Wenn andere seinen Ideen keine Chance gaben, ging er alleine weiter. Seine Vorstellungen von besser, smarter, schneller trieben Mike Kluge 1992 nach dem dritten WM Titel an, seine eigene Bike Marke Focus zu gründen. Volles Risiko, mit eigenem Geld und engen Freunden wagte er sich an neue Limits. Leidenschaft, Netzwerken und stetig zu optimieren, trieben seine Entwicklung voran. Wie im Quersport Sport hat Mike mit Focus alle Höhen und Tiefen durchlebt. Heute ist ein 170 mm Focus E...

Kälte mag er überhaupt nicht, trotzdem wurde er dreimal Cross Weltmeister! Sein Vater setzte das nervige Energiebündel auf's Rennrad, wo er mit 15 Jahren erstmals Blutgeschmack erlebte und seine Leistungen mit Aufmerksamkeit belohnt wurden. Harte Trainer und starke Sparringspartner formten ihn, Spaß kam dabei nie zu kurz. Seine ehrliche Berliner Schnauze brachte den Sunnyboy an Grenzen. Er lernte aus seinen Fehlern und wurde 1985 erstmalig mit dem Weltmeister Titel belohnt. Der Film...

He won the overall Downhill World Cup in 1993 and raced ten years as a professional cyclist at highest levels. This shaped Jurgen for his life after racing. Despite steep learning curves, severe injuries and bumpy business roads, Jurgen stayed Jurgen: openminded, curious, always learning and seeing the good side of life. Trademark battles, Amazon price wars, Chinese copy syndicates, he took them on one after another. To fight for the right cause is fueled by his discipline, willpower and...

His passion for racing, the curiosity for the people stories and the opportunity to test the latest bikes and products, gave Zap Espinoza the love for his job as a cycling magazine editor, for over 30 years. In a very personal and passionate way, he is sharing insights on how the mix of BMX, Moto and cycling cultures have been a constant battle of egos, all to improve the product and grow the sport to where it is today. As a journalist he conveys his experience and spices things up with...

Hans „No Way“ Rey is writing Mountainbike history for over 34 years. Trials - Team GT - Zaskar - Swatch - Laguna Rads - performing at the Atlanta Olympics closing ceremony are just some of his highlights. 47 adventure rides in the past 26 years, he grew the sport and left impressions with many for life. We talk about how he never made it to university - but to Laguna - how a painful crash gave him a signal, how he rode his first e-Bike with president George Bush sr. and why he, as a Hall...

Thommy May - Business Coach & Trainer Bike Industrie Nach über 30 Jahren Bike Industrie in leitenden Positionen, entschloss sich Thommy May mit 57 Jahren nochmals neu durchzustarten. Als Business Coach und Trainer vermittelt er heute seine Erfahrungen in Führung, Struktur und Kommunikation an Unternehmen und den Einzelhandel in der Bike Industrie. Im März 2020 wurde der 62-jährige durch Corona, wie viele andere, wieder dazu gezwungen sich zu verändern und seine Coachings &...

Tim Maloney came with significant marketing experience from Saatchi & Saatchi and Young & Rubicam into the bike industry over 30 years ago. Growing up in New Jersey, his curiosity for the european cycling scene motivated him to learn fresh and Italian. He started the Diamond Back Racing Team, working for Diamond Back as international sales & marketing director in the 90-ties, when fax machines were top notch. He continued his pass, working for Specialized, Alpinestars,...

2011 nahm Claus den Enduro Trend in Frankreich ernster als andere und startete das erste Enduro Mountainbike Profi Team. Als Teammanager hat er es über die Jahre erfolgreich aufgebaut und weiterentwickelt. Mit Fahrern wie Nico Lau, Greg Callaghan und Gusti Wildhaber mischte das Cube Action Team bei der EWS ganz vorne mit. Seit zwei Jahren sorgt das Action Rookies Team für eigenen Nachwuchs. Claus erzählt, wie alles auf 26 Zoll Fullies, mit 3-fach Kurbeln und 120 mm Federweg anfing, er...

A broken foot turned Paul Skilbecks life upside down. From Cross Country Ski- to Mountainbike racing and the start of his journalism career. He pioneered journalism at the Grundig Mountainbike World Cup races in the 90's and helped raise standards in written communications and media operations. For ten years he reported from over 100 World Cup races. We talk about how he hacked phone lines to get his stories out - he shares stories about John Tomac, Thomas Frischknecht and Mike Kluge - he...

His open mind, trying new things, getting back up and learning from failure, made Tarek Rasouli, founder of the agency Rasoulution, a pioneer in creating exciting brands like Danny Mac Askill, Fabio Wibmer, Bike Park Leogang and the Red Bull District Ride. Before a bike accident brought his life to a dramatic stop and Tarek into a wheelchair, he was a very successful BMX racer and Mountainbike Freerider. We talk about what it takes to become a strong rider brand today and before the...

The brand explorer - Interesting people, telling their stories about building successful brands inside the global cycling community. A mix of business founders, marking & agency creatives, magazine editors and world class athletes - from all over the world. Your host Dirk Belling will bring you continuous episodes in English and German, depending on the guest. Even if you are not into cycling, the brand stories might be an inspiration for you. For additional information, please see the...