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<\/a><\/p>\nIt is a valid question, and one that I ask myself every time I hop on my bike for a hard ride. I have the story line written in my head. It starts with waking up at 6:30am and dreading the cold air, thinking I could still be asleep if it weren’t for the ride. Then comes the stiff muscles in the cold, and fighting the first few hills of the day, accompanied by a fair amount of swearing and disgust towards the others on the ride, usually my dad. I spit, and I cry, and sometimes I stop to rest. Over and over, I wonder why I decided to get on my bike that day, why I thought putting myself through hell would be enjoyable.<\/p>\n
But then we crest the mountain. Maybe it took two minutes, or maybe fifteen. I gasp for breath, my chest forcing me to suck in air uncontrollably. And then we descend. I tuck down into an aero position, first moving my left hand into the drops, and then my right. Turns approach, and I take them aggressively, pulling my inside knee to my chest, and leaning the bike into the turn as sharply as I dare until the road almost seems too close to my face. All I can hear is the wind whistling past my ears, as my speedometer tells me I’ve reached 25mph. Then 35mph. Then 40mph. And as I peak at a speed of 43mph, I realize that my smile is stretched across my face. There are cows, schools, dogs, and deer on the sides of the roads. I briefly take in the sign for “Coal, Corn, and Catfish!” and another advertising lava lamps and shag carpet. Not long before, I had been in my suburban home, and now I’m whizzing through farmland and past mines. Powering up huge hills tears down the walls I put up, and my real character comes out. I persevere, and then I escape.<\/p>\n
This is why I ride.<\/p>\n
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Mariah Murphy, and I’m the new Biking Intern for the Center for Sustainability Education<\/a>. I am a junior Chemistry and Geoscience major, and this year am a Residential Advisor for McKenney Suites and will be doing research with the Earth Science department. I also enjoy rock climbing, playing my instruments (violin, guitar, banjo, ukulele, and harmonica), and riding horses.<\/p>\n Becoming a cyclist was bound to happen – at the age of 86, my grandpap still rides 75 miles a week, and has taken me riding more times than I could ever count; both my parents were serious mountain bikers when they were younger, and a couple years ago, my dad became a hard-core road cyclist. But becoming a bike mechanic was a different story. One cold, February morning my freshman year, a friend of mine dragged me to the Handlebar<\/a> for a pancake breakfast… I never left. Now, you have to understand that I knew practically nothing about bike mechanics at the time. In the shop, I was ridiculously shy, and mainly kept to myself for a couple months, until I felt a bit more secure in my skills. Compare that to today, where I’ve build two Green Bikes<\/a> from the ground up, and refurbished countless others, have been head volunteer for two semesters, and now am running the show. The Handlebar has been a place for me to grow, and I’m still enjoying the ride.<\/p>\n This semester, I have some big plans for the biking community, including another Bike to the Farm Potluck, trips to Recycle Bicycle Harrisburg<\/a>, bike-themed movies, bike blender appearances, and bike rides to Leo’s<\/a>\u00a0for homemade ice cream. I will also be working with the newly approved Cycling Club to form rides for all levels.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n