The coalition agreement signed by the Greens and the CDU two months after the election is 166 pages long. Two sentences have caught the attention of the mountain biking community:

“We will maintain the two-meter rule for cycling on forest trails. We support municipalities in organizing roundtable discussions on the introduction of single-track trails with the goal of establishing them across the board.”

Behind the scenes, mountain bike clubs have long been in discussions with local authorities to ensure they can legally pursue their hobby. This is illustrated, for example, by the reporting from Ride in Stuttgart (No. 92, No. 101). Apparently, the need for single trails has now reached the government. The fact that the two-meter rule is therefore not to be touched is typical of a government program that wants to please everyone. It also aligns with the vision of mountain bike skeptics, who believe that these trails should have their place, but strictly limited to defined routes.

Viewed optimistically, the announcement of plans to establish “single trails” nationwide is the government’s trail mandate, which the Swiss Parliament issued several years ago. Setting aside the euphoria, however, the black-green government is merely stating that it supports roundtable discussions on the topic of single trails. The rest must be accomplished by the municipalities and the community themselves.

The government is expected to show its true colors at the German Mountain Bike Congress

The single-trail goal is the focus of the German Mountain Bike Congress taking place June 16–19 in Aalen, at the northern foot of the Swabian Alb. If all goes well, government representatives at the congress will provide details on their single-track promise, which their constituents can hold them accountable for. It would be interesting to know, for example: What does support for the roundtables look like—is the state government funding them? Is it even making them mandatory? Who will ensure that the words spoken at the roundtables turn into singletrails? The congress program allocates one hour to the “Political Panel” on June 17.

A wide range of other topics will be covered at the Mountain Bike Congress. Speakers include Ride editor Thomas Giger, who will speak on “Values, Images, and Interpretations of Mountain Biking” and subsequently participate in a panel on the topic of cycling as cultural heritage.

The German Mountain Bike Congress is a professional conference with admission fees of several hundred euros. However, there is a limited number of free tickets available for active members of the MTB community (representatives of clubs, associations, and local initiatives). Click here for the email button to request a ticket (scroll all the way down).