It looks like STRAVA might have some competition in the mountain biking world as BikeParkPRO becomes the first GPS tracking app specifically built for RIDING IN BIKE PARKS.

The app functions a lot like Strava as it records your ride data and you can then share that data and compare it to others.

It does also have a number of features that makes it more friendly to mountain bikers though. Firstly the trails are submitted to the database by the people behind the app (or the bike parks themselves). This means you know your times will be taken on the official trails and your run will not be split into a number of confusingly named segments – it’s a simple measure of who’s fastest on the whole trail.

We’re not sure if the data is accurate enough to discount runs with “Strava lines” but either way it’s a step in the right direction. This also means that local (potentially secret) trails are not broadcast to the world by an overenthusiastic rider who has stumbled across them.

Of course this comes with an obvious downside as there are currently only three bike parks available for the UK (Antur Stiniog, Bike Park Wales and Revolution) and you’ll have to wait until the app has updated before you can test yourself on your local park.

The app will also discard any data from the uplift track. This may not be an issue at closed bike parks, but when the uplifts use a public road this can lead to rides on Strava being flagged by zealous roadies.

Unfortunately, the app hasn’t really taken off yet and we could only find three riders using it in the whole of the UK. But it’s free on Apple and Android so maybe the uptake will improve as more bike parks are added.

You can also pay for a premium Season Pass, similar to Strava, which gives you the chance to win prizes better catered to mountain bikers, for example free access to a bike park for a year. Perfect if you’re this guy: