OUR JURY

• Michael Lanz

  Product designer and design strategist

  Michael Lanz is a product designer and design strategist. His career began in 1991 in the design department of Siemens AG. From 2007 to 2018, he was co-owner and managing director of the international design agency designaffairs, which became part of Accenture in 2018. Over the course of his career, Lanz has won numerous international design awards, including the prestigious iF Gold Award. In parallel to his work at designaffairs, he taught as a lecturer at TU Dresden and headed the Institute for Product & Transportation Design at FH JOANNEUM Graz from 2014 to 2018. Between 2019 and 2024, he was a member of the Advisory Board for Creative Industries of the BMAW in Austria. After leaving Accenture in 2023, Lanz founded the consulting firm lanz.design.consulting. He has also been a partner at Vagabund Moto in Graz since February 2024.
  
  Quote: "I have always been very interested in bicycles and own several that I have restored or redesigned myself. As a designer, I focus on functionality, quality of detail and durability as well as formal aesthetics. I am very excited about the innovative ideas that will be presented to us as a jury. It fascinates me how the bicycle product concept, which has been around for so long, is constantly being reinterpreted. And that's a good thing - because against the backdrop of climate change and in terms of a multimodal transport system, the bicycle is becoming increasingly important as a means of transportation."
• Dirk Zedler

  Dirk Zedler is the founder and managing director of the Zedler Institute for Bicycle Technology and Safety.

  The graduate engineer is a publicly appointed and sworn expert for bicycles and electric bicycles (IHK Stuttgart) and a member of the HWK inspection commission. Many cyclists also know him from his 25 years of work at the cycling magazine TOUR, where he was responsible for the legendary workshop series, among other things.Since founding the company in 1993, the still active sportsman has been developing testing machines and test routines to make bicycles more functional, more durable and therefore safer. Since the company was founded in 1993, he has done everything in his power to make bicycle products more functional, more durable and therefore safer, to make the bicycle industry more professional and to improve the status of bicycles, pedelecs and transport bikes.
  
  Quote: "Especially in these challenging times for the industry, it is important to continue to develop as a manufacturer and service provider. It is both a pleasure and an honor for me that we on the jury can put the spotlight on the most innovative and sustainable bicycle products."
• Dr. Maike Hora

  Dr.-Ing. Maike Hora studied civil engineering and subsequently completed her doctorate at the TU Darmstadt in 2005 on the subject of developing environmentally friendly products.

  After working in the private sector for several years, she founded the company e-hoch-3 in 2008. She advises on strategic and technical sustainability issues and conducts research into sustainable system innovations and products. In addition to her consulting work, she has been a lecturer in material flow analysis and life cycle assessment at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences since 2014. Her work focuses on life cycle assessment (LCA), carbon footprint accounting (corporate and product carbon footprint), EcoDesign, resource efficiency, waste management, environmental technology and sustainability.
  
  Quote: "I am delighted to be part of the jury for this year's Cyclingworld Awards, which honors exceptional examples of my preferred mode of transport. Even though the bicycle itself stands for environmentally friendly mobility, it is also important to pay attention to material and resource efficiency, reparability and, above all, durability."
• Paul Kefer

  Founder of Munix Finest Bicycles

  Paul Kefer founded Munix Finest Bicycles in 2012. With his selection of the finest bicycles, along with matching accessories and service, the business administration graduate struck a chord with the spirit of the times and the tastes of discerning customers. In 2016, he expanded into a neighboring retail space, where he opened Munich’s Brompton Junction. This was followed in 2017 by the launch of the Munix Finest E-Bicycles branch and the acquisition of the stilrad°° brand. Today, Paul Kefer operates a total of seven specialty stores under the Munix Finest Bicycles label in Munich, offering high-quality bicycles, e-bikes, cargo bikes, and related accessories, and has established himself as an industry expert.
  
  Quote: "The bicycle is not only successful because it is an important component of the sustainable mobility of the future, but also because it has made a huge leap in development in the last decade. Many types of bike that are currently booming did not exist 10-15 years ago and many new bike components, such as brakes and lights, make it possible to get around safely."

• Jörg Spaniol

  Journalist

  Jörg Spaniol began his journalistic career in 1993 after completing a degree in politics at the racing bike magazine TOUR, before switching to freelance work after ten years in the technology department. Despite reporting worldwide for various magazines, the cycling cosmos remained the focus of his work. With three decades of testing experience with bikes of all types and accessories, as well as insights from dozens of company portraits, he knows the products and suppliers - but as a tireless cyclist, commuter and DIY enthusiast, he also knows the pitfalls and joys of the real world.
  
  Quote: "It's great that I can contribute to finding the many forward-looking ideas in the industry, even in hidden places, as part of the Cyclingworld jury. My perspective is that of a curious bike enthusiast - filtered through my professional skepticism towards show effects, bungling or greenwashing. 'No nonsense' and timeless beauty inspire me."
• Juliana Schumacher

  Blogger

  Berlin-based Juliane Schumacher founded the blog radelmaedchen.de, one of the best-known female-run cycling blogs in Germany, in 2014 while studying for her master's degree in fashion design. Instead of fashion, the focus shifted to cycling and writing professionally. Over the past 10 years, she has published numerous blog posts, newspaper articles and two books on all aspects of cycling. Whether urban or classic touring cycling, folding bike tours or gravel biking and bikepacking adventures, Juliane Schumacher shares her experiences and adventures on the blog and on her social media channels. She also encourages others to get on their bikes in small and large TV and video formats, on talk shows and at trade fairs, imparts her broad knowledge of cycling and shows the options of car-free everyday life. In 2023, she received the "Fahrrad Berlin" commitment award from her home city for her commitment to cycling.
  
  Quote: "What added value do my texts and content about cycling offer? This is a question I ask myself again and again. In addition to sharing my experiences and adventures, I want to show how much joy and efficiency the bicycle can bring to everyday life. This plays a major role for me when judging entries for the Cyclingworld Awards - both as a user and as the author of a blog that is a medium for imparting knowledge and at the same time a motivational platform. I welcome the opportunity as well as the challenge of looking at the bicycle and associated products from the perspective of a jury member from these and other aspects."
• Stefan Bötticher

  Track cyclists

  Stefan Bötticher is a German track cyclist and is one of the most successful athletes in his discipline. With two world championship titles, a European championship title, several World Cup victories and most recently two podium finishes in the Track Champions League, he has celebrated numerous international successes. As a top athlete, Bötticher is one of the first to test and use new technologies before they are ready for the mass market. As a member of the Cyclingworld Award jury, he therefore pays particular attention to innovative concepts from the industry and incorporates his professional sports experience of over 15 years.
  
  Quote: "As a professional athlete, I have experienced the development of cycling at first hand - from traditional steel frames in my keirin races in Japan to the latest high-tech materials. I look forward to being able to contribute my experience to the evaluation of innovative bicycle concepts. Cyclingworld offers a fantastic platform to help shape the future of cycling - whether in competitive sport or in everyday life. I'm particularly looking forward to discovering products that both optimize performance and promote cycling as an environmentally friendly and healthy means of transport."