Pollution puts brakes on pedal power

Flat as a mahjong board, the guide book begins, "Beijing is perfect for cycling." I'd like to respectfully disagree.

I cycled to work for the first time last week and discovered the hard way that Beijing is not perfect for cycling. It's a terrible city to cycle in.

After three months of trying various methods of getting to work, each longer and more convoluted than the last, I finally gave it a go.