Around 1500 registered visitors attended the testRIDE weekend in 2012, and in 2013 almost 1700 bikers made their way to Lenzerheide to test the latest bikes. At the eighth testRIDE from Saturday, September 20 to Sunday, September 21, 2014, the Graubünden bike destination welcomed over 1300 visitors to the festival site.

Quality...
This year, it wasn't the weather that threw a spanner in the works on the way to a top result in terms of quantity, but probably the weather forecast. The weather forecasters' predictions for the two days of the festival were far worse than the weather on the Lenz plateau actually turned out to be. As a result, the riders were rewarded with dry weather and, at times, plenty of sunshine during the test rides.

The organizer Ferienregion Lenzerheide had not changed much of the recipe for success, but had nevertheless tweaked it. For example, access to the area was moved to the level of the road and the entrance to the Rothornbahn for the first time, which improved the flow of the crowds on the particularly busy Saturday. Previously, the entrance with the large Lenzerheide archway was located at the rear end of the festival site, which could always cause confusion for untrained visitors.

.... before quantity
Several exhibitors expressed their satisfaction with the public, who came to Lenzerheide very well informed, either to ride a 15 model they had already ordered for the first time or to compare several models on the spot. Florian Schecklmann, responsible for Cube's German bikes in this country, also makes a comparison: "The Bike Days are good for creating a strong image for the brand, but not so good for testing bikes. In Lenzerheide, customers therefore make the decision to buy. This is also the first time that we receive direct feedback on our brand new models from many end customers, which is very valuable. Schecklmann also reports that not only riders from his trading area came to Lenzerheide, but also test riders from southern Baden and southern Bavaria traveled to the testRIDE in Graubünden.

Use testRIDE for side events
On Dealer Day - Monday at testRIDE is reserved for trade visitors from the bicycle trade - many of the 40 exhibitors showed up in the morning with "empty" stands. Despite the sunny but cool autumn temperatures, numerous dealers were out on the trails to get a feel for the latest models. As in the previous year, there were around 200 people from the specialist trade who tested the latest bikes at their leisure and without having to wait. This year, exhibitors - such as Stevens - also used the testRIDE as a starting point for their own side events, during which the specialist dealers were trained and brought up to speed on the bike.

Satisfied organizer
The first-class infrastructure, which was able to cope with the rush of visitors, the keen interest shown by the bikers and the weather, which was far better than the forecast, made for satisfied faces. Andreas Wirth, Head of Events for the Lenzerheide vacation region, also gave positive feedback: "The atmosphere was excellent and, according to feedback from exhibitors, far less hectic than last year. The frequency of the mountain railroads also speaks for itself. With around 10,000 rides, the testRIDE weekend was one of the best of the summer for the Rothornbahn.

testRIDE 2015
The date for the next festival has already been set: the ninth testRIDE will take place on the weekend of September 19-20, 2015. The dealer day will take place on Monday, September 21, 2015.www.testride.ch