When it comes to trail building as a profession, it is a dance between building the trails themselves, working with land owners and managers, and the whole business side of things. This Professional Builder Profile Interview series has been invaluable as we get to hear the startup stories of trail builders going all-in on starting their own businesses. The best part is that everyone’s story is unique. That’s because we are all different and come from a variety of backgrounds, countries, cultures, and experiences. I am excited to share this following interview with Daniel Tulla of Mountain Bike Movement in Austria. Enjoy!

Under the umbrella of trail building, there are a wide variety of trails that get built. Most often, when we hear or think of the words “trail building,” our minds are flooded with images ranging from a UCI DH course to the recent Redbull Hardline in Tasmania or even the Redbull Rampage in Utah. We think of massive berms, tabletops, enough jumps, and lots of flow. But have you ever thought about what it takes to build and maintain an XC race course?

What do you get when you mix sandy soil, motivated people, and a dream to inspire others? The Rebellion—that's it. This is our story of how we are transforming a mindset and mountain bike culture in the most unlikely of places.

Flashback to 2021: a dedicated group of us sharing riding tales in a parking lot with some beverages when a couple of our crew approaches us with an idea.

"Let's do what no one thinks is possible!"

"Let's build a downhill-ish bike park in Mobile, Alabama!"

Earlier in the week, I posted this question on our social media, “For those of you who are volunteers, why do you give up weekends (or weekdays) to work on trails?” The responses were overwhelming as there was an outpouring of support for why we work on trails. I’ll share a few of those responses in a moment. But that question and those responses got me thinking about what it is about trail building that is so captivating. Let’s dive into this …

I posted this message on Instagram on February 25, 2022, “Coming soon ... an upcoming magazine dedicated to mountain bike trails and those who build, maintain, and advocate for them.” That’s it. That’s all I knew. I was starting a magazine for trail builders. And since I “spoke it into existence” by creating an Instagram account and posting it, I knew I couldn’t back out.

Since this is your platform, I love the opportunity to help you tell your stories. You’re all up to fantastic work all over the world. It’s not only a lot of fun to feature and showcase you, but it continues to help foster community as you connect.

I’ve been sitting on this interview since last May. We had such a tremendous outpouring of responses about this interview series. There’s enough content to do one of these at least once a week. However, I decided to spread it out as we grow other online content. The following interview features Mark McClure of Trail Tools. Enjoy!

Tell me if this sounds familiar; your local trails have seen a huge increase in traffic since COVID and some associations have been able to secure more funding for trail projects. Sounds like some new trails are coming!

Maybe, maybe not. And not building new trails is, believe it or not, the best way to move forward to ensure the existing trails get some well-deserved love for a few reasons:

Data is important. Every day, we make data-driven decisions. We also use it more than we realize in trail building. Collecting and analyzing data has been critically important here at Trail Builder Magazine. I believe that is one characteristic that separates us from other mountain biking magazines. Yes, we love and want to share stories about bikes and trails. At the same time, trail building is a maturing industry. It’s time for more data collection. This time, it’s about perceptions and attitudes about being a woman in trail building.

In a world where technology often pulls us away from nature, there are individuals who are dedicated to reconnecting us with the great outdoors. One such remarkable individual is Tracy Paradise, the CEO of the One Track Mind Foundation (OTM). With an unwavering commitment to expanding trail access, Tracy Paradise has been spearheading a movement that not only redefines outdoor experiences but also empowers communities and youth while fostering a sense of unity among mountain bikers.

In Spain, trail building is just starting to grow and is still far from getting the recognition it has in other countries. There are some successful stories and interesting things happening. But what about industry involvement? If you search the news, you would say there is barely any investment or involvement with trail builders. Weird, you would say that those selling bikes and components would like to have more trails, so more people bought more bikes.

But fear not; there are indeed brands involved with trail-building initiatives.