Three days on two wheels
The first participants arrived on Wednesday so that engines could start together on Thursday morning in Reutlingen, Germany, for BIKE 2025. We recorded a registration record, but also an unprecedented number of last-minute cancellations. Illness, age, weddings — all understandable and naturally forgiven. We’re already looking forward to participation in 2026!
As painful as the absence of some “long-standing” riders may be, the coin has another side: I meet new people every year.
On Thursday morning in Reutlingen, the engines of around 75 participants awakened, united by their passion for technology and motion. They started into a weekend that is more than just a tour: It’s a ritual, a shared journey, an encounter with machine, landscape and oneself. Yes — and, somehow, we all have something to do with elevators.
Robert M. Pirsig once wrote that true quality lies in the connection between man and technology. I strongly recommend a book at this point: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Anyone who rides along here immediately understands what is meant: BIKE is not just an accumulation of kilometers, but an experience in which motorcycling becomes a form of mindfulness.
Gerd Roellecke instructs participants in our customs for group riding, and this year Markus Stucke from Vertima provided the event clothing: a T-shirt or polo shirt for BIKE 2025 participants free of charge! A heartfelt thank you for that!
Thursday, August 28 — Swabian Alb (320 km)
The opening winds around 320 km through the Swabian Alb. What is soberly described as tour length unfolds on the road as a play of hills, valleys and winding roads. The Alb is not a “loud” mountain range, but a landscape that accompanies us with quiet presence.
Unfortunately, the weather was not so favorable — rain and storms were forecast — so some participants didn’t start until the afternoon; others changed their route based on weather app information. I rode with the Irish-Coffee Pro group in the morning and don’t regret it! The weather got better and better, and the mood couldn’t be better!
Regarding group division, it can be said that the naming is “caffeine-based”: With increasing caffeine content, the average travel speed also increases: On offer this year: Caro-Coffee, Milk Coffee, Latte Macchiato, Cappuccino, Cappuccino Pro, Irish Coffee, Irish Coffee Pro, Espresso and Ristretto.
In the rhythm of the machine, in the alternation of ascent and descent, that meditative movement emerges that clears the mind. The motorcycle is no longer “ridden” — it is guided, like in a dialogue between man and technology. Small towns appear, disappear again and the feeling of flow remains.
At noon, the groups met again, and the mosaic of different routes became a shared story. In the evening in Reutlingen, the narrative continued. Besides professional topics and personal matters, the “reports of the day” provided amusement.
Friday, August 29 – Danube (333 km)
On the second day, the route led 333 km to the Danube. The river accompanied us like a mirror: sometimes calm, sometimes in wide curves, sometimes barely visible, but always present.
The roads were characterized by diversity: river courses, forests, ridges, narrow village passages. Those who ride feel the balance of precision and serenity. Every curve demands attention, every straight stretch grants peace. The motorcycle here is not just a means of transport, but a teacher. It shows how technology and mindfulness interlock — entirely in Pirsig’s sense: “You don’t ride the machine with your hands, but with your mind.”
During the evening in Reutlingen, conversations wandered from the professional world — such as plans for the next interlift — to the accumulating episodes of the day: an engine failure, a guardrail with fresh “decoration,” questions about insurance settlements. Such incidents are not disturbances, but part of the narrative. The important thing remains the good news: Everyone returned healthy!
Saturday August 30 – Black Forest (374 km)
Saturday is the longest riding day through the Black Forest. This route demands strength, concentration and endurance — and rewards with all-the-richer impressions.
The forests seemed like cathedrals of green. Light fell filtered onto the roads that lead through the landscape in tight hairpins and wide curves. Climbs reminded us that every effort means perspective; descents let us experience speed as lightness.
The Black Forest demands attention, but rewards with those moments when everything comes together: machine, movement, landscape, rider. Such moments are hard to describe — they are quiet, yet they carry that quality Pirsig meant when he understood technology as culture.
Back in Reutlingen, BIKE 2025 came to an end. The evening conversations were familiar and multifaceted: professional matters from the elevator world, personal reports, small anecdotes. And the recurring small challenges: here a forgotten key — there a clutch at its end. But no one is left behind, and we grew together, looking back on a beautiful memory.
On the last evening, the gaze already turned forward: 2026 will see BIKE venture into neighboring European countries for the first time. We won’t reveal details yet — but anyone who wants to be there should write to [email protected].
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