NOVOSIBIRSK: “Why not bike in the winter? When you bike, you don’t freeze, so there is no real difference from riding in warmer winter,” Stanislav, 31, 2nd from right, said as he rode around Novosibirsk with friends late on a snowy Friday night.
Stanislav says he rides up to -15c, but if he has to urgently get around town, he will bike even in -25c to avoid sitting in traffic. He hopes that Novosibirsk city administration will create bicycle lanes. The issue has been discussed, he said. “It would signify that we bikers exist as a segment of society…that we exist.”
Stanislav says he bikes for about 90 minutes in the evening a few days a week. The longest city ride was to the airport and back, covering about 56 kilometers, he said.
The number of bicyclists in Novosibirsk has jumped over the past few years, said Stanislav, though the numbers aren’t high in the winter. He put the number of winter bicycle riders at around 50-80.