Rose des Vents

    Aventures Bicyclétales ...

 Evolution
Travel towards the unknown, meet people, respect the Earth !!
 Home

Why on a bicycle ? 
 Who am I ?
 Where am I going ? 
 Why on a bicycle ?
Why go on a journey of 20,000 km … when 10,000 km would be enough by flying over the ocean ? Why spend 12 months on the road when only 12 hours would be necessary in the air ? Why so many efforts, when I could just sit and wait ?

Efficiency, speed, and very little effort - these are some really trendy values nowadays. By seeking and obtaining everything, immediately and easily, we lose both the taste of things and the appetite for life. In my opinion, we are missing the best of it.

Cycling, on the contrary, is getting back to what traveling really means. Cycling, in a word, it’s actually traveling, when flying -at best- is just about moving you from one place to another like an old piece of furniture. Cycling is also about holding your own destiny with a firm grip rather than letting it wander ; while you sit in the saddle, your are the only captain on board and you can choose to go wherever you want ! You are free.

This is what cycling is about, and this was my very first reason for choosing a bicycle as a travel companion ; but that’s not all, there is more … much more !
 Rando-velo
 Becoming CO2 neutral
 Travel journals
 Cycling Humanum Est
 Bicycle friends
 Previous trips
 FAQ
 Media
 Equipment
 Partners
 Links
 Bibliography
 Contact me
 Get the Newsletter
A bicycle is also one of the least polluting means of transportation known to date. What would be the point of getting ecstatic about the beauty of the Nature if it is right after having burnt 500 liters of kerosene* and rejected more than 2 tons of CO2 in the atmosphere** ? Two numbers corresponding to the pollution generated by a single passenger flying from Paris to Bangkok (one way only).

NEW : For more information about the pollution generated by motor transportation, click here !!

But a bicycle has still more to offer, besides being environmentally-friendly, ... and making a list of all its virtues would be endless, so I will only refer to the most striking :
  • Silence and smoothness, the exact opposite of the noisy, stinky petrol powered vehicles.
  • Consistent dependability, enabling travel on long distances with a minimal maintenance.
  • Simplicity, so it can be repaired anywhere.
  • Complicity with the cyclist, who maintains and strengthens his own body and muscles. 
  • Universality, making it look both familiar and friendly in the most remote parts of our world.
  • Diplomacy, by conveying positive and non-aggressive values to the local populations.
  • Celerity, giving you the possibility to ride a few hundred kilometers within a single day.
  • Slowness, so that you have enough time to contemplate the world, its marvelous sceneries, its unique beauty and all the friendly faces it is made of.
  • Sensuality, by removing all the filters you are usually surrounded with, a bicycle puts on alert all your five senses to a far greater extent than what you are used to. Now you can truly enjoy the smell of a pine tree, the song of a bird, the gentle heat of the sun on your skin, the amazing sight of a snow-peak ... or the indescribable taste of a fly you've just swallowed and have stuck in your throat !!

I feel compelled as well to pay tribute here to those who, having followed similar thoughts and aiming at similar goals, did not select the bicycle as a travel companion. I want to pay tribute to the walkers, runners, skateboard riders, swimmers or paddlers, because all of them deserve great respect too !

.
* a passenger on a long haul flight consumes 5 liters of kerosene per 100 km, this takes into account the actual average occupancy rate of 75% in the aviation industry.
** CO2 is the main greenhouse gas, responsible for the on-going global warming phenomenon.


.
Rando-Velo

.
All rights reserved : Copyrights © 2007 Frédéric LINGET