IMBA Europe

The Value of Cycling Beyond Metrics: Thoughts from the Euro Velo Conference.

"In a world obsessed with metrics and measurements, economic impact is key to showing that infrastructure and other cycling initiatives offer a good return on investment.

As a cycling community, we need to get better at identifying and communicating the intangible benefits our activity provides to society, and convince decision-makers in government, tourism, and industry to reevaluate how they prioritize investments in and promotion of cycling" - Hans Stoops

Read the full post below...

The Value of Cycling Beyond Metrics — IMBA Europe One of the world’s premier cycling cities, Utrecht, hosted the 2026 EuroVelo conference last week, ECF’s annual leisure and bicycle tourism gathering. I was there to present key findings from the 2026 IMBA Europe rider survey and to hear from others working to promote sustainable bicycle tourism...

Great to see so many familiar faces joining the international Trail Building Management Course at Fagskolen Viken in Norway.

The program is designed for professionals and committed volunteers who want to strengthen their competence in trail planning, construction management, and long-term maintenance.

From projects to practice: building the next generation of trail professionals!

This week in Norway, 35 students from 14 nationalities are coming together at Fagskolen Viken for the new International Trail Building Management Course, developing the skills to plan, build, and manage sustainable trail networks.

And it’s particularly great to see several trail advocates connected to IMBA Europe taking part, including a number of our Take Care of Your Trails award winners, as well as Maurizio Rossi, winner of our Trail Advancement Award, supported by H+I Adventures.

For IMBA Europe, it's been great seeing these different pieces of our work come together in an organic, tangible way - which has always been the goal with our campaigns and projects. We’ve been involved in the DIRTT project since its inception, working with partners across Europe to help professionalize trail building through education, training, and shared knowledge.

DIRTT has helped lay the foundations for new training opportunities like this one to professionalize the sector. At the same time, campaigns such as Take Care of Your Trails recognize and support the people already putting those skills into practice in their communities.

Strong trails need skilled people, and even better, they need a community of people who care about building, maintaining, and advocating for them.

https://www.imba-europe.org/trail-advancement-award/



Photo credit: Magnus Gronberg - DIRTT Consortium

Trail Advancement Award — IMBA Europe This award is proudly supported by H+I Adventures, an IMBA Europe Trail Advocacy Partner and member of the 1% for the Planet the Planet network. As a 1% for the Planet recipient, IMBA Europe has allocated part of the donation from H+I Adventures towards this award category. The Trail Advancement Awa...

Forging the path ahead - ROUTES project partners conclude successful project meeting in Sweden!

It's been a busy couple of weeks on the road for our Advocacy Officer Hans Stoops, joining various project meetings and conference. The final stop was the ROUTES project partners meeting in Steninge, Sweden.

The meeting focused on turning the project’s research into practical tools, preparing upcoming pilot areas and exploring how different stakeholders can work together to develop sustainable, high-quality trails. For IMBA Europe, this is another opportunity to bring the mountain biking perspective into the wider conversation around trails, access, outdoor recreation and sustainable tourism.

The next phase will test the tools in different European environments, with lessons feeding into a practical ROUTES toolkit.

What is ROUTES?

ROUTES (Routes to Outdoor Tourism, Understanding and European Sustainability) brings together organizations across Europe to explore how trails and outdoor recreation can support sustainable tourism and stronger cooperation between local and regional stakeholders.

Read the full recap from ERA

ROUTES Erasmus+ Project Meeting in Sweden | ERA ROUTES Erasmus+ partners met in Sweden to advance sustainable trail management, practical tools and European pilot areas led by ERA.

Euro'Meet 2026 - the largest European conference dedicated to outdoor sports and outdoor recreation

The Euro’Meet conference kicks off today, and the IMBA Europe team looks forward to meaningful conversations about how we can make the outdoors more accessible for all through a sustainable approach. This year, IMBA Europe will support former IMBA Europe President Thomas Larsen Smidt in a workshop that dives deeper into developing the Trails Policy Paper and why it matters for our sector.

What is the Trails Policy Paper?

The European Trails Policy Paper calls for the recognition of trails as essential public infrastructure and provides practical recommendations for decision-makers at European, national, regional, and local levels.

For the mountain biking community, the paper also highlights the importance of coordinated trail planning, management, and standards that help create sustainable, high-quality trail experiences while protecting the environments they pass through.

European Trails Policy Paper — IMBA Europe IMBA Europe is proud to support the launch of the European Trails Policy Paper – Trails as Strategic European Infrastructure, a landmark document calling for greater recognition of trails as essential infrastructure that delivers environmental, social and economic benefits across Europe.

What does it actually take to create a thriving community trail system?

That’s the question we’ll explore at the IMBA Europe Meet-Up, inspired by the IMBA US Trail Head workshop approach!

Building trails is only one part of the picture. A successful trail system starts with a strong community and brings together people, places, planning, funding, and long-term stewardship.

Across four hands-on workshops, we’ll explore the journey from community to getting that trail system in place:

*Workshop 1: Community Engagement & Funding
What does the local MTB community look like? Who needs to be involved? And how do you build the support, partnerships, and funding needed to turn an idea into reality?

*Workshop 2- Access, Assessment & Inventory
Before you start drawing trails on a map, you need to understand the landscape. What land is available? Who owns and manages it? What trails and resources already exist? And what opportunities and constraints do you need to consider?

*Workshop 3- Planning & Design
How do you turn all that knowledge into a trail system that works for riders, the community and the landscape? We’ll look at planning, design and creating trails with a long-term vision in mind.

*Workshop 4- Construction & Trail Stewardship
Getting the trails built is just the beginning. How do you build sustainably, organize maintenance, and create the structures and people needed to look after the trails for years to come?

And then we’ll take the learning outside with a field trip to Borderless Trails, plus plenty of time to connect and exchange ideas with people from across the MTB sector.

So, whether you’re planning your next project, or you're a complete beginner thinking “how do we get started with mountain biking?” - this Meet-Up is designed to help you take the next step.

📍 Sebnitz, Germany
📅 8–10 October 2026

https://www.imba-europe.org/imba-europe-meetup/

The places we ride are worth protecting - an Advocacy in the spotlight piece by Hans Stoops.

This summer, Europe has experienced record heat, devastating wildfires and increasingly extreme weather. For mountain bikers, the impacts are becoming impossible to ignore. Our trails, forests and mountains are already being affected by a changing climate.

At the Protect Our Winters Sweden Summit, Hans Stoops (Advocacy officer) explored what our community can do to help protect the natural places we depend on. Because while our individual choices matter, meaningful climate action will require collective action and a stronger voice from all of us who value the outdoors.

In our latest article, we look at why mountain bikers should be part of that conversation - and why protecting our trails means looking far beyond the trails themselves.

Our Trails, Our Future: Why Mountain Bikers Must Protect the Places We Love to Ride. — IMBA Europe The summer of 2026 has been a difficult one for many, as wildfires rage across Europe and record heatwaves plague huge swaths of the continent.

The IMBA Europe Meet-Up is not only for those already working in MTB - it’s also for places taking their first steps and looking to understand how mountain biking can support outdoor recreation, tourism, community development, and sustainable growth.

Connect with experienced professionals, learn from destinations that have already started their journey, discover best practices, and get inspired to create great mountain bike experiences in your own region.

Whether you’re building trails, managing a destination, or simply asking “where do we start?”, this meet-up is for you.

Tickets now on sale via the link below.

https://open.mtbutd.com/event/-OwXdWW48zUnU0nPeowx

🚵 Save the date!

We're excited to announce that the IMBA Europe Summit 2027 will take place in the Tweed Valley, Scotland, from 22–24 September 2027.

Hosted by Bike Innovation Scotland at the new Caerlee Mill Bike Campus and Trail Lab in Innerleithen, the Summit will bring together the European mountain bike community to explore innovation, sustainability and the future of our trails and destinations.

More details coming soon.

Full press release --> https://www.imba-europe.org/bike-innovation-scotland-to-host-imba-europe-summit-in-the-tweed-valley/

📍 Tweed Valley, Scotland
📅 22–24 September 2027

Photo credit: Ian Linton

Tickets Now Available!

The IMBA Europe Meet-Up is designed for trail advocates, members, land managers, community officials, recreation professionals, and tourism and economic development staff who want to better understand how trails can deliver recreation, health, and economic benefits to their communities.

Purchase your tickets now through the Mountain Bikers United App. The app allows you to view the full event program, join and track your sessions, share resources and knowledge, and network with other participants.

For more information on how to purchase your tickets, head to the link below or in our bio.

https://www.imba-europe.org/imba-europe-meetup/tickets-2/