As the day dawns, Samuli Korhonen jumps onto the saddle of his e-bike and pedals to the CrossFit gym for a morning workout that starts at seven. Distances are short in the 15-minute City, and the ride from Korhonen’s home district of Ruola to the gym on Kärpäsenmäki Hill takes around 10 minutes.
Korhonen rides his e-bike to work and leisure facilities all year round. In 2024, he cycled over 3,000 kilometres.
Korhonen finds it is easy to ride a bike in Lahti, even in winter.
“In winter, you’ll be on the move in no time with a bike, but with a car, you have to scrape the windscreen and windows. My route to the gym goes along a major road, and it is always cleared of snow very well. The route to my workplace is also well-maintained and bicycle-friendly at all times.”
After the morning workout, Korhonen continues towards his workplace at Sandvik in the district of Karisto.
“After the workout, I’ll easily make it to work at nine. The journey takes about 20 minutes.”
Job search led to Lahti
After completing a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Oulu, Korhonen started to yearn back south. When considering where to move, Helsinki and Tampere were on the table besides Lahti.
Korhonen gained an opportunity to complete his Master’s thesis at Sandvik’s Lahti office, and later he was hired by the company as a product development engineer. Lahti became his new hometown, from where he can easily visit the Capital Region or his siblings in Tampere.
“Lahti is conveniently close to everything. In addition, housing is affordable in comparison to the salary level. You can find apartments for a generous price, even close to the city centre.”
Korhonen was no complete stranger to Lahti as his parents are from the nearby municipalities. He has known the Lahti region since childhood through Salpausselkä Ski Games and the Messilä Ski Resort. Korhonen felt safe about moving to Lahti. However, growing new roots in the city was not entirely unproblematic at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It was difficult to get to know people when everyone worked remotely. I frequented the Mukkula Disc Golf Park and made my first Lahti-based friends there. I found more friends at work after returning to the office.”
Active everyday life in the 15-minute City
To Korhonen, Lahti has proved a hometown with endless leisure activities, a place where there is always something to do. For example, Korhonen has continued his skiing hobby as Lahti offers a great setting for it. He plans to participate in the traditional Finlandia-hiihto skiing race.
Korhonen has various regular hobbies and he is always open to trying new ones. At Lahti Country Association, he dove into the swirls of line dance, and at Lahti Ski Club, he tried ski jumping for the first time, but definitely not the last.
“It was easy to try ski jumping. All you had to do was show up. All the equipment were available on site.”
Ski jumping practice takes place in the Karpalo area on Monday evenings. The four ski jumping hills of different sizes enable training for beginners, and everyone can build up their skills at their own pace.
Time flies at the one-and-half hour sessions as the ski jumpers practise on different hills based on their skill level.
“It would be nice to ski jump more often! The sport has enabled me to meet many likeminded people, who encourage each other to succeed to the best of their abilities. We also have a great coach, Leevi Mutru. The only downside is the tight boots, but you forget about it as soon as you sit down on the bar and focus on the jump.”
Author: Miina Kivi
Photos: Lassi Häkkinen