Distributor in the spotlight - meet Andrea Lodder

In our latest ‘Distributors in the spotlight’ series, we not only visit the company itself to find out how and from where it operates, discover the national cycling scene and look behind the scenes at why it is such an inspiring and enjoyable place to work, but we also talk to the people who make MERIDA what it is in their country. After the first part of the series, where we spoke to Peter Koperdraad from MERIDA BENELUX and had the opportunity to experience the famous MERIDA EXPERIENCE CENTER (which is also the headquarters of MERIDA BENELUX) in Apeldoorn (full story here), we sat down with a small number of employees to get their unique perspective on the brand, find out what kind of cyclists they are and why they love working for MERIDA. As the gravel bug has bitten MERIDA BENELUX and the countries they are looking after, the first employee we interviewed was Andrea Lodder, who, in addition to her interesting job at the MERIDA EXPERIENCE CENTER, is crazy about all things gravel and, as it turns out, long and colourful fingernails. Read on to find out more.   

Who are you, and how did you come to work here at MERIDA Benelux?
I am Andrea Lodder, I am a marketing assistant and I also look after e-commerce. I have been here since September 2022. I already knew Aranka through racing, she also works here in marketing and told me the job had become vacant, she encouraged me to apply as she loves working here. Prior to this role, I have worked in the bike industry since I was 17 but in sales in bike shops. I wanted a change. I was keen to work with just one brand, and of course, MERIDA is a very cool brand to work for. It was also nice to have my weekends back so I could ride my bike! I live in Germany and travel to Apeldoorn every day as it is cheaper to do this. I am not really a morning person, and I have to be in the car by 7 am, but I am getting more used to this now!

What is a typical workday like for you?
Well, we are a small team so we all share lots of different tasks. I mainly do marketing and dealer support, but I also support customers in the EXPERIENCE CENTER who come for a test ride or just pop in to have a look around. Every day is different. I answer dealer and customer calls and e-mails, write articles for magazines and work with a graphic designer to create our adverts. Mondays are usually quieter as most dealers are closed, so I can catch up on other work. 

From your perspective, how does cycling in your country differ from other countries?
Well, here everybody rides a bike, it is weird if you don’t! You ride to school on a bike from a very young age; everyone does. There are lots of bike parking spaces at schools but only a few car parking spaces. It is safe as we have bike lanes, lights for cyclists crossing roads and of course being flat helps too!

What is your main cycling discipline, and how did you get into the sport?
I love road and gravel riding, don’t hate me for saying this but I hate mountain biking! I would always prefer to be on a gravel bike than a mountain bike. Even on really technical, steep, rocky sections, I feel much more confident with my drop bars and no suspension than I would on a mountain bike.  I wasn’t always into competitive cycling or even sport really, I weighed 85kg and I was lazy, I didn’t even own a race bike. A friend was doing Alpe d’Huez, I watched one year and thought it looked fun, so I got myself a bike and rode it in 2012 as part of a charity event for cancer research.  I did the event three years running after that - that was when the obsession began! From there, it was BIKES - I started working with bikes and riding my bike nearly every day. I started racing in 2014 with a team from Apeldoorn who were sponsored by MERIDA. After 4-5 years, the work and racing balance was too difficult while working full time, so in the end, I stopped road racing. Then, in 2019, I discovered gravel riding. I went bike packing in Yorkshire (England), and I fell in love with Gravel. It is beautiful to ride in England and I am hoping to have many more bike packing adventures there.

Do you have other hobbies away from 2 wheels?
Yes – eating and sleeping!

Seriously, cycling is my work and my hobby; I don’t have time for much else. I post a lot of my cycling on Instagram and write articles for magazines about cycling trips I have done, this of course helps to pay for the trips too. I recently rode from my home in Germany to Berlin. It took 36 hours with 24 hours of riding and 650km on the road (with support). It was a real challenge, and I am glad I did it, but I am not sure I would rush to do it again as it was really tough.

My life is totally bike-focused, and some of my friends say I am ‘all bike’, but I like girlie stuff too - my fingernails are my ‘holy area’. I always have long painted nails, even when racing. If I am honest, they prevent me from doing some mechanical stuff, so I do have to get help with some things to protect them!

What is your all-time favourite bike and have you made any changes and alterations to it? If so, what benefit did they bring?
My favourite has to be the SILEX, I currently have two of them: SILEX 7000 and the latest addition, the SILEX 10K. I haven’t had the 10K long, so I have not had the chance to really customise it yet apart from changing the tyres and taking out the dropper post (you don’t need it here, so it is lighter without it). The most important customisation of course are the pink decals I had made for it, I love the colour pink on bikes.

What is your favourite MERIDA bike, overall and in the current range?
Well, I love simple and versatile bikes. I have previously ridden the SCULTURA, and I love the look of the SCULTURA ENDURANCE. I am really looking forward to riding it and seeing how it handles.

Do you have an ‘idol’ in the world of cycling?
There is a guy I follow on social media who is really inspiring. He had lung cancer and had surgery, but he wasn’t cured. He is still doing triathlons, riding and doing epic stuff despite the fact he was told he wouldn’t survive. Seeing him makes me think I should never complain that my legs are hurting on a climb!

What riding tips do you have for your fellow cyclists? Particularly if they are starting out.
‘Do whatever feels good’

You don’t have to go fast; just get up that hill! Anyone can climb a hill – some just do it faster than others.

Do you have any MERIDA riding activities, like a lunch time ride or similar?
Peter (our manging director) provides lunch every day, so we all eat together, it is really important that we all stop at the same time and relax a bit, especially when we have had a busy morning. We also do after work rides (usually about 2 hours), it is fun to get to know each other on a bike rather than just in the office, it’s great for team building.

Any cycling trips or events planned?
I am lucky enough to do a lot of bike trips as part of my social media work. I have just come back from Slovenia and Austria and published a few magazine articles and photos about it. I went to Iceland last year – this is the most beautiful place I have ever been – you must go there! I am going bike packing at the end of July to southern Germany and Austria again. I am also doing a gravel event for Shimano as an influencer in Luxembourg, Germany and Belgium. It is a 5 day supported event from A to B, bike packing on gravel. Finally, I am going to the Dolomites in September, then I will have definitely run out of holiday time I can take off work!

Do you have a favourite cycling event? Are there any cycling events you aspire to go to in the future?
I have two qualifying races coming up for the Gravel World Champs, one in the Netherlands and the other in Belgium. I would need to be in the first 25% to qualify. It is a fantastic opportunity for me to complete in a world class event especially when it is taking place so close to home.

What do you like most about working at MERIDA Benelux?
The people I work with - they are the most important thing. We have fun at work; it is a great atmosphere, and we are genuinely interested in each other. We have the freedom to share our ideas within the team, and I can use my cycling knowledge and experience to help customers, which is really satisfying. MERIDA is a really cooI brand, and we always have a constant flow of new and exciting bikes to share with customers. I am either behind my desk at the MERIDA EXPERIENCE CENTER, planning a trip or actually on my bike, all of this is called ‘work’ which is fine by me!

Andrea really has the ‘gravel bug’ and lives and breathes bikes, she and Aranka took us for an after-work ride, 60km flat out on the gravel plains. We can confirm her nails and her long hair do not slow her down when she is riding and she even still had the energy to take a few photos for Instagram while riding. She effortlessly combines speed whilst maintaining glamour and her girlie pink side. Her passion for cycling and MERIDA is a huge asset to the team and customers at MERIDA Benelux.

Our next interview will be with Bart Oosting the marketing manager at MERIDA Benelux, we will find out what sports he likes to do that are not on two wheels….