OREANDA-NEWS. March 21, 2016. Bosch eBike Systems is helping the Swiss cycling association Swiss Cycling to develop specific safety and cycle training courses for eMountain bikers. In early summer 2016, the first eMountain bike guides will be trained to run the courses. In the pilot year, courses for about 200 eBikers are planned in five Swiss mountain bike regions.

Comprehensive training as the basis
“With a first-class experience of nature on trails and paths and over 300 well trained mountain bike guides, Switzerland offers optimal preconditions for our commitment to eMountain biking,” says Claus Fleischer, head of the Bosch eBike Systems product division. Jointly with Swiss Cycling, Bosch is promoting sustainable eMTB development in the Alpine region. Swiss Cycling, founded in 1883, has excellent training and further training references. It has offered courses for mountain bike guides since 2004 and in the forthcoming season they will be joined by courses for eMountain biking. Markus Pfisterer, Managing Director of Swiss Cycling, has this to say about the reason for the new courses: “eMountain bikes are growing increasingly popular and are used by an ever wider range of user groups. Swiss Cycling sees in this trend an opportunity and a significant demand. We are delighted to be working on the eMountain bike course project jointly with Bosch eBike Systems.”

On the brink of a breakthrough: eMountain biking in Switzerland
According to a current market survey1 by GfK Switzerland in collaboration with the Swiss cycle dealers’ association Velosuisse, 86% of dealers anticipate the highest level of growth in the eMountain bike segment. Having developed the Performance Line CX, a drive system designed specially for eMountain bikers, Bosch leads the field in this segment and is ready to take on responsibility. For Bosch eBike Systems, professional structures and teaching know-how are the basis on which to shape a trend sustainably. “eMountain bike courses provide prospective eMTB bikers with an opportunity to get to know the new cycling experience, to train and to really enjoy eBiking on mountain paths and trails”, Fleischer says. The main focus of the courses is on the rules of the road, on behaviour and on eBike handling. This offering is the first time a national provider has implemented specific safety and cycle training courses for the general public. “We would like to teach course participants to behave responsibly and considerately toward the environment and other user groups in order to countervail uncertainties and reservations,” Pfisterer says.

1 Link to the study: http://www.velosuisse-event.ch/downloads/unterlagen/GfK_exklusiv%20InfoTech%202016_Fazit.pdf