I'm never gonna ride a bike like this again

I hate my life right now

It's February 2012, 2AM

And I'm shaking

Lying in 3 inches of water

In a red tent pitched in a ditch

Of a banana plantation In China

 

The drum of typhoon rain pounds through the night

I've never been so exhausted in my life

But I'm too wet to sleep

Too tired to move

And too delirious to cry

I've never felt so alone

<< REWIND 3 DAYS <<

I pull the last bungee cord over a tent on my saddle bag

With Kelsey, my beautiful girl by my side

We cover up to beat the island sun

Flip the camera the bird and head out

We're gonna ride our bikes around this island

500 miles in tropical paradise

With my girl by my side?

Piece of cake…

 

I've been training a few weeks for this trip

And Kelsey all of 15 minutes

10 hours later we’re 90 miles away, laughing

Pitching our red tent on the beach under the setting sun

 

Ha! Not bad for a day’s work

With her head on my shoulder, we drift asleep

“Babe, it’s time to hit the road”

I nudge Kelsey awake at 6AM

“I can't, my legs hurt so bad!”

She can barely walk and isn't gonna pedal another mile

My plan's out the window and I pace the beach, torn

Do I turn around with her, or march on solo?

Oblivious of the fate that awaits me, I make my choice

I load her bike onto a bus

Get a cold hug goodbye

And continue with the mission

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Have you ridden with someone who couldn't keep up?

Or given it everything you've got and still dragged behind?

It's an awful feeling when you're just on different levels

Well eBikes are the great equalizer

With an ebike Kelsey could've kept up

 

 

Maybe some motor assistance

Would have saved her legs

Saved this trip

And saved our relationship… just maybe

If you like to ride together with your friends or loved ones

Check out our skill equalizing ebikes today 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

But it's 2012 and there is no FLX yet…

Riding solo I pick up the pace

At this rate, I can do 120 miles a day

But it's not the same anymore

There's nobody to talk to,

To laugh with

To enjoy the sights with

It's just me and my thoughts

I think about Kelsey

Dammit I miss the way she smiles already

And I pedal on

The sun grows hotter and the hills taller

I begin to HATE them

Every minute climbing robs a minute from my destination

 

 

This one's so steep it takes me an hour to push the bike up

I'm not a happy camper

 

I'd have crushed this hill in 3 minutes on my motorcycle

And spent the other 57 enjoying a beautiful view

Instead I rush this photo

And hop my sore butt on the bike to make time

I pedal and pedal, racking up a cool 100 miles

Stopping just before nightfall to pitch my tent

I've got big plans for the night

I have my journal with me

A fresh watermelon

And a bag full of snacks

But as soon as I crawl in the tent

I collapse from exhaustion, too tired to eat

>> 2 Days Later >>

Left, right, left, right

Just one pedal after the other

I'm a shadow of myself

 

I'd worked so hard in the gym trying to put on muscle

Now I slowly waste away with every mile

My body digests all those hours lifting weights

It turns them into energy to keep pedaling

I'm still wearing the only long sleeve shirt I own

I can't feel my hands or my butt

My legs grow a nasty rash

I'm just done with this shit

There's 200 miles to go

I take the highway instead of public roads

I'll avoid some hills and save about 30 miles

 

Cars pass me doing 80+ mph

I'm doing 12 at best, with no helmet

I don't care anymore

This ride couldn't get any worse….

But then I hear the howl of wind blowing

A few drops of rain

Then more rain

And more wind

It's typhoon season

I give the pedals every drop of strength my muscles have left

The headwinds and stinging downpours just laugh in my face

I need to get off this highway

But the next exit isn't for 30 miles

I feel like I'm pedaling in place for hours

The wind is so strong

I swear I'm going backwards

 

I've completely lost my marbles

Screaming at the sky for mercy

The sun sets and the rain pounds on

But the exit's still 15 miles away

And I'm in the dark on the side of a Chinese highway - with no helmet

I can't risk getting hit by a car in the night

Because if I die in a bike crash, my MOM is gonna kill me

 

 

As the last glimmer of daylight fades away

I climb the railing to drag my bike up a dirt embankment

Shivering, I pitch my tent in the only place I can

In a ditch in the middle of a banana plantation

I collapse again, too exhausted to eat

The drum of typhoon rain pounds through the night

I'm shaking

Inches deep in the water that's filled the tent

There's nowhere to go

I've never been so exhausted in my life

But I'm too wet to sleep

Too tired to move

And too delirious to cry

I've never felt so alone

The sleepless hours in this cold miserable tent

Will change my life forever

What are you trying to prove?

To who?

Why did you ditch Kelsey?

Don't you love riding bikes?

It's in this tent I realize

Riding a bike has a clear point of diminishing returns

For me, that's around 15-20 miles

After that, a fun afternoon turns into a grueling slog

I love getting somewhere

I love riding my bike,

But I'm not trying to win the tour de France here

The happiest moment of this whole trip

Happens in this busy little town on day 2

Because in this town a pickup accelerates beside me

I grab onto the side and hold on for dear life

as it pulls me up the hill ahead

Yeah I'm cheating, but I have the biggest smile on my face

Because these few miles resting my legs,

ASSISTED by the truck's MOTOR POWER

Are the happiest miles of my week

The only miles where I'm doing my body a favor

And NOW, ten years later,

I can have that same feeling anytime I want

 

At FLX, we're building bikes with powerful motors

And high capacity batteries right in the frame

Their MOTOR POWER will ASSIST YOU when you need it most

Give you a boost up the steepest hill

And help you get to where you're going without the sob story

It's my mission to make the best electric bikes out there

Because I know what it feels like

When your favorite pastime becomes an agonizing chore

That's why I'm all in on this company

And there's no turning back

If you too believe the future is electric

Join me on my mission to put the fun back into cycling

 

& Join hundreds of customers

Who have invested in our company for as low as $253

Click here to learn more or make your investment today. 

Thanks for reading another moment in FLX History

And to all our investors-

Thank you, for believing in us

The road will have it's challenges, but we're determined to pedal on!