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hello and welcome to Muckers Worldwide this is our new weekly series on this day every week we tell you what happened on this day in the history of cycling and this week’s no different so let’s get into it today is an important day in the history of mountain biking because it was on this day in 1987 that the first mountain bike was sold in the UK that’s right almost 34 years ago to the day that we’re filming this the first mountain bike was sold in the UK the first mountain bike shop in the country opened its doors for business it was called Unlock the Trails and it was located in the Lake District and it was started by two guys one of whom was a former motorcycle dealer and the other was a keen mountain biker who had seen the light in those days mountain bikes were a little bit like gold dust they were really hard to get hold of but these guys had a vision they could see that there was a gap in the market and they were determined to fill it not only did they open the first ever dedicated mountain bike shop in the country they also started the first ever dedicated mountain bike magazine in the UK which was called MBUK now at the time mountain biking was in its relative infancy it was still very much off-road people weren’t really riding trails there were no purpose-built bike parks it was much more like what we would call trailblazing today these guys were instrumental in changing that in fact just a few years later in 1991 they helped to organize the first ever national downhill race in the UK which took place at the Nevice Range in Scotland it was the first race of its kind in the whole country now back in those days road cycling was where it was at everyone rode road bikes mountain bikes were for well off-roading you didn’t take them on the road but these guys they had a different vision they wanted to show people that mountain bikes were for everyone not just for off-roading and they were instrumental in helping to popularize the sport of mountain biking in the UK in fact it’s fair to say that without their vision who knows how long it would have taken for mountain biking to catch on here so why did mountain biking catch on so quickly in the UK well there are a few reasons firstly the UK has some of the best trails in the world from the purpose-built bike parks to the miles and miles of off-road single track there is something for everyone here secondly the weather yes the weather people in the UK are obsessed with the weather and it’s this obsession that makes them seek out ways to ride all year round and finally it’s the community the mountain biking community in the UK is strong and welcoming doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner or an expert you’ll always find someone to ride with so next time you’re out on your bike take a moment to think about the pioneers of mountain biking in the UK and remember that without their vision mountain biking as we know it today might not exist that’s all for this week’s episode of On This Day if you enjoyed it please feel free to drop us a like and we’ll see you next