The End of TweedLove: A Reflection on the Broader Crisis in Mountain Biking

TweedLove is Scotland's only full-time bike event business, hosting a variety of cycling events, including MTB, road, and gravel races, over the last 14 years. It has beome renowned for its enduro race series and kids' cycling events, attracting over 70,000 participants and creating jobs and volunteer opportunities in the Tweed Valley.

TweedLove is closing due to several factors. Rising costs have increased by 30% since COVID-19 and reduced bike industry sponsorship has made it financially unsustainable. Despite strong participation, the economic climate and sporadic public sector support have compounded these challenges, making it difficult to cover staff salaries and operational costs.

Additionally, changes in the enduro racing scene, such as a shift towards elitism and management issues, have diminished the sport's appeal. The rise of eMTBs has not offset these challenges, as they require more resources to organize events. Consequently, TweedLove's business model has become fragile, relying on multiple income sources that are no longer sufficient.

It's wider with PMBA enduro as well as Tweedlove not here next year and Southern Enduro only just hanging in there.

iBikeRide believes that this is indicative of the wider challenges with the business model to sustain MTB in the UK or more of the weak business model made so much more acute by the cost-of-living crisis, limited public funds post, the banking crisis, the furlough scheme and international instability driving up costs. We are seeing Welsh Trail centres in threat as well as events, local ride spots are being demolished at an unprecedented rate and Mountain biking has been relegated to a second-class sport by Beicio Cymru, formerly known as Welsh Cycling, with XC racing less worthy of support than track and road, and downhill ranked low enough to bump shoulders with cycle speedway and enduro getting zilch.

Systemically we have problems that will be only addressed when:

• MTB organisations track and promote to local councils the cycling tourism economic benefits of events and trails (MTB draws in money across associated local businesses (hotels, restaurants, bike shops etc)
• MTB organisations drive wider rider participation, mobilisation and rider cash investment so we are a political lobbying movement with numbers. A rider tax to ride would drive an associated higher value to the trails that would in turn mobilise us.  
• MTB bike brands plan for future sustainable investment in trails and events that are essential for the subsequent kit sales that drive their organisation's success. The symbiosis needs to be less philanthropic and more of a duty/expectation.
• The elephant in the room is addressed. Off-piste trails need to stop. Sorry, but I love them too. The issue is they remove and worse minimise any trackable economic benefits of MTB to the wider local economy. I offer a solution though. Many are siblings to a formal trail centre offering more progression, variety and fun. If the formal Trail Centre or formal land owner adopted them, invested in them and more importantly promoted and monetised them, the economic agglomeration effect would significantly boost the local economy through the associated tourism pull. 
• We stop relying on a) national handouts as our main funding source as that comes and goes as the wind changes direction b) digging unsanctioned trails and hoping no one notices

Without this, the only sustainable model is that of the paid-for bike park. A model I love and support but that is limiting to make the sport truly accessible. It is likely the main future.

It’s the end of the road for TweedLove - the remaining events for the 2024 season will be their last.

Their full story here.