Why Mountain Biking Matters for Girls
Words by Kat Morrisby
Play – particularly the kind of wild, free fun that mountain biking represents – is good for all kids’ mental, physical and emotional development. But only 47% of children in England are active enough to maintain their health and happiness and girls, in particular, are missing out.
Girls Are Falling Behind As The Gender Gap Widens
Girls start to miss out on outdoor play from a startlingly young age; a recent study found that by age two, girls are already spending less time outside than boys. It’s an issue that is even more pronounced for ethnic minority children and those in urban areas. And the gender gap in physical activity continues to widen as girls grow older: by the time they’re in school, 85% of boys say they enjoy physical activity, compared to 74% of girls. Today, only 8% of British girls are considered ‘highly active’, compared to 30% in 2017/18, meanwhile, the proportion of ‘highly active’ boys has been steadily increasing.
A Risky Business: Why Adventurous Play Is Essential
And while an uptick in any kind of exercise would be a positive – there is one type of play that really delivers: risky play. A recent study in Nature magazine defines this as a “thrilling and exciting play that involves uncertainty and a risk – either real or perceived – of physical injury or getting lost” and found that it is in decline. This is leaving Generation Alpha (those born 2010-2024) with fewer opportunities to develop spatial awareness, coordination, tolerance of uncertainty and confidence. And it’s girls who are missing out the most. The study also highlights that when risky play happens outdoors, its benefits are even greater – but, as anyone who’s so much as passed through a playground with helicopter parents hovering nearby will attest – parents today are struggling to permit, let alone encourage, it. And it’s into this space where parents and carers who also happen to have a thrill-seeking and risk-taking hobby like, say, mountain biking, can really come into their own.
The Good News: Biking More Leads To More Biking
The statistics highlight the gap between awareness and action; while 81% of British parents worry that young people aren’t getting enough physical activity, only 31% know that children should (by WHO recommendations) be active for an average of 1hr/ day for 5-18-year olds or 3hrs/day for those aged 1-4. That’s a whole lot of time that could be spent swerving down singletracks, blasting round berms or peddling full pelt up some of the UK’s incredible off-road options. And the good news is that parents’ own cycling frequency is the best predictor of the frequency of their children’s cycling. And, in turn, the best indicator of parents’ cycling habits is the habits of their friends.
So Grab Your Friends, Take the Kids, and Hit the Trails
In the UK, organisations like Bristol Shredders, which run inclusive family and kid-only sessions, are helping to remove barriers to mountain biking for girls. By creating supportive environments where girls can build skills, confidence, and friendships, these initiatives are helping them to get the fresh air and exercise they need to stay healthy and happy. And initiatives like this are happening all over the world.
So let’s get more girls out there! If you’re reading this you probably already are – or at the very least, ride with – some kickass female shredders. And just by being on the trails, we’re helping to make the sport more accessible – but why stop there? Next time you’re heading out on your bike, don’t leave the girls in your life behind. The more daughters, nieces and little sisters who experience the thrill, the freedom and, yes, even the risks of mountain biking, the better. For everyone.
Kat Morrisby is a British freelance journalist. When she’s not cycling South West England’s finest MTB trails, she covers the social and cultural trends shaping Generation Alpha (born 2010–2024) in the UK today. You can follow her work at Understanding Alphas or on Instagram @katmorrisby.