Reflections on the First IMBA Europe Meet-Up

Bringing people, knowledge and practical examples together to help build better mountain bike trail systems across Europe.

The first IMBA Europe Meet-Up took place from 8–10 October in Sebnitz, Germany, bringing together members, trail advocates, industry representatives and other professionals working to develop mountain biking across Europe. Hosted within the Borderless Trails project on the German-Czech border, the event offered a chance to exchange knowledge, explore a different approach to trail development, and reflect on how IMBA Europe can better support the people and communities making mountain biking more accessible.

For the IMBA Europe team, it was also a first. The Meet-Up marked a new direction for our events program and a chance to test practical education and knowledge-sharing alongside our established member gatherings.

Understanding the bigger picture of trail development

IMBA’s Trailhead program is built around an important principle: successful trail systems require more than good trails. They need community support, thoughtful planning, appropriate funding, cooperation between stakeholders, and a long-term vision for how trails will be built, managed, and maintained, so readers can see what makes a project work beyond the trail itself.

The program is designed for people who are ‘ MTB curious’  and want to make trail development happen in their communities. This includes land managers, municipal and regional officials, tourism and destination management organizations (DMOs), recreation professionals, trail associations, mountain bike advocates, and other local stakeholders.

For many of these people, mountain biking might be one part of a much bigger responsibility. A municipality may be exploring how outdoor recreation can improve residents’ quality of life. A tourism organization might be looking to develop a new visitor offering. A land manager may need to balance recreational access with environmental protection and other land uses. Meanwhile, a local trail association might have the knowledge and enthusiasm to build trails but lack the connections, funding or support needed to turn an idea into reality.

A structured program can help bring these different perspectives together, giving participants a clearer understanding of the steps involved in creating a sustainable community trail system. It also helps people understand where their role fits into the bigger picture and what needs to happen next so that they can act with greater clarity.

This is particularly relevant in Europe, where the opportunities, regulations, funding mechanisms and governance structures for trail development vary considerably between countries. No single model will work everywhere, but sharing knowledge, learning from successful projects, and building a common understanding of what good trail development looks like, so readers can apply useful ideas locally, is valuable.

For IMBA Europe, the opportunity is to make that knowledge more accessible, helping our members and the wider community build stronger cases for trails and work more effectively with the people who can make them happen.

The Borderless Trails: learning from a real-world project

Choosing the right location was key to the program’s success. As an organization involved in numerous European Erasmus+ projects, IMBA Europe has long been interested in the opportunities offered by European cooperation and funding mechanisms. But understanding how these opportunities translate into practical trail development is not always straightforward, so the location needed to reinforce that link.

Borderless Trails provided an ideal case study. This cross-border project between Germany and the Czech Republic is supported by the Interreg Saxony-Czechia 2021–2027 program. It shows how cooperation between neighboring regions can help create new recreational infrastructure and bring wider benefits to local communities.

Bikeplan, responsible for the development of the Borderless Trails project, helped bring the case study to life. Rather than discussing trail development in abstract terms, participants could explore the decisions, processes and partnerships behind an actual project, with the opportunity to see the developing trail network and infrastructure first-hand, and better understand how strategy becomes practice.

Over the two-day workshop, the IMBA Europe team worked through the eight steps identified for our Trailhead-inspired program, using Borderless Trails to show how each stage contributes to the bigger picture. Sessions explored the importance of understanding the local community, assessing opportunities, planning and designing trails, securing support and funding, and considering how a trail system will operate and develop over time, with each step reinforcing the overall strategic approach.

One particularly valuable session focused on European funding opportunities, including the Interreg model. For organizations and destinations looking to develop their trail networks, access to funding can be one of the biggest barriers. Understanding which programs exist, how cross-border cooperation works, and what it takes to develop a successful proposal can open up opportunities that might otherwise be overlooked, giving readers a clearer route forward.

The format was a real strength of the event. Combining workshop sessions with field visits and riding gave participants the chance to connect the theory with what they could see on the ground. It also created space for conversations with the people involved in making the project happen, offering insights that would be difficult to capture in a presentation alone and making the learning more usable.

And, of course, getting out on the bike was an important part of the experience. The combination of learning, discussion, and riding made for a more engaging program and helped reinforce the connection between the planning process and the experience we ultimately want to create for mountain bikers, so the work felt tangible.

Connecting trails with thriving communities

The Meet-Up also reinforced a core idea behind IMBA Europe’s work: we need to look beyond the trails themselves and focus on the communities around them.

Borderless Trails is an interesting example of what cross-border cooperation, funding, and careful planning can achieve. But time in Sebnitz also highlighted something harder to plan and build: the mountain bike community itself.

At this stage, Sebnitz does not yet have the established core mountain bike community often seen in more mature trail destinations. While the infrastructure is being developed, the community that will support, use, and bring these trails to life is still emerging. The hope is that this will come as more trails open and people begin to ride them, creating opportunities for local engagement, participation, and a stronger connection between the trails and the town.

It is a useful reminder that trail development and community development do not always happen at the same pace. Investment in infrastructure is an important step, but a successful trail destination also needs people who champion it, local businesses that see its value, and a wider community that feels connected to what is being created.

This is where we see opportunities to connect the Trailhead approach with other IMBA programs and concepts, including IMBA US’s Trail Town initiative. Based on IMBA’s philosophy, a Trail Town demonstrates strong and accessible trail infrastructure, a commitment to trail funding, an active local trail organization, a culture of community engagement, and a sustainable trail stewardship plan. It is a community that value trails and the people who ride them.

For Sebnitz, the next chapter will be particularly interesting to watch. As the trail network develops and opens to riders, the opportunity will be to build that connection between the infrastructure and the surrounding community. How will local people get involved? Will new businesses see opportunities to cater to riders? Can mountain biking become part of the town’s identity, rather than simply an attraction located nearby?

These are questions that other European municipalities and regions should be asking, too. Some already have established riding communities and volunteer networks, while others are starting almost from scratch. Both can benefit from a more joined-up approach that considers not only how trails are planned and built, but also how they become a valued and sustainable part of a place.

For IMBA Europe, the opportunity is to connect these ideas into a framework that supports communities at different stages of their journey. An educational workshop can help a community understand the steps involved in developing a trail system. From there, approaches inspired by Trail Towns can help it consider the broader conditions needed to keep the system successful over time, including community engagement, local partnerships, and long-term stewardship.

Our aim is not to replicate a program developed in the United States. European countries have different planning systems, land ownership structures, funding opportunities and approaches to outdoor recreation. Instead, we want to learn from IMBA US’s experience and expertise, adapt the most relevant elements to the European context, and build on the knowledge already present within our network.

Ultimately, the trails are only one part of the picture. The real measure of success will be whether they become part of a thriving mountain biking community and bring lasting benefits to the place where they are built.

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A starting point, not a finished product

As a first edition, the Meet-Up was a learning experience for us as much as it was for the participants. We’d refine a few things, especially around the audience we want to reach and how we make the program relevant to people less familiar with mountain biking.

But we also took away some valuable insights. The practical case study worked well; the combination of workshops and riding created a strong learning environment, and even participants with considerable experience in trail development came away with new ideas and perspectives.

It confirmed the value of creating opportunities that go beyond traditional networking and riding gatherings. Our members have a wealth of knowledge, but they also need opportunities to connect with other sectors, understand new approaches, and develop the skills and relationships that will help move projects forward.

We would like to build on this first edition and explore how the program could be delivered again in 2028, alongside a more dedicated members’ gathering. Over time, we hope to develop a format that reaches the people who need this knowledge most and gives them practical tools to turn ideas into action.

Ultimately, the goal is bigger than running another successful event. It is about helping IMBA Europe become a stronger resource for communities looking to develop mountain biking, whether that means supporting a local trail association, helping a municipality understand the benefits of investing in trails, or showing a destination how to build a sustainable trail network.

The first Meet-Up gave us a useful starting point. The next step is to take what we have learned, build on the experience of our members and partners, and find ways to make this knowledge work across the diverse landscape of European mountain biking.