The expansion of the Trek Trail Advocacy Program in 2022 will not only be in terms of numbers, but also geographically: while the focus in 2021 was on Germany, three Swiss trail projects will now also receive financial support to improve the infrastructure situation alongside four other German initiatives. This is - unfortunately - good timing, as discussions and even official restrictions on general trail use have recently arisen both in the canton of Zurich and in the forests of the canton of Bern. In the Bernese Seeland, for example, only very few built trails in small-scale, designated zones are to be available in future. In Zurich, a court overturned the restriction previously imposed by the authorities on mountain bikers on the Uetliberg, but the debate is still ongoing.

In light of these developments, it is particularly pleasing that a total of seven promising projects in the Trek Trail Advocacy Program 2022 are fundamentally improving the mountain bike infrastructure. Located from Bielefeld to Lucerne. From Sarganser Land, eastern Switzerland, to Chiemgau in Germany. Trek is also involved as a financier in the "Bike Nature Movement" in Germany, a kind of task force comprising the German Bicycle Industry Association (ZIV), the Mountain Bike Tourism Forum (MTF) and the German Mountain Bike Initiative (DIMB). In Switzerland, the US bike brand has also actively supported IMBA Switzerland for several years.

The projects

Gravity Team Hoxberg in Saarland: "Trek's support is both confirmation and motivation for us. Confirmation that our club has probably done some things right in the past and motivation to tackle the upcoming projects quickly and with high quality. Without you, this would be much more difficult and, above all, more protracted. We will do our part to ensure that the offer for mountain bikers in the region becomes even more diverse and larger. Expanding our trail park is and remains our constant goal."

Biking club Weil im Schönbuch: "For our club and the DirtPark, the funding from Trek means that we will be able to maintain the professional quality of the DirtPark for local children and young people and make the whole project sustainable. With the tools and the hut on site, we can repair minor and major damage quickly and efficiently with the help of enthusiastic local bikers."

Cross-country cycling club Aschau: "The support from the Trek Trail Advocacy Program is very important for our young club. The financial injection gives us more options for trail building, which speeds up the implementation of current projects. In addition, the support is a very important appreciation of our work. It is a huge motivation to see that manufacturers are aware of the work at local level and are actively promoting it. As an association, we can pass this appreciation on to our members and helpers and thus inspire even more mountain bikers to get involved in our country."

Naturfreunde Bielefeld: "Being a trail builder is sometimes quite lonely and you have to deal with the fact that many people consume the trails (sometimes inconsiderately) and without offering help, but offer little support. Of course we get help and encouragement, but not as much as we would like. We see your support as recognition and it also makes us proud that Trek has chosen to support our project."

Wägmacher Sarganser Land: "We are delighted to be part of Trek's Trail Advocacy Program. Thanks to the support, we can finally renovate a trail that we have had on our wish list for some time. A little-used and dilapidated trail will be turned into a new trail gem. We'll also be able to afford some great tools, in particular a brush cutter, which will generally make us more independent, as we've had to borrow tools from various forestry and municipal companies up to now."

IG meinRad Trails Einsiedeln: "The 'IG meinRAD Trails' is allowed to create a bike trail in the Einsiedeln region. After many administrative hurdles and countless meetings with authorities and landowners, construction of the trail began in spring 2022. Over 500 hours have been invested in building the trail so far. The response from the bike community has been very positive and as an association we are working on all fronts to promote the trail and the acceptance of mountain bikers in our region. The support of the Trek Trail Advocacy Program is being used to transform the currently "tolerated" trail into the first officially approved bike trail in the Einsiedeln region. For us, this route is the cornerstone for further routes and developed bike trails in the Einsiedeln region."

Sänder Trail, Beromünster: "After more than two years of intensive planning and countless meetings, our local trail project 'SänderTrail' in Beromünster, Lucerne (site of the former Landessender) will enter the implementation phase this fall. We are delighted to finally be able to start with the manual work and swap pen for shovel. We will be building the entire trail by hand and will therefore not be using any construction machinery. The support of the Trek company allows us to cover the expenses for the logo, website and tools such as pickaxes, shovels and electric saws. Raising funds to realize the bike trail is not easy for us as an association. We are therefore delighted that a global brand like Trek is supporting our local trail project. This commitment gives us a strong tailwind for the realization."

Further information about the Trek Trail Advocacy Program and a look at an exemplary project from 2021 can be found at the following link.

trekbikes.com/trail-advocacy-program