Sustainable mountain biking
Whereas cycling to work is super-good for the environment, mountain biking can have a more negative impact. If you had a new-year's resolution to be more sustainable/environmentally conscious/green the coming 12 months, here are some tips to help:
- Reduce driving your mountainbike by car to the start of the ride. As much as possible, ride trails near to where you live.
- Consider alternative means of transport. Take the train. Instead of owning a car, use a Wheels4all car. Several have tow-hooks so you can put a bike rack on. There are about 15 cars in and near Wageningen, easy to book via internet and much cheaper than owning a car.
- If you have to go somewhere anyway for work or whatever, plan in a few hours extra time, take you bike and find a local track (see links). If you do that occasionally, it will reduce the 'need' to get in your car and drive to a trail further away.
- When you are out mountain biking, do not ride off the trails where it can do damage. In the woods near Wageningen, the wild boar turn over the earth so much that the odd cyclist is insignificant, but when you go further away, be careful not to ride on the sandy areas where there are lichen communities.
- Don't go into forbidden areas where wildlife can rest undisturbed.
- If you are in a group, don't shout and yell at each other. As well as disturbing the wildlife, it gives us a bad name with other users of the woodland.
- If it was not for recreation such as mountain biking, areas of woodland like those close to Wageningen may well have been nibbled away at the edges for housing and industry years ago. Make sure it stays that way! Voice your opposition to plans to encroach into the woodland.
