“In 2015, before I turned 40, I thought I should exercise. Until now, all I had done was breathing exercises. I was wondering what I could do with my hobby at the same time and ended up riding a cycle. At the time, I was not in a department where I could arbitrarily adjust my time, so I couldn’t even dare to play sports that matched other people’s schedules, such as badminton or tennis. I looked for an exercise that I could do alone or with someone else, and since my older brother was also riding at the time, I chose cycling. I thought I could travel while exercising. “There were many advantages of cycling.”
Kim Chang-woo (47), head of LG U+’s security operations team, started cycling for health and hobby while working in Daejeon, and is now an expert who can cycle 400 km a day.
“At first, I rode for about 1 to 2 hours almost every day after work. On weekends and holidays, I went on a nationwide tour, including the Four Major Rivers. Just two years after starting cycling, I achieved the 1853km cross-country Grand Slam, completing 12 bicycle paths across the country, including the entire country from Incheon to Eulsuk Island in Busan. “After I was assigned to Seoul in 2018, I commuted to work by cycle.”
I ran a 50km round trip from my home in Ilsan, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do to my office in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. It’s about 22km one way, but when I go up and down Sky Park and Noeul Park on the way home from work, I run about 50km a day. It rides even when it rains. When it snows, I have no choice but to use public transportation.
![“Commuting 50 km round trip on a cycle… “My body has become more muscular.”[양종구의 100세 시대 건강법]](https://dimg.donga.com/wps/NEWS/IMAGE/2024/10/19/130244187.1.jpg "“Commuting 50 km round trip on a cycle… “My body has become more muscular.”[양종구의 100세 시대 건강법]")
“Cycling completely changed my body. There was no change in my weight, but I lost almost all of my fat and became muscular. Before cycling, whenever the seasons changed, I would get sick and cough a lot. Since riding, I haven’t caught a cold, except for the novel coronavirus infection. At first, I traveled about 440km from Seoul to Busan in 4 nights and 5 days, but now it only takes one day. Recently, there was a three-day competition designed to be a 1,000km round trip between Seoul and Busan, and I ran 360km on the first day, 340km on the second day, and 300km on the last day.”
Although cycling is known as an aerobic exercise, it is also very helpful in strengthening muscles. When you ride a cycle, you have to run uphill and downhill, and when you go uphill, you train the muscles of your entire body, including your lower body, abdominal muscles, and upper body. For this reason, young people enjoy uphill riding, which involves continuously climbing 2 to 3 kilometers, including Namsan, Inwangsan, and Bukaksan in Seoul. There are many famous uphill riding courses across the country, especially in Gangwon, Gyeonggi Province. There are many cases where people with bad backs say that after riding a cycle, the muscles around their backs improve and the pain disappears. In particular, cycling is known as a good exercise for people of all ages as it provides aerobic and anaerobic exercise without putting strain on joints such as knees.
Mr. Kim has been active in the Korea Randonneurs Association since 2019. Randonneurs (Randonneur) means ‘traveler who goes around in a circle’ in French, and it also refers to cyclists who ride long distances between 200 and 1,200 km or more under their own power without external help. It doesn’t have to be a cycle, as long as it is something that a person can ride under his or her own power, but most people ride a cycle. The purpose is a non-competitive cycle tour.
A year after becoming a Randonneur, I crossed the Baekdudaegan Mountain Range. You can cycle along the Baekdudaegan mountain range from Goseong, Gangwon-do to Jeongnyeongchi, Jiri Mountain. The hellish course, which has a total length of 1,760km and an elevation gain of over 40,000m, is divided into four sections. Each section runs a difficult uphill course with a distance of 400 to 460 km and an elevation gain of 10,000 m within the stipulated time (15 km/1 hour). If you complete the four courses within one year, your name will be included in the Hall of Fame. Authentication must be performed at major checkpoints (CPs) to prevent detours from the designated route. Of the 20,000 Randonneurs, less than 100 have trekked the Baekdudaegan Mountain Range.
Mr. Kim is attached to the ‘R12 Award’ given by the Korea Randonneurs Association. If you complete a race of 200km or more at least once every month for a year, you will receive a medal. Mr. Kim has received this medal for four consecutive years and is on the verge of receiving the award for the fifth consecutive year. Mr. Kim especially likes adventure among the challenges provided by the Korea Randonneurs Association. The Adventure Challenge takes you through rough and remote small roads to see some of Korea’s most beautiful scenery.
“The Adventure Challenge takes you deep into the mountains and runs on forest roads. Sometimes I run on gravel roads, and sometimes I run on cement roads instead of asphalt. There are no cars or people, so it’s quiet. “More than anything, I love the feeling of running while looking at the wonderful scenery of nature.”
Mr. Kim has received the ‘Adventure Series’ award for three consecutive years since 2020, which is given to those who complete 6 or more adventure courses out of 24 adventure courses each year. In 2020, 12 courses were completed, and in 2022, all 24 courses were completed.
Mr. Kim has climbed the Baekdudaegan Mountain Range only once to date. Because it’s too hard.
“Randonneur’s races include 200, 300, 400, 600 and 1000km. Among them, 400km is the most difficult for me. The time limit for 400 km is 27 hours, but I try to finish quickly, so I finish in 20 to 22 hours. However, the Baekdudaegan Mountain Range has a high elevation gain and the course to be completed once is set at 400 to 460 km. As a result, I end up pushing my body to the limit. “I did it once, so I plan to do it again later.”
Mr. Kim left Busan in June of last year and ran 2,030 km through Jeonnam, Jeonbuk, Chungnam, Chungbuk, Seoul, Gangwon, Gyeongbuk, and Gyeongnam, returning to Busan. In hopes of hosting the 2030 Expo, Busan participated in a cycling competition that was completed in 203 hours, and completed the race in 8 days (192 hours).
“Actually, last year I tried to go to PBP (1,200 km round trip from Paris to Brest), a famous randonneurs competition in France. However, in order to complete Busan’s 2030 km, I postponed it until another opportunity. Since it is held once every four years, I will definitely complete the PBP in three years.”
Mr. Kim has been cycling with his wife for the past three years. So far, we have completed the 200km or more challenge together three times. However, my wife runs lightly rather than doing long distance challenges. He said, “When I’m not running long distances, I run short distances with my wife as if it were a pleasant walk. Have a cup of coffee and eat something delicious. “I’m also thinking about how to have fun riding a cycle while doing what I’m supposed to do as a randonneur,” he said.
His goal is to enjoy cycling consistently.
“Like the marathon, cycling is an honest exercise. You must be in the saddle and pedaling at least three days a week. If you want to enjoy it, you can ride 200 to 400 km, but if you have a good body, you can ride 20 to 60 km while enjoying it. If you can run 30 to 40 km per hour, it is much less difficult to run at 25 km per hour. I’m always trying to build a body like that. “I want to live as a randonneur even when I’m in my 70s or 80s.”
Mr. Kim started running three years ago.
“When I looked at the people around me who were good cyclists, I saw that they were all running. Some people run 1km in 4 minutes and 30 seconds. I also wanted to get better at cycling so I started running. At first, I ran 1km in 7 minutes. However, perhaps because I rode a cycle, which is an aerobic exercise, for a long time, my pace immediately dropped. “Now I can run 1km at a 5-minute pace.”
During lunch time, I go to the fitness center and run for 20 to 30 minutes. On days when there are no long-distance cycle tours, I ride 10 to 20 km. I also completed the 21.0975km half marathon course several times. The highest record is 1 hour and 43 minutes. He said, “I plan to complete the full course next year.”
“After running, I realized why people run. It builds the basic muscles of our body well, from the lower body to the upper body. If you run well, you’ll be better at other sports as well. The reason I exercise like this is not to live long. “It is to live healthy as long as you live.”
