Cyclist’s daily routine

First thing that shocked me was the number of people commuting to the town on the bike. In the Czech Republic, if two cyclists meet at the traffic lights, it’s usually rare. However, in Cambridge I did not even get through the traffic lights during first green and had to wait a few times for next green light. This number of people also gives rise to slight chaos and thus you have to be aware of what is happening around you. Sometimes people overtake you from left (and should overtake you from the right), sometimes they squeeze in between you and the person in front of you, and sometimes they just behave as though they were the only cyclist on the road.

As for the infrastructure, there is nothing to complain about. Not only are here separate lines for cyclists, there are even special paths for cyclists which go around the bus stops in a way that you do not have to go into the road. Besides, you can usually find special lines for cyclists in front of the traffic lights so that cars don’t overtake cyclists when starting. So especially in the mornings it is worth going on bike instead of bus or car as it saves a lot of time.

On the other hand, there were also things that surprised me a lot. I knew I would have to ride the bike on the left side of the road, still the first time was full of uncertainty. What is more, the brakes are also swapped which was really confusing in the beginning. Well, and the weather is usually against you. Even though it doesn’t rain that much, the weather is windy a lot so you often have to give out twice as much energy as usual.

Finally, a few tips for future Cambridge cyclists. First of all, you must have good clothes. Sometimes you have to cycle in the rain, which is not particularly pleasurable experience, especially if you have to spend the rest of the day in soaked trousers. Next, it is important to have front and rear lights as they are legal requirement. In addition, you need to become patient, because some cyclists just stop abruptly from time to time or overtake you on the wrong side. However, the most important thing is to know where is left and where is right, otherwise you are completely lost.