IMBA Schweiz launched to represent mountain biking at national level

At the previous Ride Kongress in Davos (CH), IMBA Schweiz got the stage to present its objectives and strategy to represent mountain bikers interest at the national level.  The new Swiss MTB advocacy association was founded earlier in 2019. The current board of IMBA Switzerland represents seven, mainly national, stakeholder organisations.  To strengthen the relationship with regional (trail) associations, these groups will have the opportunity to participate in an advisory board. The executive board is lead by president Thomas Egger (Schweizerische Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Berggebiete). Velosuisse, ProVelo and Bikeplan are amongst some of the other (7) organisations represented in IMBA Schweiz’ board. IMBA Schweiz responds to the continuing growth of grassroots mountain biking. The need for an umbrella organisation that would focus on advocacy and sustainable promotion of mountain biking was already recognised in 2016.  “With IMBA Schweiz, the sport of mountain biking now has a voice at the national level” says president Thomas Egger.  The organisation will focus on the positive effects of mountain biking (e.g. health, tourism) and strives to increase its acceptance and legal access to trails. Other aims are to develop user friendly infrastructure while taking into account the protection of nature and landscapes.  The association is currently in progress to continue to build its network and develop projects. More information about the association can be found at www.imbaschweiz.ch. [[{“fid”:”1415″,”view_mode”:”media_responsive”,”fields”:{“format”:”media_responsive”,”alignment”:””,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:false,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:false},”link_text”:null,”type”:”media”,”field_deltas”:{“1”:{“format”:”media_responsive”,”alignment”:””,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:false,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:false}},”attributes”:{“height”:240,”width”:680,”style”:”color: #000000; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;”,”class”:”media-element file-media-responsive”,”data-delta”:”1″}}]]