The Bike Days take place in Solothurn from May 5 to 7. With over 25,000 visitors every year, it is the largest bike festival in Switzerland and the concept works year after year. A wide variety of cycling cultures come together at the Bike Days: visitors meet exhibitors, young national talent meets international athletes and cyclists meet Olympic champions.

Solothurn as a proven venue

The Bike Days have been held in Solothurn for nine years now. The choice of location is no coincidence, says OC President Erwin Flury: "The city offers ideal conditions. On the one hand, it is centrally located in Switzerland and on the other, the area around the city leaves enough space for the various competitions."

For the Mayor of Solothurn, National Councillor Kurt Fluri, the Bike Days are a good addition to the city's broad cultural offering. The supra-regional visitors from all over Switzerland are particularly interesting for Solothurn. "A visit to Solothurn is worthwhile all year round, but for bike fans it is of course particularly worthwhile during the Bike Days," says Fluri. The mayor will also be on site at the Bike Days.Bike Days as a national meeting place outside the cycling scene

Since the Bike Days began, not only the festival but also the audience has grown. What was initially an industry and insider event is now a national festival for everyone: "It's great to see that Bike Days has developed into a meeting place outside the bike scene too," says OC President Flury happily. Over 70 percent of visitors travel to Solothurn from all over Switzerland to attend the national bike festival. Whether young or old, with or without family, alone or as a group, the Bike Days offer something for everyone: numerous food stands provide for the physical well-being of the visitors, the chill-out zone on the Chantierwiese invites you to relax and those who want to party can do so at the Bike Days parties on Friday or Saturday.

Proffix Swiss Bike Cup with top athletes at the start

The Proffix Swiss Bike Cup is the national race series and is held at seven different locations. A C1 class race will take place at the Bike Days. In the men's race, Olympic champion Nino Schurter will compete against five-time world champion Julien Absalon. In the women's race, two-time MTB overall world cup winner Jolanda Neff and Olympic champion Jenny Rissveds are sure to make for an exciting duel. While the elite and junior categories meet on Saturday, on Sunday everyone can have a go: young and old. Riders without a racing license are also welcome.

At the Bike Days 2016, visitors had to do without the top athletes, as a UCI World Cup was taking place in Albstadt at the same time.

Gathering of top international athletes

In addition to the national PROFFIX Swiss Bike Cup, the international freestyle contests BMX Flatland and MTB Dirtjump will also captivate spectators. The MTB dirt jump contest with silver status is part of the FMB World Tour. A highlight this year will be the duel between Nicholi Rogatkin and Matt Jones. British rider and last year's winner Jones will do everything in his power to once again relegate the US American and current leader of the FMB rankings Rogatkin to second place. Spectacular jumps in the jump trench are therefore the order of the day.

MTB dirt jump - organizers continue to rely on young Swiss talent

Last year, the organizers already focused on young talent and had young Swiss dirt jumpers compete against each other in a Swiss qualifier. This qualification will be continued this year. The best young Swiss rider can secure a starting place in the international contest of the FMB World Tour on Saturday and compete against top athletes from the scene in the jump trench.

BMX Flatland World Circuit - Solothurn makes the start

Like last year, the BMX Flatland contest in Solothurn is part of the world tour: in 2017, the BMX Flatland World Circuit comprises a total of five stops from North America to Europe and Asia. Bike Days will once again be hosting the opening event of the tour. The world's best flatlanders will come together in Solothurn to show off their tricks and creativity on the bike. With the withdrawal of Viki Gomez and the commitment of three-time Tour winner Matthias Dandois and seven-time Czech champion and former Tour winner Dominik Nekolny, a great duel between two former Bike Days winners is already looming.

Restructured exhibition area and extended e-mountainbike test track

Around 120 different exhibitors with over 250 brands will be represented at the Bike Days. At the Bike Expo, visitors have the opportunity to find out all about the latest products and trends and get on the saddle themselves in the Test Village. Until now, the two areas of Velo-Expo with the Active Zone and the Test Village on the Chantierwiese were separate. This year, the areas will be merged into one large Expo, Active and Test Zone.

The redesign of the Chantierwiese means that, in addition to numerous test stands from all brands, there will also be combined exhibition and test stands from major exhibitors who were previously represented on the gravel square.The active zone with pump track, slow race, mini drome and roller sprint, where visitors are invited to actively participate, will also be located on the Chantierwiese. The location will now also be the starting point for all test tracks, where further adjustments have been made.The e-mountain bike short test track will be expanded and equipped with additional obstacles. It is now the test track for all mountain bikes. Downhill bikes can be tested on the Weissenstein and anyone who wants to try out an e-bike, city bike or even a racing bike can do so on the signposted test routes.

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