Bad Kleinkirchheim opens trail named for Marco Schwarz

Bad Kleinkirchheim has opened a new mountain bike trail named after ski racer Marco Schwarz, ORF reported. The trail is intended to strengthen tourism and the local economy, while dedicated routes have helped reduce conflicts between mountain bikers and hikers.

The Marco Schwarz Trail was officially opened on Friday. Schwarz said it was a great honour to have a trail named after him, adding that he began his sporting career in Bad Kleinkirchheim.

The route has a blue course for beginners and a red course for experienced mountain bikers. Jakob Forstnig of the Bad Kleinkirchheim tourism association said the natural trail is between half a metre and one metre wide, with very few built features. Riders can descend more safely on the blue course, while the red course includes faster sections and jumps.

Schwarz said the trail included jumps, banked turns, forest sections and rough terrain. Forstnig said the route would also bring economic benefits, as more bikers would spend money in local restaurants and other businesses.

In the Villach, Faak am See and Ossiach Lake region, the second-largest mountain bike network in Austria is regularly maintained. Adult day tickets cost 9.50 euros. Andreas Holzer, the region’s bike coordinator, said employees maintain, care for and mow the routes every day to preserve their standard.

Carinthia had no legal mountain bike kilometres in 2011, according to cycling coordinator Paco Wrolich. The region now has almost 4,000 kilometres of legal routes. The new trail adds four more kilometres in Bad Kleinkirchheim.