Video: Kenny Belaey Rides Across Lebanon

 There are a number of trails being developed / have been built across the Middle East. It's a fantastic area for mountain biking and cries out for further trail and infrastructure development. I've met some awesome people from across the region who are passionate about developing the sport.

 @mark-mcclure: Thats really good to know!

 @TreeBeak: sorry to be racist but this was as white as it gets

 @WAKIdesigns: Explain please.

 @TreeBeak: I think he's suggesting that you are generalizing about a very large, diverse population with your comment about religion being a sole focus. Personally, I think your comment may have been well-intentioned but naive. I hardly think that mountain biking is going the be the magic key to resolve a millenia of tension between Sunni and Shia, Jew and Muslim, etc, etc.

Its actually an odd time to see a video for Lebanon riding. Not that anyone is going to jump on a plane during the Covid crisis, but things are extremely difficult in Lebanon right now. Radical devaluation of their currency, hyper-inflation, estimates of 75% of the population below the poverty line, huge social unrest, etc. Its going to be a long while before a MTB trip to Lebanon is a reasonable thing to consider.

 @TreeBeak: Mountain biking creating jobs in Syria or Lebanon or Palestine is a rather naive concept. This region of the world ravaged by conflicts, which come partly from the fact that Winston and Teddy drew some lines in the sand. It is something a naive pompous English Lord or General would say in a costume movie. You simplified it so much, you synthesized finest form of ignorance

 @WAKIdesigns: Beirut used to be called "The Paris of the East" as recently as the 1970s. It's a beautiful, vibrant city, with landscapes to match as this video shows. Nobody is denying the instability there, but westerners acting like locals don't want to enjoy life, benefit from tourism and welcome people from around the world is its own form of ignorance. Just because its bad now, doesn't mean it should stay bad forever. Otherwise what's the point of even trying?

Before getting into MTBs, I was pretty heavy in the motorcycle scene and I remember coming across a video of cafe racers in Beirut and just thinking how similar their attitudes were and how they were all just looking for the same thing. Are the representative of the entirety of Lebanese society? Ofcourse not! But neither are we.... www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJnc8HxiV5Q

 This is some “do yoga to cure your depression” type shit

 @Inertiaman: want to resolve religious tension? The best cure is for everyone to actually read their ‘holy’ texts and realize what a shitty joke they are. Time for the world to move on from the plague of Abrahamic fantasy.

 Great point and so true but it’ll only happen in a perfect world.

 @RoadStain: far right religious conservatism is actually leftism. I think this because I’m a f*cking idiot.

 @roma258: I think it’s cool people do mountain biking in Lebanon just like they do in Austin Texas (although I am not sure what seems scarier for me) . As long as there is a trail pointing down and two wheels are rolling it’s all sweet anywhere. But an idea that There’s any virtue or world changing potential in Niche tourism is extremely naive. Especially when elitist activity like MTB is involved. Stay with bikes, it all looks like cool trails and scenery, change the world later.

 @kleinblake: don’t feed him...

 @WAKIdesigns: Austin's cool, great tacos, world famous music scene, F1/MotoGP track on the edge of town. It's when you get outside of town that you gotta start worrying

Besides, I don't think OP's point MTB would instantly change middle east into a kumbaya drum circle. But every tiny little step in the right direction helps.

 @micahaalders3: amen

 well said.