Biking to work is a great way to get where you need to go. You're fitting a workout into a busy day, reducing your pollution footprint, avoiding traffic jams.
19th of May is International Bike To Work Day and to mark this day, we asked the members of HASELT team that are coming to work by bike to share their stories and how they benefit from this way of transportation. Here are their stories:
Jane is our Lead Designer in the Hyper Arrow team, responsible for beautifying the world through conceptualization and design of solutions and all the creative work. Read why he enjoys riding a bike.
1. What inspired you to use a bike as a transport to work? What did you use before?
I just love riding my bike, especially in the morning. It gives me some unique freshness in my mind to start the day right. Also, it’s the most effective transport vehicle for moving through this city. Before riding a bike to work, I used the public transport (bus) to get to work and I straight up hate it. Sometimes walk, which is also nice.
2. How has it changed your life? Share your bike-to-work story.
It’s helping me a lot with my daily activity. Because of our very busy schedules, we get so little time to do proper exercise throughout the day - and we all need it. So riding a bike to work and back home again is one simple activity that I get to do every single day. Also, it helps to remove the stress that comes with the traffic. Traffic in this city is sooo bad, that I’ll do anything in my power to avoid it. And you just feel really good getting those extra endorphins in your body in the morning. Nothing beats that.
3. Name the top 5 benefits you think people in your field of work get out of cycling?
You get your daily dose of activity, your creative juices start flowing faster, your mind seems to get clearer in the morning, you feel more relaxed - no traffic stress, and it just feels so good to ride a bike.
Viktor is Front-End Developer at HASELT and he is using his bike a lot, to commute, but also for sport.
1. What inspired you to use a bike as a transport to work? What did you use before?
I needed no inspiration to start using my bike. I've started riding a bike as a child, from my early 12 years, so it becomes my main transportation. When the weather is bad (rain, snow) I usually use bus or car.
2. How has it changed your life? Share your bike-to-work story.
One change that I really feel is that after a good ride my back is not hurting me.
3. Name the top 5 benefits you think people in your field of work get out of cycling?
You will need less time to sleep, positive feelings early in the morning, good physical condition, no traffic stress. Keep calm and ride on!
Petar is using his bike to come to work, but also for sport. He is a Software Development Engineer here at HASELT and read why biking is part of his daily routines:
1. What inspired you to use a bike as a transport to work? Share your bike-to-work story.
Riding bicycle is fun and healthy too. I live 10 minutes from work by walking, but I still use the bike as a transport. Sometimes after work, I cycle to the nearest mountain, to the place known as Sredno Vodno or along the quay of river Vardar.
2. Name the top 5 benefits you think people in your field of work get out of cycling?
Positive mood to start the day with; save time; save money, reduce stress and it's a fun way to get fit.
Stefan works as Front-end Developer and UI UX Designer here at HASELT. He is responsible for designing graphic solutions for web and mobile & front-end implementation. Read his story:
1. What inspired you to use a bike as a transport to work? What did you use before?
Nothing really inspired me. I just use it. The bicycle is my primary mean of transportation for 10 years now. Before I guess I just walked or took the bus.
2. How has it changed your life? Share your bike-to-work story.
Well, as it’s my only physical activity, it’s great for me. Riding almost 10 kilometers every day keeps me fit.
3. Name the top 5 benefits you think people in your field of work get out of cycling?
Staying fit without the need to train something else, more energy, better sleep!
Aleksandar is also one of the guys that are commuting to work by bike. He is Software Development Engineer at HASELT, working on developing web solutions and cool IoT stuff.
1. What inspired you to use a bike as a transport to work? What did you use before?
Getting there faster and not waiting in traffic jams, used to walk and by car.
2. How has it changed your life? Share your bike-to-work story.
Have more time to do other stuff which I would otherwise spend commuting.
3. Name the top 5 benefits you think people in your field of work get out of cycling?
Workout, save nerves that you lose while stuck in an endless traffic jam, instant wake-up especially on chilly mornings, decreased stress, improved joint mobility.
And last but not least, me, Viktorija, I'll share you my story :) I'm Marketing Specialist at HASELT and Marketing Coordinator at Hyper Arrow, responsible for planning, developing and implementing marketing strategies, as well as creating and designing visuals in service of our marketing activities. These are my answers:
1. What inspired you to use a bike as a transport to work? What did you use before?
From my teen days I'm physically active, so using my bike to come to work was natural for me because it helps me to stay healthy and in good shape. It's also environmentally friendly, which is really important to me. Before (and every now and then) I was using public transportation (bus), and it's not my favorite way to commute to work.
2. How has it changed your life? Share your bike-to-work story.
It hasn't changed, it was always part of my life. :) I started using a bike as my main transportation when I was at faculty, and from March to October it's my primary way to transit since we have new bike trails in Skopje and now it's really easy and fast.
3. Name the top 5 benefits you think people in your field of work get out of cycling?
Quality of life is a great reason to bike to work, for people of any profession. If I need to choose 5 benefits, that would be:
- It saves money. It's cheaper than driving or any other transport if you live on more than 2 km from work and it's a free gym.
- It saves time. If you don't have time to exercise before or after work, this is the best way to combine both transport and workout. Plus, it's faster than a car in traffic. ^_^
- It saves the planet. It's empowering to get to work with nothing but your own energy, bicycling uses no fuel.
- It makes you smarter! Moderate, daily exercise can sharpen memory and learning, improve overall brain performance and boost creativity.
- It makes you healthier. It improves cardiovascular and aerobic fitness, lowers blood pressure, boosts energy, builds muscle, and improves coordination.
We hope that our stories will inspire and motivate many others to start using a bike as a transport and use all the benefits it offers. Happy Bike To Work Day!
