189 – Getting People On Bikes & In Nature with Knoxville Outdoor Tours
Today’s Guest:
Founder and Owner of the Knoxville Outdoor Tours Mountain Bike Guide Company, Alex Clark
On episode #189 we are chatting with Alex Clark the founder and owner of the Knoxville Outdoor Tours Mountain Bike Guide Company about how his local scene has changed over the Covid period, why he is stoked to see new people on the trails, new rider behaviors and awareness, what Alex believes the future of mountain biking looks like, and why he decided to start an MTB guiding company.
When Alex got in contact with the podcast regarding his guidinging company and wanted to share his knowledge and excitement about everything that Knoxville has to offer as a mountain biking destination, I just had to take a look. After watching his guiding film (see main page) and checking out images of the area, I knew I had to get Alex on the show. The area looks amazing and with over 150 miles of singletrack, well lets just say that needs to be talked about.
Alex brings more than just local knowledge and people skills, he is super stoked to be involved in the mountain bike community and industry. He truly loves riding bikes, meeting new people and guiding them around his local area (if you can call 150+ miles local). His excitement for MTB and what the future holds is contagious and I really believe you would have a blast of a time on one of his guided tours!
Join us as we chat about bikes, trails, trends, guiding around Knoxville and why trail building is a great way to give back to your riding community. Plus much more.
Thanks for tuning in!
Find Out:
- How Alex found his love for mountain biking
- Why he decided to go all in and start a guiding company
- What his guiding company offers
- What you can expect from a typical guided ride (beer is included!)
- The type of trails you will experience
- The advantages of hiring a local guide to show you around a new area
- Why Alex is giving local rippers the opportunity to earn extra money and help him build the business
- Why customer service is the top priority for Alex and the business
- What Alex thinks about the influx of new riders into the sport
- Why he thinks rider edicate and trail awareness takes time
- Alex advice on getting started in mountain biking
- What he thinks the future holds for the mountain bike industry
- Why he is super stoked to be involved in the guiding business and following his passions
- How to find out more about Knoxville Outdoor Tours
I love chatting to people like Alex who are so stoked to be doing what they love and following their passions. What I also love about guys and gals like Alex is they are not afraid to step outside their comfort zones. They have such a passion for something they want to achieve or just make something a larger part of their daily life, that they take a risk, a step into the unknown and through their love, determination, drive and hard work they make it happen.
What you find with people like this, and Alex is a good example, is they bring people with them. Alex is hiring local riders of all abilities to help him build his guiding business, giving them the opportunity to gain guiding skills and make money while riding their bikes. Alex’s guides all rip and are top class riders, but for those who want to be guides and are not at that skill level, Alex still has a place for them and helps them gain the riding skills they need to take out a fast group of riders.
Alex is well involved in the local riding scene and is the Trail Coordinator for his local club called, Appalachian Mountain Bike Club. Alex has always had an interest in helping maintain his local trail networks and feels that it is a great way to give back and help make this hobby, sport or whatever way you look at it more enjoyable and fun for everyone.
Alex is super stoked to see new riders getting involved in the sport and believes it can only be a good thing. He does think that a number of people will drop off after the world is back to normal, but if even only 10% of the people keep at it, it can only be good for the industry, new trails and everything else that comes with more people taking part and being involved in an activity. We chat about rider edicate and trail awareness and how big of an issue this could be with a load of new people coming into the scene at once, but we both believe that with time spent on the trials this will work itself out and not cause a problem in the future, in most areas anyhow.
So put your feet up for an hour and join us as we chat about running a MTB business, guiding new people around your trials, the future of mountain biking and, being stoked to be on two wheels and why beer is always good after a climb.
Thanks for being here!
To Connect with Alex and Knoxville Outdoor Tours:
Website: knoxoutdoortours.com
Instagram: knoxoutdoortours
Facebook: knoxoutdoortours
Youtube: Knoxoutdoors
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Thanks so much to Alex for coming on the podcast and telling us more about Knoxville trails and filling us full of stoke!
And thank you once again for tuning in.
Join me next week for another MTB TRIBE Podcast show.