It was obvious at the time that the launch of the Singletrail Maps in 2001 could also be seen as a provocation. Although mountain bikers were not a new species in the urban forests, they were a thorn in the side of the authorities. Even in Switzerland, the idea that they had to be banned from the forests or at least considerably restricted was still widely held. However, the princes of the official offices and forest areas did not reckon with unruly and eloquent mountain bikers. They did not want to understand or accept that they were being excluded from the forests and, above all, from the single trails. In the Basel region, these included tireless provocateurs such as Jakob Weber. At a national level, it was Thomas Giger who first marked where the attractive mountain bike trails were to be found on a topographical map with the Singletrail Maps. This got the authorities up in arms and journalists on the case. It was a feast for a TV format like 10vor10 - and for Giger, the unplanned media launch of the new maps.
 

That was over twenty years ago, and the position of mountain bikers has changed. From wild freak to serious amateur athlete. The big difference between Switzerland and other countries was the presence of these provocateurs, who did not have to sit at the negotiating table but who articulated the needs of mountain bikers clearly, tirelessly and in a way that could not be ignored. Such Entfants Terribles are still missing in Germany or Austria today. The media coverage in these countries today is also similar to that in Switzerland over twenty years ago - with arguments that now only cause a tired smile in Switzerland.

The Singletrail Maps still exist today, the stumbling blocks from the television report have long since been removed. Just like the officials. The steadfastness of some mountain bikers in combination with skillful negotiators at the round table, in this case in particular Trailnet, was an important element in why Switzerland has become a kind of haven of bliss today.