Haha Biker Go Vroooom

By Taylor Johnson

During senior year, more options for how to get to school are available to students than in any year prior. Many seniors have passed their drivers exams and started driving themselves to school, while others prefer to carpool or to be dropped off by their parents. There is an option besides driving however, that those who choose it form a strong bond with: biking. 

Students who prefer to bike to school cite many different reasons for their choice, which reflects the wide variety of benefits biking offers. Biking is a chance to enjoy the morning sunshine, wake yourself up from the morning blahs, and feel the thrill of speed. On days where road traffic is packed to a standstill, it is extremely gratifying to be able to rush past all the cars completely unaffected. Being able to bypass traffic and take shortcuts that cars are unable to often means that biking to school can be just as fast an option as driving.

For some students, driving to school would be a completely valid option but they simply take joy in riding itself. When asked why he chose to bike to school every day, Ethan Chan (12) simply remarked “It is fun,” neatly summarizing how many Dalat bikers feel about their commute.

Another aspect many bikers enjoy is the community and company of other bikers they bump into along the way. Shortcuts and favorite routes often cause Dalat bikers to run into each other along the way, giving them a chance to catch up with friends and have a little fun in the morning. After school, students will often end up biking home in groups as everyone is let out of classes and x-blocks at the same time, leading to spontaneous conversations and hangouts in a very organic way. Some students choose not to bike home straight away but rather to keep cycling around for a while just to hang out with their friends. 

For others, biking is a chance to ready themselves for the day and ease into the school day. “I really like biking to school just because it’s a bit of time in which you get to clear your mind and prepare yourself for the day,” says Tim Santiago (12), “[It] forces you to take a little breather and just get your mind together.” Getting to school on a bike requires waking up and an alert mind, but the rhythms of the riding and of taking well-known routes to school also create a meditative time to reflect and slow down. Biking allows students to have a protected moment of their day to think, pray, or relax and that is an invaluable thing to have to be able to survive the mornings gracefully.

Whatever their personal reason, biking allows Dalat students to maximize their commute, transforming it from a mere necessity or hassle, into a valuable and fun part of the day.