According to the mountain bike association, the impetus was the uncoordinated announcement of a route change by deputy mayor Johannes Anzengruber. "In the course of detailed planning and mapping out the planned route, it became clear that it would not be possible to complete the middle section of the trail without deviations and adaptations, as well as multiple crossings or path relocations," explains Anzengruber in the press release. The decision has now been made to relocate the middle section of the Hofwald Trail in the direction of Buchtal. This will be implemented with a slightly adapted route. According to the city council, section two of the trail will be completed in the next few weeks and will be ready for use by the end of the summer.

The mountain bikers involved take a different view. According to MTBInnsbruck, the result of the new route is a new version of the approval process. Completion before spring 2023 is therefore not realistic. In their statement, they say they are "furious" because the needs of mountain bikers are not being heard. "It is unacceptable that after an arduous planning process and a successful official tender in a multi-stage procedure, the implementation of the winning project is changed at the first political headwind. I expect our municipal politicians to ensure that all interest groups are properly and comprehensively involved in the planning phase and that responsibility is then taken for political decisions and commitments," said Innsbruck local councillor Mesut Onay in this matter.

Statement from MTBInnsbruck

What started with the criticism of a single person has grown into a huge political issue. As representatives of mountain biking, we don't want to be part of it. This is not because we don't want to stand up for the MTB community at this level, but because it is no longer about the actual issue. Before this stone was set rolling in this way, we requested statements on this situation from several places (State Forestry Directorate, trail construction company, Sports Office, Office for Forest & Nature and other local council members). On this basis, we would like to explain from our point of view what the current state of affairs - i.e. the Hofwald Trail - is:

The fact is that construction has been halted and the Hofwald Trail will not be completed by the end of the month as planned. Regardless of how this story ends, we do not expect the entire line to open before spring 2023.

Vice Mayor Johannes Anzengruber sent out a press release at lunchtime today. It states that the line will be relocated. This means that part of the trail route will have to be redesigned, new expert opinions and approvals will have to be obtained for trail sections and the construction may also have to be put out to tender again. And as you know, dealing with the authorities takes time! At the same time, an internal city hearing (convened by the mayor) was held to review the Senate resolution from last June 2021 and the implementation of the responsible offices and department heads. There is no result yet. However, one possible outcome would be that the mayor would make implementation mandatory.

We can deny the unjustified criticism that the city forestry office or the trail construction company deviated from the agreed route when marking out the line. There is official information available, which was collected by the Environmental Ombudsman's Office during a local inspection, which confirms this. We have no understanding whatsoever for such unsubstantiated statements as have been communicated in recent days.

Yep, we are furious! The way mountain bikers and the needs of mountain bikers are talked about is unacceptable. But "just" getting loud is not effective in our eyes. Therefore, we will not follow the call of a populist party and react with a counter-action. We will not start a counter-demonstration this weekend and, despite the current situation, hope to continue a constructive exchange with those involved in the city. In order to properly represent our and your interests, we need a strong community presence. This in turn requires sound preparation. Even if the anger in your stomach is great and the desire for immediate action is strong, this is counterproductive for long-term success.

More information about Innsbruck

Tours in the ride database: ride.ch/touren/innsbruck
Innsbruck in the singletrail map: map.ride.ch