When we began filming “Only Lazy Americans E-Bike,” we knew this film would be a personal project.
The film’s title was inspired by a stereotype that we wanted to confront. In an article, an environmentalist claims that e-bikes are “another toy for fat, lazy Americans.”
On the road across the United States, we encountered the opposite of that prejudice as we saw how new technology opened doors for people who found innovative ways to move forward and overcome mental and physical limitations, including veterans with amputations and firefighters commemorating the 9/11 attacks.
With this film, the team wanted to capture both endurance and empathy. It is not simply a record of miles pedaled, but of stories shared and perceptions challenged.
My hope as Director is that the film invites audiences to see e-bikes not as shortcuts, but as instruments of transformation—tools that can restore agency, connection, and life.
My own 4,685-mile ride from Washington, D.C. to San Francisco was grueling. Carrying heavy cinema equipment on an e-bike across storms, mud, and endless climbs, with my physical limitations, tested me every day.
But what stayed with me most were the encounters with veterans rebuilding after trauma, seniors reclaiming independence, and advocates fighting for accessibility. Their stories gave meaning to the miles of cycling and transformed my ride into something much larger than a personal recovery.
Dr. Gregory F. Maassen, Director and Producer