Apparently Scotland is not far off the top of the list.
From today's courier:
ŒGreat news¹ for mountain biking
SCOTLAND IS ³one of the hottest places to ride in the world²‹according to an
independent report card on mountain biking.
For the past six years, the International Mountain Bicycling Association
(IMBA) has been collecting data on the best places to go in the world for
mountain biking, and rating the information each year in the form of league
tables. Scotland has come out as one of the top five places to go on the
planet, and the best outside North America.
But the real bonus for Scottish mountain biking is being voted number one in
the world under the People¹s Choice category, which is determined by the
highest combined grades in an on-line poll of bikers.
The popularity of Scotland as a top biking destination has been mainly
attributed to the work by Forestry Commission Scotland to build seven
mountain bike centres across the south of Scotland through the 7stanes
project.
Credit was also give to the commission for its development of new trails
that can be ridden all the year round.
Karl Bartlett of Forestry Commission Scotland said, ³This is great news for
Scotland and mountain biking in general.
³We have been working hard to build some of the best trails in the world,
and it¹s a great achievement for everyone involved to get this recognition
from IMBA and mountain bikers.²