Deze post schreef ik eigenlijk voor een ander platform, maar verdient hier ook wel een plekje. Dat is echter wél de reden dat deze Engelstalig is.
A little while ago, after attending a real life meeting, an acquaintance phoned me for a quick 1-on-1 follow-up. I was in #traffic, and although the notification popped up on my bicycle navigation, I let the call go to voicemail, like I always do when riding. Later that afternoon, he brought up the fact that I didn’t answer, but then quickly concluded that I probably couldn’t pick up while cycling. I explained:
It’s very much possible to pick up the phone in a velomobile. You can get noise-cancelling headsets that manage to separate the wind and the rumble of the carbon fiber body from a voice, without issue. I usually commute at a heartrate of +/- 130 bpm, at which it’s no problem to engage in a normal conversation either.
But cycling is a humbling experience. You actually FEEL how vulnerable you are when riding a bike or a trike in busy traffic. A car isolates your senses, and makes it way too easy to unknowingly ignore how much destructive force you can generate with just a tiny move of your right foot.
So, do you know how much influence a simply handsfree phone call has one your driving skills? More than two pints of beer will. 👇🏽
