Trail of the Year: Campaign Rules & FAQ

How do I vote?

• You vote for your favourite and least favourite trails by rating and reviewing the trails you have ridden. You can rate and review as many trails as you have experience of. Each rating for each trail then gets added up to create the Trail of the Year Index. This rider driven index is dynamic i.e. it changes every time a riders posts a new trail rating and review.

How long does the campaign run?

• The campaign to find the Trail of the Year runs until the middle of the summer at which point the final Top Ten Trails of 2026 are published and the winning trail or bike park in pole position is announced. The date to announce the winner will be shared later in the year.

I can not see the trail I want to rate on the main campaign page?

• If your trail isn’t on the main campaign page  (i.e. not enough ratings this year to qualify yet) then use the search service or find it on the Trail Map.

Do all ratings over all years count or just this years?

• Trail ratings and reviews are aggregated over 2026 i.e. this year only, to be eligible for the 2026 Trail of the Year index rankings. The totals for 2026 are only visible on the main Trail of the year campaign page.
• Previous years ratings and reviews dont count towards the campaign trail score and 2026 award (but are retained and still visible on the listing page and within the Review tab) across the wider site.

How often can I rate and review a trail?

• You can rate and review the same trail a maximum of once per calendar year, so if you have reviewed in previous years, we invite you to vote and rate again (this keeps the listings fresh, allows for opinions to change as trails and us as riders develop over time and means you can still vote in the campaign each year). 
• If we suspect the same user is attempting to game the system and write multiple reviews in the year for the same trail, then we reserve the right to delete their reviews and or ban them from the system. 

Can I rate a trail I own, work at, or help run?

• No. Owners, employees, trail builders and immediate family of a venue must not rate or review that venue, and must not rate or review other venues competing in the campaign. This applies whether you post from a venue account or a personal account.
• Where we identify an undisclosed affiliation, we will remove all of that account’s ratings from the index. Repeated or deliberate attempts to influence the index this way may lead to the venue being removed from the campaign altogether.
• Venue accounts are welcome to reply to reviews on their own listing, that is what the owner reply feature is for, but they are not eligible to rate any trail in the campaign.

How does the ranking of the index work?

• We use a Bayesian average which means trails with high scores but very few ratings don't push down trails with slightly lower scores but much higher ratings whilst at the same time ensuring smaller trail spots with fewer scores but decent high ratings don't lose out and still get featured. However, you still need a minimum number of ratings to qualify and that raises through the campaign. Volume counts basically and this ensures no trail spot is penalised or over-advantaged unfairly and so ensures the integrity of the index.

Can I zero rate listings?

• You can, but be aware: zero-rated reviews with little or no meaningful context are flagged as suspicious and generally offer little value to other riders. If you're leaving a very low rating, it’s important to explain why — what didn’t work, what could be improved, or what riders should be aware of. If we suspect that a user is attempting to manipulate the system by submitting low or zero ratings without valid explanation — particularly to undermine another trail’s score — we reserve the right to remove those reviews or ratings and may ban the user from the platform.
• Similarly, if a user gives for example a 5-star rating for one trail in the leaderboard and then gives a materially lower rating to another or vice-versa (this includes mid-range scores designed to drag a rival down, not just zero ratings) then regardless of content written in the review both ratings will be removed from the index. It is just a more subtle form of obviously gaming the system and the likelihood of validity is close to zero. Valid, credible ratings and reviews only.

Can I swear and be offensive in reviews

• Any reviews with profanity or offensive language will be removed and the user banned

Can I name individuals or leave personal criticisms?

• We ask that you avoid naming individuals or making personal accusations in reviews. Reviews should focus on your riding experience and feedback that is helpful to other riders and trail maintainers.
• Comments that may be considered defamatory or harmful to individuals — even if not profane — will be removed. This protects both individuals and the platform from potential legal claims (e.g. libel).

Can I change my rating and review?

• If you want to change your review or rating, then if you registered and logged in first you can do this. Otherwise, you can not I am afraid. In case of real concerns or you wish to register then claim a review post rating please get in touch on the contact section of the site. 

Why do some trails show in the index and others dont and then some drop out through the campaign?

• Each month we increase the minimum number of reviews to qualify. So, it goes (by way of example not fact) each month from a minimum of one, to two, then four, then eight, then 18 reviews etc.So, if you are a ride spot you need to continue to drive reviews please all the way through the year to keep in the campaign index. 
• As of July 2026 the minimum is 15 ratings to qualify for the campaign leaderboard.
• We reserve the right to amend the minimum ratings or score for qualifying as per campaign popularity and integrity. 

How do you decide who ranks higher when the score is the same?

• If two listings have the same rating score, then the listing with the higher number of reviews ranks higher.

Why do you ask for a review as well as a rating?

• As well as being lots of competitive fun (keep it polite and decent please) the real value of the Trail of the Year campaign is in the feedback trail communities and other riders get to read on their trails. So, please keep it useful for others reading. 

The campaign leaderboard has disappeared! why?

• At points in the campaign, we remove the campaign index from site visibility. At no point though whether the campaign is visible or not do any ratings or reviews written not count toward the campaign index. 

Can I submit a review if I’m using a VPN or proxy?

• Yes, but to maintain the integrity of the platform, we may review and remove ratings or reviews submitted via anonymizing networks (e.g. VPNs or proxies) if they appear to be manipulative, gaming the system, abusive, or in breach of our community guidelines. Legitimate users sometimes use VPNs for privacy, and that’s fine — but we reserve the right to investigate patterns that suggest misuse and remove or block accordingly.

Why do I need to need to be logged in to rate some trails and not others?

• To help protect the integrity of the campaign, we sometimes require users to be logged in to rate specific trails. This is only done in rare cases where we’ve seen unusual patterns — such as a disproportionately high number of 5-star or very low ratings from guest users. Requiring login helps ensure that ratings reflect genuine rider feedback and supports a fair outcome for all trail communities involved. We make this decision only when necessary and always with the aim of keeping the process fair for everyone.

Why is a review saying: 🟡 Not counted in average?

• Guest reviews that are very short, with very low ratings do not count towards the average trail score.

If I am a trail organisation can I get hold of the reviews?

• Yes we offer an embedd widget to host the reviews on your own site and at the end of the campaign we send trail owners in the Top 10 a summary report of the rider feedback driven by AI.

I am an MTB brand or business. Are there sponsorship opportunities?

• If you are a trail or MTB related business and interested in sponsoring a prize for riders reviewing or a prize or donation for the winning trail or bike park please get in touch. These will be used to promote the campaign and incentivise riders to rate their trails. 

Many thanks and get rating and voting.