...for cycling to work.One hour, 15 minutes door to door, 18km, through the Las Kabacki forest, and along the cyclepaths of Ursynów, Dolinka Służewiecka, Belwederska, Agricola, Ujazdowski park. Only two kilometres of my entire journey to work is not along cyclepaths. For days when I don't need to take anything or anyone, and when my journey is not punctuated along the way, the bicycle is ideal for dry spring and summer days.
Today, I took it easy, cycling slow enough not to break sweat. My door-to-door record last summer has been as low as 51 minutes, but I'd turn up at the office extremely sweaty, requiring a wash and change of clothing. That, plus recovery from a fast ride, would take the best part of 20 minutes, so the advantages of haste are marginal.
Above: My way to work. Eight minutes after leaving home, I'm in the forest. A short run along this piece of woodland track and I'm on the main cycle path through the Las Kabacki, ul. Moczydłowska. At this time of year, at 8 am, the forest is gorgeous; the solitude, smells and sounds of nature are infinitely more pleasurable than the traffic jam on ul. Puławska.
Returning home from work in the evening, I did a 5km extension taking in the whole of the forest. On the stretch above, I saw a wild deer, no more than about 50m away, disappearing off into the trees. So today I covered around 40km, not bad for my first cycle commute of the year.
Today, I took it easy, cycling slow enough not to break sweat. My door-to-door record last summer has been as low as 51 minutes, but I'd turn up at the office extremely sweaty, requiring a wash and change of clothing. That, plus recovery from a fast ride, would take the best part of 20 minutes, so the advantages of haste are marginal.
Above: My way to work. Eight minutes after leaving home, I'm in the forest. A short run along this piece of woodland track and I'm on the main cycle path through the Las Kabacki, ul. Moczydłowska. At this time of year, at 8 am, the forest is gorgeous; the solitude, smells and sounds of nature are infinitely more pleasurable than the traffic jam on ul. Puławska.Returning home from work in the evening, I did a 5km extension taking in the whole of the forest. On the stretch above, I saw a wild deer, no more than about 50m away, disappearing off into the trees. So today I covered around 40km, not bad for my first cycle commute of the year.
This time last year:
What I miss about England
What I miss about England
quite nice route, unfortunately today admission to all the forests within Warsaw limits was forbidden due to the ongoing drought...
ReplyDeletePS. Is it common in Warsaw's offices that the employees have their lockers to keep their suits, shirts, etc. there and that there's a shower booth around. The lack of such facilities would surely put lots of people off cycling to work ro rather would make it even impossible - no man would ride his bike in suit in 20 degrees heat...
Funnily enough earlier this week one of our employees saw Paweł Poncyliusz riding a bike, in a suit, with a basket on the handlebars in which was a briefcase.
ReplyDeleteIf you ride slowly, you sweat no more than if you were walking. But in walking a kilometre, you expend as much energy as riding seven km on a bicycle.
usually one puts shopping bags into the handlebar basket... ;)
ReplyDeleteMy body is specific - I feel the heat much more intensely than other people (temperatures above 25 degrees are almost unbearable), so I sweat quickly, without getting tired at all, so after ten km long ride I wouldn't be exhausted at all, but surely soaking with sweat...
but nevertheless idea of commuting by bike is praiseworthly