Junior Uses Bike Riding to Cleanse His Mind

Thick-framed glasses, a wispy brown afro and skinny jeans, he zooms by almost too fast for detection. His hair blows in the wind, and he feels the breeze on his face. His bike provides the transportation, while his own legs provide the power needed to take him wherever he wants to go.

This is exactly how junior Brendan Dulohery likes spending his Saturday afternoons, taking in the outdoors and enjoying the feeling of freedom as he rides around the city.  He bikes close to 10 miles on days when he has work, and uses his bike to get around almost everywhere.

Dulohery’s reason for riding his bike everywhere is simple: he doesn’t own a car, and riding a bike is simply quicker than walking. He also rides because it’s something that he likes to do.

“I just really enjoy it,” Dulohery said. “It clears my head.”

Only recently has Dulohery become a biking fanatic, when his parents bought him his black Dahon as a birthday present.

“I was bikeless actually until this summer of 2010,” Dulohery said. “I got one at the beginning of the summer, and basically since then, it’s all I’ve done.”

One experience that sticks out in Dulohery’s mind is biking to Lawrence, which he has done twice. The first time, Brendan, his friend junior Andrew Long, and Andrew’s dad Larry ventured out and biked the 54 miles it took to get to Lawrence. It was mid-July, the air was heavy and humid, and the ride was grueling.

The route they took led them through hours of Kansas countryside.

“I would go through periods of thinking it was beautiful, and loving it and appreciating it, and then periods, like going up hills, where I’d be like ‘I hate it. I want out. I hate it,’”  Dulohery said.

Finally, after five and a half hours, and countless hills, they made it to Lawrence. Brendan, Andrew, and Larry pedaled steadily up the final and steepest hill, standing up on their bikes to get the extra power to reach the top.

When they reached the crest, they saw the University of Kansas spread out before them.

“We got off and were like ‘Yeah!’” Dulohery said. “It was a pretty good feeling. I felt pretty awful physically but pretty great mentally. I challenged myself, and I think this is one of the examples in my life where I actually went the extra mile and totally kicked ass.”

After this first successful trip, Dulohery and Long wanted to challenge themselves and not only bike to Lawrence, but back to Kansas City as well. Wil Kenney, another friend, joined them on this trip. They shortened the route so that each way was only 40 miles, and early one September morning, they set out on the 80-mile journey.

The ride to Lawrence was not nearly as tough as the first trip they took. One factor that contributed to this was the weather, which this time around  “was absolutely gorgeous.” They made it to Lawrence in just three and a half hours.

After a brief rest, the group made the trip back to Kansas City. Roughly halfway back, Kenney fell and a pedal caught his leg causing a scrape bad enough to end the trip. Andrew’s mother picked them up after an impressive 64 miles.

Long road trips aren’t his only reason to ride; with friends like Kenney and Long, who both do not own cars, biking is the obvious option. However, with his other friends, Dulohery is never against hopping in a vehicle with four wheels instead of two.

“Riding in a car doesn’t bother me at all,” Dulohery said. “Sometimes, yeah, I’d rather be biking, but I’m not grinding my teeth riding in a car.”

One of the reasons Dulohery prefers biking to riding in a car is the exercise factor. By riding everyday, he has been able to keep physically fit doing something he loves. Before he became an avid biker, he tried to make running his “thing” but never really became attached to it in the way he has to biking.

“Biking is the closest thing to a sport I do. I like it because it’s exercise, but it’s not so tiring that you come home and you’re dead,” Dulohery said. “I just think that the agony of running distracts from the enjoyment.”

With biking, Dulohery can appreciate his surroundings and connect with the outdoors.

“It’s pretty much the closest to being in nature you’re going to get out here,” Dulohery said. “To get around is part of the reason I bike, but I think mostly just because it’s a hobby of mine that I enjoy.”

Since Brendan has incorporated biking into his life, he has seen the benefits reach farther than he ever anticipated. Biking has given him something to look forward to at the end of every day, and it is something he can always go to for a break from the hectic world of high school.

Biking also allows Dulohery time for reflection. He uses the few hours each day that he spends on his bike to think and sort things out.

“It’s made me calmer, more relaxed…helped me get over crap, you know,” Dulohery said. “It’s just good for my mind, really. Physically, it’s great, but, mentally, it’s very Zen. It’s like meditation for me.”