The city of Aalen is actually a major player in the world of mountain biking. For years, this small town in the Swabian Alb has regularly hosted the Eliminator World Cup and also boasts an impressive track record in cross-country racing. The city even once called itself the “capital of mountain biking.” The message to the outside world is clear: here, they’re all about mountain biking. But the veneer cracks as soon as you hit the trails around Aalen.

During exploratory rides, it doesn’t take long before the first trail entrance comes into view—blocked by a massive amount of fallen timber. It’s obvious that these tree trunks were deliberately placed there with considerable effort, specifically to prevent mountain bikers from continuing. A few minutes later, the same scene: the next trail has also fallen victim to this deliberate obstruction. It takes considerably longer before we finally find an official bike trail in the region.

The initial conclusion: In Aalen, there are clearly foresters who are thoroughly fed up with mountain bikers. And there are mountain bikers who can build really good trails. Incidentally, the three-day trip on site continues in the same vein. Isolated, superbly laid-out legal trails stand in contrast to a conflict zone where people apparently would rather see mountain bikers in the fields than on the singletrails. Here, the (outdated) mindset of trying to channel and fob off mountain bikers with a few trails is glaringly evident.

The Dead End of Prohibitionist Policy

Aalen finds itself in the midst of that phase in which attempts are being made to “get a handle” on mountain biking through bans and restrictive measures. It is a phase that many regions have already gone through, following the same pattern. And it is a phase that inevitably leads to a dead end.

The “capital of mountain biking” is blocking off well-known trails with fallen trees and relying on a handful of token trails.

A look at the Unterkochen district reveals the dilemma: every trail that once existed here is now aggressively blocked with fallen trees. What the foresters overlook is this: the mountain bikers won’t just disappear because of it. New trails will simply emerge, and the endless cycle of futile effort begins all over again.

In Aalen, they should actually know that this confrontational system gets us nowhere. One need only look at cities like Freiburg or Zurich. Or to the numerous tourist regions where the pressure on the trails is at times many times higher, yet functional solutions have been found. Even the immediate neighborhood shows how it’s done: Just ten kilometers to the east, in Heubach, the situation is completely different. Here you’ll find numerous open trails and no paths blocked by fallen trees.

From Problem to Opportunity

The idea that mountain bikers can be confined to a few isolated token trails is long outdated. In Aalen, one feels (as a Swiss person) as if transported back 20 years. Aalen should abandon the mindset that mountain bikers are primarily a problem to be solved. Rather, the goal is to adequately address a need of its own population. This cannot be achieved with a handful of nice downhill trails, and certainly not with grumpy fallen-tree campaigns.

Aalen clearly has a vibrant and strong mountain biking community; the number of local riders is estimated at around 3,000. Given this size, the current policy of blocking access to the forest is nothing short of a mockery. What is needed now are strong leaders from the mountain biking community who demonstrate a long-term vision and the necessary perseverance. Many other regions have also gone through the current phase of bans—and all of them eventually overcame it. That will also be the case in Aalen. Perhaps the Mountain Bike Congress from June 16 to 18, 2026, will provide the decisive impetus for a way out of this self-inflicted dead end.

Further information:

• The phases of mountain bike development, well illustrated by the city of Aalen
• Information on the Mountain Bike Congress in Aalen (June 16–18, 2026)