The Ride Congress was launched in 2013 with noble intentions. Over the eight years, the event has seen itself as a platform for building up specialist knowledge and exchanging experiences, but also for establishing a strong networking culture. The congress was intended to promote nothing less than the development of mountain biking. This is where the event ultimately failed, as it never managed to attract more than 150 participants. That is too little to have a relevant impact.

The congress organization has made great efforts over the years to increase the importance of the event. High-quality specialist speakers were on stage, accompanied by in-depth workshops, excursions were on the agenda in the run-up to the event and, finally, the Davos Congress Center was probably one of the most impressive locations. In vain, as it turns out in retrospect. The number of participants was down.

Little relevance in the MTB scene

It is striking that the Ride Congress has not achieved any major relevance within the mountain biking scene. Important mountain bike associations such as Swiss Cycling or Trailnet have not been present at the event over the years, the bike industry has also only been present in isolated cases and tourist players such as destinations, mountain railroads and hotels have also been difficult to convince to take part. Against this backdrop, the organizers have now pulled the plug on the event.

"There were eight great events. The Ride Congress was always a highlight for me and hugely inspiring. However, we have to face up to the fact that the number of participants is low, especially as we had an annual deficit in the relevant five-digit Swiss franc range," explains OC President and Ride publisher Thomas Giger. If a new, similar event with a fresh spirit were to be launched elsewhere, they would be happy to support it with all their might in the interests of mountain biking.