AND OUR SURVEY SAYS...

I am a 14-year-old mountain biker from North Yorkshire and for my school Higher Project Qualification I decided to research the health effects of mountain biking. I distributed a survey, which received almost 650 replies from mountain bikers of all ages. It asked the participants questions about how often and which chronic and acute injuries they sustained, as well as the benefits they received from mountain biking.

The survey found that, although mountain biking injuries were relatively common, they were mostly mild, with only 11 per cent resulting in hospital admission. The most frequently injured riders were those that had been mountain biking for up to two years and were less than 19 years old. The survey found that chronic injuries – those that last a long time – were infrequent, occurring in under 40 per cent of respondents.

Perhaps the most positive results of the survey were the benefits received by participants.

Only one participant recorded zero benefits, and 98 per cent recorded increased fitness through mountain biking.

So the message to all mbr readers is to keep doing what you love; it’s a great sport and good for you!

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Ed – impressive work Luke, and interesting data from your survey. It’s encouraging to hear that injuries are relatively uncommon, but I’m a bit more concerned about nearly half of respondents claiming they have chronic injuries! Maybe worth a follow-up survey on that one.