More From Mark

Along with the rise of the number of bikers during the pandemic, was the birth (or re-birth, depending on who you ask) of the bike vlog. It gave everyone a look into each other’s trails, the local communities, what bikes were being ridden, races being run, and even features being sent. Suddenly almost everyone had a vlog and everyone had someone they were watching, and to an extent, being inspired by. One name that always came up was Mark More. “I really started shooting my videos just for me,” Mark smiles, “vlogging wasn’t really a thing back then and very few were into it. It just felt very natural for me.”

Natural is definitely the right word for Mark because he’s actually a professional host when he’s not shredding through the tracks and trails, which as seen in his many races and videos, he’s a natural at that as well.

FROM THE START GATE

“I started late, around 2015-2016, buying my very first bike late 2015 from a Japanese Surplus Store,” Mark recalls, “and we got a full suspension bike.” Mark tells us that they thought, at the time, that it was light and cheap– since all he was doing was biking to work, until he found a local trail: Army. “So I found out it was close to where I lived and tried it, liked it, but as I kept on riding trails and progressing, my bike was going the other way,” he laughs, “part by part, nasisira na siya.”

So instead of going back and forth to the local bike shop, he decided to search online and upgrade his whole bike, “I found a 2005 GT Ruckus and built it up but after trying to learn bunny hops on a heavy DH bike, I outgrew that too and got a 2009 GT Sanction from the same seller.”

ON YOUR MARK

That same year, Mark met a bunch of enduro racers who got him deep into it and by 2017, he joined his first race in Anzap, Tarlac, setup by Edrie Ocampo as part of the Enduro Alliance back then. “That was my first ever enduro race, and I loved it,” Mark recalls that he “was excited but scared because I was racing blind. I wasn’t able to track read at all.” He remembers being teary-eyed after the race, overwhelmed with mixed emotions and the feeling of “I survived.”

On the flip-side, Mark’s been taking videos ever since he started riding, shooting all of his rides and just sharing them on Facebook, into groups he was a part of back then, until he saw a popular vlog and thought to himself: “I can make my own channel.” Having already a background in video editing made the choice much easier, he’d be able to have complete creative control and share the things he wanted to share. His first ever video was, of course, about his beloved Army Trail experiences.

“Of course when I started, and spoke english, a lot of people had a problem with that,” he says. But he kept going, kept creating, kept racing, and kept sharing his stoke to anyone and everyone that wanted to watch and before he knew it, he had one of the biggest mountain biking YouTube Channels in the country. “I was surprised to even be included. When people and brands would invite content creators and vloggers, tapos kasama ako. I don’t take that for granted at all, that’s when things started to get big.” Mark would never say it himself, but he’s definitely one of the pioneers of content creation in the country.

GOOD TIMES

Around 2018, Mark began his journey as GT Philippines’ Ambassador, both as a rider and as a content creator, solidifying his place in the local riding community. “It’s a dream come true,” Mark admits, “to be partnered with one of the oldest, most trusted bike brands in the world. That really lifts you up, it lifted me up.” He tells us that the relationship with GT has really opened up so many doors for him, saying that “it’s easier to talk to other big brands because GT backs me up. It’s such a blessing.”

What Mark loves about the relationship is that GT knows who he is and there’s no pressure to be more than just Mark More. “There were more expectations from people than from the brand actually,” he says, “I don’t pretend that I’m a pro racer, but being associated with GT puts a sort of label on you, that you’re expected to perform a certain way. But even when I share advice or tips, I make sure to note that this is how I do it, and it could work for you too.” Mark says that he’s been working with Coach Ely (feature on him soon) to improve his riding more, growing and progressing at a pace that he’s comfortable with.

EXPECT MORE FROM MARK

“If you ask me about all of this, it all comes back to the WHY,” Mark tells us, with that look in his eye– a guy who knows what guides his message, “it’s all about WHY we do this and for me it started because it was fun. I want to share that, the FUN of what we have here in the Philippines. That there’s a sport like this, a trail like this that you can ride — really just push local opportunities and local tourism.”

“There’s also a responsibility,” he continues, “I always have to be aware of what impact my content will have on the community, on the audience. Kids will be watching so we also have to always be conscious of that, we always have to be aware of our role.”

“From what I see though,” he ends, “mountain biking, especially gravity riding, needs more exposure. I mean, it’s such an amazing sport, it’s exciting, it’s international. But I feel we need more support from everyone– the government, communities, people, and even the media.”

“We already have our heroes in the sport, Bans Mendoza, Coach Ely, Arianna, Jerich Farr, who can and already are leading the way; we just need more exposure and support to make things bigger, better.” We hear you, Mark, and we’re with you on that.