Merida International has reported that Jürgen Falke, the long-standing CEO and co-founder of Merida R&D Center GmbH in Germany, who recently stepped down from his position for health reasons, passed away on June 13 at the age of 61 after a short, serious illness.
Falke was “an Ironman enthusiast with outstanding achievements and one of the top bike designers in the industry.” As early as 1997, German triathlete Thomas Hellriegel, who won the Hawaiian championship on the Helldrive, rode with an Ironman bike designed for him by Falke.
The Taiwan-based bike manufacturer invested in the German Centurion brand, founded by Wolfgang Renner, where Falke worked, and the company named him its product design director. Merida said he launched one innovative product after another while working for the company with “constant excellence, and often won the most valuable honors such as Bike of the Year by professional media.”
On its website, Merida posted, “At this moment, we express our deepest condolences to Jürgen’s wife, children and family, and sincerely thank Jürgen for laying a solid foundation for the research and development of Merida bicycles.
“With the passing of Jürgen Falke, Merida Taiwan and the Merida R&D Centre GmbH have lost a visionary at the height of his creative powers, who shaped and influenced the development of the brand for over 20 years.
“The Merida R&D Center he founded has grown and grown into a powerful R&D team that is second to none in the industry. Merida will uphold Jürgen’s spirit and continue to develop innovative bicycle products that lead the industry.”
Image courtesy of Merida International
