They say you never forget your first cycling race, and Ateneo Bike Club (ABC) member Andre Tan surely didn’t. It was the 2014 Bataan Enduro cycle meet and Tan was both excited and nervous to put his stamina to the test; to cover a distance of 60 kilometers, after all, would definitely be a feat.

The management sophomore’s mountain bike was covered in dirt as he crossed the rough, bumpy trail. The mid-morning heat was getting to him as sweat dripped from his face. He raced toward the first of seven jumps he had to complete. Having not properly tested any jumps before, Tan thought to himself, “Oh, what the hell, let’s jump all of them.”

Every ABC member has his or her own biking story to tell, and this is just one of many. ABC is a Facebook group and growing community that serves as a meeting ground for Atenean bikers. For some people, however, it’s much more than a hobby. Whether on major roads or on campus, biking is seen more and more as a significant and well-discussed mode of transportation, and some Ateneans are right behind the idea.

Blue bike society

R. Lance Chua is an instructor of the Economics Department and a full-time biking enthusiast who created the ABC Facebook group to connect the undergraduate members, alumni members, and exclusive sponsors of the organization. He says that since 2011, he and fellow bikers have been riding various trails and conquering kilometer goals to make cycling their lifestyle.

To him and fellow cyclists, bike is life. Rosar Crisostomo, a former instructor of the Theology Department and also a member of ABC, praises the group, saying, “To have a cycling group formed by the students themselves was a good sign for Ateneo.”

Chua foresees a positive direction for the cycling culture in the Ateneo. For him, ABC capitalizes on two objectives: To get Ateneans into both endurance type rides and mountain trail rides. He explains, “[I’ve been] noticing the cycling habits of Ateneans since 2008, [and] there is a huge opportunity to immerse more Ateneans in cycling fitness.”

Crisostomo says that ABC would be an effective means, not just to unite cyclers in the Ateneo, but to really transform the campus from a car-centered campus to a more bike-, health-, environment-, and people-friendly place.

On its part, the school has been making efforts to promote and provide environmentally sustainable modes of transportation in campus. Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Traffic Discipline Office Head Cris Saruca tells The Philippine Daily Inquirer that more than 5,000 vehicles enter the Ateneo in the morning on school days.

This is a number the Ateneo hopes to decrease through its bike-friendly programs, among other projects. Last 2014, MMDA launched its “Bike-kadahan” project in the Ateneo in response to this problem, as it built a 3.7 kilometer-long campus bike lane to increase mobility, improve air quality, and reduce congestion on campus.

Group dynamics

There are many benefits a biker can get from riding with friends, from personal fitness to skills shared between people in the group. “Cycling with a group allows you to become a better cyclist,” Tan shares.

“It’s fun! You get to talk on uphills, and race on downhills,” says ABC President Ian Arce, adding that riding with faster riders also pushes one to become faster. It’s all about working together to keep a steady and consistent pace; this is important especially because ABC plans to eventually join marathons together as a team.

Biking in groups is “basically [against] the premise of the movie, 127 Hours,” ABC member Raphael Rosario explains, referring to how James Franco’s character made the mistake of trekking alone in the Utah canyons in that movie. The electronics and communication engineering senior adds, “If one of us gets injured or has a bike problem, the others will always be there to provide help.” No one gets left behind in a cycling team and that helps bring people together—exactly what ABC is all about at its core.

Aside from that, Rosario says that “there is always a part during the bike ride wherein we just relax, eat and talk, which is always enjoyable.” After an hour or so of biking, bikers need to recover the energy they’ve exerted, and this is where the solidarity really starts. Cycling is a social sport for these Ateneans.

ABC has currently not held any bike meets so far, but when asked on plans for the future of ABC, Arce immediately says “Rides!” He adds, “Hopefully lots of trail riding!” As Chua plans, the ABC will have two different kinds of rides—endurance types that will be on road terrains, and trail rides which will be on rocky and hilly terrains. But beyond these plans, their concerns on biking aren’t limited to marathons and races—they extend to the idea of biking as a practical habit as well.

Taking it to the streets

If Ateneans are encouraged to bike on campus, there is also the discussion of cycling as a means of transportation outside of campus. The MMDA rescheduled its Bayanihan sa Daan day that was supposed to take place on June 28 due to road repair and expected traffic. This falls under the EDSA Evolution project planned by the Bayanihan sa Daan Movement wherein two lanes of the highway will be reserved for bikes only. The road sharing exercise will happen on a later date.

Chua, however, thinks that cyclers are not ready for this. “Biking should not be the standard mode of transportation for students in [the country’s] current situation.” There are many hazards to biking on major roads; Chua shares that he has friends who have run into accidents and holdups on the road. “Cycling [as a means of transportation] outside the campus is risky. And I wouldn’t want my students to take the unnecessary risks without a strong government providing a secure environment for transportation.”

With the MMDA rescheduling the Bayanihan sa Daan project, it might take a while before cycling can even be conceived as a major mode of transportation. In the meantime, Atenean bikers have been working on getting new recruits for the school year to start biking as a hobby first. The lifestyle of cycling safely and consistently from point A to point B could be a topic to touch on once reform plans are ironed out smoothly and in a sustainable fashion.

Pedaling on

Arce says that everyone who can should bike around the whole campus since it’s a fairly small area. ABC plans on doing bike meets on campus for its convenience and in order to get Ateneans together. However, ABC members agree that aside from on-campus rides, the group should also have meets on mountain trails and in marathons.

Cycling is a fun hobby and Ateneo bikers seek the thrill. Cyclers would know the familiar feeling of the dirt and sweat clinging onto worn-out calves after a ride. The scars that come with biking past sharp branches from trees and the bruises from falls are part and parcel of the biking experience for some.

Every bike ride has its own kind of excitement, but for Tan back in 2014, the thrill was just about to start. The Bataan Enduro race was not yet over and the challenge was really just beginning. With the sun up high, the heat completed the whole scene of the mountain bike race. Tan was about to take his first jump on the dry, dusty route, and with no hesitation, he simply did it. “It felt awesome to be mid-air that many times at one stage,” he shares.

Tan went home that day bone tired but heart-happy as he ranked 21st out of 120 cyclers. “Biking is sort of addicting and it’s hard to get off when you’re hooked,” he says. Once you cycle, you can’t stop. The ABC wants to share that thrill with the whole Ateneo community, and they have much in store this year for those who are interested in riding along.