Hey you there, do something brilliant! As cycling tourists, let’s learn something from the people of Bielsko-Biała. .

It’s an innovative initiative with a difference for existing enthusiasts and those who are only just beginning their adventure with a bike. This is a project designed and made real by enthusiasts of this activity. So what am I talking about?

I’m referring to the Enduro Trails, in other words a network of one-directional routes, so called ‘single tracks’, beloved of cyclists. There are four levels of downhill cycling difficulty and the courses are marked in green, blue, red and black, from the easiest to the toughest descents. A separate access track to the top is marked in yellow.

The trails are located in the Klimczok massif, between Mounts Szyndzielnia and Kozia Góra. Szyndzielnia is 1026m high and its summit can be reached by the newest cable car service in Poland. Kozia Góra is smaller (686m) but has a rich touristic history, priding itself one time on having the longest toboggan run in Europe. Before the war the German tourist organisation Beskidenverein, the equivalent of today’s PTTK (Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Association), had its headquarters here.

The Trails Centre

The Trails Centre is a modest-looking building where you’ll find not only bike, helmet and safety equipment hire but also a highly specialised team of experts. For those wishing to improve their cycling skills the centre offers regular training courses or private lessons. Amongst the instructors you’re just as likely to come across a teacher with a doctorate in philosophy as you are the Czech ladies champion in downhill cycle racing.

The ‘Bikery’ (Rowerownia)

Near the Trails Centre you’ll also find the Bikery which is a combination of mini bar, discussion club and training school for the youngest cyclists. Here, you’ll find five years olds already practising their skills. Apart from cycling lessons the club also offers cycle, helmet and protective gear hire.

The Bike Bar

The Bike Bar, in a very short space of time, has become the place to be seen in. “You’ve just got to come here”, says Piotr from the Department for the Promotion of Bielsko-Biała. He’s a great fan of mountain biking in his spare time. The bar’s services cater for all the cyclists’ needs: tasty food, drinks imported in the main from the Czech Republic, as well as, unheard of in other such establishments, cycle cleaning facilities.
You’ll find more information on the Enduro Trails mountain bike tracks on http://endurotrails.pl/