• Mountain bike

The "Trail Building" art

To design, build and maintain the trails, "modeling" for mountain biking or hiking. Marco Angeletti, Emission Zero Association, talks about the Trail building and its relevance for tourism

Marco Trabucchi

The "Trail Building" art
BEING A "TRAIL BUILDER"

The mountain bike boom is clear to everyone: Italians paths have never been so crowded with "bikers", so much that many touristic resorts have opened up to the two wheels both for hiking and gravity. The best example is Finale Ligure, assaulted by "bikers" from all over Europe, all year round, thanks to a vast network of paths, able to please everyone, from the expert to the beginner.

Thus, through the outdoor sports, in this case the Mtb, tourism is possible also out-of-season. Many touristic places have much to do: first of all, make the paths attractive, keep them clean, do maintenance and, often, facilitate the biker through the construction of little-impacting facilities.

Improvisation was the rule in the "Trail building" sector. At least until now, because some days ago the Zero Emissions association and Valceresio Bike, very active in the area of Varese, have announced the start of the "single track sustainable" workshop for mountain biking, which will be held on January 31st in Cavagnano, province of Varese.

A day of concepts and basic techniques learning to design and construct "sustainable single tracks " paths for mountain biking.

We spoke with Marco Angeletti, president of ADS Zero Emissions and trail builder enthusiast.

 

What does a “trail builder” exactly do?

In short he judges, designs, builds and maintains trails. In our specific case for mountain biking but in other cases also for hiking on foot.
It is important to know - and understand - that the trail builder is not only the one who realizes trails for downhill mountain biking, it is also important to know - and understand - that hoe the ground randomly, build jumps and footbridges, move leaves and so on, does not make us trail builders.

How does a trail builder work for the territory’s protection?

First of all, through the cooperation and the dialogue with the Institutions and local governments. Subsequently, through the recovery, the development and cleaning of existing, and maybe unused, paths. Italy is a country full of paths: over the years shepherds, farmers, soldiers, smugglers and many others have created an infinite network of trails, many of which are still in use today, but just as many are abandoned and it would be very easy to recover them.

A trail builder must be allowed in order to shape the paths?

Always. The first "rule" to follow is "speak", so it’s always necessary to ask permission before starting doing anything. To the owner of the lands or to the government or local authorities, we must always ask permission, otherwise we are abusive ... and we don’t want this to happen.

Isn’t it a job to be done by the CAI (Italian Alpine Club)?

Well, I think the CAI still does it, both for hiking on foot and Mtb. Some groups of Italian bikers who deal with maintenance, restoration and construction of mountain biking trails are members of the various Italian sections of the CAI.

 BEING A "TRAIL BUILDER"
THE MTB' SUSTAINABLE TRAILS

Can these routes be enjoyed also by trekkers?

It depends. Many of the routes "created" specifically for the Mtb not, for example those realized inside the bike parks. Other paths, however, as well as the sustainable IMBA single tracks, are travelled also by those who practice horse riding.

How do you create synergy between local authorities and associations like yours?

Good question! It takes a lot of patience, a lot of perseverance, the desire to do a lot without asking too much... we must be able to formulate our requests in the right way. The agencies and local governments are very sensitive to the protection and development of their territory and mountain biking is a very young sport in Italy and it is often seen as "the daredevils’ bicycle to go off road”.

In Italy, Mtb is booming, I’m thinking about places like Finale Ligure that have never been so crowded of bikers, including foreigners. Do you think the Mtb is a good way to attract tourists? And at local level, what are the benefits of having people who enjoy the trails throughout the year (or almost)?

The benefits, if only we would "exploit" the territory in the right way, would be visible by everyone, and Finale Ligure teaches. I have always thought that the bicycle is an encouragement for tourism, and you have no idea how hard it has been (and still is) to make our local administrations understand it. Some understand it immediately, others don’t. Canadians, Americans and French, to name a few, have understood it many years before us: doing an out-of-season mountain tourism by opening, for example, Mtb paths, perhaps realizing ad hoc paths and keeping the ski lifts open in summer too, could give the opportunity to "ski resorts" to have many tourists and not only mountain’s usual hikers.

Who do you think will participate to the workshop?

I hope as many people as possible, and not only mountain bikers. This in order to popularize and promote as much as possible the characteristics of the Mtb sustainable path according to the IMBA teaching.
The more people participate, the more people will then go to local governments to promote projects and maybe create mountain bike trails, for the benefit of all of us who use them.

How important is to participate in a workshop like the one organized by IMBA Italia (International Mountain Bicycling Association Italy) in collaboration with your sports association Zero Emissions and Valceresio Bike?

After participating at the trail building course organized by IMBA Italy in Porretta Terme in late April and after reading the book "Managing Mountain Biking", I believe that the participation in these workshops, by all those who already are dedicated to trail building or trails maintenance, is more than necessary. The concepts that are expressed and the IMBA methodology is something that is worth to "listen" and workshops are the right opportunity, because they are cheap and they last only one day. And more Mtb trails there will be, more people will practice Mtb for the benefit of all.

 

INFO:

ASD Zero Emissions’ contacts:
www.asdemissionizero.com
info@asdemissionizero.com

THE MTB' SUSTAINABLE TRAILS
© RIPRODUZIONE RISERVATA

TAGS

COMMENTS

TO POST A COMMENT YOU MUST BE REGISTERED



comment_not_found

VACANZATTIVA PORTAL