16 years ago, Cazin founded the consulting firm "Allegra Tourismus" together with his father Fadri and delivered his first masterpiece with the development of Livigno as a mountain bike region, which was later continued with the "Alta Rezia" project. And for once, it wasn't someone who turned his passion into a profession. "Back then, I was more fascinated by the market than the sport," he tells Ride in an interview. A certain Holger Meyer then introduced him to the playful side of the sport and motivated him to take up the sport himself. "So I didn't turn my hobby into a profession, but the other way around," he adds.

Years later, Darco Cazin is one of the most influential people in mountain bike tourism. There is now hardly a media report on mountain bike tourism, no panel discussion or specialist event where his opinion is not in demand. Yet the man from Graubünden is a man of soft tones. Someone who chooses his words carefully and deliberately. Someone who works on concepts in the background, develops development plans and plans infrastructure. The fact that mountain bike tourism is no longer a small business is reflected in the number of employees at "Allegra Tourismus": the former micro-company has now grown into a business with 30 employees - and the trend is rising.

In an interview with Ride in the current September issue, he expresses his views pointedly. He sees one of the dangers for the sport of mountain biking in poorly conceived and implemented projects. "These don't work and subsequently provide the supposed proof that mountain bikers are not a relevant guest group." He also has clear words for Alpine agriculture, where a rethink is needed. Because mountain biking today takes place on the compression line. And this still very often means that the mountain biker has to give way on the bottom line. "In future, however, it will be on an equal footing with agriculture or forestry, and the compromise will not always be to the mountain biker's disadvantage."

The interview in the current issue of Ride provides an interesting insight into the mindset of a destination developer. Cazin also comments on the hype surrounding flow trails, to which he has made a significant contribution. Flow trails and very easy trails are needed to introduce more people to the sport. "In Switzerland, we have tens of thousands of kilometers of hiking trails that can be ridden on mountain bikes, but they are technically demanding. On the other hand, there are just a few kilometers of flow trails". As is so often the case, it's always a question of perspective.

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