Baby boomers, and indeed all older generations, can breathe a sigh of relief: young people are becoming increasingly well-behaved. This is the conclusion reached by a recently published long-term study conducted by a group of psychologists led by Rebekah Levine Coley. She is a researcher at Boston College and published the study in the journal Pediatrics. The study shows that today's youth are more risk-averse than previous generations. Does this also apply to mountain biking? A good question. And one that cannot be answered conclusively. Not now and not here, at least not according to social science standards. The excuse for this is that mountain biking is not explicitly mentioned in the study. But sex, drugs, and alcohol are! And today's youth's more responsible approach to these things. This is precisely what triggers reflexive reactions in boomers who mourn their possible memories of 1968: "Boring! Back then, there was more punk, more revolution, and less conformity. And everything was better!" However, a subjective view of what today's athletes are achieving on mountain bikes alone refutes the assumption that the younger generation is risk-averse. At least in sports, and explicitly in mountain biking: downhill trails, cross-country loops, freeride and slopestyle lines are becoming increasingly demanding, and speeds are also increasing. And with them, the demands on the athletes. Undoubtedly, technical progress is playing its part in continuously pushing the boundaries. But that's when you hear the boomers chime in and say: "If we'd had bikes like that back then, then...!

Which brings us to the heart of the matter: generations. Or rather, a possible generational conflict. This has preoccupied legions of sociologists and still preoccupies some. But what about mountain bikers? Do they experience such a conflict between age groups? Given that mountain biking has been around for 40 years now, this would be conceivable, at least in theory. The mountain biking community has been growing for so long that it now covers the entire age spectrum. And so, again theoretically, conflicts between age groups could arise. This is also because, given the increasing differentiation in mountain biking in particular, it is becoming more and more difficult to keep track of everything. However, no one has researched this yet. So we asked people of different ages.

Not generations, but bubbles

"I don't actually believe that there is a generational conflict, but rather a bubble conflict," says Jasper Jauch. Jasper is 33 years old, a former World Cup downhill racer, and has been a full-time professional in mountain bike content on YouTube, Instagram, and Co. for several years. Accordingly, he knows the scene, both professional sports and the broader mountain biking community. This is also thanks to the data he learns about his viewers on YouTube: "My core target group is between 25 and 45 years old. About ten percent of my audience is 45 to 60, and another ten percent is under 25. So I'm a bit of a link between generations. At least for those who are interested in what I do and how I use, live and apply mountain biking.

Connecting link is a good keyword! After all, there is one connecting element that brings mountain bikers together. Whether they like it or not: studded tires, regardless of tread depth. And the trail, the path—whatever its condition may be. Tracy Moseley, former downhill world champion and, at 46, still one of the fastest women on an enduro or e-mountain bike, sees this connection disappearing: "We've lost sight of the reality that really matters! Namely, that mountain biking is so versatile and can be for so many people. Because our sport is all about riding a bike off paved roads and on a trail or forest road. Out in the woods with the family. On a trip to the lake with the kids. During cross-country training or a few laps in the bike park. Or even in a race."However, Tracy suspects that the reason for this is not to be found in any generational clusters or the age of this or that group. "Admittedly, I feel a little too old when it comes to style and coolness," she says, but she puts the age issue into perspective: "When I was younger, I just wanted to ride as fast as I could. That challenged me, and I found my interpretation of mountain biking in it. For me, it was all about racing." Deep down, that's probably still the case. Which brings us back to the bubble, not the generation. Tracy puts it this way: "Of course, your focus changes over the course of your life because your responsibilities change. For example, if time is short because you have to take care of the kids again in two hours or have some other obligation, that influences the way you cycle or can cycle."

Escape into the niche

And most people do that with people who are similarly sorted in terms of fitness, expectations of the experience, and available time. In short: with like-minded people. "The kids at the dirt park just don't want to hang out with their parents. That's a completely normal process of separation," says Jasper, describing what is supposedly the most extreme case of interests drifting apart. And completely natural. Differences? Sure! But differences alone are not enough to cause conflict between entire generations of mountain bikers. Needless to say, that's a good thing! But perhaps we would do well to take precautions to ensure that it stays that way? Especially in the age of social media and the algorithms that go with it. There, in particular, every bubble revolves around itself. Faster and faster, more and more "core," deeper and deeper into the respective rabbit hole. Enduro. Slopestyle. Cross-country. Downhill. Tour. Freeride. You name it. Niches are nice, they have something cozy about them. But most of the time, the view to the sides from a niche is pretty modest. Having a good time together "We have become more intolerant because we are overwhelmed by how fast-paced the world is," believes Jasper. And a cozy niche is a place of retreat. That's exactly why "we need to create tolerance for a wide variety of disciplines in cycling. That's the only way we can all pull together," he adds.

Peo Vernassa shares a similar perspective. Peo is 73 years old, lives in Liguria, and has been riding mountain bikes for decades. Not on gravel roads, but on trails. Often on trails that he himself helped build in the hinterland of San Remo and in the Valle Argentina. He started doing this 25 years ago – and still builds trails today. He has built and maintained everything from enduro trails, which can be reached by shuttle, to alpine trails and uphill trails suitable for e-bikes. And he has followed the development closely over the decades: "In the past, if we wanted to ride a 'clean' trail, we had to take part in races. Fortunately, things are different today, as the trails are better maintained: today you can choose whether you want to ride a trail with jumps or one with rocks or banked turns. You have significantly more options," says Peo. But he himself raves about an alpine trail high up in the valley, almost at the Ligurian border ridge: "I rode this trail again after several years and had to push my bike. And the trail isn't fast. But the atmosphere, the view, the experience are reward enough. Young people who start mountain biking on shuttles and enduro trails may not know anything about this. How could they? They haven't had the opportunity to experience it yet. But we can show them!" That doesn't sound like a generational conflict. It sounds more like: Come on, let's have a good time together on our bikes!

Of course, risk tolerance changes over time. But – quite normally – not in young people, but in older people: Peo says he just has to keep at mountain biking now, then he can ride for a long time to come. Only an injury break would be bad. Because he doesn't know if he would be able to get back into it. But that doesn't stop him from continuing to test his limits: in a left-hand bend, he suddenly finds himself three meters off the trail and two meters lower down with his bike. The terrain is steep. He grins, pushes the e-bike back onto the trail, and simply continues to ride. This sets an example. Even for someone like Korbinian Engstler. The 26-year-old says he met a mountain biker from his region again at the premiere of his current film "Why Not." They first met 15 years ago at the local dirt park under the highway bridge. "The dude is now 52 years old and jumps the big jumps with us, with style. To me, he's the coolest guy in the world," laughs Korbi. In general, he sees how well different generations get along in a region like Sölden, which is naturally very family-oriented: "I don't think there's a fundamental generation gap within the mountain biking community. At the same time, there are always individual cases and exceptions, but that's not what I experience and perceive on the whole," he notes. But something does bother Korbinian: "There used to be more of a sense of community. Now everyone does their own thing and lives in their own bubble."The reason for this is probably the massive boom that mountain biking has experienced in recent years. But he doesn't blame people for this. They often know nothing about this community, but have simply bought a mountain bike. He doesn't want this to be seen as bashing: "I think it's very cool that so many people are getting into mountain biking. The more mountain bikers there are, the more opportunities there are as a result. Every city is thinking about how it can channel this. That's how things happen! Trails are being built, pump tracks. The bicycle will always emerge as the winner from any crisis anyway," he says. And grins. Generational conflict? Was there such a thing?