Leonie was born on 30 August 2011 in Frankfurt-Sachsenhausen – after a birth that went dramatically wrong. An emergency C-section, loss of all vital signs, resuscitation: her start in life was anything but easy. The consequences were serious. Leonie lives with infantile cerebral palsy (ICP), a condition affecting the brain that influences almost every movement her body makes. Since then, she has kept going – with determination, joy and a support network that lifts her up. Every day. Every week. Every therapy session. Her daily routine reads like an elite athlete's schedule: physiotherapy, occupational therapy, Feldenkrais, hippotherapy, swimming, speech therapy, Galileo training – and soon again: cycling. Because Leonie loves to move. To be free. On her own terms.
A bike that's more than a bike
For Leonie, her new Trix adaptive trike from Hase Bikes is more than a means of transport – it's a symbol of independence. A specially adapted one-hand control, a head brake and calf supports make it a perfect fit for her needs. Almost the entire engineering team was involved – including our product designer, who developed the custom padding specifically for Leonie and had it made in-house. Our Schaltwerk consultant Kristina was also closely involved on the ground: through direct conversations with the family and the technicians, she worked out solutions that fitted, drawing on support from the workshop and the engineering team. That kind of close, hands-on collaboration is something genuinely special – and it shows what solution-focused service can really look like at our production site in Waltrop. Here, the right to independent mobility is not just a phrase.
A life in motion
Leonie cannot communicate through spoken language – but she communicates clearly through her speech device, the Tobii Dynavox, through her expressions, her eyes and her art. She paints, dances, laughs, listens to music, loves going to the cinema, zoos, concerts and being around people. Her expressiveness comes through in films and projects too – including "Und ob ich tanze" and campaigns for brands like Hyundai and Prowalk. Leonie makes friends wherever she goes, even if they're not always close by. Many friendships grow out of rehabilitation programmes or shared projects. Day-to-day life makes it hard to maintain close friendships locally – but her family, her school assistant and her digital connections give her a firm foundation.
A girl with a big heart
Leonie is attentive, sensitive, generous and spirited. She has a sharp eye for the world, loves people – and finds ways to make herself heard. Her joy is infectious, her energy remarkable. And when she soon sets off on her Hase Bikes trike, she won't just be going for a ride – she'll be moving towards what she wants most: maximum independence and self-determination. Confident, free and with a wide smile on her face.
Real Stories, Real People, Real Bikes
On our blog, we not only post stories about real people whose lives were changed by our bikes,
but also share information about Hase Bikes events
in Waltrop and worldwide.
Cycling with epilepsy – with our Tandem Pino E
Still riding at 93 – and no plans to stop.
