The footprint of Jan Christiaens

A daily dose of exercise is good for everyone. Exactly Jan Christiaens’ thought when he started cycling to work a few years ago. “Partly for my own health, of course”, he says, “both my physical and mental health that is. I struck me that I liked the idea of clearing my head before and after work.” And there’s more than enough time for that, because Jan lives in the centre of Leuven and his place of employment is 15 km away, at our Kampenhout site. That means he cycles over 30 km daily, and about 600 every month.

Quite a distance, but his physical and mental health are not Jan’s only reason for taking his bicycle out of the shed every day. “I always choose a nice route along the canal. You see different things, a fox or a hawk here and there, and you ride through a peaceful piece of nature. I really enjoy that. Especially when I have been working in the warehouse all day, it is nice to step outside after work and not have to get straight into your car. You see much more of the life around you when you are on the saddle.

Cycling was not at all new to Jan. He lives near the centre of Leuven and his bike is his main means of transport. “You can’t do without a bike in the city. You leave your front door and arrive at your destination within minutes.” Jan also covers the longer distances with a normal bicycle, although he is now considering buying an electric one. “I’d rather just keep pedalling on my own non-electric bike”, he says, “but about five years ago I had a serious accident which took me quite some time to recover from. That’s when I started noticing that my body is getting older. I may have to start taking things slower in the following years, and fortunately that is an option. Cycling is and remains a great way to put less strain on nature and to give your body and mind some space.”

Did you know that … Jan saves about 1814 kg of CO2 emissions annually with his passion for cycling? And that H.Essers compensates you for the kms you cycle? That amount can be as much as €150 per month. So join in and ride your bike regularly, just like Jan!

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