Wolfgang Fritscher
Wolfgang als Sprecher in Bremen-Vegesack 1983
As one of the first BMX dealers in Germany, Wolfgang Fritscher paved the way for the dealer/wholesaler landscape in this country. For decades, he imported the products of the big and trendy, but also the rare and niche BMX companies to Germany and them via his mail-order business from an inconspicuous wooden hut in the north of Bremen. With his trailer converted into a mobile BMX shop, he travelled to races and freestyle contests all over Europe and was never above quickly trueing a rider's wheel or changing the gearing before the start.
Wolfgang's BMX commitment began in 1981 in Bremen-Grohn through the enthusiasm of his son. He realised early on that there were too few dealers in Germany, too little choice and, above all, no dedicated and reliable mail order business. He began importing parts and Vans shoes from England for the riders of the Vegesack BMX club and started the mail-order business "Rabbit BMX Bremen" as a sideline in the basement of his rented flat in 1983. Right from the start, he advertised with the slogan "Blitzversand" (fast shipping): Fast and affordable shipping was always one of his strongest selling points, to which he remained committed to the very end.
In addition to his work as a dealer, wholesaler and importer, he was always active in organisational matters. He was a founding member of the Vegesack BMX Club when the club founded by Ekkehardt Teichreber became a real registered association at the Fritschers' living room table. He repeatedly helped with track construction and was a speaker at races, BMX shows and freestyle contests more often than he would have liked. As a founding member of the DFO (German Freestyle Organisation), he helped organise the first BMX Freestyle World Championships on German soil in 1990.
Wolfgang has also been a sponsor of the Veterans' Cup from the very beginning. Since 1995, he has supported the event with financial resources, number plates, award plaques and donations in kind.
In 2011, Wolfgang sold the shop and moved to the small village of Abades on Tenerife, where he died of leukaemia in 2015.
Wolfgang Fritscher was posthumously inducted into the German BMX Hall of Fame in 2024 for his services to the sport of BMX in Germany and his commitment to the Veterans' Cup.
- Born 1946 in Gmunden, Austria
- First contact with BMX at a race in Bremen-Grohn in 1981
- Collective order of Vans shoes for the riders of the Vegesack BMX Club from Alpine Action in England 1982
- Mail order from the cellar from 1983
- Opening of the shop in 1984
- Import and wholesale of many renowned brands in the 90s
- Died in Tenerife in 2015
