Rosie Burgin

HEERENVEEN, The Netherlands - Epco Vlugt will be the new Regional Director of Accell Benelux and Denmark as of February 1, 2021. He succeeds Sten van der Ham, who has decided to leave the organisation. Epco Vlugt will remain closely involved in the further development of Velosophy.

MAGDEBURG, Germany - With its Fairframe signet, German bicycle manufacturer Urwahn Bikes wants to set new standards in terms of sustainability within the bicycle industry and draw awareness to fairly manufactured and traded bicycles. Going one step further, the company states that it is "declaring war on the mass industry".

MILAN, Italy - Blubrake, the Italian company that designed ABS to be integrated into an e-bike frame, has announced a partnership with Stromer, the high-end Swiss speed-pedelec manufacturer. The partnership agreement will see the launch, in June 2021, of Stromer ST5 ABS, the first speed pedelec with a frame integrated ABS.

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - European e-scooter operator, Voi Technology, has partnered with micromobility start-up, Luna, to bring computer vision and Edge AI technology to e-scooters to enable them to 'sense' pedestrians and recognise pavements.

MILAN, Italy - Pirelli is now offering a specific tyre for the winter season ideal for urban bikes and e-bikes. The CYCL-e Winter (WT) tyre is designed to be used on difficult city asphalts, very cold surfaces (even below 0°C) or surfaces dusted with snow.

TAIPEI, Taiwan - Bicycle innovations from all over the world can still register to take part in the Taipei Cycle d&i awards. Registration is open until 14 December 2020 and both exhibitors and non-exhibitors of the Taipei Cycle Show 2021 are invited to participate.

GIRONA, Spain - In early November, Sea Otter Europe announced that next year's event will take place in Girona from 24 to 26 September. This is a move away from its usual dates at the end of May. Gearing up for the fourth edition, the organisers have stated that "Sea Otter Europe continues with growth forecast in all its areas."

ULFT, the Netherlands - The MIK luggage carrier system has been extended to include MIK Heavy Duty (HD) and the capability of including a child seat. The system is the first platform to be approved by renowned testing institute TÜV Rheinland for the combination of MIK HD carrier,

EAST KILBRIDE, Scotland - FreeFlow Technologies (FFT), a Scottish company who developed a lightweight, in-frame e-bike motor has secured £1.85 million in a second round of funding. The company, chaired by former Dyson CEO, will use the investment will support a move to a new headquarters and R&D facility.

MADRID, Spain - Jesus Freire, business development director of ECF has been named as the new secretary general and treasurer of the Spanish bicycle industry association, AMBE. He will succeed Carlos Núñez who stepped down earlier this year after seven and a half years in the role.