Half a year ago, I hated cycling and would not do even 5km on a flat terrain in great weather. Now I routinely cycle 150+ kilometres a week, including in the Apocalypse-grade Atlantic storms! The difference? Infrastructure.

Moved from a car-centric hellhole where cycling was a deathwish, to a city with a spectacular network of bikes / e-bikes for rent, cycling lanes and bike highways, public repair stations, secure parking sheds etc.etc. After a few months of testing myself on the city e-bikes, I've decided to bite the bullet and bought a cheap, second-hand, traditional Omafiet ("grandma bike").

It's honestly the biggest positive change in my life in years. Lost a ton of weight, gained a ton of energy, zipping everywhere twice as fast as the buses. But most importantly: after years of being stuck in a 5km2 zone due to not driving and having no public transport…I can finally go wherever I want. I can cycle through the nature, or discover historic sites, or meet a friend for a coffee in a nearby town not served by buses. I can go on day trips, weekend trips, hell, even cycle around the whole coast if I can afford one day. Best spent 100 euro in my life.