{"id":25916,"date":"2015-01-22T15:25:28","date_gmt":"2015-01-22T14:25:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/?p=25916"},"modified":"2015-01-22T15:39:50","modified_gmt":"2015-01-22T14:39:50","slug":"extreme-world-winter-commuting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2015\/01\/22\/extreme-world-winter-commuting\/","title":{"rendered":"The extreme world of the winter cycling community"},"content":{"rendered":"

Imagine cycling 45 kilometres to work every day during heavy snowfall. There is a fraction of daily commuters who challenge themselves to cycle during winter as much as they can. Read the story of people who fight the weather for pure joy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Extreme bike commuting has found a small but devoted following in many big cities. While there have been no formal studies of the trend, transportation experts and cycling advocates say the number of suburban bike commuters is growing. It’s not just young people, also older bikers can be found.<\/p>\n

\"a_winter_of_cyclists4\"<\/a><\/p>\n

“There’s a gym in my office. I shower and come out looking like an accountant,\u201d says Hains-Joachim Schmitz (57) from Frankfurt who cycles more than 45 kilometres to his office and back every day.<\/p>\n

“The Amundsen challenge<\/strong>\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When talking about extremes the distance is not the only topic. For some bikers the low temperature is no reason to change their bikes for other means of transport. They\u2019d rather die than to give up their daily portion of peddling to their jobs. In the United States there\u2019s a community participating in\u00a0the \u2018Icy Bike Winter Commuting Challenge\u2019<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"VegasGrab5\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The task is to\u00a0use your bike for commuting to work 52 times between October and March<\/strong>. The idea is not designed to be a competition, it\u2019s a challenge to those willing to put on some gloves and shoe covers, get out there, to show what people are made of and to keep the pedals turning through the winter. But don\u2019t forget to\u00a0keep your bike in a good condition\u00a0during winter.<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

So “crazy”<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>they make a movie about you<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There\u2019s even a film about the movement called \u201dA Winter of Cyclists\u201d that captures the inaugural biking event. The film follows twelve cyclists as they attempt to cycle commute during the winter months.<\/p>\n