Hanna Lutz is one of those cyclists who could not go a day without cycling, a cycloaholic. A German from Ludwigsburg, a small town on the outskirts of Stuttgart, on the banks of the Neckar river, she has been cycling since she can remember, but was never allowed to use a racing bike. Then one day in 2016 she walked into a bicycle shop and bought one. Too big for her, but that was unimportant. What mattered was pedalling. Seeing her pedalling on that unsuitable bike, a good friend of hers decided to give her the best gift: to build her a custom-made bike. As soon as Hanna got on that bike, the love for two-wheeled pedals invaded her heart and soul.

Bikes, lots of bikes, more and more bikes. What attracts him are the long rides, the journeys and so, together with some friends, he crosses the French Alps from the mountains to the sea.

Hanna's passion is all down to 'the right friendships', i.e. the fact that she found a group of friends in Stuttgart who share her same passion and her same way of looking at cycling: no tables, no coaches, just fun, long bikepacking trips and fast fixed-gear travel. 

Hanna doesn't really train, her workout is the daily 40 km to and from work, plus the endless days in the saddle at the weekend. More than training, we would call it a lifestyle.

Hanna calls herself a true cyclist, not because she has a shiny, polished bike (on which, to our pride) Miss Grape bags are proudly displayed), but mainly because she feels that without the bike her life would be empty. For her, every moment of her life involves cycling: going to work, visiting friends, on holiday. She has never had a car, she doesn't need one, all she needs is a bike and a train ticket (and living in Germany, Ed) to get everywhere.

Thanks to cycling and travelling, Hanna met fantastic people, but above all she discovered enchanting places that she would never have experienced in the same way by travelling fast in a car. Once, as soon as she climbed the Oberallpass in Switzerland, she came across a magnificent mountain lake, its clear, almost silvery water reflecting the high peaks surrounding it. Stendhal syndrome, we might venture, the fact remains that she never wanted to leave so beautiful was it. This is the real motivation that drives Hanna to travel: it is the search for beauty, fun and novelty. 

There are also 'feats' in his cycling history, such as the journey from Geneva to Nice, the world-famous Route de Grandes Alpes, 684 km, 15 Alpine passes and 15,713 metres of altitude difference, covered entirely on a fixed-gear bicycle.

'So many beautiful places, so much pain in my legs and so many great friends around me, which I think is my best cycling memory'.

Hanna is a true inspiration for anyone who wants to live their life in the saddle, because the only thing that really matters is pedalling, eating ice cream as a reward and never taking the Miss Grape Tendril 4.10 off the handlebars, because in there is the essential for every bike ride, from commuting to work to big rides... because when you leave home, you never know where the road will take you.