The bad word of the year 2020: "unbundling

We humans are always parroting empty phrases without realizing the nonsense behind them. It's no different in mountain biking. That's why we regularly select the bad word of the year here. This year: "the unbundling". In other words, the absurd strategy of keeping mountain bikers and hikers apart. "Disentanglement" is based on opposition, but the future lies in cooperation, says Thomas Giger in his blog post.

"Unbundling" is a kind of magic word of the hour for many. Mountain bikers here, hikers there. "Separation" is the super formula to end the supposed trouble on the single trails once and for all. Separate paths lead to harmony in the terrain. Sounds understandable at first glance, which is why officials, tourism experts, regional planners and even specialist consultants are increasingly turning to this magic word. They do this because it is the simplest solution for them: shovel a new trail and mountain bikers are happy and hikers satisfied. That sounds like peace, joy and pancakes - but it's a fatal dead end.

For a consistent "unbundling", massive investments would have to be made in the trail infrastructure. This is economically questionable and ecologically serious. Unbundling leads to a massive intervention in nature - while mountain bikers and hikers are looking for intact nature. There is nothing wrong with separate routes in some places. However, this is not a separation, but the local management of large crowds. After all, the congestion problem at the Gotthard cannot be solved by building new freeways across the board.

Apartheid was also "disentanglement"

"Disentanglement" has never worked in the history of mankind. In South Africa, for example, the aim was to "disentangle" the white and black populations. Here, segregation simply has a different name: Apartheid. And 80 years ago, Germany also wanted the ultimate disentanglement. Both ended in disaster. And the Black Lives Matter demonstrations in the USA are essentially about the fight against social and economic segregation. And in mountain biking, this strategy is supposed to point the way to the future?

For this reason, "unbundling" is the bad word of 2020. The term is used inflationarily in mountain biking without ever giving it serious and fundamental thought. The recent history of mankind has shown that the model for the future is "together" and not "against each other". However, every new bike trail that is built promotes conflict, because it is based on the thought pattern: mountain bikers here, hikers there. This means we are heading straight for the dead end of unholy "disentanglement".