For Raymond Nulens, employee at glass packaging manufacturer O-I in Maastricht, these were reasons enough to buy an e-bike. "I do very little exercise", says Raymond "I would like to work out more, but I don’t have much time. I have always played football, however when I was 32 I was forced to stop due to a cruciate ligament rupture."
Special offer for an e-bike
Raymond heard about the special offer through a colleague at O-I. He was immediately enthusiastic. "I delved into the topic, finding out about the various brands and models of e-bikes. Eventually I opted for the Trek model. This bike recharges itself when you are going downhill and you can cycle around 80 kilometers on a full battery. I also wanted to be able to change a tyre myself, which is possible with this model. The bike costs €2300, of which €300 is paid by the tax office through my work. On top of that, there's another 10% off via the retail price, cheaper insurance and free servicing at the repair shop.”
Two days by bike
Now that Raymond has his E-bike he goes to work by bike two days a week. "I live in Elsloo. The distance to O-I is 16 kilometers. If I want to be at the office at 08:00 I can’t make it by car when I leave at 07:30. The motorway will certainly be jammed, so I need to take a lot of detours. On the E-bike I need only 20 minutes more time than by car. I cycle hard then, but that is easy with an E-bike. I whistle while I cycle past the cars in traffic jams and arrive at work on time. And it's also cheaper.”
The convenience of a bike
The convenience is one of the biggest advantages of the E-bike, says Raymond. "Of course you have to keep pedaling, but that's a piece of cake with an E-bike – even when cycling against the wind. Especially in the evening when I am tired from work I enjoy the convenience. Also uphill is not a problem: I now reach the top without the feeling that I am having a heart attack."
In the future, Raymond plans to go by bike more often. “I build it up gradually. But I'm definitely going to try to convince my colleagues of the convenience and benefits of the E-bike. They don’t know what they're missing!"
