In September 2013, the four accused mountain bikers were traveling on a forest road to the alpine fair on the Klosteralm on the Muckenkogel. According to the defendants, countless hunters had ridden to this fair by car, and yet they felt so provoked by the mountain bikers that hunting tenant Rudolf Gürtler subsequently filed a lawsuit. Mountain biking was prohibited in the region and the plaintiff, as a hunting tenant, was entitled to seek injunctive relief, the plaintiff was told. An out-of-court settlement could not be reached, which is why the case will now go to trial in summer 2014.

In this case, it is interesting to note that the plaintiff has the backing of the municipality and the landowners. In an interview with the "Niederösterreichen Nachrichten" newspaper, Mayor Herbert Schrittwieser shows understanding for the fact that Rudolf Gürtler felt provoked by the "almost demonstrative driving up with the bikes". According to him, Schrittweiser does want to stand up for mountain bikers, but at the same time he also wants to "stop the uncontrolled growth". Four mountain bikers on a forest road now seem to have exceeded the limits of what is tolerable.Father Pius Maurer of Lilienfeld Abbey, the landowner of the disputed region, also agrees with Gürtler. Although mountain biking is generally prohibited in the region, efforts have so far been made to ensure that "mountain bikers who stick to the main forest road to the three alpine inns on the Muckenkogel and do not ride across meadows or trails are not reported or punished by the monastery's forestry staff". Unfortunately, there are always "black sheep" among mountain bikers who ride everywhere or threaten forestry workers. Rudolf Gürtler sees mountain bike tourism as a dangerous disruptive factor for game, forestry and hunting, Father Pius told the Niederösterreicher Nachrichten newspaper. When Gürtler encountered some mountain bikers on the Klosteralm on the day of the alpine mass, he felt provoked and subsequently filed a complaint.

Further information:
www.noen.at

The accused bikers support:
https://secure.avaaz.org/de/petition/Herbert_Schrittwieser_Straffreiheit_fuer_die_Mountainbiker_am_Muckenkogel/?cgHifdb