Above-zero temperatures are here to stay, so I declare bicycle season started.

I commuted to Sortera at Liljeholmen by bike for the first time yesterday, following the (to me) most obvious path: Spångavägen to Brommaplan, Drottningholmsvägen to Alvik, then across Tranebergsbron bridge and Västerbron bridge and Liljeholmsbron bridge straight to Liljeholmen.

That’s a lot of bridges. And the bridges in Stockholm generally are quite high above the water, to leave space for boats and what not. Tranebergsbron is a serious hill to climb.

Today I tried a different route, with only two bridges. Google says it’s 800 metres and 2 minutes shorter, and has 10 metres less of ascent. True, but Gröndalsbron bridge is even steeper than the others.

On the minus side, the cycle path shares Gröndalsbron with a ten-lane, heavily trafficked motorway. It’s noisy, windy, and the road surface on the cycle path is in bad shape. On the plus side (beyond the numbers) most of this route feels quieter and has far fewer cyclists, which I rather like. And am glad to avoid the bottlenecks and traffic lights at Alvik and Västerbron. So I kind of like it.

Or maybe it’s just the appeal of something new.