February 18, 2000 was a turning point in Swiss mountain biking. At that time, the first single trail map was presented at the "2Rad-Messe" in Zurich. The map was a test run to see whether there was demand for such a product. And there was. The first edition was gone in a short space of time and the motivation to enter this segment was great.

195,000 map sheets sold

More sheets followed for the Swiss cities, then for the whole of Graubünden. Central Switzerland was added, as were Valais, Ticino and the Aosta Valley. A total of 50 different versions rattled through the printing presses. A total of 194,851 singletrail maps were sold. This corresponds to a market value of over four million francs - and that's just with maps for mountain bikers.

However, this resounding success also attracted critics, especially in the early stages. The launch of the first singletrail maps caused such a stir among the authorities that Swiss television became aware of the issue. The prime-time TV reports on the Tagesschau and "10vor10" proved to be a priceless advertising campaign - the opposite of the dramatization staged by the authorities. From that day on, sales went through the roof.

Continuation under a new brand umbrella

Over twenty years later, the dust has settled, the Singletrail Maps have become an established part of the mountain bike world and the web map has long since been digitized. Now the name "Singletrail Map" is disappearing from the annals of mountain biking. However, the product lives on as the "Ride Trail Map". The range of printed maps will be thinned out in Switzerland, but will be extended to additional regions in Germany and northern Italy from 2024.

The web map, which has been integrated into the Ride website for six years, is not affected by the brand change. The route network on map.ride.ch has now grown to 190,000 kilometers and covers the entire Alpine region.

The takeover of Ride has resulted in an important price change: the "Ride Trail Maps" cost CHF 18.50, but Ride Gold subscribers receive the maps at a 50% discount. This price advantage also applies to the "Ride Trail Books".Order "Ride Trail Maps" here in the Ride online store.