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Bike riders on campus see the roads of Pasadena from a different perspective than others. The bike racks on campus are full of stories and that only a two-wheeled traveler can understand.Jenn Berjikian, a geology major, is a bicycle lover and environmentalist.

“It’s fun, it’s good exercise, it’s good for the environment, and you save money,” she said. “It’s kind of freeing, not being trapped in a car.”

Nick Mather, an adjunct philosophy instructor, went for 10 years without a car, choosing a bicycle for transportation while living in Denver. He rides a bicycle because of its environmental benefits, but also loves the convenience that it brings to his day.

“Once you get on the bicycle, your entire perspective changes. You start seeing cars as the nuisance,” he said. He believes there must be a shift of consciousness in order to make progress in transportation and as people.

Berjikian participates in Los Angeles’ monthly “Critical Mass” bike ride that attracts over 1,000 riders to pedal through the streets of L.A. as a massive group. She loves riding in group rides.

“I like that it brings people all together one night of the month. It’s definitely more fun to ride with people,” she said.

She feels that riding a bicycle not only connects her with her surroundings, but, “you definitely have that connection [with other bikers]. When you are riding a bike with someone else, you get to talk about what you see,” she said.

Mather would like to see a new future for bicyclists in southern California. “People need to be involved in creating a more bicycle friendly Pasadena,” he said. Mather draws inspiration from the bike lanes and safe riding that has been created in cities like San Francisco, where he lives part-time.

Whether bike riders at PCC aim to save their world from turning toxic, save their wallets from being emptied, or simply enjoy experiencing a smile alongside a fellow cyclist, their passion and joy for their communities and the two wheels below them rolls on.

(Louis C. Cheung)

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