ABSTRACT This paper examines the case of the Salzkammergut Trophy, a major mountain bike event in the Alps. During the Covid‐19 pandemic, the organizers introduced a hybrid event format, allowing participants to start individually over an extended period of time. Through a survey of event participants ( n = 1094) and semi‐structured interviews with event stakeholders ( n = 17), this paper assesses participant perception (RQ1), stakeholder evaluations (RQ2), and the role of the crisis in accelerating innovation (RQ3). The findings indicate high levels of satisfaction, strong stakeholder support for the hybrid format, and evidence that the constraints imposed by the pandemic expedited its adoption. The hybrid constitutes a domain‐congruent product line extension that leverages the event's established brand to broaden participation pathways and diversify the portfolio. This study demonstrates how crises can drive innovation by showing that, while rapid changes do not replace established events, they can effectively expand the product portfolio.
Graiff et al. (Sun,) studied this question.