The ground-breaking ceremony for the pump track facility in Therwil in the canton of Basel-Landschaft will take place on Friday, May 23, and the facility is due to be opened to the public in July 2014.

The impetus for this came in the summer of 2012 with the founding of the Bikepark Leimental association, which began planning the project in cooperation with the Therwil youth organization. The association, which has around 50 members, is backed by financial commitments from the surrounding municipalities. The association members are in office to ensure the maintenance of the route.

The company Start-Track is heavily involved in the planning and construction of the facility. This company was founded in March 2013 by Jan Jakubowitsch - also known as a Swiss Cycling certified bike guide and owner of the Bike Thrills mountain bike school - and Christian Stöckli, a qualified sports scientist and project manager for youth sports projects. With the facility in Therwil, Jakubowitsch and Stöckli are realizing their first public project in Switzerland.With non-commercial ulterior motives
The aim of Start-Track is not only to introduce children, young people and adults to the fun of pump track riding. The two initiators have also made it their goal to "offer an affordable realization of a pump track in contrast to commercial providers". To this end, voluntary schoolchildren and young people are involved. "The students should learn through the construction that it is worth getting involved in a good cause and working together in a team," the two pump track builders say.

The project
In Therwil - in close proximity to the Robispielplatz - two pump tracks are being built on an area of 457 square meters. There will be a smaller track for children and a larger track for teenagers and adults.