25 years of FLYER: congratulations from a woman who rode to China on a FLYER e-bike
Journalist Andrea Freiermuth gave up her full-time job in summer 2018 to ride her FLYER e-bike from Switzerland to China on the legendary Silk Road.
Dear FLYER
You have been in this world for a quarter of a century now: a world that you have enriched with your childlike love of experimentation and youthful giddiness and a world that takes you all the more seriously now that you have become an adult.
A bicycle with electric assistance sounded like a crackpot idea 25 years ago. You were sneered at, the levels of fitness of your admirers were belittled, and your appearance was ridiculed. However, you did not allow yourself to be led astray and you set about conquering roads and trails with your fellow e-bikes whom you inspired in your role as the pioneer of e-bikes.
Granted, you were not an attractive child and even as a teenager you were still slightly awkward. In your early years you did not score points for beauty and conformity, but for audacity and creativity. And that is how it should be. It is obvious that essence comes above appearance for you. Although the numerous design awards that you have since won reflect the fact that you can now compete at the top in terms of aesthetics, you have not let the awards go to your head. Internal values are still extremely important to you: in terms of quality and reliability, nobody can hold a candle to you.
And that is also the reason why I chose you as my partner and rode along the Silk Road with you last year. You accompanied me through 17 countries and over 16,000 kilometres and never once let me down. You are not just an everyday bicycle or a mountain bike, but you are also a vehicle for expeditions, even if they don't have to lead all the way to China.
You are actually the perfect remedy for almost all diseases of the modern world. You help combat traffic jams, noise, air pollution, and a lack of exercise, which means that you are also invaluable in the battle against excess weight, diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. In short, you are simply amazing! And that is why I would like to wish you, my beloved high-tech pony, a very happy birthday.
Yours
Andrea
