Scotland is fast becoming a hotbed of mountain biking talent. However, there is one valley, in particular, that’s spawning success on the world scene like nowhere else North of the border. And unless you’ve been living under a creag for the last few years, you’ll know that the valley in question is the Tweed Valley.

Here at MBR, we’ve covered plenty of the hills, trails, and personalities of the area many times over the years (and by now you might well have sampled them for yourselves), but great trails alone cannot be responsible for raising riders like Katy Winton, Reece Wilson, and Lewis Buchanan. So is there something else at play? A secret sauce that raises the valley above other riding hotspots around the country? We decided to take a look and find out how a small, rural community, without access to ski lifts, has been responsible for such a prodigious talent pool and bountiful racing success.

While the local trails are not entirely responsible, they do play a key role, so let’s get that out of the way first. This is set to be a milestone year for the development of the Tweed Valley, with the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal recently signing off a £19m investment into the valley’s trails and riding infrastructure. It builds on the hard work of countless trail builders and riders who’ve helped sculpt a network of hundreds of kilometers of singletrack, from the easiest green trails to the steepest and darkest blacks. Now, with the Tweed Valley Trails Association responsible for more of the network than ever, after taking over management of the Golfie in 2019, the trails are going from strength to strength.