Similar in Germany. The "we are done playing, ignore this and go to jail" mail will be sent in a special yellow envelope most of the time.

I'm in my mid thirties in Germany and literally never got or sent a single check.

Wenn man es geschickt anstellt, könnte man das evtl sogar lokal im E-Perso machen, ohne dass man überhaupt eine staatliche API benutzen muss.

That is just plain wrong. People that switch over to cycling and are successful within a few years are athletes from other disciplines. You can not build up the necessary cardio to be an olympic level cyclist in just a few years.