At the end of 2018, you went public as Bike Trails Pfannenstiel. Bikers could signal their support by registering online as a Trail Friend. Now you're back as Trail Friends Zurich. How are the two initiatives connected? We founded Bike Trails to be able to create legal trails on our local mountain - a long-term project. We soon realized that local politicians and other people in the region first wanted to know who these bikers actually were. That's when we realized: the bikers need a face.

And that's what you get by registering as a Trail Friend?
We already have over 300, and it costs nothing. Then bikers from the wider Zurich Oberland got in touch and said: You have to think more broadly, not just locally. We were skeptical at first, but after a few conversations, we were ready to give it a try - not just in the Zurich Oberland, but in the whole canton of Zurich.

Trails are usually initiated by local groups. What do you want to contribute from the outside?
Local is incredibly important when it comes to trails. Our idea is that someone approaches us because they want to have a trail built in their community. As Trail Friends, we can support them with knowledge and experience on the one hand, and with contacts on the other. It is quite possible that there is someone among the registered Trail Friends who has a better network than we do. We also want to be a reliable partner for the maintenance of the new trails. Because the work is not done with the construction alone.

In some places in the canton of Zurich, there are already groups that promote the interests of mountain bikers, from the Bachtel bikers to Züritrails. What do they gain from the fact that you exist? We are looking to talk to and network with existing associations. We want to support them and hope they can support us. At the same time, everyone retains their autonomy. Incidentally, I am a member of Züritrails myself and have good contact with the president. We have already heard from the canton of Zurich that they would be happy to have a point of contact like Züritrails throughout the canton. I see that as our task.

How do you want to increase the acceptance of trail biking?
Trail Friends should be the point of contact, even if someone is upset because an illegal trail has been built in their forest. In that case, they are welcome to contact us and we will work with them to find a solution. I recently heard about a bike trainer who was riding up the illegal trail at Pfannenstiel with his group of young riders. A hunter was standing at the top and reprimanded him. The trainer remained calm, explained his concerns and why it was important that the boys could ride good trails. In the end, no one had changed the other's mind, but they shook hands and parted on good terms. That's how it should be.

A propos Pfannenstiel: has your involvement there already had any effect?
The Zurich Pfannenstiel planning group (the ZPP plans settlement, transport and landscape development on behalf of the canton of Zurich, ed.) approved a planning credit for a recreation concept in June. For the first time, mountain bikers are also mentioned as a user group. According to insiders, this is a sensation. But of course that means we still won't have a legal trail on the Pfannenstiel tomorrow. It's the first of perhaps ten big steps that need to be taken. But we'll keep at it and hope that the Pfannenstiel will provide the template for the Zimmerberg, the Bachtel and so on.

www.trailfriends.ch