🌲 Who Owns the Forest?

Short answer: everyone. Long answer: everyone — unless you’re on a bike, then suddenly no one.

Welcome to Austria, where the law says: “Everyone may enter the forest.” But also: “Cycling only where explicitly permitted.”

So as a runner, I can bounce around the woods like an overcaffeinated mountain goat. But the moment I sit on a bike, I apparently transform into a borderline criminal who should only appear under cover of darkness.

🚴‍♂️ Yes, I Ride ‘Illegally’. And?

Let’s get this out of the way: I also ride on non‑authorized trails.

Not because I’m rebellious. Not because I want to annoy landowners. But because some of these “illegal” trails are simply the best, cleanest, most lovingly maintained singletracks in the entire region.

The truth is: The coolest trails are often the hidden ones. The ones someone built with passion, a shovel, and questionable life choices. The ones that drain better than official bike parks. The ones the forest service has never even seen.

🐌 My Riding Style: Zen Master in Slow Motion

When I’m on those trails, I’m not blasting down like a Red Bull athlete. I ride like someone who fully expects that around the next corner there might be:

  • a dog,
  • a hiker,
  • a kid drawing chalk art across the path,
  • or a deer contemplating its life choices.

I ride so I can stop instantly. I always give way. I smile. I greet. I apologize for things I didn’t even do.

And 99% of the time, this works beautifully.

😑 The Exception: The Snarky Forest Sheriff

A few times a year, I meet that guy. You know him. He wears a jacket in the color “Passive‑Aggressive Moss”. He has the facial expression of a tax auditor in November. And he delivers his favorite line:

“THIS IS NOT A BIKE TRAIL.”

Thanks, Günther. I know. I’m here because it’s not a bike trail. If it were, it would probably be boring.

🏃‍♂️ As a Runner: Same Rules, Same Relaxed Attitude

The funny thing: When I run, I’m suddenly legal again. But I behave exactly the same:

  • I give way.
  • I smile.
  • I make space.
  • I stay relaxed.

Because the forest isn’t a VIP lounge for one sport. It’s a shared space where we all breathe the same air and eat the same mud.

🔄 Why Exclusive Bike Trails Don’t Make Sense

The idea of separate trails for every sport sounds nice — in theory. But this is Austria, not Whistler. Every hill has three owners, four hunting leases, and five conflicting opinions.

Shared trails are the only realistic future. But only if everyone behaves like an adult, not like an offended garden gnome.

That means:

  • Bikes allowed everywhere,
  • but riding adapted to the situation,
  • respect,
  • slower speeds,
  • more communication.

It’s not rocket science.

🌟 Conclusion: The Forest Belongs to All of Us — So Let’s Act Like It

I ride illegally, but respectfully. I run legally, but just as respectfully. Most people I meet are friendly. And sometimes there’s a grumpy Günther — but that’s fine. The forest is big enough for both of us.

If we were all a bit more relaxed, a bit slower, a bit friendlier, the trails wouldn’t be “legal” or “illegal” — they’d simply be beautiful.