Cache Valley native helping Blue Bikes
Sandwiched between the Fieldhouse and the Military Science building is a small establishment that few people know about-Aggie Blue Bikes.
This program, coordinated by Adam Christensen, has been running since September 2005. Since its formation, he said Aggie Blue Bikes has developed three main purposes: to rent out bikes to students at no cost, to help repair rented out “Blue Bikes” and to educate people on the economical and environmental advantages of using a bike.
It maintains itself through fundraisers like the one held Wednesday by Dan Austin. This fund raiser, part of the book tour for Austin’s newest book,”The Road Trip Pilgrim’s Guide,” screened the movie “Hybrid.Pedal,” directed by Austin.
In the Aggie Blue Bikes’ most recent fund raiser, Austin, who was raised in Cache Valley, spoke and promoted the book. This book discusses the experiences involved in a pilgrimage, he said.
“This is the essence of a pilgrimage, returning as a different person than the one who left,” Austin said.
In the book, Austin writes about the elements involved in a pilgrimage, such as choosing a destination or plotting the path. Austin’s book also gives tips like “Finding a Free Place to Camp” or “Scoring Free Eats.” He even shares some thoughts on police escorts and how to skip rocks. After such outdoor experiences as Austin’s book elaborates on, one may wonder how a man like Austin could end up in a metropolis. He said when he first moved to New York City, he didn’t think he would stay there.
“Everyone says they will only be there for six months,” he said. But he said it made balance in his life. The city, to him, made an alternate side to the outdoors.
“Hybrid.Pedal” displays the story of a bike tour that travels from Portland, Ore., to Salt Lake City. The movie showed that the purpose of “Hybrid.Pedal” is to raise awareness about the conservation of such places as the slopes and surrounding forests of Mount Hood in Oregon or the Red Rock Forest in southern Utah. The purpose of the tour is to help people educate themselves and to get others involved.
In the movie, the representative for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance said, “Environmentalism isn’t one group … It is all completely connected.”
He said all parties and political sects are involved in the conservation of these natural locations. He went on to stress that all people must help to save the environment. He encouraged everyone to get involved in any way possible.
Christensen said when they have more funds, they can provide more tools, services, advice and bikes to the students of USU all free of charge. Christensen said these bikes are mostly for campus use, though they can be taken anywhere as long as they come back in one piece.
“College is kind of the perfect time to do one (a pilgrimage),” Austin said.
But what does Aggie Blue Bikes do with such funds?
First, Christensen said, Aggie Blue Bikes will rent, free of charge, a bike to any student for up to a semester. It also will help maintain these bikes, and it even has a special tool board filled with the unique tools needed to service bikes. When people rent a bike, they go through an introduction to biking. The process, Christensen said, requires the viewing of a short movie on air quality. Renters must also fill out forms. The total process takes about 15 minutes, he said.
When bikes need to be repaired, Christensen said employees will teach people and help them do it themselves. Christensen said this allows people to “carry the skill with you into future life,” which, he said, is part of the purpose of the 91 bikes Aggie Blue Bikes owns.
In addition, Christensen said Aggie Blue Bikes also teaches three classes. Christensen first said there is a 101 class which is an intro to bikers. This contains an overview to bike repairs and the aspects of riding a bike.
Christensen said there are also classes that involve the League of America Bicyclists. These are more specific and represent biking groups throughout the country, their experiences on biking and how one gets involved with them.
Christensen said the third type of classes are those involving the professional bikers. These include members of the League Cycling Instructors, who can provide insights into what being a biker entails.
However, he said there is even more to Aggie Blue Bikes. People who walk, he said, surely have nearly been killed by one of those “bandits” on a bicycle. But Christensen said another goal of the Aggie Blue Bikes program is to eliminate such bikers. He said Aggie Blue Bikes provides safety information for those bikers who ride in the city.
Christensen also made reference to the USU walkway policy which is available at Blue Bikes or online. The policy states five major guidelines for the use of a bike: Bikers must yield to pedestrians, give audible signs when passing a pedestrian, travel at a maximum of twice as fast as any pedestrians by whom they are traveling, not ride on roadside sidewalks and operate their bikes in a responsible manner. Christensen said spreading the knowledge of these policies is one of the objectives of the Aggie Blue Bike program.
jordan.cox@aggiemail.usu.edu