Rose Marie bikes to work and feels good!

Gazing out of the office window at the fifth floor, I can nearly see my home... This fact often made me consider the idea to come to work by bike. It would improve my condition without a supplementary time investment in sport.
Many obstacles prevented my thoughts from turning into action...Which route to take? How to organize? Are there facilities for cyclists? And especially...What about my condition? My condition was really poor.
Eventually a colleague convinced me to put all my hesitations aside and to try it out. The first time I "bikepooled" with a cycling colleague. It took me over 55 minutes to conquer a steep climb and to cover the 11 km to the office...
Today, about a month after that difficult start, I obtained a certain routine which facilitates considerably my organization: I decide to bike and to prepare everything the evening before so that I can leave early in the morning and am not tempted  to take my car.
It is still difficult, but I am improving: I am now in 45 minutes at the office... Still more important than time is that my body is boosted by this regular exercise. After all that's why I am doing it for! I feel good!

Oxygen on the bike...

Madani Cheurfa lives on 4 km from the office. Biking to work is less than an effort since it goes slightly downhill. "The return is a bit more difficult, but the climbing effort empties my mind so that I can pay all needed attention to my family once arrived at home". This is necessary because his daily task is very demanding.

Often he works off-site so that he lacks the benefits of biking to work. "I really miss those precious moments of coming by bike when I work in Luxemburg." So yes he is a fervent adept of cycling and for sure he will take care that his little boy one day will discover on his turn the beauties of cycling.
"Yes, of course that I am a cycling ambassador: I try to motivate my colleagues and now during the holidays they have no excuse anymore to try it out!"

Two inspiring stories...

!New! Where there's a will, there is a way! Motivation is the key to open many doors. That's what Bijou Maduangele Matondo and Koen Rosiers learned me. I personally never believed in success when Bijou knocked on my door: Bijou wanted to Start to Bike in the most literal sense of the word: she never did it before. With a stubborn determination she executed all wretched exercises and then suddenly she put both feet on the pedals and she was away...Amazing!

Koen came a bit afterwards. He gave up trying to cycle when he was only a child. As soon as we started the lessons, he bought a mountainbike so that he could continue exercising at home. Those exercises led to success.

Two new cyclists are born! Their objectives are different: Bijou wants to be ready for the traffic in September so that she can cover by bike the last 3 kilometer from her childrens' school to the office. Koen wants to explore the world by bike and discover the many nice roads that are closed for cars. 

Both still need intensive training on agility, but the final goal is: be ready for 1 september!

Never classify the unexpected as impossible!

Mark Huygh: much faster than by car!

Marc started to bike to work about 2 months ago. The most difficult was the practical side and  the planning of the first trips, going from taking 1h20 at the beginning to below 40 minutes 2 months later on a 15k traject. By car this would be an hour at the very least, providing traffic is not too bad. In the meantime he has become an experienced "bike-to-worker". His aim is to go every working day by bike to the office. His motivation is quite vast: no traffic jam, condition improvement, no stress, fun and a sense of achievement.

Catherine Schaner: carfree Sunday in Brussels

Past year I discovered Brussels by bike during the carfree Sunday. Together with my colleague Angelo I explored many surprising streets and views in our capital.

It was that funny that I decided to buy a bicycle. now I  come to the office by bike for so far the weather allows it (and that is quiet often). 
The bicycle I bought is one with a femminine touch: pink colour and nice gadgets.
I feel good, I am proud on my bike and on myself as a cyclist!

Peter Cserba: cycling is for lazy and impatient people...

Peter definetely is an experienced explorer who always takes his bike as a mean of transportation. Here is his story...

Peter's Passion

I started in Paris about 10 years ago, and it was like Bruxelles today : drivers were aggressive, you had to fight for your space and only a handful of people biked. Everything changed since then, and it's changing in Brussels too, so I have good hope for the future. Then I continued in Stockholm and Berlin and now Bruxelles.

Already very young my parents allowed me to bike to my sport classes alone (I was 13), so I never experienced fear. Now that I think about it, it seems a bit scary and I still don't understand how my parents -who are usually very protective- allowed me to do that. But thanks to them, it changed my life !

I truly love to bike, it's not an effort but a pleasure. Once you get to this point, nothing can stop you from riding, except your health.

The following adventures I'll never forget:

I bought my rickshaw near Liege and we went to pick it up with my girlfriend on a stormy day. My colleagues said I should 'not take the risk' so of course I did. The face of the couple who sold it, was priceless when we said we would bike home to Brussels. We did not reach Brussels that day, but made around 40km, it was more than enough.  Same thing happened when we bought the tandem and biked back from France to Belgium. The seller was like 'are you serious ?'. We made it (there was a snow-storm) and drunk good beer. Best souvenir(s) from our stay in Belgium.

To conclude this consideration...

Cycling is for lazy and impatient people.

Olivier Baeten: anticipate and lock your bicycle!

I bought my first bike with my first salary in 1992. Ever since I cycle to work and I cover 6 km from home(Etterbeek)  to work. Today I ride on my fourth bicycle (one being stolen because I let it unlocked for 15 minutes outside a café in Brussels).

Cycling keeps me fit and that is mainly why I am doing it for. When it rains I take the public transport. I would never want to change with a car because it's too slow in the city.  I anticipate on potential dangers and I feel  in the Brussels trafic as a fish in the water.