Thomas Egger was the ideal person to represent the interests of mountain bikers and trail aficionados in Switzerland in particular. As Director of the Working Group for Mountain Regions (SAB), he drives forward the development of those regions in which there are many attractive bike trails. As a member of the National Council, he has been able to influence legislation and public funding. According to the statutes of IMBA Switzerland, he is committed to environmentally friendly trails, among other things. Now the Christian Socialist has lost his seat to the first Green to be elected to the National Council in the canton of Valais.
When asked about the new situation, Adrian Greiner, board member of IMBA Switzerland, explained: "More important for IMBA Switzerland than representation in the National Council is its broad support at national level thanks to its membership of important national institutions. As Director of the SAB, Thomas Egger is very well networked both nationally and regionally." For Greiner, the main priority is for IMBA Switzerland to get its first projects off the ground. In the medium term, however, it could make sense for the organization to look for representatives in political bodies again.

The bike hotelier also falls by the wayside

For another player in the bike industry, election Sunday was not a good day. Andreas Züllig runs the Hotel Schweizerhof in Lenzerheide, which has positioned itself as a bike hotel, among other things. Züllig is also president of the industry association Hotelleriesuisse. Despite the associated public presence - including at the Ride Congress - the FDP candidate in the canton of Graubünden did not manage to be elected to the National Council.
In purely numerical terms, mountain bikers would probably have enough weight in both cantons to elect candidates they like to national office. It can be assumed that cyclists will not simply vote for sports enthusiasts either, but will take other criteria into account when making their decision.