Thuringian Forest to become more attractive for mountain bikers
Thuringia wants to promote itself more strongly as a touring destination for mountain bikers in future. The low mountain range landscape provides the ideal backdrop for this, but the potential is often still untapped, said Antonia Sturm, Managing Director of the Thuringian Forest Regional Association, in Ilmenau on Thursday. "There is a growing demand, but there is still a lack of supply." For example, there is currently no fully coordinated and approved network of routes for mountain bikers in the Free State.
The association therefore wants to gradually develop corresponding tourist offers, expand the route network and signpost it accordingly, said Sturm. Local authorities and forestry offices would have to be brought on board for this. Initially, 15 to 20 routes with a length of 20 to 40 kilometers each along the Thuringian Forest are to be considered.
The Thuringian Forest Act allows bikers to ride on naturally firm and paved trails, so that they can also tour the Rennsteig high-altitude hiking trail as far as possible. According to the association, up to 35 mountain bike tours have been marketed in the state to date.
There are also two bike parks in Thuringia for cyclocrossers in the Arena Silbersattel in Steinach and on the Fallbachhang in Oberhof. The season for bikers in the two parks, which are actually alpine ski slopes, lasts from April to October. According to the figures, almost 16,800 bikers were attracted to Oberhof and around 3,300 to Steinach this year. In addition to a growing number of visitors, interest in courses and rentals is also steadily increasing, it was reported.
Whether as an endurance or action sport, whether to switch off or as a downhill experience, biking has developed from a niche to a mass market in recent years, said Nico Graaff, Managing Director of the Mountain Bike Tourism Forum Germany. Around 16 million Germans use a mountain bike in their leisure time - 4.1 million of them regularly.
Last year, around one million new mountain bikes were sold nationwide, 82 percent of which were electric bikes. The target group is comparatively young, with an average age of around 40. The mountain bike scene is also still male-dominated and mainly prefers trails, i.e. unpaved paths, said Graaff.
Leisure time in Thuringia is becoming increasingly popular for mountain biking due to its scenic low mountain range landscape. With a growing demand for mountain biking tours, the Thuringian Forest Regional Association aims to expand the route network and develop tourist offers for cyclists.
Source: www.dpa.com
