A consecrated destination for lovers of gravity and today considered by bikers from all over Europe as one of the best destinations to “turn”, the Dolomiti Paganella Bike Park turns 25 on the weekend of 26-10 June.
Source: press release
Until 10 years ago, to ride in the bike parks you had to move to France or to very few other locations. Today, the Paganella Bike Area has become a reference for Italians and central Europe.
Ezio Cattani, Project Manager of Dolomiti Paganella Bike and owner of Trail Zone, a Trail Building company that takes care of the construction and maintenance of the trails in the area, tells us in an interview the “secret” of the success of the Paganella Bike Area.
What were the fundamental elements that led to the success of the bike park?
“It is a set of factors, a recipe that is difficult to replicate, ranging from the location to the management, from the historical period, to the trail builders. The Paganella is made up of three neighboring areas with different peculiarities, a good number of ski lifts, a rather low average altitude and a position close to the primary access routes. Furthermore, it is essential to be a varied, motivated, critical and precise group, with a unique strategy and vision: this has certainly allowed us (and is allowing us) to move synchronously with all the project partners.
Finally, we are at a time when outdoor activities are growing exponentially, and among these the MTB is the first representative. "
How has the bike park world changed in the last 10 years?
“In these 10 years, everything has really changed. MTBs are totally different, they are much more performing and allow very different speeds even for bikers with a low technical level. Furthermore, the number of practitioners and the type of practitioner have increased. 10 years ago, it was a sport for fans (high technical level, low technical level, it doesn't matter), now it is definitely a mass and fashion sport. Bikers "ask" and expect completely different things, they are much more demanding at times not knowing perfectly their needs or limits. Then there is the issue of security, which is extremely complex. Bikers tend to ride any track (easy-medium-difficult-technical or flow), and have the curious expectation that the track should change according to their expectations and not the other way around. Therefore, today, many constructive choices are made that allow the approach of the same track to a very large number of users, and at completely different speeds and technical capabilities. "
Paganella Bike Park 2012 season opening
How many steps were there in the first year, and how many are there today?
In 2011 during the first season there were just over 2.000 first entries, today they are well over 35.000 per season (probably if we had not lost April and May, in the last two seasons we could have exceeded 40.000).
How do you imagine the future of the Bike Park in the coming years?
The basic idea is to keep one of our main strengths high: diversity in the offer. So trail and differentiated proposals, but always integrated in the DPB concept. Transversely, the strategy that will guide us is also to create infrastructures that are truly functional to the offer that are sustainable over time and that integrate more and more into the natural environment.
Luca D'Angelo, director of the Dolomiti Paganella Tourist Board, has believed in and strongly supported this project from the very beginning. To the question: What is the Dolomiti Paganella Bike today, he replies:
“Today DPB is a European-level bike destination, a model for many other territories. However, a model that is not very easy to replicate because it is based on a clear vision and strategy, in which the various actors who work together, coordinated by the Dolomiti Paganella Tourist Board, have understood how the development of Alpine areas in the summer season (indeed , more correctly, spring, summer and autumn) can represent an imported development prospect capable of enriching the winter offer linked to alpine skiing. Climate change requires complex reflections and sometimes difficult choices, to move towards a concept of a "mountain without seasons" in which tourist flows can be managed and spread in a more widespread, balanced and regular way during the 12 months of the year. "
