Many of us get carried away by our minor achievements on Strava but one cyclist in Ukraine deserves more kudos than most after getting out on his bike for 80km despite the Russian invasion.
The cyclist – registered on Strava as Stas PCLG – went out for a ride in the Kyiv area on Sunday for 80km and then posted it on Strava despite the presence of Russian troops in the general area.
The Russian ground troops are now bearing down on the city, while rockets have landed in residential areas inside Kyiv. However, that didn’t stop the Ukrainian cyclist getting out on Sunday morning for a leisurely 80km which took just over five hours, with stops.
When he posted his ride on Strava he was met with a series of messages from other cyclists urging him to be careful but willing him on and admiring his ability to still get out on the bike.
Asked whether it was safe to go out cycling considering the very dangerous situation in the region, he replied: “Every few hours an air raid signal sounds, but few people pay attention to it. Sometimes a projectile or rocket arrives and destroys a residential building.”
Asked by another Strava user if the Russian troops had come into his region around Kyiv he said: “Russian soldiers made their way earlier in small groups from the north, but they were very quickly found and destroyed. Now they are mainly concentrated in the northwest direction from Kyiv.”
You can check out his Strava at this link.
Morning ride, Sunday March 13th, Kyiv
