Passion: Bicycle
Some reach for it occasionally some while the others see it as a form of commute. However, a sizable group of people see it this as a life passion. For Grzegorz Jędryka (Senior Java Developer at HL Tech) a bicycle is an inseparable work-life balance element.
Programming vs. cycling
Some say programming is like riding a bike – once you’ve learned it, you never forget how to do it. As Grzegorz claims, there are many more similarities between these activities.
First of all, there is an element of rivalry. A strive for perfection in both, sport and IT:
“I have this personality trait – I like when everything is buttoned up. I always do my best to polish my code to the highest standards. This also translates into bike races. An ambition, this need to be at the top of the leaderboard, continuous growth towards perfection.” – says Grzegorz.
On the other side we have a work-life balance. Sport helps him reset the mind. As he continues: “When you’re on a trail there’s no time to think about anything else. I concentrate on the route, hoops and picking the optimal path.”
In the beginning was… the MTB
So when this affair has begun? “I always had a bike.” – Grzegorz recalls.
At first, it was simply for recreational purposes. Short distances, trips with friends. Afterwards, first employment and bike commute to work. That’s when he met another cycling enthusiast with whom he trained. Together they were taking part in such events as Mazovia MTB Marathon and Poland Bike. The aim of such competitions is to get through the trail as fast as you can. Better results guarantee promotion to higher tier, where first one is for the quickest contenders. In regard to the Mazovia MTB Marathon, there were twelve of them and Grzegorz reached as high as second tier!
Obviously, such this kind of passion requires equipment. Shortly after his first competition, Grzegorz purchased a professional MTB bike. Today, he owns two and plans to acquire a third one – a race bike adapted to longer, road routes.
No empty runs
Grzegorz suspended his adventure with competitions when his colleague suffered from injury. That’s when he went on to riding just for himself, which meant an average of 250 km a week! Monday to Friday, commuting to and from work equals approximately 175km. Above that, once a week he goes for a much longer trail, which normally rounds up to an additional 70-80km. He plans his trips carefully by combining forest paths, sand segments, some roots and other obstacles normally seen at bike marathons.
Kilometers for a good cause
He also has adequate “company” motivation – Grzegorz is a leader of Activy challenge, where he achieves impressive records on a regular basis. Taking part in it brings an extra good to society – every kilometer equals 1 pln donated to charity organisations.
Occasionally, he also goes for a rides with his friends. Those are usually much shorter and easier routes than those he’s used to. So, what’s next with competitions? Grzegorz considers his comeback and notes it would be beneficial to have a colleague to train and pump up those kilometers.
If this post awakens a bit of healthy rivalry and you’re passionate about bikes just like Grzegorz, don’t forget to let us know in the comments!
To wrap it up, we wish him plenty of new trails to discover and further participation in competitions!