IT ALL STARTED WITH a FIXIE...
My name is Stefanie Fritzen and I started cycling about 5 years ago. Back then, I regularly borrowed the track bike of my boyfriend at the time, but bought my first one pretty quickly and practised tricks for hours. I could probably do a track stand before I could actually ride. This was followed by 2 exciting first years with the fixed gear cross-country through the Brandenburg and Indian pampas, a short excursion into the Berlin bike courier scene and first racing attempts with the team of Track Mob Berlin.
FROM ROAD BIKE TO BIKEPACKING
I got my first road bike at the beginning of 2019 and since then I’ve only gone higher, faster, further in my little bike cosmos and regularly test my personal limits. Since 2020, I have become heavily addicted to bike packing and e-racing and spend as much time as possible in nature or on the winter playground Zwift. My plans for 2021 are very flexible due to the current situation and will mainly consist of solo bike packing. On my list are Poland, Slovenia and Germany.
CYCLING IS FOR ME...
…more than just a physical activity. By now, I have experienced every emotional state that my body can experience on the bike. With every single ride, I not only grow physically, but above all mentally. Go Solo is definitely my mantra of the last few years. There is nothing better for me than spending the whole day on the bike. It grounds me and lets me breathe. I love planning routes, riding down unknown paths and most of all discovering India over and over again by bike.
With a Master’s degree in Modern South Asian Studies, I have a special interest in the Indian subcontinent and focused my thesis on femvertising and the representation of Indian women’s sports in the Indian media. However, as is usually the case, I ended up somewhere else professionally. I now work as a Digital Marketing Manager in an agency. It’s fun and gives me enough time to ride my bike and do my other favourite things, to eat and take pictures.
…is for me a platform for mutual support and exchange with other cyclists – especially on taboo topics and problems that tend to fall under the table in the mainstream coverage.
Pointing these out and thus being able to contribute to breaking down barriers in women’s cycling is also a great aspect.
