Truman State University - Echo Yearbook (Kirksville, MO)

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SPACES IN THE BIKE RACKS are hard to find on campus. They are filled up as fast as parking spaces, while more and more people save money by pedaling to class. Sophomore Jan Kickman locks her 10-spced before classes. Spokes people Every evening he hauls his 10-speed bicycle up four floors of stairs, wheels it down the hall to his room in Dobson and locks it to a chair. Junior Gary Cripe feels he has to take extra measure to protect his $400 racing bike. But that ($400) is only a drip in the bucket compared to what most serious racers spend. They range over $1,000, he said. I had to get permission from the hall director to keep it there (in the hall). Racing enthusiasts are not the only ones who spend money on bicycles. About 400 bikes are on the campus daily. Masses in growing numbers have taken up bicycling like it was something new, but most people in the United States ride to save gas, to stay physically fit or just for pleasure. Kirksville is no exception. In keeping up with the trend, more and more people save money by pedaling to class or work. Human-powered transportation is the way sophomore Debby Buenger describes her ride to work at McDonald's most days. It's easier to get around on a bike, except for winter, and it's good exercise and good fun. Besides, you don't have to pay the Arabs to use it. Buenger used to ride to campus but does not anymore. She explains. THE CYCLING EXPERIENCE involves different spokes for different folks. Marta Zucca, a junior, rests from pedaling her unicycle among pedestrians in front of the SUB. Unicycling is a more compact, yet dangerous mode of transpor- tation, than two-wheeling it. 20 Bikes

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THE OPENING of a care package reveals treats too good to leave alone for Cindy Abbey, freshman, of Glen Ellyn, III. With a little luck, roommates receive a sample of Mom's good cooking, too. IT WAS JUST ANOTHER ITEM in the mail for Paul Conrad, freshman, from Eureka, Mo. Conrad wailed until late in the day to visit the Missouri Hall mailroom and claim his package. 19 Care packages

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 In front of the AM Building one day on my bike, I saw another bike rider coming straight toward me, and I thought she was gonna turn away, and she thought the same thing of me. The next minute we were both on the ground. Our front tires hit head on, as there were several people we were both trying to miss. We were lucky we weren't hurt, as hard as we hit. The head-on collision bent up the bikes only a little, but Buenger said that was enough for her to stop riding to classes. Monte Coy, senior, lives off campus and rides his bike to classes, even though he owns a car. I live a distance where it's too far to walk and too short to take a car. You could say my bike is a happy medium, he said. When Coy is on his Schwinn 10-spccd, he describes it as being free and peaceful, especially when no one else is out and about. Senior Jarvie Young feels the •5 y ' free-wheeling experience is getting away from it all. He said, It's like a total release from school. Biking is a good relaxer and a good conditioner for the body at the same time. Bicycling saves a lot on expenses, but Olin Johnson, director of Safety and Security, does not think people bring bikes to campus to cut down on energy usage. In fact, there are more cars registered here than ever before, he said. Approximately 3,200 cars are registered on campus. Bicycle registration has also risen. Johnson said over 40 more bicycles were registered in 1979. There arc definitely more bikes on campus than in recent years, he said. When bikes are non-registered, they have a slim chance of being recovered if they are stolen. Mickey Boone, sophomore, said riding her bike felt good and relaxing, like I was flying — before it was ripped off. Boone said she cannot do without a bike. She has another one WITH HIS DOC keeping him company, senior George Meadows pedals his two-wheeler around campus. Americans have shifted gears to more riding and students here have joined the chain Kang. on order. Johnson said bike thefts definitely have risen in the past years. When I'm riding, it's like I'm the only person in the world . . . It's like I'm in a world of my own, senior Roger Kadel said. And when I'm in high gear, it's like I'm on a natural high. Buenger, who tries to ride her bike everyday, enjoys the late-night scenery of Kirksville. Riding around campus under the lights at night is super, and also on Sundays when not too many people are around. Young enjoys cycling on strips on the edge of town. He said, On a country road is where I get the most pleasure. It's good for enjoyment and fitness. And you can do it at your own pace. Cripe travels at a much faster pace than most cyclists. Stocked with a racing helmet and special cleated shoes, he tries to ride every day. Cripe built his bike out of specially-ordered parts from five countries. There's not many more things that are more stimulating to me than bike racing. I wish Missouri and Kirksville promoted more bike racing, he said. Being the second most popular sport in the world, you'd think it would be bigger in the U.S. But it's real big in Europe. Maybe I'm in the wrong country. He frequently rides on U.S. Hwy. 63 to cities like La Plata and back. Whether one rides for pleasure, for fitness, to save energy, or to race, and whether the bike costs $50 or $1,000, students are joining the bike craze that has swept America. — Kevin Witt ON ANY GIVEN DAY, pedal power seems to be the thing, but junior Elaine Chapman takes a break to read the Index. More students have gone back to the basics in this popular sport, the fastest and cheapest way of getting around campus. 21 Bikes