Young Johann Baptist Winklhofer is fascinated by bicycles – but a new one is far too expensive. However, he doesn´t abandon his dream of owning a velocipede. Johann Baptist Winklhofer simply builds his own high-wheel bicycle.
In the early 1880s he finds kindred spirits in the emerging bicycle racing fraternity and races against them competitively. Before long he is one of Germany´s best and fastest racing cyclists.
The April 1st, 1882 issue of the trade magazine „Das Velociped” contains an article on the new sensation in the cycling world. It gives an account of the racing prowess of the 22-year-old Johann Baptist Winklhofer. It seems that the founder of iwis is making quite a name for himself in the emerging cycling scene at the end of the 19th century.
We are sorry, the article is only available in German. You can read the article in the adjacent picture gallery – some sections have been magnified for easier reading.