Kolarstwo romantyczne

Cycling beyond numbers and competition

In a world dominated by watts, heart rate, Strava segments and increasingly detailed training plans, it is easy to forget why we got on a bike in the first place. Szymon Kotowski - known online as Szymonbike - presents a different perspective on riding in his book „Kolarstwo Romantyczne”. Instead of focusing solely on results and optimization, he draws attention to the journey itself, contact with nature, solo adventures, spontaneity and emotions that cannot be reduced to a spreadsheet or statistics.

It is a personal and reflective book about cycling, in which the author's experiences become a starting point for a broader look at modern sport. Szymon Kotowski contrasts a pragmatic, result-oriented approach with the idea of romantic cycling - riding for the experience itself, discovering new places and finding satisfaction in what happens along the way.

Why is „Kolarstwo Romantyczne” worth reading?

• A different perspective on modern cycling: The author shows how strongly sport can become subordinated to results, numbers and external judgments, while at the same time reminding us of the emotions that come from riding itself.
• Process over results: The book contrasts romantic sport with pragmatic sport and shows that satisfaction does not have to come only at the finish line. The journey itself, the effort and the experience gained while riding can be just as important.
• Mountains, adventures and moments of solitude: Together with the author, we visit Alpine passes such as Nufenen and Flüela, where cycling becomes a way to connect with nature and experience moments at your own pace.
• A satirical look at sports optimization: The „robot” experiment described in the book shows where an attempt to make riding entirely about efficiency and to eliminate everything spontaneous and human can lead.

„True, honest passion. Simply doing what you want to do. Without a goal, without competition, without the promise of rewards. (...) Feeding the soul, not the ego”

Who is this book for?

• For road cyclists, gravel riders and anyone who enjoys discovering cycling from different perspectives.
• For lovers of mountains, cycling adventures and long rides, for whom cycling is about more than just training.
• For people interested in cycling culture, stories from the road and a more reflective view of sport.
• For anyone who sometimes likes to put the bike computer aside and simply enjoy the ride.

„Kolarstwo Romantyczne” is also an interesting gift for a cyclist or bike enthusiast. Instead of another cycling accessory, you can give someone a story that stays with the reader for longer and allows them to look at a familiar sport from a completely different perspective. The book can be a good choice for road or gravel riders as well as for anyone who loves cycling journeys, mountains and stories connected with the world of cycling.

This book is not a training manual. It is a book about the idea that in cycling, the journey, freedom and moments experienced along the way can be just as important as pace, distance and results.

About the author: Szymon Kotowski (Szymonbike)

Szymon Kotowski, known as Szymonbike, was involved in the world of cycling for years as an MTB and road racing competitor. He trained with a club until around the age of 23, experiencing the discipline of structured training, counting watts and pressure to achieve results, which ultimately led to sporting burnout. His experiences from different areas of the cycling world allowed him to look at sport not only through the lens of competition and training, but also through travel, nature and personal experiences.

As a cycling guide in Spain's Sierra Nevada, a photographer and the creator of szymon.bike, he presents a vision of cycling in which the journey, the landscape and the way the ride is experienced are just as important as the destination. He is characterized by a distinctive, reflective and often poetic writing style as well as a refined photographic aesthetic. He carries out his projects mainly in Southern Europe (Spain, Italy),