Cycling to work, so fun and healthy

Happily pushing her bicycle with a slanted frame and carrying a laptop backpack, Tran Ha Thai Quyen (35 years old, living in District 11, Ho Chi Minh City) cycled to the office 2.3 km from her home. She has been cycling to work for many years, sometimes working two shifts, morning and evening, so she goes back and forth four times.

Besides going to work, Mr. Le Dinh Luan also rides his bike to see the beautiful roads of the city - Photo: YEN TRINH

Every morning on the street, the image of young people cycling in the middle of busy traffic gradually becomes familiar. Not necessarily traveling entirely by bicycle, but some people want to change their lifestyle, some people cycle as a way of exercise...

Two sisters share a bike ride

Quyen smiled and said: "We have one motorbike and one bicycle at home, so my sister and I share the ride. Riding a bicycle is not inconvenient because it is relatively close." When she went to work at the Binh Tan district branch, she cycled nearly 8km each way through 3 Thang 2 and Hong Bang streets...

The area where Quyen lives has an open alley and lots of trees, so she also rides her bike to buy small items at shops near her house. When meeting friends who are not too far away, she chooses a bike if she is not in a hurry. In addition to exercising, Quyen finds that cycling is a simple, economical way to live, without the need for gas or maintenance like a motorbike.

Loving the green lifestyle, cycling according to Quyen contributes a small part to her lifestyle, besides using environmentally friendly products. However, on the road there are mostly cars and motorbikes, bicycles become "small", requiring the rider to focus on observing, especially when crossing the street because there is no loud horn or rearview mirror like motorbikes.

During the rainy season, if it rains lightly, Quyen doesn't see any problem. "But on rainy nights, when I'm going home from work, the road is sometimes flooded, making it difficult to see, or the wind is strong and hard to pedal. Sometimes I walk to be safe because I'm afraid of encountering a crooked manhole cover," she said. Every vehicle has its problems, like the time when I got off work and had a flat tire, Quyen walked home to change the inner tube the next morning...

After a cycling tour through Ma Da forest (Dong Nai), Mr. Le Dinh Luan (38 years old, living in Thu Duc City) invested in a mountain bike worth nearly 50 million VND. From Thu Duc City to his company on Cong Hoa Street (Tan Binh District) to work, he often goes along Mai Chi Tho Street, Ba Son Bridge, or towards Saigon Bridge, Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe embankment, a distance of 45 - 50km.

"I usually leave home at 6:30 and it takes me about an hour to commute. Of course, I don't ride my bike every day, because sometimes I take my kids to school," he said. He considers cycling a sport and has been cycling to work for 3 years now, so he feels normal, his heart rate and body have adapted. At first, he felt heavy, so he had to practice lightly and then gradually increase the intensity.

Tran Ha Thai Quyen happily rides her bike to work - Photo: YEN TRINH

Relaxing cycling, watching the city

Phan Giang (32 years old, living in Go Vap district) was given a bicycle in October 2023 and said that at first she was not used to using too much strength. "Since I started working, I have only been riding a motorbike, rarely walking, let alone cycling. Especially in Ho Chi Minh City, the weather is hot, there are traffic jams, and there are many large intersections. Riding a bicycle in the city, except in the early morning, when there are many motorbikes, it is more inconvenient," she said.

Giang believes that if she overcomes these obstacles, she will find cycling useful and enjoyable. In addition to using it to go to work on suitable days, Giang rides her bike in the park near her house to relax, exercise, or on open roads to see the city. When she feels like it, she goes a little further, like the time she went to Can Gio - Vung Tau with a group of friends.

"I also like adventure, if possible I want to challenge myself and explore further routes," she said. According to Giang, cycling helps connect more friends, thereby creating new experiences and joys.

Similarly, Mr. Luan said that cycling helps him feel more relaxed. He said: "Riding in the early morning and cool afternoon makes me feel healthier and gives me time to slowly look at life. Cycling helps me relieve stress, observe the outside world, and reduce my dependence on my phone... The bike weighs 10kg and can be lifted to cross traffic jams." According to him, cycling slowly allows me to capture moments that cannot be repeated, such as when the dawn breaks with orange clouds in a certain area.

Because of the long distance, he often brings his office clothes to change into at the company. He shared that one problem when cycling or playing sports before going to work is sweating, but companies often do not have bathrooms.

"This is an obstacle when you want to cycle to work. And cycling is not for those who care too much about overall beauty, for example, sun, sweat... Cycling continuously makes your legs two-toned, from the knees down, they are dark. Not to mention when it rains, you get muddy, it's very difficult to wash your clothes clean," he said with a laugh, adding that he has overcome this inconvenience.

Stick with cycling, form a long-distance cycling group

Loving cycling, Luan said that now he and his group of friends cycle about 200km normally. On weekends, people often choose beautiful routes to ride such as Can Gio, Nui Dinh, Tri An Lake.

He and his friends developed skills, such as when the car had a flat tire or was damaged, there were repair tools ready in the side pockets. When the car's tires or brakes wore out, he could buy replacement parts himself. Every six months, he took the car to the dealer to have its condition checked.

The group set a target for each member to cycle at least 6,000km a year, but he set himself 10,000km. "The Tet holiday doesn't count because I'm busy, so I cycle about 900km a month, about 250-300km a week, which is totally doable," he said confidently.

Those who are familiar with cycling say that beginners should start with short distances of 5-10km to allow the body to adapt, with a speed of 8-12km/h in the first days. You can join cycling groups to gain motivation and experience.

Bicycles come in many types such as racing, off-road, electric-assist (when tired, turn on electric mode, then switch to pedal mode to charge the small battery), office workers actually only need a regular functional bike (touring line) for a few million dong, which is affordable.

7/10 people who cycle to work have more energy

Forbes magazine cited a survey by the ebike.org (US) cycling community with more than 1,000 respondents, of which 363 people started cycling to work and the rest used other means of transport.

The results showed that 7 out of 10 people who cycled to work, an average of more than 6km from home, "felt their hearts pounding and the wind on their faces every morning" and felt more energetic. 51% of people reported reduced stress, a balanced life, motivation to innovate... and saved $48/week (about 1.2 million VND). This also helped them feel more connected to the city and motivated to reduce carbon emissions.

Responding on the health website WebMD (USA), Dr. Jabeen Begum (AIG Hospital, India) said that cycling helps burn calories, maintain a healthy weight, is good for the heart and lungs, and reduces the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and some types of cancer...

Cycling helps save money on gas, improves health and long distance travel is also fun.

Lots of "toys" for bicycles

The market has many types of bicycle accessories, such as saddle bags and side bags, transparent phone bags... with prices starting from a few hundred thousand Dong.

Cycling is suitable for those who go to work relatively close by or on open roads, combined with exercise. For distances over 10km, you should buy a suitable bike, bring water, a few packs of candy in case of low blood pressure. You should wear a helmet, wear bright, contrasting colors so that other vehicles can easily see because the bike has a slow speed. At night, the bike should have lights and should not go far.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/dap-xe-di-lam-vui-khoe-qua-xa-20250302091925035.htm