Münzenberg, Germany

I’ve always loved math, the color pink, eating good food and competing. When I was younger, I only did sports because my mum told me to. I was a swimmer; but pretty soon I noticed I wasn’t great at moving fast or being technically perfect. Where I thrived was watching others move and helping them perform better. 

At 16 years old, I started coaching kids swim lessons. Later on, I began coaching adults who competed in triathlons. Triathletes are strange people, I thought. Doing more than one sport at the same time for fun seemed a bit crazy. 

I had stopped swimming competitively and started studying math and sports while coaching. But, when I turned 22, I felt the urge to compete and train again. So, I started swimming – slowly at first, to relax after work or get rid of energy before an exam. It helped. I performed better at school and I got faster in the water. 

So where do bikes come in? I’m getting there!

A few years went by, and I got better and better at swimming. I even found myself on the podium a few times at national championships. And, I was coaching kids who were swimming on an international level. That’s when a friend asked me to do a triathlon. 

“WE need you on our TEAM,” my friend said. “You know how to swim, and we can teach you how to bike… and for sure, everyone knows how to run!” (I found out that last part isn’t true.) 

I’ll never forget my first ride. It was January 2015 and 4 degrees Celsius, but the sun was out, there were no clouds or cars, and I had five good friends teaching me how to ride. I did several triathlons (yes, I became one of those crazy people) and started collecting bikes.

It took me 30 years to start cycling. It took me just five years to own five bikes and ride them a minimum of five times a week. I own a mountain bike, cyclocross bike, triathlon bike, road bike and now… 

With Covid and lockdowns, I planned on riding my bikes more often – not just for training, but for commuting. Between work, swim training, the gym and home, I can easily rack up 60km per day of “non-training kilometers,” which would be a bit much for me. My solution: an E-bike! 

I have been loving my E-bike so much for getting around town. I’m a believer that E-bikes are not for lazy or unfit people. For me, E-bikes are 100 percent fun and are a reason to stay away from my car. Every day I am in the saddle, and I couldn’t be happier.