"IT'S PRETTY SIMPLE REALLY…I PRACTICALLY OWE MY LIFE TO WHEELS"

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Creature of the Wheel is a homegrown lifestyle brand of apparel and merchandise for those who ride. It is the vision of Andrew Hetzel, a freelance graphic designer & cyclist who lives and works in Northeast Wisconsin. I discovered cycling as a life-changing hobby in 2017 after I made serious commitments to improve my mental and physical health.

During this same time, I began “incubating” a brand of lifestyle wear for those who ride, inspired by my new found passion for cycling. COTW (as it is known in shorthand) was simply a creative branding “side project” that I worked on in my spare time while building my freelance graphic design client base.

MY CREATIVE AND PERSONAL LIFE WAS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN IN AUGUST OF 2018

Just 4 short months after starting my career as a full-time freelance graphic designer.  I contracted a deadly strain of e-coli with a life-threatening complication. I was hospitalized for 4 weeks in critical condition in UW Madison Hospital in Wisconsin.

Miraculously, I beat the odds against me and not only survived, I recovered fully in just 5 short months. Multiple doctors attributed a large part of my survival to the excellent physical & cardiovascular health that I earned from cycling in the 18 months prior to becoming severely ill.

As soon as I was healthy enough to work, Creature of the Wheel was elevated from fledgling side project to serious business vision. There are those that have passion for their hobbies…I owed my very life to cycling and what it had prepared me for when I was near-death. Creature of the Wheel is built around the passion and excitement that 2 wheels have brought to me in just a few short years.

My vision for the brand and products is for anyone of any age or gender - the only qualification is to have your own set of “wheels”, whether that be a bicycle, skateboard, scooter, motorcycle, hoverboard, etc.

If you have have wheels, you are a creature!

Andrew Hetzel - Founder of Creature Of The Wheel™