Christmas, as a season, has a way of bringing out the best in people.
Yes, it can be a sad time too, but for the most part, people get caught up in all the decorating and the giving, and they start to do good things. Or, if nothing else, at least creative things.
RELATED STORIES
Yes, the Christmas spirit can make people do some pretty funky and creative things.
I mean, there’s being in a festive mood, and then there’s buying up enough Christmas lights that you run the risk of confusing planes trying to land.
But hey, when the spirit grips you, you’ve got to run with it. Or, if you’re Anthony Hoyte, you cycle with it.
Hoyte isn’t just an avid cyclist — he’s also something of a street artist.
He maps out routes in his Strava app not just with the intent of finding an interesting view along the way, but to have some art when he’s all done.
Just check out how he turned his ride around the streets of Birmingham, U.K., into a couple of elephants. Not bad, right?
Creating art from your GPS route is kind of a thing in some cycling circles.
So much so that groups will give out awards for your ability to create art from your route.
For example, Hoyte won first prize at a Bristol festival for this impressive bird art route.
“I just spend a lot of time looking at maps and it’s waiting for things to jump at you,” he explained to ITV . “It’s like looking at patterns in clouds and seeing pictures.”
Hoyte has the Christmas spirit, too.
And he puts it to work when the calendar rolls around to December, creating a festive route that has become something of an annual tradition for him.
Back in 2017, he rode a ridiculous 88 miles to create a snowman from the streets of London, a full 10-hour ride.
In 2018, Hoyte scaled his journey back just a bit.
He only needed 41 miles, and a mere 4 hours and 35 minutes on his bike, to create a pretty impressive Santa Claus back in Birmingham.
For 2019, Hoyte went back to London for another long ride.
It took him nine hours to travel the route, just shy of 80 miles, to make a reindeer in his app. But he did it! And he’s modestly proud of the accomplishment.
“I’m pretty happy with it,” he said. “Until you get back and upload it, you’re not quite sure whether it’s going to work or not.”
h/t: ITV
