City vs. countryside Cycling?

[AryaSnark]

Sounds a lot like London during rush hour conditions. The cyclists up there are pretty crazy and sometimes take their lives in their own hands with the way they weave between cars, buses and even go on the wrong side of the road when the correct side is chock-a-block with traffic. Same can be said about some of the motorcyclists but to a lesser extent.

If you think cyclists in London are crazy, you'd better not travel to the Netherlands. I've been in both places several times, mostly for professional reasons, and I still can't wrap my head around how reckless are the bikers in Holland, while the English ride like anybody else, at least from my point of view. The stereotype of the Dutch as "bike people" is actually true, cyclists are considered above both pedestrians and drivers there, or so it seems when you see somebody dashing on their bike in the front of a car, or getting angry because you didn't step aside just because you're on the sidewalk and the road is empty. Amsterdam and other major cities are the worst when it comes to this, but people in the coutnryside aren't without a fault either.

Now back to the topic... I don't have the luxury of living in my home town anymore, because there are no jobs there, but I'd always take countryside over city when it comes to leisure cycling. Minding the traffic kills all the joy for me, and then there's the fact that you can admire the beauty of nature, instead of dilapidating old buildings or boring suburban houses, like in the city where I live now.

 

[krnd]

I would have to go with countryside as my favorite, there's just no match for me. Being in Seoul you can find some amazing places to cycle in but the countryside shines with amazing roads and scenery, it's not so crowded and it's just the perfect kind of place to just relax and get away from the crowd.

 

[Damien Lee]

I like both but countryside is definitely my favorite. It's not difficult to see why as there's far less traffic and much better scenery to enjoy. Overall, I hardly ever feel stressed or anxious when I'm riding through the countryside, which I sometimes do experience when I'm riding through a city.

 

[cycle93]

I really love riding around the countryside, just taking nice trips and experiencing nature itself, but when I was commuting to work every day for years that was also a good experience.

I prefer the countryside, but can see the excitement and fun in city riding too.

 

[SkerleeWerg]

I love the countryside so much also, but I can never shake the feeling there's some bear that's gonna test my cadence out there somewhere

 

[Pixie_Dust]

I would definitely go for the countryside. Fresh air, beautiful views, tranquility, what no tot love? Living in the big city it can be hard to enjoy the ride. I prefer riding alone in general, so all the noise, people and traffic don't add any good.

 

[artyarson]

If I have a choice I would definitely pick up the latter as it's simply more fun. There are a lot of obstacles to riding in cities that don't have any kind of bike lanes. Moreover, the nature in the countryside makes the whole vibe way better.