McTrail rider
Andrew McAvoy, AKA McTrail Rider, lives to ride his bike. His riding videos, mainly focusing on the glories of the Scottish Mountains, regularly garner tens of thousands; even hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube. He is based in Argyll.
I was born in Stornaway in the Outer Hebrides; I lived there until I was four. My dad was a SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) inspector on the island and my mum and sister moved back up there some years ago. I’ve got no heritage there, but I’m an islander, not a Highlander!
I started riding bikes when I was four. My dad took me to the top of a hill, and pushed me down! Luckily I didn’t crash. I just really enjoy my bike. When I was growing up, your options were limited. You went into the mountains exploring with your mates, or you went riding a bike, or both. And I suppose there was always football. But I hate football, and I’m shite at it.
I’ve done a handful of races. My first race was the Scottish DH at Ft William. It was a disaster! I was late, I got punctures on both my practice runs, and on my race run my chain sucked up into the chainstay. I didn’t come last though - I’m quietly proud of that. I enjoy Enduro racing, too - it’s got a great, chilled atmosphere.
I started my YouTube channel by accident. I never anticipated doing something like this. My dad got sick, and it was a distraction for me, and a way of showing him that I was sort of carrying on with my life, and it picked up from there.
After my dad passed away, I took a van all over Europe. I think the Pyrenees are much more beautiful than the Alps. In parts, strangely, they remind me of Scotland. Argyll is just big mountains straight into the sea, and the Basque Country is like that too. And the Ordesa Y Monte Perdido National Park is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. It’s almost like Yosemite. If I was to move to anywhere, it’d be Ainsa in Spain.
I think I’m different from the other stuff that’s online. I don’t want to be thought of as a YouTube or blogger. I just like to ride my bike, and I’m lucky enough that people want to watch the videos. They’re pretty unreconstructed. I just go for a ride to somewhere hopefully amazing that people haven’t seen before, and record what happens. I try to keep the trail and the destination as the main features.
I’m lucky enough that my work lets me be flexible. I’m a joiner. I want to go somewhere I’ll check that the weather’s not going to be terrible, and I’ll work my other job around it. I try to do one or two overnights when I go somewhere, so it makes all the travelling easier. Scotland’s a big place!
The descent from Ben Macdui is one of my favourite videos. Ben from Deviate suggested it, as he thought it was the longest descent in the UK. He’s probably right. It’s absolutely amazing - the scenery, and the riding. Perfect. The Scottish Tourist Board should pay me!
It will come as no surprise that my favourite type of riding is big, big mountain riding. A spot of “hike-a-bike” up, and then riding down. Perfect. Trails centres are a lot of fun, sure, but the predictability of them gets a bit wearing. You know everything will go, so you can ride full beans all the time. Which is cool but it removes some of the thrill compared to a huge mountain day.
My Patrons turned me on to Deviate. A couple of them rode the Guide, and suggested it’d be perfect for the sort of riding I like to do. I went for a ride with Ben, and the bike blew me away. The Highlander is so cool. It’s a full-on trail bike, but it can do everything!
I built my Highlander up pretty heavy-duty. Big forks, chunky tyres: I’ve built it heavy because, most of all, I need it to be reliable. But it’s a flexible thing - it’s way more capable than the category it’s pegged at. And I’m totally sold on the high-pivot idler setup.
I could have twice the followers, I guess, if I played the Youtube game. But it’s just not me - I just like to ride my bike. I do have a core following though. I try to make a point of showing people the scenery, and a bit of the history of a place. I love the rides were I go out by myself, where even I don’t know where I’m going, and what to expect. I have a core following. It’s just me and a bike, in some of the best places on earth.
