066 – How MTB Is Growing In Kenya with The Help Of James Savage
Todays Guest
James Savage – Director of Savage Wilderness, keen mountain biker and promoter of Kenyan mountain biking
On todays episode, number Sixth Six it was awesome to get James on the show from Kenya. As you guys who follow the show will know, I have had a number of guests on the podcast from Kenya, East Africa, (see below for links) chatting about what is happening over there regarding the expansion of mountain biking including, tours, races, skills courses etc..etc..
So it was great to get James on and tell us more about how he (with the help of friends) is helping mountain biking grow and expand in and around his local area.
James is the Director of Savage Wilderness, an adventure and tour company which now offers mountain biking as one of its packages. This has mainly grown from a passion James has for mountain biking and after a chance run in with Simon Blake the two guys put their heads together to organise not only cross country rides (some times lasting for a week) but enduro races as well. Because of people like James and Simon the enduro and mountain biking scene in Kenya is really gaining popularity with more interest from visiting racers and locals alike, the scene is looking very healthy for the future.
We chat to James about how his adventure company is helping mountain biking, what his local trails are like, why there is such problems with getting good bikes in Kenya, how things are growing and expanding and what he has planned for the near future regarding mountain biking. Plus more.
So take a visit to Kenya, East Africa and find out what the mountain biking scene is like there. Who knows you may just stick it on your bucket list. Enjoy.
Find Out:
- How Savage Wilderness started
- What they offer for an adventure holiday
- What the area is like there for mountain biking
- How James started mountain biking
- Why James has got involved in promoting mountain biking in Kenya
- What level of rider you need to be to ride James local trails
- Why the price of importing bikes is a real issue for mountain bike development in Kenya
- Why people like James and Simon are taking it on themselves to develop mountain biking in Kenya
- What mountain biking means to the local community
- What help James and Simon get for developing trails and mountain biking
- What the local interest is like in mountain biking and why this is important
- What the future looks like for mountain biking in Kenya
- The seven day riding trip James and Simon are doing with six clients across Africa
- How to best get in contact with James and Savage Wilderness
Mountain biking in East Africa is defiantly on the up. With the huge input from people like James, Simon, Adam and Will in Uganda the scene is starting to gather speed. We chat to James about the type of clients he gets through Savage Wilderness and how this can help mountain biking in that area. It is interesting that a number of James staff are super keen to get involved in coaching and guiding of their clients wanting to go mountain biking. It seems like most of us, that when James staff get the opportunity to try mountain biking for the first time they are hooked and are keen to get the correct qualified certificates so they can guide their clients.
I feel this is very important. If the local guys, some of who rip after being on a bike only a few times get the MTB bug this will quickly spread to other’s wanting to get into mountain biking. If the locals are riding, new trails will be build, maintained and used for fun and will help develop this healthy and social sport of mountain biking. If the demand is there, bikes and parts will become more available at affordable prices, something that is desperately required.
I chat to James about all of this and what can be done to help make this happen. James has got plans well laid out for the future and is truly trying to develop mountain biking in his local area and up to this date, he has had great success. We chat about the enduro races that have happened in James area over the last few weeks and how these have been received very well. The interest is there and it is growing.
Find out a little more about what is going on in East Africa and how it is such a great area for mountain biking and a great area for the development of the sport.
To Connect with James and Savage Wilderness:
Website: savagewilderness.org
Website: africanspokes.com
Facebook: SavageWildernessKenya
Twitter: SavageWilderness
LinkedIn: SavageWilderness
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Massive thanks to James for coming on the show and updating us on the mountain biking scene in East Africa.
Thanks for listening and being part of the Tribe!
Join me next week for another MTB TRIBE Podcast show!