in the countryside, bike rides are not always peaceful

In Ranspach (Haut-Rhin), in the hills of Alsace, a family gathers strength before leaving. Here, everyone travels by bike. Among rural people, this is a choice that is an exception. According to a study, 80% of daily journeys in the countryside are made by car. In the morning, Laurent, the father, leaves his car in the garage. This foreman in a printing works uses his bicycle to go to work. “We left for 16 kilometres. It’s a habit, it’s not very long in fact. We go barely slower than by car”confides Laurent.

These daily journeys represent a significant saving for this family, around 70 euros per month. Laurent has chosen a recumbent bike, which he finds particularly comfortable. Going to work becomes a pleasure. “We feel everything outside, we hear the noise and the smells”, he explains. But the pleasure is spoiled when it is a few centimeters from a truck or when the cycle path stops in the middle of the village. The countryside is not always suitable for cycling.