Mountain biking is an important part of the Black Forest’s sports tourism offerings. In recent years, a mountain bike trail network spanning over 8,000 km has been developed here. To minimize potential conflicts between different user groups and to develop existing mountain biking offerings in a way that is tailored to specific target groups and maintains high quality, the Institute for Outdoor Sports and Environmental Research, in collaboration with all relevant stakeholders, has developed the Mountain Biking Handbook. This guide supports decision-makers in strategically adapting tourism offerings without neglecting the demands and needs of stakeholders from the forestry, tourism, sports, nature conservation, and hiking sectors.
The designation of a mountain bike trail network should, above all, be guided by the sports-related and tourism-related requirements of mountain bikers. Therefore, extensive surveys were conducted to determine mountain bikers’ expectations for a mountain biking area. The quality criteria include, among other things, aspects such as route planning and trail conditions, as well as the experiential value of a route. Based on the survey results, the existing trail concept was revised. The goal is to make route planning easier for riders by providing standardized trail systems and difficulty ratings for the routes. In addition to the needs of athletes, the guide provides information on the sport’s impact on ecological and social environmental factors that must be taken into account during planning. The individual tours are marked using route logos, numbers, and text information. Details regarding the size and material of the signs, as well as their labeling and mounting, are explained in detail in the project plan. Planning signage in the field requires surveying the MTB trails. For difficulty ratings, not only the mapping of the terrain but, above all, the determination of the elevation profile plays an important role. Precise data collection is possible using a Geographic Information System (GIS). In addition, location information and photographic material of the sign locations are collected. Through so-called digital signage planning, the completeness of the signage system can be easily verified, and signs can be installed by people who were not involved in the design process.
The guide describes in detail the processes involved in MTB trails, from preliminary planning through to operation. Legal requirements are also outlined in the guide. Furthermore, various checklists provide an overview of the planning process.