Facts: 
Construction time 4 months  
25 workers  
7 excavators working at the same time 
900 running meters per day  
40 km in total
Without much interference with nature, only the material on site used companies from Austria, Germany, Italy and Romania as support.

40 km of flowing, minimally invasive single trails.   Mountain biking in Austria, all year round – Burgenland makes it possible. The Geschriebenstein is with 884 m height the highest mountain of this province. From the summit, since May of this year, a whopping 40 km of single trails now lead over 550 hm along a north-south axis back to the valley – either to Lockenhaus or Rechnitz. “Some bike parks in the middle of the Alps can’t manage this difference in altitude!” beams Daniel Tulla.  “Have you piled up anything?!” “There are no mountains there!” Daniel Tulla had to listen to many things because people like to laugh about Austria’s easternmost province because of its lack of mountains. The newly opened single trail paradise of the “Burgenland Trails” is open all year round, it is operated by the TVB Südburgenland, it was built by Daniel Tulla with his teams in a period of only 3 months. Started with the planning in Corona – times. Initiated and driven by local players, open ears for the country and with the tackling of many volunteers the realization was possible.   The minimally invasive construction method and thus particularly nature-friendly was our thought. New for all involved, but one that ultimately led to satisfaction on all sides.

Minimally invasive – what does that mean?  To keep the intervention in the natural conditions as low as possible, 2 pillars are needed. The planning and selection of the appropriate line management based on the given terrain structure and the appropriate and mindful implementation:  – Flexibility in line design  – Trails are mainly built by hand, machine support is secondary  – Excavator, only if absolutely necessary and then: max. 2.5t heavy, the track width exceeds trail width only minimally, a maximum working depth and backfill height of 30 cm, movement of mechanical aids only with in the trail line - Little to no material exchange - The low structure prevents the formation of steep slopes and thus erosion.  

The construction of the trails briefly started on January 31, 2022. “The somewhat chilly temperatures sometimes elicited a whine from even the most hardened trail builders, but fortunately, winter is over quicker here,” reports Daniel Tulla. Under his direction, a total of 25 trail builders with 7 excavators worked on the construction of the trail network. Despite its scale, the project shines with a completion time of only 3 months. Due to the time frame, a good and close cooperation of several trail construction teams had to be organized for this. Coordination and communication with the customer was always handled by a central office. This is particularly important to the managing director of Mountain Bike Movement: “Clear communication, quick action, cooperation. This creates customer satisfaction and guarantees professional implementation in trail building.” A special plus, by using different teams, the trails also get their own character in each case and that ensures diversity in the descent.   Already tested by bikers with a length of 6 to 12 km, a wide variety of trails and difficulty levels wind their way down into the valley. There is a shuttle service from the valley towns back to the top. The combination of uphill trails and forest road also invite you to pedal yourself. If you want to read more: Lines Mag has reported on the “Burgenland Trails” and created a video.