Spot on! And for the record I love a good ramble. I agree that it is a hard spot to master and that is probably one of the main causes.
Like you said peoples ability to commit to a sport and stick with it when the trends change is extremely difficult in an age where social media provide the next in thing at the touch of a button.
One thing I would like to see is British cycling helping the riders that qualify to represent our country at the World championships. Seeming that the UCI is half way through a 3 year deal to be hosted by China, means that very few of the UK riders eligiable to compete can afford the trip. The bursary handed out by BC wouldn’t even pay for a quarter of the flight costs. So like you said if there are younger guys and girls looking to push themselves further, and aspire to represent the country then generally they would never make it a realility.
Lets hope that it doesn’t decline to the point where people see it as tricks and stunts again rather than a disciplined sport.