This year, the Bike Days organizer launched a prologue for the first time: The Urban Bike Festival in Zurich attracted 20,000 visitors to Zurich West at the beginning of April - with the theme of urban two-wheeled mobility. From 20 to 22 May, the organizer Bike Days GmbH attracted 25,000 visitors to Solothurn, mainly for the mountain bike, e-bike and racing bike events. This meant that the Swiss bike industry was able to reach around 45,000 people this spring, which represents a new record overall.

Small bloodletting at the Bike Days

The Bike Days in Solothurn in 2016 had to accept a small bloodletting: It was unable to match the record year of 2015, with around 2,500 fewer visitors than in the previous year making their way to the baroque city in the Mittelland. This may be due to internal competition with the Urban Bike Festival. Another factor is certainly the absence of the world-class athletes in the Schanzengraben, as the Solothurn date clashed with the World Cup in Albstadt. This year, the Bike Days also had to make do without the Bike Lovers Contest, which is tantamount to the absence of a small but very active scene. With 250 brands present instead of last year's 275, competition with the Urban Bike Festival can also be identified.

Perfect conditions, sporting highlights

Petrus was completely kind to the Bike Days 2016: Completely rain-free and unusually late in May, these were probably the hottest Bike Days in history. "It was hot under the exhibitors' tents, but the contests were just as hot! The level of the international competition series was unbelievable, the competition was enormous!", commented OC President Erwin Flury on the three days of the festival.

Matt Jones ends Rogatkin's winning streak

The final of the MTB dirt jump contest turned into a duel between the 2015 winner and the 2014 winner, Nicholi Rogatkin from the USA and Matt Jones from the UK. Rogatkin was the winner of the qualifying round and the favorite thanks to his new trick, the twister. But Matt Jones also had new tricks up his sleeve: He performed a 720 no-hand in Solothurn. "It's the first time I've ever done this trick and the first time anyone has ever done this trick at a contest!" commented Matt Jones on his winning jump.

Viki Gomez defends his title

Spanish-born Viki Gomez won the incredibly close battle of the BMX flatlanders. The crowd in the Solothurn Rythalle, which was packed to bursting point despite the beautiful weather, cheered the most for last year's winner. He impressed the judges with short, crisp combos and the new trick 720 pivot. Frenchman Matthias Dandois and Czech Dominik Nekolny took second and third place respectively.

Satisfied exhibitors at the Velo-Expo

Thanks to the good weather, the 120 exhibitors at Velo-Expo enjoyed numerous interested visitors at their stands and were able to hold a large number of consultations, according to the organizer. The test tracks and Active Zone were also very busy throughout the three days: young and old alike enjoyed themselves on the pump track, mini drome and slow race.

No collisions in the future

The next Bike Days will take place from May 5 to 7, 2017. OC President Erwin Flury: "We are already looking forward to the next edition, when the spectator magnet, the Swiss Bike Cup, is complete again and the entire cross-country entourage gathers around the Schanzengraben with the elite stars."

Main sponsor Migros still on board

Bike Days GmbH also announced that nothing stands in the way of the continuation of Bike Days. Main sponsor Migros has extended its contract with Bike Days for a further three years. The Migros umbrella brand is the main sponsor, with the SportXX and FlowerPower brands as co-sponsors. They will also be on site with Famigros and Catering Services Migros as catering partners. Reto Wüthrich, Head of Sponsoring at Migros Aare: "The Bike Days are a great platform to present our diverse commitment and offerings in the areas of biking, fitness, nutrition and health in a targeted manner."