20-23 August // Malverns Classic
Guest written by Roarsome's new Chief Storyteller Ryan Libbey
Watch video highlights HERE.
Official Partners: Pip Organic, Thousand, Early Rider, Yeti, Thule
The feeling of this weekend was, summer.
It was the sound of tyres rolling over dry ground. Wheelies and skids, on the uphills as well as the down. Bikes abandoned in the grass, whilst crowds would build beside by the ramps, the pump track and the dirt tracks. Children riding through the crowds with full kit, helmets, goggles, and racing stripes. Tents, tipis and roof tents, a lot of Thule on display which was super fun to see, dotted across the fields, with families making temporary homes beside their bikes.
It was total freedom on two wheels.
We were at the Malverns Classic in Eastnor Deer Park, something I knew nothing about before this weekend. It turns out to be the UK’s largest mountain bike festival, bringing together thousands of people, more than 130 brands and riders of every age and ability.
When you arrive on site at something like this, you can’t help but feel annoyed at yourself for not knowing about these things sooner. Then again, we are here now, with our children, and I will live through it all, vicariously if i have too.
There were tiny riders wobbling along on balance bikes, competing in their own World Championships, right through to some of the world’s best mountain bikers launching themselves from enormous dirt jumps.
There were bikes of every shape and size too. Some were small enough to carry under one arm. Others were top-of-the-range trail bikes with suspension and shock absorbers that made them look capable of far more than I could ever ask of them.
We watched little riders being pulled up the hills by bungee cords attached to the seat posts of Mum or Dad’s bike. Then, once they reached the top, they were set free again, racing downhill, weaving between people, sometimes crashing into each other, but that became part of the weekend I guess. Like a friendly bumper cars, just on bikes and with no limitations on time or space.
It was a small but perfect picture of parenting.
Pull them along when the hill feels too steep. Carry some of the weight when their legs begin to tire. Then, when the ground starts to fall away beneath them, loosen your grip and let them ride.
That balance is something I think about a lot.
Knowing when to carry your child. When to hold their hand and walk beside them. When to offer a steadying hand from just behind.
And when to step back altogether.
The Malverns Classic seemed to understand that instinctively. It was an event built around progression, but without any of the pressure that word can sometimes carry. Children could watch, try, wobble, fall, get back up and try again. Courage was being modelled all around us.
Sometimes it looked like a professional rider soaring through the sky. Sometimes it was a toddler pushing away from their parent on a balance bike.
Both felt worthy of applause.
At Dirt Wars, Leo stood pressed against the fence, his little mouth hanging open as the riders flew above us. They tail-whipped, somersaulted and stretched into Supermans, somehow reconnecting with their bikes and landing as though the two had never separated.
The website describes it as a display of creativity, skill and progression. From Leo’s face, I think it may have looked more like magic.
Then there was the Lake Ride, a brilliant answer to a Red Bull-style challenge. Riders attempted to make it across the water over floating obstacles, bumps and seesaws designed, quite deliberately, to send them swimming.
Families lined the banks wearing summer hats and holding cold drinks. Some people floating on blow up alligators and lilo’s. Every successful crossing was cheered. Every spectacular fall was cheered even louder.
It was competitive, but never overly serious, and that was the spirit of the whole weekend: capable riders doing extraordinary things, alongside ordinary families simply enjoying their bikes.
Camping onsite made us feel part of it all. Our Thule rooftents providing the most magical treehouses for the kids. Unzipping the canopy of the tent at first light, watching the sunrise from the roof of your car, its a perspective you dont often have, but it is so fun.
Leo already loves riding, but exposure to weekends like this can plant something deeper. Before the Malverns, we had the Surf and Skate Expo in Cornwall. This summer he has watched people surf, skate, ride pump tracks and fly through the air on mountain bikes.
Who knows what any of it might place in his mind or his heart?
Perhaps the school run up the Kings Road won’t cut the mustard for much longer.
And honestly, I hope it doesn’t.
This Roarsome Riders Tour has given the two of us so much. It has contributed to what has been the best summer I can remember. We have skated and surfed. Hit pump tracks and mountain bike trails. Camped in the woods, beside lakes and near the sea.
But more importantly, we have built lasting friendships with the families behind Roarsome.
There is a connection that goes beyond the events we attend or the clothes our children wear. It comes from an alignment of values, a shared belief in protecting the innocence of childhood and giving children the space to be adventurous, curious and free.
Roarsome represents far more than a label or a collection of ski, surf, skate and riding clothes. It represents the childhood I am trying to preserve for Leo.
The same childhood I find myself writing about in my books: one made from mud, water, scraped knees and small acts of courage. A childhood in which parents are present, but not always leading. Close enough to catch them, but far enough away to allow them to discover what they are capable of.
This Roarsome Riders Tour has been very special. I hope it is only the beginning of where it can go, reaching more families, building more communities and helping more little people feel brave enough to push away, point themselves downhill and ride (or skate, or surf, or ski).
Sometimes our job is to pull them up the hill.
And sometimes, we simply have to let them go.
The next stop for us is a particularly special one: the official launch of a new character joining the Roarsome animal kingdom.
This character and collection have been in development for the past 12 months. The earliest conversations happened around the table in my home. Since then, we have worked through fabrics, Pantones, colourways and the smallest design details. We even took the collection to Morzine earlier this year, putting it through its paces on the mountain.
But this is about far more than creating another character.
This is our collaboration collection, inspired by my own son and by the values I hope to pass down to him. It represents a quiet but dependable strength. A willingness to explore. The courage to try, the confidence to remain kind and the comfort of knowing that someone will always be walking, or riding beside you.
To take something inspired by our relationship, develop it with a brand whose values feel so closely aligned with mine, and finally share it with other families is a huge moment for me.
We cannot wait for you to meet him.
The official launch will take place on Sunday 13th September at the Roarsome store on Northcote Road, Clapham, London.
Event invitations will be sent out next, so please look out for it and RSVP.
We really hope to see you there.
Hugs,
Ryan, Ed, Will (and Leo).
